Let's talk all things metallic & it's crafty uses

Do you love the addition of gold or any kind of metallics to your projects? You have come to the right place. I love the hint gold or copper accents in my DIY projects so I thought I will discuss what are the products available in the market that can be used for the addition of these metallic accents to your projects.

Let's talk about dyes - Types of fabric dyes & it's crafty uses

Summer always reminds me to try some dye projects. As Summer is approaching in few weeks, I thought it will be great to discuss on the topic of dyes. Technically, there are a lot of things which makes each dye unique but let's not go deep into those stuffs. Rather we will discuss what are different brands & types of fabric dyes available in the market which are widely used by crafters like you & me, type of fabrics they are compatible and some projects using that particular brand of dye.Shall we?

Rit dye :

Let us first start with the very popular RIT dye.It is an all purpose dye used to dye natural fibers like cotton, wool, silk, linen  ramie along with other materials like wood, feathers, paper, rope and also nylon fabrics.This dye recommends adding 1 cup salt to the dye bath for cotton, rayon, ramie, linen or blends and adding 1 cup white vinegar to dye bath for nylon, silk or wool. Salt or vinegar is added to the dye bath to help intensify the color. Rit is available in both liquid and powder form. (Not all colors are available in both forms)

Not recommended for : 100% Polyester, acrylic, acetate or fabrics with special finishes, rubber backing, cold water wash or labeled Dry clean only.

Rit recently(2015) came up with a product called Rit DyeMore.It is a synthetic dye which helps is dyeing 100% polyester, acrylic, acetate, nylon and polyester/cotton blends. (Excited to try this!)

Projects : How to Dye-IY your shoes

How to Batik on fabric with glue

Inko Dye:

Inko dye is a photo sensitive water based dye. It can be mixed to create new color dye. It can be used only on natural fabrics and the color is developed when exposed to bright sunlight or UV.

Inko dye binds to any absorbent natural fiber such as cotton, linen, raw silk, jute, hemp, raw canvas, burlap, bamboo, muslin, wool and even raw leather, suede, untreated wood and unglazed ceramics.

It can also be used on cellulosic semi synthetics such as viscose, modal and rayon.It can be used with natural and synthetic fibre blends such as 50% Cotton 50% polyester but the result may not be as vibrant as you see with the natural fibers as the colors will wash out of the synthetic blend. 

Not recommended for : Purely synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon, acrylic and also non fibrous materials such as metal and glass. 

Project: Christmas sweater T-shirt

Indigo Dye:

It is an organic compound with distinctive blue color. Historically, Indigo was a natural dye extracted from plants.Nowadays, Indigo dye is produced in large quantities using synthetic process and are mainly used in denim production.(Blue jeans). Jacquard, a leading manufacturer of craft products has a Indigo Tie dye kit which is popular if you wants try your hands on Indigo dye. It can be used on all natural fibers like cotton, wool, silk, linen, wood.

Not recommended for : Synthetic fibers

Projects : Shibori technique-Dyeing with Indigo 

Dye Na Flow Dye :

This is a highly saturated, highly transparent fluid acrylic paint is a permanent dye.It can be used on any porous or semi-porous surface, including natural and synthetic fabrics.This dye/paint spreads on fabric until it is absorbed and even, sinking into the fibers instead of sitting on the surface like inks and paints.The colors are intense, wash fast and will not change the feel of the fabric.It is a versatile dye and can be used for many applications like silk painting, wood staining , etc.

This dye product is manufactured by Jacquard company. This dye needs to be heat set and washed in cold water to get the dye fixed.Various techniques like sun printing, batik , tie dye, water color effects can be achieved. To achieve lighter shades of the color, this dye/paint can be mixed with water. 

Projects : Dye na flow hand bag 

Dye na flow Shibori technique napkins

Tumble Dye:

Tumble dye is a pre-mixed pigment dye which is easy to use and eliminates the need for masks, fixatives and tons of rinsing to remove the dyes in the surface. It is a permanent dye but colors will fade after some washing. This dye also needs to be heat seat in the dryer for 20 minutes or using a hot iron. This dye can be mixed for more color options. It is a non-toxic , environmentally safe dye and great for kids party. 

This dye can be used on fabrics, wood, paper, silk, trims, dried flowers and more. For more tips nd tricks, click here.

