Dipped Cards

Showing gratitude through a written letter or card is meaningful to me. When I have been blessed with a kindness from another, whether gift or gesture, I feel like I can show my appreciation more completely through writing (after, of course, thanking them verbally). :) That being said, I am unbelievable delinquent on my list of people to thank. I am ashamed. I want to blame it on not having the right cards and stationary to write the notes upon but after this project, I can’t even claim that.

This idea came to me while I was cleaning up my work space, yet again. I noticed I had a couple boxes of fabric dye and with that thank you list on my mind, I thought dipped cards might just be the thing to finish my list.

The bold, vivid colors of the dye really made these cards pop. However, nothing causes more stress than carrying a tub full of permanent fabric dye across one’s very light, really absorbent carpet. Especially when the route includes landmines in the shape of cars and spiky dragons. Thankfully, nothing was unintentionally dyed.

Let’s make these cards.

Supplies:

-paper (I used watercolor paper)
-fabric dye
-water
-tub for dye bath
-string for hanging the cards

First make the dye bath. Use the hottest water from the tap and add in the dye powder. You don’t need much powder though it does vary between colors. Darker hues, the red and purple, need less than lighter colors like yellow. Make sure to stir it well.

Then begin dipping. The paper soaks up the color quickly so if you are interested in doing a gradient of colors, that first dip doesn’t take long

The string comes in handy to keep the paper set at specific depths. The longer the paper is in the dye, the darker it gets.

To dry them, hang them over newspaper.

Because the paper gets a little wonky after drying, pressing them with a warm iron helps it to lay flatter.

I did these two tone pieces by first dipping them in the yellow, allowing them to fully dry and then dying them in the red.

They are so vibrant and lovely, I thought about leaving up as a dipped garland. But no. A list awaits these beauts and I’ve got to get to work!

Take care.