Ten Simple Steps to Tie Dye Your Wardrobe

I am a strong believer tie-dye should be an all year round thing, but as to follow social convention, now it's nearly summer time, it's officially appropriate to start wearing tie dye! Therefore, I thought I'd show you how to make the best tie-dye t-shirts.

You will need;

Fabric dyes (Dylon dyes recommended)

Empty bottles (one for each different colour dye)

Elastic bands

Bin bags

Bleach (optional)

Spray bottle (optional)

A t-shirt, preferably white, preferably cotton

STEP 1

Soak the t-shirt (or jumper, socks or whatever else you decided to tie dye) in salt water for about half an hour. You can do this in a bath, sink or bucket; whatever is easiest for you.

STEP 2

Whilst the clothes are in soak, it is the perfect time to get your dyes ready. They come in powder form, so empty the powder into a bottle, add roughly 500ml of warm water, put the lid on and shake. Repeat for each colour.

STEP 3

It's best to dye outside. Cut open the bin bags and lay them out on the ground. If you don't have a garden, you can do it in the shower or the bath; it doesn't make a huge amount of difference. Once you've got your dying station ready, you can start the fun part.

STEP 4

Ring out the t-shirt until basically no water drips from it. To get the swirl pattern shown below, use your fingers to pinch the middle of the t-shirt between both sleeves. Gently twist it and the pattern will start to work. You can feather the sides to make it more swirly or you can leave it as it is. Practise this and you'll find your own way of doing it.

STEP 5

Now it's time to put the elastic bands on. It's an elastic band per colour. I decided to have two colours so I used two elastic bands and crossed them in the centre. Until you get a little more experienced, three colours is probably the maximum per clothing item.

STEP 6

Using the elastic bands as a guideline, slowly pour the first colour on adjacent sections of the t-shirt. Then do the same with the second and third, if desired.

STEP 7

Leave the clothes for around three or four hours, until the dye has roughly dried.

STEP 8

Cut the elastic bands off and hang the clothes on the washing line or over the radiator until the t-shirt is completely dry. If you decide to have white splatters on your t-shirt, now is the time to fill the spray bottle up with bleach and spray three or four times across the t-shirt.

STEP 9

Clean up. The worst part.

STEP 10

ROCK IT. The best part.

Reasons to be Happy

"The most important thing is to enjoy life; to be happy. It's all that matters." - Audrey Hepburn

Okay, so you may have not got that job you wanted. Maybe you didn't get the grade you worked so hard for. You could have just broken up with your partner, I bet that hurt. You might have just fallen out with the one person you held closest to you. A million bad things could happen but I'm here to remind you that you can be happy and this is why. 

Motivational speeches from kids on the internet. Let me start you off with this wonderful video from Kid President. The video in itself will make you smile, it's one of those heart warming things that you stumble across on the internet.

There will always be something new to try. The world is huge, the possibilties are endless. There will never be a day in your life when you can sit on the sofa and say "well that's it, I've done it all." You can start a new sport, why not try dodgeball? You could try a new food, why not have cinnamon sugar pumpkin bread? Even if you're not overly adventurous and prefer simple things, why not start watching a new TV series? I've recently started watched a comedy called Archer, it's like American Dad meets South Park with a dash of Beavis and Butt-head and a sprinkling of Daria. Hilarious.

The world is beautiful. Every day people forget to look around them and see the world in all it's glory. Tomorrow when you're walking or driving down the street, look up at the sky. Actually, not if you're driving, that's probably a bad idea. Concentrate on the road. Or if you're in England, because the sky will probably just be a blank, grey slate... Anyway, I digress. This is how stunning the world we live in is... and yes, it is a real picture.

Some people actually really care about making the world a better place. I mean, I know there's a lot of corruption within "the system" when it comes to helping others, but so many people genuinely care and want to make a difference. There are over 50,000 soup kitchens and at least 3,000 homeless shelters in America alone, a lot of people working in these places voluntarily. It can't be all bad, can it?

There are endless opportunities to further your education or skills. You could turn your life around by starting a new apprenticeship in engineering or an internship at a magazine, or finally getting that masters degree you've wanted since you finished university  Even if it's not full-time, you could get a book and learn a new language or enroll at a part-time evening course at your local college in ICT. Don't ever think you can't do something because then you won't.

The main thing to remember is every day is a new opportunity to be better than yesterday; so make it happen. If you don't like your job, find another one. If you don't like your education, change establishments or find a different path. If you don't like your city, move away. Don't let anything hold you back from happiness, after all, isn't that what life is about?