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The blog banner was made with elements from Lorie Davison. The nail head is Mo Jackson, the white rabbit and the key is Tangie Baxter. The butterflies are from Katie Pertiet.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Instant Vintage! - Grunge Tutorial 101

 I decided to dye some paper tags.  
I had a big pot of super strong instant coffee
 on the stove.
I like to boil it.  
It's not necessary, but I think it stains better if it's hot.
And here
we
go...
Get three different colors
(shades of brown)
of alcohol ink.
Put about 3-4 drops of each color
into a small plastic bag
with a zipper top.
Drop the paper tag
into the coffee mixture.
Approximately 2/3 cup of instant coffee
to 6-8 cups of water. Heat on stove.
My husband came in to the smell of what he referred to as burnt coffee.
I like to call it Cowboy Coffee.
He said, "I am not a cowboy."
Some people just don't understand 
the importance of crafts.
Remove the tag from the coffee.
Drop it into the plastic bag with dye.
I use tongs for this.
Don't leave the tag in the coffee 
too long.  The paper will dissolve.
I thought about contacting
 the tag manufacturer
and asking 
WHY the tags don't hold up
to a good cowboy coffee boil?
I figured I'd get the same look
that I did from my husband.
So I didn't.
Smoosh the tag around in the dye.
Lay them out to dry.
Preferably, all over the kitchen counter.
Thus, further confounding your husband.
I actually poured a little vanilla on top 
of the tags while they were still wet.
I thought it would make them
smell nice.  It did!
Don't even ask me
what my husband thought.

See!  They look old and decrepit now.
My husband said I should 
put them in the garage and
just back the car over them.
Hey!  That's an IDEA!
I'll be right back...
Decorate 'em up.
There you are.  
And
 they only took 
a little over 12 hours to make.

9 comments:

Cameron said...

Thanks for the tutorial....yay I did a similar thing using food dyes....accidently found that using things like strawberry baskets and cookie racks gave them great patterns as they dry :)

...So, is that "Kissing Alot" pendant not avail for sale or trade? :oP Would love it if it was...heehee! My email address is:

cameron-art(at)att(dot)net

Cher' Shots said...

Very cool! Love how they turned out!

Into Vintage said...

It's always nice to have the love and support of a spouse while working on projects. At least that's what I've heard ... ahem.

Question: I don't know anything about alcohol dye - can it be used on fabric? Doilies perhaps?

Createology said...

Too funny...actually I would rather craft in the kitchen than cook or eat food. LOL
Your tags look fabulous. Happy creating...

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Kathy, this is a scream! But oh, how cute those tags are. Hey, cowboy coffee works for me, and the car idea... well, it might, too! LOL!

XO,

Sheila :-)

Terri Kahrs said...

Love, love, LOVE your tutorial - especially the way you've documented your husband's comments!!! Stunning tags, by the way!!! Hugs, Terri xoxo

Carousel Dreams said...

I love this post! And those tags are fantastic! Definitely going to give this a try...thankyou for sharing x

Susan said...

12 HOURS!!!! haha how much they selling for...$65.00 each??? Actually it is a very cool idea. Did you get your laundry done?? Susan

karlascottage.typepad.com said...

Oooh, good tips! I never tried it with the three dots of dye. I've done the vanilla, that is always a plus for nice tags. I've spritzed them with glimmer mist while still wet too, but I like the idea of doing the dyes, I'll try it next time.