A Gallery of Plastic Bags, Just in Time for Halloween

Hello again,

I've collected a number of spooky black plastic bags lately.  I love these particular bags because they put me in a very Halloween-y mood.

Of course, I understand that not everybody sees the artistic possibilities of a plastic bag the way I do.  But I'm glad you took a look.  Stop back soon to see what I'm creating with these SPOOKY bags!

Happy Halloween!

Marsha

Experimenting with Natural Dyes

Hello Readers!

For some time now, I've wanted to dig in and experiment with plant-based dyes.  We have had beautiful marigolds blooming in our backyard all summer long.  They are still extraordinary, and I wanted to capture the orange hue of the blossoms and make it last.   So, here we GO!

I submerged a bunch of marigold blossoms (about 20) in water and boiled them for about 10 minutes: 

I strained the liquid and added one tablespoon of vinegar (to set the color):

Look at this gorgeous orange color!

Now, time to gather supplies to try some dying.  I used a piece of white cheesecloth:

Pour, dip, squeeze:

Time to stretch and hang:

 I'm just as pleased as punch with this project!

Now that I've tried marigolds, I'm interested in experimenting with some other plants, like spinach, beets, blackberries....maybe even some orange peels.

Thanks for stopping by!  Let me know what you think!

Happily, I am ~

Marsha Makes