And Then Tweak for Perfection

Published on by Our Humble Abode14 Comments

And the ombre dye saga continues.  Last Wednesday, I eluded to yet another dyeing issue.  You’d think I would have learned my lesson, but no.  Sadly, I didn’t rinse the dye out thoroughly enough because the undyed areas were a faint purple with splotches (yes, that is a technical term) of darker color, just like my first round.

Initially, I thought I’d just hem the side with the worst of it, but I would have to remove too much of the fabric and the curtain wouldn’t be wide enough.  I thought I could live with it, but it taunted me every time I looked at it.  I needed to do something about it, or at least try.  While at JoAnn’s, I found a box Rit dye color remover.  I figured if anyone or thing could fix this, my best bet would be to use the same brand.

I gathered more supplies, my trusty five gallon bucket, hot water, (I boiled a small pan and filled the rest with hot tap water) rubber gloves, and a spatula.  I poured the powder in the water and let it do it’s thing.

It seemed to work.  I let the curtain soak for 30 minutes, rinsed it out, then tossed it in the washer for another quick clean.  Happily, I had stunning results.  Finally, I could hang my ombre curtain.  Our bathroom is tiny, so it is really hard to get pictures from top to bottom.  Please bear with me for the abundance of photos.

I love that the colors blend well, but you can still see the lines of each level.

When the shower isn’t in use, we usually leave the curtain open to let as much light from the sky tube into the bathroom as possible.  So, this is what it looks like 95 percent of the time.

Here you can see the opened curtain and how it works with the rest of the bathroom.  That’s how small this bathroom is.  I had to reflect the rest of the bathroom in the mirror.

When closed, this is what you’re welcomed by.

The dipped end hand towels are pretty fun, too.  If only the white stitching took the dye, too.  Oh well.

Now, I need to get around to painting the ugly wooden doors.

After a little Pinterest search, (I love how Pinterest has become the new crafting Google) I found another ombre dye project with a wonderful tip that may have eliminated the need for color remover.  After dyeing, let the fabric dry before rinsing.  Apparently, this sets the dye to keep the colors vibrant, so I’m guessing it can also help reduce bleeding.  Though, this was my second attempt to dye something, so what do I know.

Now, for a total cost break down:

Flat sheet: $9.99

Three boxes of purple Rit dye: $8.25 ($2.75 each)

One box of Rit color remover: $2.75

Thread: Already owned

Grand total spent: $20.99

I’ll probably dye more things in the future, just to hone my skills.  Are you a fan of the ombre trend?  Do you have ombre in your house?  Your clothes?  Your hair?  My sisters are trying to convince me to ombre dye my hair, à la Jessica Biel.  For more ombre inspiration, check out this ruffle shower curtain and this painted dresser.  What is your favorite ombre colored item as of late?

Gimme a Giveaway: Bella Glow

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***This giveaway is no longer accepting entries, Thank You!***

Last month, we shared a beautiful set of wooden coasters in our Etsy favs round-up.

The folks at Bella Glow have a wonderful variety of vintage treasures in addition to the hand crafted wooden coasters and cutting boards.  These handsome Symphony coasters would look great in almost every setting.  Man cave?  Check.  In a living room?  You bet.  Squished  together to make a trivet for the kitchen?  Why not?  Heck, I think that Wenge wood block with gold leaf detail would look great hung up on a wall as a nod to a starry night.

These Sunken Cypress coasters remind me of bamboo.

Red tinted Brazilian Cherry coasters with beautiful grain.

Spice up your kitchen with this end grain butcher block cutting board.

Ain’t she a beaut?  Though, so is this Purpleheart and Wenge wood board.

The Goods: One $25 shop credit good for or toward anything in the Bella Glow shop.

To Enter: Subscribe to follow Our Humble A{Bowe}d, if you’re not already.  To subscribe, click the “Sign Me Up!” button under “Be the first to know.”  Once you’ve subscribed, leave a comment, which can (but doesn’t have to) include our Just for Fun question.

Just for Fun: Tell us your favorite tree/type of wood and why.  A giant Redwood because of sheer size?  Cedar for the smell?  Cherry for the beautiful color?

For additional entries:

1. Add Bella Glow to your Etsy favs, come back and leave a comment telling us what your favorite item is.

2. Like Joseph Thompson Woodworks (the parent brand of the company) on Facebook.  You can also interact with Bella Glow on Twitter.

Contest Closes: Thursday, September 22nd at 11:59 pm, central time.

