Happy New Year!!

 

Happy New Year!! I see on social media how happy some people are with the year being over. I don't share the same sentiment. I look back at a rough year that I made it through. I wouldn't have done it without God. 

I never felt alone. I never was full of fear or worry. I stayed hopeful and happy ..for the most part.

I have started some resolutions already. I have been reading my Bible more. I'm trying to strengthen my relationship with Jesus. I am letting Him lead me and talk with me and share with me His plan for my life. 

Yes, I talk with Jesus. You don't? Why not?? Anyone who comes to Him with a sincere heart can. I don't have any divine superpowers that any normal person doesn't have. I just have decided to follow Him on a daily basis. I continually surrender to Him. I repent frequently. I shut my mouth and open my heart to His soft and gentle words. 

Because I do all of this, I am less stressed. I am hopeful for the future. I am not angry all the time. I am not expecting people to do anything. I just love them for who and what they are.

I also go to a great church. I go to Cedar Creek in Ohio. If you are in Ohio, you might wanna give them a try. http://www.cedarcreek.tv is their website. 

Resolutions are about change. I can't change without help. I need God's help. It's like trying to stop drinking or doing drugs. You can't do it alone. Somewhere or somehow you need to get help. 

Why not give God a chance? What are you afraid of losing? Maybe that's the thing you need to let go of? Trust me, the grass is greener on the other side. 

❤ Christie

Hiatus

 Hello!!

I have to announce that I'm taking a hiatus from tie dying for awhile to pursue other endeavors.  If you know me, this isn't a surprise. I tend to move from project to project frequently. Also, the pandemic has made it difficult to buy supplies. 

If you are co-workers or family of mine, I will still take orders. I will still dye masks. I hope we don't need those much longer. 

Thank you all for understanding and reading my blog. I will continue to post here. Please keep coming back and reading.

❤ Christie

Tie dye Christmas

Hello!!

It's Christmastime and I have decked the halls in tie dye. If you know me, this comes as no surprise. I literally tie dye almost everything white. I say almost because I can't dye anything polyester.. yet. I'm working on it. 

I will be changing the color chart. I also have to update my prices. I have decided to use Gildan t-shirts which are heavy-weight cotton. The wear is more comfortable and they last a lot longer than the Hanes shirts I got from Walmart.

Masks are the same price, $7. If you buy a shirt and a mask that match it's only $20! Otherwise, a basic size adult is $15. Plus sizes add $2. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. If you haven't read the true story of Christmas, I urge you to find a bible app or the paper version. Turn to the book of Matthew. Jesus was the best gift ever. He saved me and that's the best gift of all. He continues to bless me and my family. We have ups and downs but, He has never left our side. He will do the same for you!!

God bless you all!! Stay healthy and safe!!

❤ Christie

 

 

It's not too early

 Hello!!

It's not too early to start thinking about Christmas!! I have been watching Hallmark Christmas movies for quite awhile now. As the song says, "We need a little Christmas". I think it's perfect timing. We need some happiness. It seems the world is at war over so many things. 

That's why I love tie dye. I see the colors and I'm happy and speaking of colors... I'm going to be starting my Christmas colors soon. I'll officially start them the day of Thanksgiving. I will no longer be using any of the fall colors. The Christmas colors will be greens, reds, pinks and blues. They are typical Christmas colors. I will be trying new Christmas designs too! I promise to take plenty of pictures!

Try to stay happy and healthy! God loves you and I do too!

❤ Christie

Fail !!

Well, this was supposed to be a pink ribbon. It didn't turn out obviously. I'm glad it wasn't on a shirt. I'll try again. I'll learn how to do this. It wasn't easy to do let me tell ya. 

One thing about me. I don't give up easily. I want to learn how to do shapes in tie dye. I think they look great when done correctly. 

Anyway, have a great week!! The rest of the tie dye I did this weekend turned out perfectly.

I wanted to keep 'em

 I made a few shirts that I totally love and wanted to keep. They all have new homes which is fine with me.