Projects : Tie dye watercolor napkins using tumble dye 

Dylon Fabric Dye : 

Dylon fabric dye is a permanent fibre reactive dye. Natural fibers like cotton, linen, viscose can be dyed with dylon. Helps in achieving bright and intense colors. Blends like cotton and polyester will result in lighter shades. Synthetic fibers cannot be dyed with dylon dyes. This company has three kinds of fabric dyes such as machine use, hand use and Wash & Dye. Machine use and Wash & dye, these two varieties are used for dyeing the fabric in the washing machine. However the instructions for these are slightly different. So, before using these dyes, please read the instructions carefully to achieve the result. 

Not recommended for : Synthetic fibers, Wool, silk, nylon and fabric with special finishes. 

Projects : DIY Mud cloth using dylon

iDye : 

As fancy as it sounds, this is a simple dye that comes in a dissolvable packet so there are no messy handling involved. This dye produces brilliant colors and it can be used on stove top method or in a washer. This dye needs hot water for the dyeing process to take place irrespective of whichever method you use. 

There are two varieties of iDye available. One for natural fibers like cotton, linen, silk, etc and other one called iDye poly for synthetic fibers like polyester, nylon, acrylic, etc. This dye can also be used to dye plastics such as toys, wigs, urethane coatings, frisbee, etc. When using blends, the company requests to use one packet of iDye for natural fibers and iDye poly of the same color. 

Tulip One step Tie dye: 

This company is famous for its Tie dye kits. These kits are ready to use, you just have to add water  into the bottle, shake it and apply on the fabric. There are two different techniques with which this dyes can be used - wet technique and dry technique. How to instructions comes with the kits. These are fun when are planning for tie dye party. This brand also sells regular fabric dyes in powder as well as liquid form. 

Projects : Tie dye techniques 

Hope this blog post inspires you to try different dyes and techniques this summer.Always read the instructions carefully before using a particular dye because each dye is different in its chemical composition and each dye has to be used in certain way to achieve best results. What kind of dye project have you done before? Did I miss any popular dyes? Share with me in the comments below. As always I will be happy to hear from you.

Let's talk about Craft Paints and it's crafty uses

Have you ever thought how many varieties of craft paints available in the market?? There are loads and loads of varieties from the normal acrylic paints to speciality paints like magnetic paint, chalkboard paint, etc. In this post , let's take a look on the different varieties available and some projects in which they are used.

Acrylic paints:

These are the most commonly used craft paint.I am sure that there will be no DIYer/ crafter without a bottle of acrylic paint in his/her craft stash. Acrylic paints come in variety of colors and are used for painting small wood projects, canvas , poster boards, etc. These paints are water soluble but become water resistant when dry.Also these paint dry very quickly and can be washed off with water. Most projects needs two to three coating of acrylic paint to get a opaque look.

Projects: I used acrylic paint to cover wood in my DIY Bookends Organizer and to give double color  for DIY Paper Dahlia.

Enamel paints: 

These are more permanent paint compared to acrylic paint. It takes long time to dry and becomes a hard surface once dry which makes it difficult to chip. Enamel paints are used to paint hard surfaces such as glass, metal, ceramics , etc. 

Projects: I used gold enamel paint for the drawer pull in my Dressing table makeover and to paint a part of glass in my DIY flower vase. 

Fabric paints: 

These are special type of paint made to use in textiles. Fabric paints are mostly used in textiles made with natural fibers such as cotton, linen, silk, jute, etc. However some of the natural fibers like silk requires specialized versions of fabric paint.

It is always recommend to prewash the material you are going to paint for better adhesion of paint. Read the instructions in the paint bottles/ tubes thoroughly before using to know better about the compatibility and also the method of application. Because the method to use the paint, drying time and also various other factors may vary depending on the manufacturer. 

So, before buying variety of fabric paint colors, do you know there is something called textile medium/fabric medium which can be added to your acrylic paints to make it as fabric paint? If not, you should try. 

I came to know about this when I had a plan for some fabric paint project and I don't want to buy various colors of fabric paint just for one project. This stuff is awesome. I have tried and also washed the painted fabric to test. It works. The color did not bleed or anything.

Project: Watercolor Monogram Tea towels

Puffy paint :

Puffy paint are also called as dimensional paint. These paints comes in tubes which makes it easy to apply directly to the project without needing any brush for application. These paints can be used in many surfaces such as fabrics, glass, ceramics, etc.

Projects: diy faux fenton hobnail milk glass from Carolyn at Homework, 12 cool puffy paint projects from buzzed

Chalkboard paint :

As the name says this paint is used to create a chalkboard surface to write/play with colorful chalk. There are colorful chalkboard paints and also clear chalkboard paints available in the market nowadays with which you can probably change any surface into a chalkboard.

