
We’ve noticed that the holiday season seems to be starting earlier and earlier each year. Don’t be surprised if you hear “Jingle Bells” at the mall BEFORE Halloween. As part of jump-starting the holidays, we decided to make some fluorescent Tumble-dyed napkins which are great for any time of the year. And they’ll add a great punch of neon to your holiday dining table. And they’d look pretty darn cute alongside our Neon Stitched Tea Towels!
Materials:
– various colors of Tumble Dye
– white cloth napkins (we got ours on Amazon)
Tools:
– painter’s tape
– stencils
– alphabet stickers
Tumble Dye is easy to use. Unlike other material-dying techniques, there’s no need for boiling water and you won’t have blue stained hands for the next week. Hooray! This dye sprays right on, dries quickly, and washes off your hands (though not out of the material, don’t worry about that).
1. The Biker Napkin: We love bikes. We love fluorescent colors. This napkin is the best of both.
1. Place the bike stencil on top of the napkin.
2. Cover exposed part of the napkin with paper towels (or other scrap material).
3. Spray vertically with yellow Tumble Dye covering a third of the napkin.
4. Add a column of green covering the second third.
5. Move the stencil over .
6. Line up the last column of bikes with the first on the stencil .
7. Spray the last third with teal paint.
8. Repeat steps 5-7 until the napkin is covered in bikes.
When you place the stencil on the napkin, it can be helpful to tape it down so it doesn’t shift. Also, make sure you cover up the exposed parts of the napkin or you’ll wind up with a nice line from the edge of the stencil. You don’t want that! While spraying the dye, try to keep your hand at a consistent angle so that the dye doesn’t creep under the sides.
The dye will pool on the stencil, so be sure to blot it with a paper towel before moving the it. Continue to move the stencil around and spray the dye evenly.
Don’t the colors look awesome all mixed together? We think so.
2. The Plaid Napkin: Preppy patterns and neon? It’s like the ’80s exploded!
1. Line the napkin with painters tape in a plaid pattern.
2. Spray Tumble Dye filling each square with a color (we used three).
3. Let dye dry.
4. Peel tape!
We decided to coat these napkins with a lot of dye so that some of it would seep under the tape to achieve the look we wanted. Alternatively, you can lightly spray the dye which will create more of a spray painted look with more defined lines.
Really secure the tape onto the napkin before you start spraying. Then have at it with your colors. Since we are making a set, we stuck with fluorescent yellow, green, and teal. Then peel!
The most satisfying part is peeling the tape off of these babies. Don’t they look great?
3. The Lettered Napkin: We made two napkins; one that says “EAT” and one that says “YUM.” You know, just in case your guests don’t know what to do or think at the dinner table.
1. Decide which word you’d like to put on your napkin
2. Place letters making sure you put them where they’ll be seen when you fold the napkin
3. Spray around the letters with Tumble Dye
4. Let dry
5. Carefully peel off the letters
These are our favorite napkins – so cute with their single words and bursts of dye. You could easily cover the napkin in words, but we wanted to keep it simple.
Make sure you don’t spray too much dye on these guys or else the color will seep under the stickers. It’s important to have clean lines so that the words are legible.
Now that you’re a pro with the Tumble Dye, you can make tea towels, table runners or an apron. The possibilities are endless.
What will you try dyeing with Tumble Dye? Or any other dyes? Talk to us in the comments below.
Getting the word out about your brand takes time, drive, and ingenuity. And it doesn't come easy for many entrepreneurs. As part of our collaboration with Office Depot, we're chatting with Selfmade alum Taylor Morgan McPherson, founder of Sustainable Sparkle Bar, about ways in which she scored press as a solo startup brand and what she learned from Selfmade to take her brand marketing up a notch.
B + C: How did you know Sustainable Sparkle Bar was your business to start?
Glitter has always been my thing, so when I started my event company I decided to make it my niche. I started telling people I threw glitter-themed parties where people would get sparkled with glitter body art and makeup. Six months after that I applied to my first festival and to work with SUR restaurant in West Hollywood.
B + C: What's one strategy that's helped you start your business?
I honestly can't say that I've had a specific strategy that I've followed when it comes to getting my business off the ground. I have a PR background so I was just constantly pitching new business and posting on social media.
B + C: What's the biggest challenge you face as a small business owner?
I would say creating a stable income and revenue stream. With a seasonal, event-based business it can be very up and down.
B + C: What was your most valuable takeaway from Selfmade?
The relationships I made and the push to start an email database.
B + C: How do you stay motivated?
I love what I do and I believe in myself 100%. Staying motivated isn't the hard part. Pushing myself to do the work and staying accountable is the hard part.
B + C: What's your best organizational tip? Do you use any apps that help you manage your business?
I keep multiple to-do lists, hand-written and digital. I also tell clients and partners that I will have something to them by a certain time or day so I have to stick to it.
B + C: What's one piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs on the brink of starting?
Just do it, take the leap. And don't worry about what anyone else says to thinks.
B + C: Who inspires you in the entrepreneurial space?
Issa Rae, I'm so inspired by everything that she's created being a creative and a black woman. It's my dream to have my own show one day based on my life and where I give advice and talk about the world. She's doing it and making people laugh and giving people joy. And it's based in LA. Watching Insecure only further cemented my dreams of wanting to live in LA.
B + C: How did you hear about the Office Depot scholarship?
One of my friends that I met through Camp No Counselors saw an IG ad for it and nominated me.
B + C: What has receiving the scholarship to Selfmade done to help you start/grow your business?
It's completely helped me level up and take my business to another level. Selfmade helped me host my first virtual event and taught me how to set up my website to sell tickets to events and get RSVPs.
B + C: How have Office Depot services or products helped you accomplish more in your business?
I got new cards to send in all of my orders with my discount code on them. I also bought a really cool 4K camera that I now use for my social media.
Thanks Taylor! You really know how to sparkle. We love her colorful, creative vibe. You can follow Sustainable Sparkle Bar on Instagram @sustainablesparklebar.
Let Office Depot OfficeMax help you stand out in the crowd. From signs, posters & banners to promote your business, to marketing materials to keep your customers informed, Office Depot OfficeMax offers a full suite of business services & solutions to help you & your business get noticed.
Head to Office Depot's Selfmade page to check out even more amazing business resources (and discounts!) to help you accomplish more on your entrepreneurial journey. These offers are available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage of all this goodness while supplies last. Want to join the next Selfmade cohort this summer? Check out all of the scholarship details right here.