Number of Winners: One!

Ships: Globally!

Other Info: We will select the winner using random.org and announce on Friday, September 23rd.  Good luck!!

All  images found via the featured Etsy seller’s listing as linked above.

Etsy Favs: September

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Are you ready for some Etsyyyyyyy?  Think Hank Williams Jr.’s Are You Ready for Some Football to understand my reference, you know, with the return of football and all.

We’ve got more art than anything else in the round up, starting with this Where We Meet print by Two For Joy Paper Studio.


I love the geek chic venn diagram reference.

If you’re looking for a traditional first wedding anniversary gift, or for any other occasion, check out this beautiful Photo Heart Art from Celadon Home.  Bonus, it is an entirely custom piece, ready to hang.

How cute would this Crayon’s Heart 5 by 5 print by Larry Jang Photography look in an office?  It definitely would brighten up a boring cubicle.

Amber Alexander creates such beautiful paintings, and Field Before the Storm is no exception.  I would be honored to have the talent in her pinky finger.

If you live in a metropolis, the London Underground Tube Map by Boo-Teeq should tickle your fancy.  Imagine this art piece with New York City’s subway system or Chicago’s L train.  Heck, Minneapolis’ Light Rail would be cool.

Why aren’t there more of these heart billboards?  Love is in the Air by Amy Nieto Photography.

Seventies macrame is back and better than ever as part of this Blackberry Season Macrame Bracelet created by Galit Mastai.

We can all use more love.  This Alphabet Love print by 2142 Stuart would look great framed and hanging in nearly any room.

Add a little creepiness to your house or porch this Halloween with the Skeleton Hand Pillow from Yellow Bug Boutique.  It could only be better if it glowed in the dark.  Vincent had a skeleton shirt that did that.  Totally mint.

The design, colors and textures in the Passing Shower print by Eloise Renouf just make me smile.

This Kitchen Conversions print in dark gray by Sweet Fine Day is the perfect addition to the kitchen for non bakers like myself.  Ben can recite all conversions without blinking while I struggle to remember his phrase “A pint is a pound, world round.”

No, we’re not getting remarried, but I thought this Wedding Questionnaire Adlibs by August Press could be adapted for nearly any party.  Baby shower?  Bridal shower?  Birthday party?  Why not?!

I literally laughed out loud when I saw this Wicked Witch bookmark at Honey Case.  Seriously, I’d love to have these little legs sticking out of my book to mark my page.

The intricate design of this Handmade Lantern by Sparrow & Co. took my breath away.  Look at the beautiful shadows it casts.

This Washy Washy print by Christy Elle Photography just makes me grin.  The bright color and wear of the machines is perfection.

If you’re on a tight budget, frame this $3.50 Love Story II postcard by Amelia Kay Photography for a beautiful, heartfelt print.

Wow, I can’t believe this is the first bird to enter this Etsy round-up.  Pint sized but packed with cuteness, the Mocking Bird art block by Red Tile Studio would look great on a shelf or wall.

Last up, this Vintage Owl Container Trio made by Two Chicks & a Fancy Owl is just flat-out adorable.  You can buy each item individually, too.

And more bird items.  This time, a Danish Modern Birdhouse crafted by Nathan Daniels.  What, stylish chickadees need an equally stylish home.

So, that’s what we’ve loved this past month.  What’s made it to your Etsy favorites this past month?  Have any of these items made the cut?

Try Again

Published on by Our Humble Abode9 Comments

As I shared, my first ever fabric dye slash ombre project didn’t go as well as I imagined it would.  (Thank you so much for your tips and tricks.)  Bummer, but I don’t give up that easily. I’m Polish after all.  Wait, maybe Polocks aren’t known for stubbornness as much as ignorance.  Either way, I was determined to try it one more time.

Having learned from my mistakes, I bought two boxes of purple dye and a full-sized flat bed sheet.

I also used the main bath tub. About half way into my process, I laid a junk towel under the bucket to protect the acrylic tub.  Pretty sure a dyed bath tub would be an epic failure, even if I successfully dyed the curtain.

To keep the dye line as even as possible, I hung the sheet on the shower curtain using the existing shower curtain rings and a set of curtain clips I had in the basement. 

I slipped the curtain clips through the curtain rings because the clips were too small to fit on the shower rod.  Then, I clipped my sheet up so I wouldn’t have to touch the curtain, just the rod and clips.  I highly suggest this method.