 

this shirt is a new design!

 

 

If you are interested in any of these designs, email me!

 

❤ Christie

Too many colors❓

 

Okay, I realize I may have a tad too many colors to choose from. Some colors I'm using seem too bright and aren't turning out the way I expected. So, I will narrow-down the list. I'll be testing all the colors I have and see which ones I want to keep.

I'll have some colors "for fall only" and some for "summer only". I might even have some for spring. Right now, all the colors I have can be too confusing. I totally understand, I'm getting confused too.

Keep checking for updates!!

❤ Christie

New Dye and Better Techniques

 Hello!!

I have great news!! I have bought new dyes and I'm practicing my techniques on dying. I am still dying masks but I've moved into doing t-shirts too!

The dye I have is Procion MX dye from Jacguard. So far, they seem to be much better than any of the kits I bought from online or at Walmart. I am very impressed with the wide range of colors. They are so bright and I can mix a lot of dye at one time. I can save what I don't use.

I have a ton of colors. I don't have an online store yet. I'm working on it.

 

❤ Christie

Promise to you.

 Hello!! 

I keep visiting websites that use AdSense and other services to make money off viewers. I personally think these ads are annoying and detract from the content of the website. In a way, I think they are spam. 

I HATE SPAM!!

Spam is unsolicited advertisements. You didn't want to view the ad. So, it's spam.

Spam is an old term that was used when viewing blogs became popular. I still use the term today because when you think about it, spam is everywhere. Someone is always trying to sell you something you don't necessarily need.

Am I trying to sell my tie dye? Yes!! I sell things you might need, like masks and t-shirts. Did I spam you? NO!! You came here. You found me and you are always welcome to read whatever I decide to put here. 

I PROMISE NO ADS!! I hate going to a website and having to click a bunch of X's just to get to what I want. 

So, having said that, I promise no ads. Enjoy just simple reading. Feel free to comment. I do ask you try to identify yourself just so I know who you are.

Thank you

❤ Christie

T-shirts & Masks Oh my!

Hello!! 

I tie dyed so much my hands were black from the dye. I dyed about 5 shirts and 12 masks. The masks are on sale for $7 each.

 

Mask tie dye step 1

I have decided to tie dye a few t-shirts and masks. I'm going to show the step-by-step process.

Step 1. Pre-wash all clothing that is going to be dyed. Make sure everything is 100% cotton or the colors will fade over time.

These are masks that are very white (ew!) and are waiting for some color.

I will post the finished results. I'm doing two sets of dying. One set will be blues, purples and blacks. The other set will be pink, green, and orange. I will also bring in more colors that were left-over from the first batch.

❤ Christie

Update

Hello!!

Lately, it's been way too hot to do any tie dying. I will be doing that again soon. I love tie dying because of how it turns out. Also, I love how pretty the colors look together. It's like watercolor painting on shirts.

Speaking of watercolor, I've been taking some art classes lately. They are really fun and I seem to have a little addiction going. I've already taken two classes and I'm looking into taking another one soon. I don't really have time during the week so, I have to do all my art making on the weekends.

The classes I've been taking are through Joanne Sharpe. She is awesome and very talented. She explains everything slowly and gives plenty of examples. She also gives you suggestions on how to make your artwork your own.

The link to Joanne's website is on the right ---------------------- >

Check out her work!!

❤ Christie

Art Supplies

Hello!!

I have found out that there are a lot of artists who try to sell more expensive art supplies or are trying to sell their own supplies. What they are trying to sell are usually very expensive compared to what else is available on the market.

I have been meaning to do this post for a long time now because I know I'm not the only one who struggles. I am constantly on a budget when it comes to anything art. I am constantly trying to find the cheaper way of doing things.

Don't get me wrong, I would totally buy the more expensive supplies if they would send them to me for free OR if I was rich and could afford them. You can't beat the quality and peace of mind knowing how they will turn out on your project.

