DIY Modge Podge and Alcohol Dyes

Good Day Everyone!

I wanted to stop by and share some quick tips before moving onto any other projects. I mentioned in a previous post how I was going to do a quick tutorial on how to make your own Modge Podge. I also mentioned that I was going to show how to make the alcohol dyes that I used in the birdhouse tutorial. I have many projects in full swing that I'm itching to get out here, so let's get started!

DIY Modge Podge

The DIY Modge Podge is pretty simple. Although it is not recommended for any long-term projects it is still very useful in a pinch. Personally, I've never laid my hands on actual Modge Podge yet and have only been using this since I began my crafting adventures. I haven't had any issues so far with it deteriorating or any of my projects coming apart.

I was going to do a photo tutorial for this, but it is pretty self explanatory. All you need is a jar or container, water, and Elmer's white school glue. The ratio is 1:1, which basically means equal parts of both glue and water. So if the container is filled half way with glue, add water to fill the rest. I like to add the glue in first, because when the water is added it sits on top of it, and this makes it easier to measure out the correct amount. Close the container, shake, and voila! I have my DIY Modge Podge in a mason jar.

I like to shake the container before I use, even though I do not think it is necessary as it doesn't seem to settle or separate. This will yield a matte finish, as I have not found or experimented with making glossy Modge Podge. Glossy Modge Podge may be a future adventure. To save yourself time and aggravation, ALWAYS make sure the lip and lid of the container is clean before you close it. I have already had one instance where the container was glued shut as a result of laziness.

Alcohol Spray Dyes

Up until a few weeks ago, I had no idea that these even existed. Since finding out about them, I cannot seem to get away from wanting to play. :) There are countless uses for these things, and are so easy to make their is no reason why any cratfer shouldn't have these available to them at all times. I used one of my blue alcohol spray dyes in the birdhouse tutorial for adding the lace texture on the base on the house. Thus far, I have only used these on paper, but I would like to experiment with other mediums to use them on.

Alcohol Sprays Dyes DIY

So, you can choose whatever spray bottle you would like to store your dye in. I have heard that the finer the mist, the better, but I guess it depends on how they will be used. I do know that Oriental Trading company(this website is going to be mentioned A LOT on here) sells small spray bottles here.  Six bottles for $5.25 is a great deal. I, on the other hand, got my spray bottles from Sally Beauty Supply, another store that I frequent quite often (I'm a beauty junkie.) Although I paid $2.09 for a pack of two and purchased three, it was still cheaper than paying shipping to Oriental Trading company to just get bottles. I figure they are about the same size. Another difference is the bottles I purchased are not all clear, but a mix of blue, pink, green, and clear.

The next item you will need is the dye. I have read of several different dye products that can be used such as Rit (powdered and liquid), food coloring, powdered juice mix (such as Kool-aid), and gelatos. I have only experimented with food coloring, since I happened to have it on hand.

After that it is just toothpicks and rubbing alcohol. I used 50% that I purchased from Dollar General, it was pretty inexpensive and did what I needed it to do, no complaints.

So, all you have to do is fill the spray bottle with the alcohol. We are going to be refilling my pink.

    

Grab your food coloring. I'm using Wilton gel food coloring in Red. These can be purchased at Walmart, in a pretty big selection of colors for cheap money (I paid around 1.50, colors vary in price.)

Grab your tooth pick and dip into the jar to grab some dye. A little goes a long way with this stuff, so start off with a small amount and work up to your desired intensity. Since I am making pink, I'm only going to use a very small amount. I apologize for the blurry photo, but you can see that the toothpick is barely coated in the gel.

Drop the toothpick into the bottle, put the cap on, and shake it up.

That's it!

I've made six colors so far, labeled the bottles, and used a block of florists foam (got a four-pack from The Dollar Tree) to make a stand. All you have to do is push the bottles into the foam. I also made another hole using one of the bottles to store some toothpicks.

I've heard that the bottles from Oriental Trading do have a tendency to leak if they are not stored upright, so I highly recommend this be done if those bottles are being used. The ones that I purchased from Sally Beauty Supply were stored on their sides for quite some time and didn't leak, but I still didn't trust them. I also have a blue dye that I stored in a Dove body spray bottle and it sprays a very fine mist, not too mention holds quite a bit of product.

Let's Wrap it up

I hope that you have found these recipes helpful. If anyone has any comments or questions do not hesitate to chime in. Their are quite a few projects underway that I will be posting in the next few days, it has been pretty busy and I'm trying to catch up with everything. I'll be back!

Crafts and kisses,