House warming party

House warming parties can go a few different ways.  Sometimes with a small dinner, large open door walk-through like an open house, or big BBQ's.  This time it was a an open door policy with a very simple theme, Chipotle and Easy.  It was fun!  The more we wanted to add the more we took away.  Honestly, headache free and fantastic!  I'd like to say my decor assistance was the best part of the party but no way, the food had it!  The new home owners created an amazing meal themed after Chipotle style ingredients but, so much better.

 

Anywho, here's how the partie looked. 

Below you will find burlap wrapped mason jars, citronella tea lights, butcher paper and colored pencils in tin cans.

 

 

 

 

Colored pencils are preferred to crayons on a hot day.

 A floor plan of the home to let people see the layout even without looking around.

 

A simple note pad to get addresses and names and numbers.  These days emails and word of mouth may be how you got people to your house so make sure to get there information while you have them.

 

 

Just to fill out the whole rustic Chipotle theme a old pallet board painted with black chalkboard paint then a handwritten menu in chalk.  It may not be something you'd find in a Chipotle but it is definitely rustic and in theme with the whole Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose stitch.

 

Using a unused grocery bag rolled down roughly you have a perfect chip bag/bowl.  Little bags cut down to take your chips to-go.

 

 

Love it when family/friends come through with fountain jugs.

 

 

If you put aluminum casserole dishes out with ice then put your bowls of salsas, sour cream, etc to keep them cool even in blazing heat.

 

 

Little chalkboard signs can help with the multiple salsa heat levels, unfortunately mine kept falling down in the ice pans. 

 

As un-glamorous it is, the trash/recycling is just as important as the party food and decorations.  Remember, being "green" is a 24/7 responsibility we often over look during parties. 

 

 

Desserts made by a fabulous friend set up inside and out of the way of the flies and heat.  We kept it simple with the desserts being the main decoration on the table.

 

 
Tortillas were kept warm in a narrow crock pot with a small crumpled piece of foil on the bottom so they didn't stick to the walls of the crockpot.  Even if the crock pot is on low/warm it can get pretty hot over time and things can stick if there is no water or seperation from the walls of the pot.

Husband is happy to finally be eating.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by. See me again soon!

Dying Cotton Clothes

FROM THIS...

 

TO THIS.

 

 

 

I am here to show you how to make the kaki cotton fishing vest into the black beauty you see after.  I needed a black vest to dress my husband in for his 2017 Star Wars themed Family Reunion.  So, I hunted like crazy through thrift stores and sport supply shops and just anywhere I thought I might find something that could look like a modern day Han Solo.  Finally, I found the Field and Stream (exactly what I was looking for) but in kaki, it had too many pockets and zippers but, it fit my spouse and it was never worn and completely made of cotton.  For $6.79 it was mine.  Now, I just needed it to be black.

 

First I got your classic RIT dye.  I tried powder, liquid, adding salt, adding vinegar, cooking, letting it sit, well, just about every technique I could find but I just could make it look any darker than the "brown" vest pictured below.

 

It was so very frustrating.  My husband continued to tell me that it was fine, and it looked black to him but, as you can see it is not.  I was just about to give up when I decided to hit up Joann's to see what other options of dye they had.  When I hit up Joann's, the customer service rep at the cutting counter said that if the RIT dye couldn't do the job than no dye could and I should try washing it with RIT White Wash first.   I left there with his thumbs up to using RIT dye but was skeptical, so I also purchased one envelope of Dylon black dye.  I tried for the 5th time with White Wash first then RIT dye black afterwards with the same results. BROWN** BROWN** BROWN.  I was screaming in my kitchen!

 

It was time to try Dylon.  Well folks, it worked the first time and I could tell almost instantly that it would.  The water was the magic marker black you'd expect from a true black and the fabric almost instantly absorbed it.

 

 

Ingredients to dying cotton clothes:

Cotton Cloth/Clothes of choice

(just note that any thread or piece of fabric not made of cotton or dye able fabric it may vary in color)

Dylon Dye of your choice

16oz Jar of Salt for every 1lb of fabric (I used two)

Water (enough to cover the item of cloth)

Large Cooking pot (there are other methods but I chose the cooking option)

Rubber Gloves

 

 

 

 

 

Mix all the ingredients in the pot on Med-High and cook the item while stirring the pot and tugging and bending the fabric so it gets fully coated in the dye.  I cooked it for 30 minutes making sure it never got to the point of boiling.  It basically needs to simmer.  It completely set and coated the item of clothing rinse it off.  I rinsed my in the sink in the garage.  Be aware that the dye can and will stain things like porcelain tubs.  After the water runs clear it's time to put it through the washer.  This is truth hour.  If the dye truly did set in the fabric it will just wash off the extra dye that stuck around in between the fibers and leave you with nothing but the dyed fabric.  (don't worry about your washer, the dye will wash clear off)  If the dye stuck your fabric should look the same as it did in the pot.  YEAH!  You have just successfully dyed your first piece of clothing or cloth. :)

 

 

 

 

 Here is the after shot.  I also ended up cutting away the zippers and a few more pockets and I stitched down the flap on the back of the vest so the polyester mesh that would peek through.

 

 

Here you can see my husband in all his cuteness and he and I below.  His shirt was just a off white button down that we snipped the collar off of and the gun holster was made with brown vinyl and thrift store children's belts.  It was made to hold his cell phone instead of a laser blaster.

 

 

Come back and see me soon. I will you something cool. Maybe even how to make the blaster holster for you modern day cell phone users.