I decided to use one half of a box to dye my first ombre layer.

I didn’t realize it until later, but I completely forgot to add salt or liquid soap.  Oops.  I did however let the sheet soak for about 20 minutes, stirring constantly with a stainless steel spatula.  With a nice, saturated color, I moved the curtain rod up about eight inches and added the second half of the box to the bucket.

After 20 or so minutes, I moved it up another eight inches and added the entire second box to the mixture to let it soak.  Before dumping the dye solution out, I dyed the ends of two white towels, just for fun.  I rinsed out the sheet and towels, but as I neared the end, Everett woke up from his nap, so I quickly rinsed out the rest and popped it into the washer for a quick clean.

Now, I had to figure out a way to hang this thing.  I started by sewing the sides to the width of our shower curtain liner.  I ironed the edges and got freaked out because the heat of the iron turned the dye pink.  After 15 seconds or so, the color did go back to normal.  So, I continued ironing and folded the edge over twice to get a clean edge and pinned.  I planned to only sew one side and the top to get my measurements.  The white thread from the sheet didn’t absorb the dye, so I was safe using white thread to hem everything.  I sewed my side first.

I considered sewing button holes to hang from, but my button-hole function didn’t want to work for me.  Plan B.  We needed a new curtain liner for our bathroom, so I cut the grommets off the old one to sew to my sheet.  I pinned right sides together so my seam would look as seamless as possible.

Then, I stitched right along the plastic edge, but not on it.

A quick pressing with the iron made a nice crisp seam.  Unfortunately, I did have dyeing issues again.  Off to rectify that situation.

So far, I’ve spent 9 dollars and 99 one hundredths of another buck on a flat bed sheet, and $5.50 for two more boxes of Rit dye, bring our total (including yesterday’s failure) to $18.24.  Not too bad considering the only other curtain I liked cost $29.99.  So, we’re still $11.75 under budget, failures and all.

How much are you willing to spend on a shower curtain?  Have you ever made one yourself?

If at First You Don’t Succeed

Published on by Our Humble Abode14 Comments

I’ve been itching to add more color to our house recently, without breaking the bank.  While innocently browsing Pinterest, I came across an idea.  Dip dyeing fabric.  Easy peasy, right?  You’re smart enough to realize this wasn’t as easy as I originally thought.  So, I went to Hobby Lobby and picked up one box of purple powdered dye and set to work.  What did I dye?  I decided to ditch the plain white shower curtain we had in the main bathroom.

Of course most shower curtains are synthetic or a blend, but the people at Rit suggest an all cotton fabric.  So, I found an old white king sized flat sheet to dye, hem to size and hang as a shower curtain.  With my dye in hand, I gathered the necessary supplies.  A 5 gallon bucket, hot water, salt, dish soap (I didn’t have liquid detergent so I improvised) a measuring cup, bowl, paint stirrer stick, and rubber gloves and took my dirty work outside.

Now looking back, that was mistake number one.  I decided I wanted an ombre dyed curtain, with the top two-thirds white and the bottom a three-layered ombre.  Because of my layers, I decided to divide the box of dye to make my darker shades.  I used 1/4 of the box and about 2.5 gallons of hot water for the lightest layer and let it soak for about 15 minutes.

Then, I mixed up another 1/4 of the box to add to the solution I had going to dye my second layer.

Again, I let this soak for roughly 15 minutes.

I thought the distinction of layers was pretty noticeable, so I continued on with my plan.

Then, I used the remaining half of the box for my bottom layer, adding it to the mix and letting it soak.

When I thought I had several distinguished layers, I started rinsing the fabric in warm water, again outside.  Lesson to you folks, don’t dye large pieces of fabric outside.  Why?  Because the fabric started falling and I grabbed it with my gloved, dye hand.

Mistake number two, I didn’t rinse the fabric out thoroughly enough.  After washing in the machine, I had about 10 areas where the dye touched the undyed portion, leaving ugly blobs.

Mistake number three, I just gathered he fabric in my hand, so the bottom wasn’t even, making the dyed are wavy.

Mistake number four, I either used too little dye or didn’t let my fabric soak long enough because the dyed areas weren’t nearly as dark as I’d like.  Of course, this mistake is personal preference.  Total failure cost: $2.75 and a smidge of my pride, which doesn’t make it an epic failure, but annoying none the less.

Please tell me someone out there has made at least one of these mistakes when dyeing something?  Don’t you hate when you have a brilliant idea and it doesn’t work well for you?