Tie-dyed fabrics are vibrant and colorful, but they are also a challenge to make. You have to tie off, or rubber band, the fabric and dip it into multiple dyes – which is messy and not the most kid-friendly of crafts. You can make tie-dye style fabrics using a single dye. It creates different levels of color, and interesting patterns, without the mess of standard tie dye.

What you need:

• Large plastic tub with cover – the container should be big enough to fit all of the fabric with about six inches of room left at the top.
• Cloth – select natural fibers, like cotton or wool, that absorb dye easily
• Two bottles of liquid fabric dye – the same color
• 1 cup of table salt
• Hot water
• Ruler, yard stick or large wooden spoon

1. Crumple the fabric into a ball and put it into the bin. Tightly-crumpled fabric will allow less dye to seep into the folded area, while looser crumples does the opposite.
2. Drizzle one bottle of fabric dye over the fabric. The dye should make splotchy patterns in the fabric, which is what you want. The areas that the dye touches will be darker than the untouched areas.
3. Pour the salt into the bin. The salt will help the dye set.
4. Add enough water to cover the cloth completely. Press the cloth down with a ruler or spoon to make sure it is all submerged.
5. Stir the water with ruler, or wooden spoon. Some of the dye will bleed out of the fabric and into the water.
6. Add some of the dye from the second bottle to make the water darker. Add as much, or as little as you like. The more dye you add, the darker the finished creation will be. However, if you are using a dark color, like navy or black, be aware that making the water too dark might obscure the pattern on the cloth.
7. Cover the bin and let it sit for at least three hours. The longer you let it sit, the more the dye will saturate the cloth. Three hours is the minimum, but you can let it sit as long as you like.
8. Pour the contents of the bin into the washing machine. If the fabric is too big, carefully transfer the fabric to the machine, then pour the water into the washing machine.
9. Run the washing machine for one cycle to remove any excess dye.
10. Dry the finished product in the dryer, to help set the dye.

You can find fabric dye at stores like Hancock Fabrics, hobby stores, and sometimes in the laundry section at some grocery and drug stores. Look for Hancock Fabrics coupon deals online, or for free coupons for craft stores to save money.
You can also use old clothes that are made of natural materials. Avoid using synthetics, or blended fabrics, because they don’t tend to absorb dyes well.
If you use a large textile, like bed sheets, double the amount of dye and start the process in the washing machine instead of a large bin. Use the soak cycle to fill the drum, then turn off the machine and let the fabric sit in the dye solution for several hours.
Keep in mind that the dye could stain the machine, which could stain your clothes. Be sure to run the washing machine for one wash cycle, with bleach, before you use it for your regular laundry.

The post Easy Tie Dye: Food For Thought ~Guest Post appeared first on My Chaotic Ramblings.

Welcome to The Pin To Win It With Customizo Event!

I love making my own customized clothing, and have had a hard time finding a quality website that I am comfortable with their pre-made templates along with the ability to upload my own designs. But I have found that with Customizo! Not only can I create some awesome shirts for the whole family, but I can also make customized towels, lunchboxes and water-bottles! I’ve got my eye on a customized robe for Mother’s Day, and have sent the site to hubby. The free templates are a great starting place for the un-creative ones like my hubby, but you can also upload your own design and it is really simple!

Customizo is an innovative group of sites that help groups with apparel and product design, collaboration and purchasing. With their design tools, group collaboration platform, mobile content integration and centralized hub of fully customizable artwork templates, creating and designing, bringing your designs to life is easy.

Here is your chance to win all 5 pieces of clothing that you “Pinned” to your own Cutomizo Board! For your chance to win, follow the simple steps below:

1 – Follow Customizo on Pinterest AND The Review Wire on Pinterest

Create and Design 5 Items from the Pinterest Party Category on Customizo.com. Use one of the free templates or upload your own artwork to customize your items. Save your designs and grab the Share link to post to Pinterest, you will have to create an account to do this.

3 – Create a Pinterest board and title it “Customizo Fashion” or “Customizo Custom Designs.” Make sure to tag each pin with #Customizo!

4 – Come back and fill out the Giveaway Tools Form with your direct link to your Custom Customizo Board!

Pin It To Win It Giveaway

3 Winner’s Will Receive an their Pin It to Win Pit Customizo Board {$125}. See Form for Entry Details. Open to U.S. You must be 18 years old to enter to win. Ends 4/1

Disclosure: This event is sponsored by Customizo and hosted by The Review Wire. My Chaotic Ramblings is not responsible for prize fulfillment. Companies and bloggers, if you would like to participate in group giveaway events like this one, sign up to be emailed about future events hosted by The Review Wire.

