On the 5th Day...

On the 5th day of Christmas SEI gave to you 5 pretty snowflakes. Placing lit candles in paper bags is a fun holiday tradition. For a unique variation with a neat texture, try Matt's luminary idea.

First he cut a snowflakes out of heavy paper (just like when you were a kid). Next he placed each snowflake on a paper lunch bag. Be sure to cover the area under and around the bags to protect from overspray (Matt used a garbage bag). Finally, he sprayed tumble dye on the bags. You can also use the snowflakes you made for stencils to decorate by hanging them on ribbon from your ceiling or tree.





The process was quite simple but here are some tips. Check which side of the bag has the seam. If you spray on the side without the seam, you won't have a line down the middle, like we do. Also, be patient because the dye will take a while to soak into your bag and completely dry. Perhaps the most important tip is use battery operated candles because paper is flammable.

These look so festive down a walkway. What a great way to greet your holiday guests!

Independence Day, done right!

**To start off a lot of people have been asking if the new lines will be used in a Club SEI kit. The answer is yes. Christmas Mint will be featured in November's kit and Winter Song will be used in December's kit. Moravia will not be in a kit but will be available as an add-on. You can tell your local scrapbook supplier to pick it up for you at CHA next month or order online at shopsei.com in August. Now onto our project.

We wanted to give you enough time to plan for the 4th of July. I love this holiday! There's nothing about it not to love. One tradition that I've heard a lot of families have is wearing matching shirts. We have come up with a great idea to customize your own 4th of July shirts in an inexpensive way.

Did you know that SEI carries a product called Tumble Dye? It's a dye that is sprayed on and then heat set, and it dyes a lot of different surfaces. It's non-toxic, and easier to clean up than other dyes - no boiling water, pots & pans, nasty chemicals, or stained hands! That makes it a fantastic summer project to do with your kids or grandkids. And it's only $3 a bottle! We used Raggedy Ann Red & Blueberry to create the shirts below. I know the tie-dyed look might not be your favorite everyday look, but it's so fitting for the 4th of July. Here is the project along with instructions:

These cute girls belong to Lee Tibbitts

Sheryl, who works here at SEI, made these shirts.
• You can use an old white shirt that you have around the house (even one that may have a stain, you can cover it).
• First, to make the stars on the shoulder, Sheryl cut stars out of scrap paper and laid them on the shirt. She sprayed the Blueberrry Tumble Dye all around the cut outs, and then removed them, leaving white stars behind.
• Next, to achieve the "stripes", Sheryl gathered the shirt on a diagonal to create loose folds and sprayed the exposed fabric with Raggedy Ann Red Tumble Dye.

That's it! All in all, Sheryl was able to make six children's shirts, using one bottle of the red dye and a half bottle of the blue.

While you're here, tell us - what are your 4th of July traditions?