How to Tie Dye

Tie-Dye has been a part of cultures everywhere since before history books. It really took off in the 1960’s in America to express individualism. This is because of many reasons, but mainly because it brightened up people’s lives.  The process of tie dying is fun, easy and inexpensive.

Tie Dying Supplies

Supplies: There are many supplies that are needed for this process. The items to dye are the most essential item in this process. This could be anything from t-shirts to socks to pants and everything in between.  As long as it is white, anything will do. Rubber bands are an essential part of the process. These will help the item you dye stay in the pattern you put it in.  It will also make it so there is no, or hardly any, dye there. Another thing needed is the dye. One of the more popular dyes is Rit. This is what we used when performing the process. It costs anywhere from $1.95 to $2.95, depending on if it is dry or wet dye. Another is what is provided in a tie dye kit, but as we didn’t use it in our process, we will not be talking about it as much. Water is needed to dilute the dye. This will help determine, along with if you use soda ash, how deep the color is. As we did not use soda ash, this will be the only supply in the process to tell how deep a color will get. One way to put on the dye is through squirt bottles. These you can get ready-made in the store or you can use water bottles with little holes in the top. Either way, make sure to have a small hole in the top. Another item needed are buckets. They don’t have to be necessarily big buckets, just ones to hold the items being dunked. They can also be to hold the soda ash solution, but we won’t be talking about that. The last item is plastic bags. These will hold the items after they’re dyed. It doesn’t matter how many you have, just as long as you have enough for one per item. 

Journal 1: Sassy Chef

    Nadia G's Bitchin' Kitchen:

 Cookin' for Trouble

(Ballantine; US: Oct 2011)

In the article B(ew)witchin’ the Kitchen: Funny, Feminine, Femminista, Lorrie Palmer describes a sassy, spitfire chef and writer making her way to the top through The Cooking Channel and her clever online series. Nadia G’s show Bitchin’ Kitchen is unique, to say the least. Personally, I enjoy watching the Food Network with the typical women chef delicately explaining how to prepare a meal, but the more Palmer explained Nadia’s creative outlook on cooking, I become more open-minded. As the article explains, women like Paula Dee, Giada De Laurentiis’, and Ina Garten do a lovely job and creating a peaceful energy in their kitchens on the Food Network, but when compared to Nadia G’s vivacious, boldly feminine and Italian character, they seem almost boring. Don’t get me wrong, the stars on Everyday Italian and Barefoot Contessa are wonderful chefs, but with her drop dead gorgeous look, high fashion wardrobe and clever, witty mouth, Nadia isn’t afraid to get in the viewer’s face about cooking and other real aspects of life.

Like I mentioned, I wasn’t quite convinced at first. The title of her show almost turned me off. Then I actually watched a few of her shows and was intrigued. Nadia not only talks passionately about cooking, she infuses her dry humor into her dialog and really pulls the viewer in with subjects like “The Dish on Dating,” and “The Break-Up Meal.” Nadia dares to defy the typical woman stereotype and I think she really understands pop culture and gives people a show that is truly unique. 

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/146244-bewitchin-the-kitchen-funny-feminine-femminista/

Video Sample Post

"Bible in a Minute" Barats and Bereta

Lady Antebellum "We Own the Night"

Pictures

Big brother Kyle at my High School Graduation 2011

My friend Emily and I having adventures with balloons!

My boyfriend Drake and I at the Milwaukee Zoo

p.s. Elephants are my favorite animal!

"How To" Paragraph

I got my first guitar when I was twelve years old and have taught myself how to play over the past few years. Beginning is always a challenge because before anyone can even learn the basics, they have to develop calluses and strengthen their finger muscles in order to be used to the feeling of your fingers on the strings. This is the step where most people just give up, but with my brother’s help, I didn’t. One must first learn the note of each string. Starting at the top in the E and down from there is the A, D, G, B, and finally the little E. There are small bars about an inch apart on the neck of the guitar which are called frets. Each string between each fret makes a specific not. And by combining different notes, one can learn chords. Learning each note and chord can take some time, but there are many tools such as guitar teachers, books, and the Internet that can show you step by step this process. And once it’s completed, being able to put an entire song together is definitely rewarding.