The post #Customizo Pin It To Win It Giveaway 3/15-4/1 appeared first on My Chaotic Ramblings.

They Never Die Quietly tells the story of homicide Detective Sami Rizzo, who is assigned to head a task force investigating serial killings in San Diego.

Simon, the highly intelligent, cunning, and deceptively charming villain, redefines the depths of human evil. He believes God has given him absolute authority to purify his unholy victims through a ritual that ends in a grisly crucifixion. Driven by warped religious beliefs and guided by his dead mother, very much alive in his subconscious, Simon abducts “chosen ones” and holds them captive in a Room of Redemption. There, the victims helplessly await their crucifixion.

Detective Rizzo urgently yearns to solve the case and gain the respect of her male colleagues, but her obsession to apprehend the killer on her own clouds her thinking. When Simon outsmarts Rizzo and captures her, determined to make her his next victim, she must employ all her resources—both physical and intellectual—to outwit the villain at his own game.

My Thoughts:

With plenty of gore and the inside perspective of a serial killer’s mind, this crime thriller is all of disturbing, shockingly gruesome, and edgy; I was quite pleased. Sami Rizzo of the major offense squad in homicide has worked herself to the bone to get where she is today. As a single-parent of a cherished two-year-old and the dependent of her mother’s daycare services, she’s got a lot to work for, and even more expectations to live up to. She’s damn good at her job, and she’s never questioned it, until one case—surrounding a monster brutally crucifying mothers in front of their young children, although the children are returned unharmed and unable to remember anything—begins involving her emotionally. She knows she can’t get personally involved with crime cases, but she can’t help it. These victims could be her, these innocent children, her own daughter. It isn’t until her clever, sly, and charming suitor, Simon, reveals himself to her fully, that she realizes this nightmare could actually become reality.

Don’t worry, that wasn’t a spoiler. The identity of the murderer is meant to be known from the beginning, although Sami doesn’t know it until the end. This sense of dramatic irony propels readers to keep reading in order to find out what Simon will do next… and what Sami will do, or won’t do, to stop him.

They Never Die Quietly is definitely not for the faint of heart—even the title and cover show how grisly the villainy is. Simon is a wicked, incredibly well-developed serial killer. I got chills reading from his third-person perspective, just because of how wrongful, but so realistic—so normal—he sounds.

The book itself was a quick read, but the story has me ailing: it’s way too idealized. I feel like Sami was led straight to Simon with no false leads, no red herrings, no real barriers along the way. This would never happen in a real crime investigation. The storyline cuts to the chase way too quickly. For example: Sami notices a cross pendant around Simon’s neck; he must be the religious fanatic in the news. Sami sees his car; that’s the car the serial killer allegedly drives. Simon’s sensitive about rape; he must have been abused or must like abusing. I kept thinking, “How the heck is she so precise??” Either she’s a telepath or Annechino skimped on the mystery factor big time. There essentially is no room for speculation; it’s like Sami already has all the answers—no suspense in that department. I know this may have been a ploy to express Sami’s paranoia (and maybe even her intrinsic shrewdness), but for me it made the plot foreseen and unreasonably clean.

Sami’s mother and partner in crime, Al, are likable secondary characters. Her daughter, Angelina, is adorable, but highly uncharacteristic, speaking and behaving like a five-year-old, when she’s only two. There was also a starry romance weaved into the book. While I appreciate how Sami’s personal life was highlighted, it unnecessary and unwelcome. Why, oh WHY do suspense/thriller protagonists feel the need to have love interests?? Sami is independent and perfect on her own! However, I was amused by the occasional witty banter that came from the flirting, so I guess I won’t complain too much.

Aside from Annechino’s affinity for terrible clichés, the writing style is lively, descriptive, and connected. It’s easy to follow the mystery, and questions are answered as they arise.

Now, let’s talk the ending. After such a twisted, disturbing story set, I expected some brilliant solution to the problem, an unthinkable act of courage from Sami and her crew to outwit the monster that’s holding her captive. Nope. It’s disappointing as hell and, frankly, just crap. The loose ends are, again, tied way too cleanly, and Sami also just happens to gain fruitfully once she’s rescued. Hello? Is this a fairytale? I must say I was annoyed by the ending, and it’s the main reason this book wasn’t rated higher.

As a whole, though, the imaginative premise, the thrilling plot, and the realistic characters make this one pretty enjoyable. I’ll never forget its plot, that’s for sure.

My Rating:

The post They Never Die Quietly by D.M. Annechino~Review appeared first on My Chaotic Ramblings.

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