Projects: diy chalkboard fall banner

Glass paint :

Glass paint are the paints that are specifically made to paint on a glass surface. Most paints that are made to use with glass can be also be used with ceramics. There are various finishes of glass paints such as translucent, opaque, stained effect, frosted effect, etc are available. 

Click the picture to learn more about simple tips for using glass paint from Madigan Made. 

Projects : DIY Stained Glass Candle holder , Dip dyed frosted tumblers from Vicky Barone

Magnetic paint :

Oh Yes!! This paint do exist !! You can make part of your wall or any one side of a room(if you are that crazy) magnetic by painting them with magnetic paint. As far as I read , many says that it takes many coatings of paint to make the surface magnetic but I haven't tried this personally (may be in future). 

Projects : How to make a magnet wall from diyready

Mirror Paint :

Mirror paint usually comes as spray paint . This paint is used to achieve mirror like finish in glass projects.

Projects: diy mercury glass pumpkin from the frugal homemaker

Glow in the dark paint :

It is also called as Phosphorescent paint. These paints have phosphor pigments in them which when comes it contact with light(sun or any form of light) absorbs photons and later when it is dark these paints emit the photons which gives the glow. This process is called as Photoluminescence.

These paint comes in different colors. There are dimensional glow in the dark paint and fabric glow in the dark paint. 

Projects: Glow in the dark vinyl pumpkins from Lab hands , glow in the dark mason jars from a pumpkin and a princess

Porcelaine paint :

These are special type of paint made to use with any heat stable surface such as porcelaine, terra-cotta, ceramics,glass, etc. These paint after applied needs to be baked in the home oven for 35 minutes at 300F to make it permanent.

Projects : How-to : Dishwasher Safe Decorated Mugs from curbly 

Soy paint :

It is eco friendly plant based paint which means pigments in this variety of paint is mixed with soy ester resin. These paints can be used on paper, wood, canvas, etc just as regular acrylic paint. 

Patio paint :

This is kind of acrylic paint made especially for outdoors to make it more durable. It is a weather proof paint and does not require sealer to make it durable.

Projects : DIY concrete planter from decorart

Speciality mediums :

Cracking medium :

To achieve a cracking effect on any surface, this medium is applied on the top of the paint surface.

Projects : Spooky vintage doll heads from Green Table Gifts, Cracks can be beautiful from The empty nest

Antiquing medium :

What a vintage effect on your furniture projects? This helps. There are a lot of antique mediums available in the market. This is mostly used in the same way as the cracking medium.

Last but the least, want try to make your own paint at home ? Here are some homemade recipe options that you can try.

Did I miss any variety of paint ? Was any of the above paint sounds very new and exciting to you? Share in the comments below. As always I would love to hear form you.

Let's talk about lights - The perfect lighting for your home along with tips & $50 Parrot Uncle Giveaway

Today I am partnering with Parrot uncle, a worldwide lighting retailer to bring you some gorgeous fixtures ideas along with some lighting tips.Before going deeper into the lighting stuffs, I would like  say that I am in no way an expert or anything. With an interest to know more about lighting, I have read through lot of articles and  have complied my own to bring something new to learn today.I hope you will enjoy :)

Let's start with some basics. Do you know there are three basic type of lighting? They are ambient lighting , task lighting and accent lighting. 

Ambient lighting : It is also called as general lighting which provides a overall illumination for any area without any glare and comfortable level of brightness. In some spaces like garage, laundry rooms, pantry ,ambient lighting is the primary source of task lighting.

Ambient lighting can be achieved by using bigger and bolder chandelier or an antique wooden lamp or with combination of light fixtures like recessed lights with couples of pendant lights as shown below.

Are you planning to buy a chandelier? Well, before deciding on the design and style, make sure to measure the size of your room where you are planning to put the chandelier. Measure the width and length of the room , add those numbers. The sum of those two numbers is the approximate recommended diameter of the chandelier in inches. For example: 10' by 12' room needs a chandelier approximately around 22" diameter. 

Task lighting : It is the lighting which helps to perform a specific task like reading, cooking food, working on a craft project , etc . This can be achieved by using pendant lights, desk lamps, recessed lights, under cabinet lights or some affordable wooden floor lamps, etc

You can see how the pendant lights are used above the kitchen island to provide light specifically to the island area and some recessed lights on the top of the stove to provide light while cooking. There are pendant lights which can be adjusted depending upon the task you are performing in the particular area. These lights also comes with dimmers which can be adjusted to increase or decrease the amount of light brightness depending on the task. 

