Kool-Aid

Ever notice how after a child drinks a glass of Kool-Aid how their lips and tongue turn the same color as the drink? That's because kool-aid can be used as an effective dye. For the layout above I used Red and Blue Kool-Aid to dye the fabric along the bottom of the page as well as the fabric photo mat. It was also used to create the red white and blue tags. I love this look and plan on making more dyed creations.

To make them I dumped a packet of Kool-Aid into an old clean peanut butter jar then added about a half cup of boiiing water. For the striped fabric I dipped a foam brush into the Kool-aid mix and painted the stripes onto thin white denim. Cotton fabrics work best.
For the tags I simply dipped them into one color then flipped them around and dipped them into the other color. If you have a die cutting system you can cut as many things in as many shapes as you'd like to dye.

I let everything dry overnight and then heat set the dye the next day with a hot iron. Vinegar can also be used to set the dye.

To save my dyes I placed the lids on the peanut butter jars and labeled them and stuck them in the fridge.

Also, be sure to protect your work surface from the Kool-aid as it will dye it too!
I placed newspaper over a large cookie sheet and then put freezer paper over that to work on. This worked out great because I could move my finished items to another room while they dried.

I haven't tried it yet..but, I hear stunning results can be made using the dyes and coffee filters. Simple drop tiny drips onto the filter using an eye dropper for a tie dyed effect.

Fun and Cheap!