For example, I was watching a tutorial video on YouTube (I adore the artist so I won't tell you who it was) and I noticed she was using very expensive markers. Well, I can't afford Copic markers. I can't afford to buy all the colors I want and I can never narrow it down to a few colors. I MUST have as much as I have space for. However; most times, you can achieve the same look with a Sharpie marker. You just have to use the side of the tip.

That being said, I'm going to start a list of expensive art materials and find the cheaper version. I'm basing my findings from what's available at Walmart and Amazon.

***********************************

1. Copic Marker.... Sharpie marker

2. Tombow dual-tip marker... Crayola Supertip

3. Tube watercolors... Artist's Loft pan watercolors

Sometimes, you might have to buy the expensive supplies because flesh-tone markers are hard to find in Sharpie markers. Maybe, Sharpie markers just won't work for your project. The chisel point of Copic markers makes very nice, broad and permanent marks.

It's just something to think about. I have comments open at the bottom of all posts. You have to sign in to google I think. I know you can't leave an anonymous comment.

❤ Christie

Grad T-shirt for Commission

This shirt was quite a process. It was difficult not to let the red mix with the grey and risk the red becoming pink. I think it turned out great.

Tie Dye T-shirts

Hello!!

As promised, I'm going to post some pictures of the tie dying I've been doing lately. I have my own technique. I don't use traditional methods of tie dying. I don't use rubber bands and the squirt bottles that come with tie dye kits. I use spray bottles. I get them from Dollar General and Walmart for about $1. I fill them with either tie dye paint or acrylic paint depending on the color I need. Both paints react differently when sprayed onto a t-shirt.

The result is that they look painted instead of the traditional way of tie dying.

I can't always control how the paint reacts but that's the fun of tie dying.😁

❤ Christie

Corona Virus

Hello.

I'm blogging a lot because in a way, this is almost like my journal. I'm sure I'm not alone in what I'm feeling.

I feel lucky and blessed because I'm not sick and neither is my family. I'm also still working too. It's not been easy still being at my job. I walk in the door and get my temperature checked right away. Ironically, it's been below the "normal" temperature for a human. I think the thermometer is wrong. I trust my Vick's thermometer more than anything. When my temperature is checked, my Supervisor who does it is in full PPE gear. He has on a face sheild, a mask over his nose and mouth, gloves and an apron. I swear it's a scene straight out of  the movie "I Am Legend".

You can cut the tension at my job with a knife. Everyone is scared and anxious about the future but we don't talk about it. We are all just trying to survive all of this together.

My kids are out of school right now till who-knows-when. Again, I'm blessed/lucky because when Josh was Maggie's age, we had him in K12 Online School for a little while. Actually, he was in K12 twice. We know what to expect with having school online. I was fully prepared for all of this. They are taking it rather well. They are pretty good at finding stuff to keep themselves occupied.

I'm doing okay too when I'm not at work. I just do art or watch movies. I'm still into doing tie-dying. I'm still waiting on the weather to improve. It was windy today and tomorrow it's going to get cold again. I still might try to dye something.

If you are reading this and your situation is pretty much the same as mine, try not to be scared. I want to say, fear is going to be our true enemy in all this. I have faith that it will all be alright. Most of us made it through 911. We can make it through this too.

Pray, get rest, get outside too. Do what you have to do to stay healthy. As always, THANK YOU for reading my blog.

❤ Christie

Be safe, stay healthy

Hello!!

Things are scary out there! Please stay safe. I'm sure you all know about the CDC websites and such. I found that we all NEED food. Here is a useful tip for shopping at the store in the link below.

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/coronavirus/coronavirus-tips-how-to-shop-for-groceries-the-smart-way/2091894/

Sometimes when I get in a store I panic and I don't think clearly. It's always good to have a list. Pre-plan your meals for the week. Make one trip a week. Get in and get out.

Also,
 I changed the look of the blog (again) because I didn't like how it looked on my phone. Yes, I'm that picky.

Stay safe and healthy,

❤ Christie

Happy Birthday to ME!!

