Review and Giveaway: Jacquard Tie Dye Kit

Considering the fact that both my gals were born in "Hippie-ville USA", aka Berkeley, I feel an obligation to have some tie dye apparel options for them. My hubby picked up a really cute tie dye tank dress for my oldest last summer at a Farmer's Market that she lovingly refers to as her "hippy dress". Knowing she's almost grown out of it I was eager to try to create our own new "hippy" clothing article. Enter the Jacquard Funky Groovy Tie Dye Kit.

Jacquard is a local Bay Area company that offers a plethora of crafty stuff ranging from paints to kits like this. It's pretty darn simple and would make for a fun play date or party activity for older kids (5 and up). Since my gal is only 3, I pretty much did it all because these are very permanent dyes.

Click on "Read More" to learn more about this kit and how to win one of your own!

My review is below, each category of four stars.

Materials Provided: ** - The Kit includes rubberbands, ash soap, and three bottles of dye. They also provided one set of very thin gloves that were quite large. They did not stay on my hands very well so I just used my own cleaning gloves. I think that they should provide more than one pair, at least one for an adult and one for kids. I imagine this kit is often used by an adult and child together. Also, the lids on the bottles with the dyes didn't seal very well, so when I filled them with the water and shook them to mix it up it leaked out. This wouldn't have been a big deal had I had the gloves on (see below).

Instructions: *** - The instructions are very easy to read and follow. The only thing I wished they had noted was to put the gloves on when mixing the dyes. Some of it leaked out when I shook the bottle and my hands were pretty stained for a couple of days. Other than that, I had no problem following the directions. They included directions for 4 design techniques (I used the easiest called "Bunching"), and their website offers even more intricate options.

End Result: **** - We now have a very cute "hippie shirt" for my gal to wear. She loves it and I think looks pretty cute in it (though I am partial).

Price: **** - The Kit is $12 and has enough dye for 5 full size shirts. Initially I only did one child's shirt but we have a lot left over for other stuff. I found a cute t-shirt at Target for $5, so technically this shirt cost us $7.50 assuming we dye 4 other items. Not too bad for a super cute and unique shirt!

Overall Score: *** - This is a fun and EASY activity to do. Even though my gal was too young to really be involved she loved watching it all and seeing the end result. I plan on doing this yearly with my gals so they have a truly custom article of clothing that they can claim they "made" while paying homage to their birthplace!

If you'd like to win a free Jacquard Funky Groovy Tie Dye Kit please visit the Jacquard website and tell us the tie dye pattern you'd like to try. All entries must be received by the end of the day on June 30, 2009. Please follow this link to see our official rules for this giveaway.