Creating with Color and Chaos with The Pretty Life Girls
Posted by Sam Spendlove and Liz Welker on May 11th 2021
In the introduction to our new book, DIY Guide to Tie Dye Style: The Basics and WAY Beyond, we tell about a moment at a truck stop in Texas where we came across a novelty t-shirt with the phrase "I'm not the black sheep, I'm the tie dyed one." And while we never thought that a gas station T-shirt could speak to us that specifically, it happened. That shirt knew us. We're Sam Spendlove and Liz Welker, sisters, mothers, makers and major tie dye lovers. At our blog, Prettylifegirls.com, we are the tie dyed sheep! While our finished project pictures might portray control and focus, behind the scenes it's all color and chaos and ideas and mess that somehow result in something beautiful. And really, that's all tie dye is, too. Maybe that's why we love it so much.
Tie dye is a little bit unruly, and you can't really tell it what to do. You can get the right tools and use the right methods, but in the end, the dye will go where it wants and do what it wants! The great part is, tie dye is tough to mess up if you do it with an open mind, mixing and pouring colors with the expectation that there is beauty in the uncontrollable. So, whether you are a pro with a squirt bottle or have never bound a bullseye, we know that if you give yourself a little permission to create, you will be successful when you crack open our book! 
One of our favorite of the 20 tie dye projects inside DIY Guide to Tie Dye Style is a sweatsuit that layers two different tie dye methods with vividly colorful results! First, you remove some of the color from a black sweatsuit using bleach, then, you put the color back in those splotches with the tie dye colors of your choice. This project really makes you feel like some kind of dye magician, wielding your squirt bottle like a wand to take away the color you don't want and replace it with your desired hues. We love that once you get the hang of working with different dye methods that the possibilities for what you can make grows exponentially and there's nothing you won't be able to make more beautiful.
We can't wait for you to get your hands on this book, embrace your inner tie dye sheep and take your making from bland to bold! When you open its pages we'll be right there with you to teach you about binding, setting, and application as well as to inspire you with accessible projects that will make your closet more colorful and your living spaces more vibrant.
To see what we are making right now, and get fun updates about the book, you can find us at Prettylifegirls.com, and on Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube! We can't wait to make with you!
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