summer fun:: patriotic tie-dye

I can't imagine how, in my many years of scouting, and crafting, but I don't remember having ever made the ubiquitous tie-dye t-shirt....until now! In honor of Independence Day, all four of us got busy tie-dying this past Saturday morning.  Kids dressed in garbage bags, and hubby and I in our grubbiest clothes, we set to work.  I decided that a two color pattern was an easy way to try this, not get too complicated (and end up with mud brown), and to look patriotic in end...red and blue it was.  We used the Tulip Ultimate Tie-Dye Kit, and the squirt bottles made it relatively mess-free and so easy! Each of us chose patterns based on the pamphlet in the kit and on the article I had saved from Family Fun Magazine (from Aug, 2008).

Be prepared if you try tie-dying: this is not an instant gratification process with this kit.  After dying our shirts, we had to leave them "tied" up for 6-8 hours for the colors to set, then wash and dry them.  But the results were worth it! We are all excited to try this again soon, with more colors, more shirts. We will have a hip and groovy 70's family wardrobe by the end of the summer!

the family that tie-dyes together...

waiting for the parade

And just because there was more to our July 4th celebration than our T-shirts, here are a few other photos:

backyard parading

The cookies were a hit! I found the cookie cutter last week at Sur la Table (kitchen-stuff store) and couldn't resist.  I cheated with a store-bought cookie-dough mix, then glazed them with a thin-icing glaze. Hooray for the Fourth of July!