Dimmers, if you aren't familiar with that word, you might want to do some work to know them better and what awesome things it can do when it comes to lighting. I have noticed a weird looking switch in some public place and totally had no idea what it is. When I was doing some research to know more about lights I came to know that they are dimmers and so I am sharing it. 

There are different types of dimmers and not all lights are compatible with them. So check before you purchase a lighting. These dimmers also helps in setting a mood.For example, with the lighting you already have, you can change the kitchen or dining environment into a calm and quiet restaurant feel by dimming the lights. Like shown below.

Accent lighting : It is the lighting which helps to add visual interest particular item inside or outside of the house. In the interior design these kind of lighting is done to highlight any prized possession such as paintings, sculptures, plants, etc. When it comes outdoors , accent lighting is done to highlight the texture of brick, stone or window treatment, etc. 

Accent lighting is usually provided by sconces, recessed or track lighting and also using wall mounted picture lights.

Some of my other favorites from desk lamps, sconces & pendant lights

So now you know which part of your home needs some extra lighting ? what are you waiting for ? Head over to Parrot uncle to select your favorite piece to decorate your home the new year. Don't worry if you can't find your favorite lighting, design your own and Parrot uncle will make it for you ? How cool is that ? Parrot Uncle provides free shipping & free returns when orders are over $50. All products are between 20% and 50% off. The Big Holidays Sale will last only till the Christmas. So hurry up!! There are some awesome lighting pieces which make great gifts, just saying ;) .

Don't forget to enter the giveaway below for your chance to win $50 Parrot uncle gift card.Comment below your favorite lighting or any tips & tricks you would love to share.As always I will be happy to hear from you.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer : This is a sponsored post. However all the opinions expressed are my own.The images used here are all from Parrot uncle's website and social media.  

Let's talk about Paper - Types of Paper & its crafty uses

If you are already following me, you might know about "Let's talk series" where I discuss about different types of "Particular material" such as glue,tape,etc and its crafty uses.I didn't post one for last month as I was in the vacation mood and didn't have much time for research.So, here it is for this month, about "Paper".There are variety of papers available in the market and it can be categorized based on their weight, uses or type of material used to manufacture, etc.But , here I am going to discuss the types of paper only from the angle of its crafty uses.(Let's not go deep into the technical area of paper making,what say?)
Let's start!!

Oh wait!!Before going into the types of paper.Do you know that paper has grain just like fabrics?Have ever you wondered when folding the paper ,sometimes the fold gives a cracky finish?

 It is because you have folded the paper against the grain.To get a clean finish, you have to fold it along the direction of the grain.To find out the right grain there are various tests, to know more on that ,click here. Now to the types of paper.

Copy paper/Printer paper/Bond paper:
This is the most commonly used paper by everyone .As the name tells, it is the paper used for printing.We use this paper to print documents and even pictures for projects like Image transfer and decor plates.

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Construction Paper
It is a rough, unfinished paper.Comes in variety of colors.Mostly used for Kids crafts. You can also use them in card making or many other projects if you want to add some pop of colours.I even use them for gift wrapping if I don't find the right color wrapping paper.See here and here.

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Card Stock paper
These comes in variety of colours .It is slightly heavier than the construction paper and used mostly in card making.(1,2 & 3)There are also specialty types such as glitter cardstock ,metallic ,sequins ,leather textures(click here to see ,How I have used it), denim textures, holographic patterns,etc.

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Decorative paper
 1) Origami paper
   These usually come in variety of sizes and packs.These are lighter in weight and easily fold-able compared to scrapbook paper.The traditional origami paper has colour or pattern on one side but nowadays origami paper comes with patterns on both the sides.
There is an another type called "Washi"(Wa -Japanese Shi -Paper) which is also used for Origami.

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 2) Scrapbook paper
      These usually come in 12 X 12 inch and are mostly used for scrapbooking , card making and also in up cycle projects like this ,this and this.

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Crepe Paper
Crepe paper is a crinkled paper mostly used for decorations.They come in rolls and also as streamers .There is another type called as heavy weight crepe paper and are used for flower making.They expand from left to right and are easy to mold them as petals for flower making.

Click here for: Flower made using crepe paper

Tissue paper
It is thin, soft paper usually used for wrapping gifts.They come in variety of colours and also in metallic colours such as silver and gold.They are also used for making tissue garlands ,pom-poms ,etc for party decorations.