Hello friends!!

Tomorrow is my birthday and another year older. This is the time when I truly reflect opposed to the new years when usually people do their reflections.

It's been a rough year to say the least. I can see though it all, I've matured a great deal. I can cope with quite a lot. I used to fold-up like a t-shirt when something would go wrong. Now, I feel I can more efficiently handle things.

I wouldn't feel this way if I wasn't saved. I'm a Christian. It happened over a year ago. I decided to give my life to God. I'm so glad I did. I was so filled with absolute anger and it wasn't over anything specific really. I just felt angry all the time toward people and things. I didn't know how to stop it. Well... I did. I knew the ONLY solution.... God.

I gave my life to Him...everything. I deleted anything that was a "parasite" to my relationship with God. I stopped being in chat rooms, I was looking at pornography and I stopped. I stopped everything. I got DOWN ON MY KNEES and said a simple forgive me prayer. I listed all the sins I could remember. I begged God for forgiveness. Begging isn't a requirement but I felt I needed to. I felt that .. wrong. I got up and started cleaning out my life. Everything that wasn't what God wanted for me.

My life changed. Of course things aren't perfect and they won't be as long as we are all here on Earth still. I can handle things better because I'm not alone. I know my Heavenly Dad is beside me. He won't leave me. He won't fail me. I can have expectations and He meets all of them. I can count on Him. I can lean on Him. I can read His word and I am filled with this joy nothing on Earth can measure up to.

I'm not saying I'm the perfect Christian. I'm the perfect sinner though. I was miserable and now I'm not. It's really that simple. I cuss, I judge. I tend to be selfish. I try not to be all those things but my Heavenly Father understands and forgives me. He is working on my weaknesses. He created me. He knows me. He loves me anyway.

If you find yourself in a bad spot and there doesn't seem to be a way out, I'm telling you THERE IS A WAY OUT. You are not alone. Those are lies from Satan himself. You have friends and people who care. You have a Heavenly Father who loves you. He wants you to come to Him.

Just say this simple prayer and yes, ON YOUR KNEES as best as you can DON'T BE LAZY.

God, I'm sorry for what I've done. I'm sorry for all my sins (this is where you can list them one by one).
 You need to be completely honest with God. He knows anyway.

I believe You died on the Cross for me. I believe You rose on the third day. I believe You are alive today. Please wash my sins away and make me whole. Fill me with Your love.

Amen

Now, HALLELUJAH!! You're saved. Just like that. Boom that's it!! Now, the fun part. Find a church. I suggest Cedar Creek if You're from the Toledo, Ohio area. Some church that believes the WHOLE bible including the trinity and the Holy Spirit. All that is important. Trust me.

Read the bible as best as you can. God will help you. He will send His Holy Spirit down to teach you. God truly is amazing.

Most importantly, PRAY AND OFTEN talk to God like you would a friend. He's your comforter. You can lean on Him. He will help you. You just tell Him your problems. Not your wants necessarily but, what's bothering you.

I hope this has helped anyone. I appreciate you...all of you who read my blog. I payed for another year on this domain so, I'm not leaving!!

Take care and God bless,
❤ Christie

Almost time!!

Hello!!

It's almost time for "tie dye season"!! That's what I'm calling Spring. Soon, the weather outside will be slightly above freezing which will be perfect for tie dying. I have so many techniques I want to try. I will definitely be posting pictures of what I get done.

❤ Christie

Update

Hello!!

Lately, I've been working on a cool spring project and it's going to be bigger than what I started with the cricut. I've been working on some new tie dye techniques. I'm very excited about it because I've never seen this done on a t-shirt very often. I can't really say much but, I've worn a few t-shirts I made right before the snow started falling and I got a lot of compliments so far. I think this would be something totally awesome. I can even do this technique before laying on vinyl.

In the spring, when I'm able to make shirts again, I'll post some pictures. I think the colors will be nicely blended and look very awesome.

❤ Christie