DIY Wooden Toy Dying ~ I DID IT!!! (with pics!)

[thekacshclan]

So, i was studying up on how to dye my own pieces of wood from our local hobby store, and i did it... and... IT WORKED!!! I was so excited I thought i would share with everyone on here the play-by-play of DIY toy dying

1) all the makings:
~White vinegar (food grade)
~a few wooden pieces from the hobby store
~gel food dyes (red, blue and green are what i chose)
~a few disposable plastic containers
~pair of gloves
~a spoon (disposable)
~hot water (approx. 1 cup per color)

2) in each container (one per color) i added:
~1/2teaspoon of vinegar
~1 cup hot (almost boiling) water
~a squirt of GEL food coloring

3) mix really well to make sure all of the coloring has been dissolved in the water.

4) add all of your wooden pieces and let them soak for about 30mins to an hour.

(i also made purple by mixing red and blue colorings in the same bowl:

5) after 45mins of soaking, notice the wood is getting darker!!! yay!!!

6) taking out each piece i put all of the pieces on a piece of wax paper to let them dry over night.

IT WORKED!!! I was SO excited! it was really really easy and VERY inexpensive, and now i can make my birdies toys at home whenever i want!!!

These are our wooden pieces in an egg-carton toy i put together for some foraging:

 

[copswife30]

Great Job

 

[amsue0222]

Great Idea with the egg carton-- I love it! Thanks for sharing your recipe!

Looks like I will be runnin to the hobby store

 

[thekacshclan]

thanks! i was just so thrilled that it worked! and it was so easy!

 

[thekacshclan]

it was so easy!!! i was really suprized! i thought it wouldn't work, and i'd waste my money, and it'd be a pain in the a$$... but it was awesome!!! and EASY! have fun!!!

 

[expressmailtome]

They came out very nice!

Matt

 

[bicmeister]

that looks great! makes me want to dye eggs for easter!!

 

[calibird]

Great job

 

[thekacshclan]

thanks everyone! I'm really looking forward to finding more things to color... a new addiction has been created!

 

[Gen120]

wow, that's awesome!!! I've been wanting to try this myself, thank you for posting!! Is there a particular brand that's better to use for toys than another?What brand do you use? (I have no idea about wood dyes, what's safe, etc)

 

[thekacshclan]

i was at hobby lobby and purchased their brand of "GEL" food coloring ($1.69 each). i have heard great things about wilton's brand, but they only had the liquid and not the gel... the gel is a bit less expensive, goes a longer way and did a great coloring job!

 

[Sunnyside]

Great job! They turned out great with a nice, brilliant color .
I want to try this also!

 

[thekacshclan]

now i am on the look out for a bunch of different types of toys... wicker and balls and dangling things! i want to color them all!!! i also want to build my own playground out of painted wood... so we will see how that goes! wish me luck!