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Wrapping paper
It is a strong decorative paper used for wrapping gifts .They come in solid colors and also in various decorative patterns.You can also customize your own wrapping paper in websites like Spoonflower , Zazzle and Minted.

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Kraft paper
It is a strong and smooth brown paper used for wrapping gifts .You can get creative with these by adding toppings such as lace ,felt flowers ,ribbons,yarns and even washi tape to make it look more awesome.Like I have shown here, here and here. There are a lot of ways you can embellish it.

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Wax paper 
Wax paper in crafts?? I heard you.Yes!!They have a lot many uses in crafts than in the kitchen.Do you know you can make pretty things with wax paper like printing in wax paper and transferring it to fabric ,pressing leaves in between two wax papers and also you can use it to make stencil when used with painter's tape like I did for kitchen cabinet.

Click here for the beautiful votive tutorial.

Freezer paper
Yes!!Yes!!Like wax paper ,this is also used in transferring the ink ,to create stencils and also helps in cutting perfect felt shapes when you iron freezer paper on to felt before cutting(Wanna know how?Patty from make it cozee explains it here.)

Click here for How to :Megan explains it all.

Parchment paper
Parchment paper is a heavy duty grease and moisture resistant paper used to create a non-stick surface on cooking pans.These paper are coated with acid and then with non-stick material to serve the purpose.This paper is used in card making to create beautiful drawings.But do you know that in ancient times ,a thin material made from prepared skin of an animal is used as durable writing surface? And they call the skin as "Parchment".

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Vellum
Vellum is a kind of Parchment usually made from calf skin.Not to be confused with Vellum available in the market .Nowadays they produce "Paper Vellum" from plasticized cotton.This translucent material is mostly used in card making and also in some decor items like luminaries.They are lighter compared to Parchment paper.

Image Source : Can you tell what the jar is made of??Yes!!It is vellum.

Tracing paper
Tracing paper as the name tells is a translucent paper which allows the light to pass through and make it easy for tracing.It is mostly used in architectural projects,drawings,etc but when it comes to crafts it is used in embroidery for tracing design and also in sewing for tracing patterns.It is available in various weights,colors, thickness and surfaces depending on the type of project.

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Transfer paper
It is a paper coated with special preparation for transferring a design or imprint to another surface by heat, pressure or moisture. This is stuff is available separately for inkjet and laser printers.Some companies also sells a specific papers for lighter and darker colors.
This paper is in to try list for long time.As I don't have my own printer ,I am just postponing this project.You can really make beautifully stuffs with this paper.You can make customized t-shirts for yourself or as a gift.(How cool??).I will soon try to post some projects with this.

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Contact paper
It is a decorative paper on one side and a sticky on the other side.These come in variety of designs and textures.If you have not tried this ,you should definitely do it.It helps to transform almost every old stuff into a completely new one.You can cover old boxes to storage cabinet with this.You friends or family will never know unless you tell them that ,it is the same old stuff.I particularly like the wood grain contact paper as it had helped me to transform many old pieces.They come in rolls .Even chalkboard contact paper and clear contact paper are available.You can used the clear contact paper to make custom stencils for your projects and chalkboard contact paper literally everywhere if you have kids at home.

Click here for 20 DIYs using Contact paper from Brit+Co.

Sandpaper
It is a heavy paper with abrasive material attached to its surface.It helps to remove the uneven materials on the surface and helps to make it smooth for painting or wood finishing.It is also used in card making to give texture to the corners or to highlight the designs in a embossed paper.

Click here  to see How it is used.

Coming to the end !!! One last thing ,Can I include Newspaper or magazine paper in this list?? Why to leave those??Let me add!!

Newspaper

I know you don't need definition for this.But, do you know you can do plenty of things with this? Like I did pen holder , folder  and even for wrapping gifts & making bows .Yes !! Yes!! Click here to see how I wrapped a present in newspaper.

I hope you gained some inspirations to make new projects and information about paper.Did I miss any types of crafty paper? Did you learn something new from this post?Was it informative ?Feel free to share with me in the comments below.I would like to know ,if you have any suggestions for topic to discuss for forthcoming "Let's talk series".If you missed my last two posts of Let's talk series, click below.

Click here for Let's talk about Tapes

Click here for Let's talk about Glue

Note : This is not a sponsored post and does not contain any affiliate links. I have attached pictures and  linked to various websites and tutorials for better understanding of the content.