I’m at the stage of isolation where I have now cut and dyed my hair. It’s just temporary but I feel like a change, so why not?! Nothing holding me back from making things and doing stuff at this point.
Inspired by Briony (amazing Toronto artist) and Martina Martian (fav artist in Australia), I’ve been drawing on iPad Pro more. Made this line drawing yesterday. Took ages but it’s nice to just sit and create.
Click to see the video animation from image to art!
I used to love drawing on iPad and when I got my first one a decade ago, my old blog Borderline Artistic was thriving. I was drawing almost daily and posting art I made. Around that time I created the ‘Unnecessary Wheels Collection‘, might start that up again. It’s nice to get back to creating just for fun. Not sure I can stop now!
I also bleach dyed a pair of denim and they turned out AMAZING.
My tie-dye yesterday turned out really good. I decided to crop this top and make a couple of matching scrunchies. I used old promo shirts I found in a drawer and made them into new clothes. ?
How to Tie Die with Bleach
The process was pretty easy and not too messy. It took about an hour from start to finish, including a short cycle in the wash.
It’s a good idea to make sure your fabric has been washed at least once.
Decide on a style you want to create, I watched a couple of tutorials with different tie-dye techniques and went to town. It’s hard to mess this up so don’t worry. This video on Pinterest has a lot of methods in 5 min (spiral, shibori). The video below is short & sweet with 3 different ways to tie-dye.
Open a window, let some fresh air in, you want to have good ventilation since you’re working with bleach. Get your gloves and workspace ready, tape the garbage bag to your space do you don’t stain ruin your kitchen table/counter/floor. ?
1: Rubber bands
Wrap your garment in rubber bands in the desired design. The item on the left is has been bunched up to make a wild style, the right is a spiral. Place each item on a plate.
2: Bleach
Mix 50/50 bleach water in your squeeze bottle. I like to use the lid of a storage bin and cover with a garbage bag to avoid making a mess.
Squirt bleach on every other pie piece. Once you’ve covered your area on one side, flip the item over and do the same pie pieces on the other side. Use a paper towel to wipe the plate before placing the other side down, so the bleach is even.
3: Wait
Leave the bleach on for 15-60 minutes. You might see the colour start to change right away depending on the type and colour of fabric.
4: Wash
Rinse in cold water and throw in the washing machine and then the dryer (or hang to dry).
5: Wear!
Did it turn out? Put it on and test it out! You have now upcycled old clothes to make them new again, check that off your Quarantine Bingo. What will you try next?
Today we are taking a trip to the local post office to pick up some packages. It’s been ages since I’ve had mail so I’m pretty excited to see what’s arrived from my orders & work-related deliveries. Ordered a replacement Kindle, as mine went missing after our Cuba trip in January. I have a bunch of books already downloaded to get through and I’ve really missed reading. Finally ordered some new workout stuff that will fit properly, can’t wait to try everything on.
After getting heaps of comments and questions about my turmeric dye, I’m writing this post for you! It’s very simple to turn your clothes a beautiful bright yellow. THIS TURNED OUT SO GOOD. It has faded with a couple of washes but it’s still a nice yellow.
After
There are lots of tutorials on Pinterest, I checked a few and went for it. I made a COVID19 board that has a couple DYI videos if you’re looking for more info. I am so happy with the final result. I worked with a white hoodie, a leopard print top, and a vintage tank top that was a washed-out yellow.
Before
You Will Need
Clothes – Older stuff that has been washed works best.
Gloves – Otherwise you will have yellow hands!
Turmeric – Find in the spice section at the grocery
Big Pot – To boil water
Tongs – To transfer the hot fabric
Roasting Pan – To rinse/transfer to sink/drying area
Sink – To rinse clothes
Water
How to Dye with Turmeric
Step 1: Soak Your Clothes in Hot Water
Soaking your clothes before you dye them will loosen up the fibers so the colour can really soak in. I soaked my hoodie in a roasting pot in the shower. I didn’t soak the leopard print or tank top before dying them.
Step 2: Boil Water & Add turmeric
Grab a huge pot and fill 3/4 with water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling add the turmeric. I eyeballed it and didn’t use a specific amount, kinda like my cooking haha. I started with about 1/4 tablespoon and then added about 2x more. The water will turn a bright amber.
Step 3: Add Clothes & Soak
Transfer the clothes to the pot and you will start to see the colour right away. I did each item separately as to not fill it up too much. Turn down the temperature and let sit for about 10 min. Make sure to swish it around a bit so it gets even colour. If your garment has long sleeves, make sure to create space in the armpit area so you don’t get a colour deposit that’s stronger in the armpits. It will look like a sweat stain!
Step 4: Rinse & Hang to Dry
Grab your tongs and transfer to the second empty pot/pan. Put on your gloves and run the clothes under cold water. Massage the fabric to make sure it’s thoroughly rinsed. Next, take the garment somewhere to dry. I put mine outside and hung them on a tree. It will drip, make sure you hang somewhere safe for the yellow dye to drip.
Step 5: Wash
Once dry, throw in the turmeric dyed fabric in the washing machine. Do not add other clothes, the dye might bleed!
Step 6: Wear!
Put on your new bright yellow clothes and feel happy you made something great. Maybe you love it so much you want to post to social media and tag me! I’d love to see what you make!
Before
After
Comments are open, feel free to ask questions or give suggestions. I’m definitely going to try this again maybe with tie-dye? My next venture is trying a couple of white items with beets.
I went outside first thing in the morning despite the fact that it was pretty cold and snowy. I was determined to do some type of exercise. After getting to the end of the road, I kept going and eventually did 3.3km.
In the afternoon I watched a movie on Netflix and did some food prep. We are having roast vegetables and steak bbq. Sean worked most the day doing calls and emails. It’s quite cold and windy, the next few days are going to be the same.
Thankful that’s my hair is growing into a nice shag but my nails look terrible. This is the longest streak I’ve gone without eating any takeout or having my nails done. It feels weird when I type because so many of my nails are super short, they don’t tap the keys anymore. I hate it but at least I have hands?
Yesterday I saw a beautiful black & white duck outside the window and today there were two. The Bufflehead is one of the rarest ducks in North America and Canada’s smallest living duck.
Tonight we’re going to finish Ozark and maybe start The Trial, a new murder show also on Netflix.
This cold weather has me feeling quite unmotivated. Each day I try to do something productive but it’s been the bare minimum the last few days. Watching the news and seeing what’s happening around the world is so sad and depressing. I keep thinking about friends & family, and their friends & family, knowing it’s hitting close to home.
Today we watched 8h of Ozark. That’s it. That’s the post. ? The show is long and slow, we still have one ep to go. Ate so many snacks, I’m a total couch potato. We also watched the extra episode of Tiger King so that brings us to 9+ hours.
Tomorrow is a new day, a short week, I’ll cook, clean, and exercise. I’ve come to the realization that if I make it through this lockdown with a few extra Lbs, at lest I’m alive. This situation is new for us all and we’re trying to find our way through it as each day passes.
It’s totally fine to lack motivation and to recharge my batteries with a full days work on the couch eating Easter chocolates. ? It’s gonna be ok.
Sean set up the hot tub and we had a lazy day. Tomorrow is our 8th anniversary, we casually dated for 2 years before that. Sean has been in my life for 10 years and I cant imagine life without him! ❤️
On Saturday night we had some drinks and went to Club Quarantine via Zoom. It was fun to connect and ‘hang out’ with people even though we are all at our houses. ?
Taking a break from productivity, news, and house work to sit on the couch and watch S3 of Ozark.
Remember a couple of weeks ago (Day 19)when I was collecting onion skins for fabric dye? Well, it didn’t really turn out, the colour was a washed-out beige and not very cute. However, I discovered you can dye clothing with turmeric which makes fabric BRIGHT YELLOW. I tested it on this (formerly white) sweater from Superette and it LOOKS AMAZING. I love it so much, this yellow is my favourite colour. ??☀️
I did laundry at home because the washing machine up here has been out of service for a week. On the way back, we stopped at an appliance shop on the highway, which was surprisingly open. The man working came out to the car, and after letting him know what we needed, came back out with the part to fix it. I am so impressed with Sean’s handyman skills, he has now fixed the water, the washing machine, and the plumbing. ❤️
It’s nice to be back. I cut my bangs a little more.
Beautiful sunshine today. I’ve been working on some little creative projects to send friends by mail. I spent hours cutting words from magazines and watching romcoms during our first week here. I always loved cut and paste as a kid. I find I’m really going back to basics during this time and doing things I used to love back then.
Had a nice chat with Sean’s parents and my parents. We don’t usually celebrate Easter but it’s nice to checkin with loved ones. I can’t wait to hug friends and family when this is all over!
We drove Emily back to her mum’s house in the city and spent the night at our place. Filled up our water jugs, got any remaining groceries, and some tools. I picked up my sewing machine, patterns, and a bunch of fabric I’ve been holding onto for ages.
I’ve dreamed of having space and time to make things so, I’m trying to make it happen. Not working with a schedule or deadlines, taking each day as its own and creating when the time feels right. Some days I feel inspired and other days I just want to Netflix and relax.
We didn’t do anything in the city other go to the house. We made a plan to head out first thing in the morning. It was nice to be home but I can’t wait to get back to the woods. ?????
It’s quite cold and windy up here today. Sean and I set out to run together then parted ways at the end of the road. I did 3.5km and then we did a short abs workout.
I’ve wanted to be a workout couple and being isolated together, it’s slowly starting to happen. ?I finally made those vegan + GF sweet potato brownies (these ones!). They turned out a little more like fudge but they’re delicious. Another success with the food processor!
I had to check a date calculator for what day of isolation we are on because I lost track. I’ve been eating a lot of junk this week and not working out as much. Feeling pretty sluggish and unmotivated. I know this won’t last but some days are harder than others. I was working out so much and really loving life before this happened. I’m trying to keep some workout schedule but I feel lazy and anxious.
My favourite part of the day has historically been first thing in the morning but I’ve really come to love magic hour up here on sunny days. The light shines so brightly in the windows, it almost makes you forget what’s going on in the world around us.
In other news, my hair is really growing and I’ve been taking Hair & Nail gummies each day (these ones!). In my Instagram memories, I discovered this hair I posted 5 years ago, it’s almost exactly the hair I have now. ?
I always loved this song and music video. Good one for today and the days pass by and we’re approaching our first month.
Please hang in there, we will get through this. If you’re looking for inspo, I’ve been sharing some things that inspire me on Instagram Stories and things to do on Pinterest.
