DIY Valentine's Dip Dyed Trays

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Happy February! Are we all over winter yet? Cause I am! Today I have a simple Home Decor DIY to help decorate for Valentine’s Day and add some color to this dreary month. Any color scheme can be used for this project in order to fit any holiday/non-seasonal, but I decided to use Valentine’s inspired colors since my home décor for this holiday is nonexistent.

Materials

RIT Liquid Dye

Tub/Bin/or Sink

Unfinished wood trays

I’m using a tray and two wood plaques that I flipped upside down and used as trays. The heart had a little stain on it, so I gave it a sanding before starting this project.

Gold Leaf Sheets

Foil Adhesive

Brushes

Top Coat Spray

The Process

Step 1

Fill the tub/sink with the lightest RIT Dye color and mix in hot water. I filled the container with enough water so that the level of the liquid would submerge the tray to exactly where I wanted the color to stop.

Step 2

Place the tray into the dye bath and let sit. The wood absorbed the dye so much more quickly than any fabric project ever has! I only needed a max of 10 minutes to get really rich and deep colors. It will dry a little lighter, so make sure not to remove it too early! Remove the tray and let dry for a few hours.

Step 3

Once the first color is dry, prep the next color just as in step one. The tri-color piece needed to be over-dyed on a portion of the first color (hence why I started with the lightest color first!)

Step 4

Place the tray in the second color and repeat step 2.

Step 5

If going for three colors, repeat steps 3 and 4. Skip to the next step if you only did two!

Step 6

Once the tray is completely dry (I waited overnight after my final dye) apply some foil adhesive, let dry 30 minutes, and apply sheet of gold leaf. I found the wood also absorbed the adhesive quickly, so I had to apply a thicker coat to get the foil pages to stick. I went for a sporadic look, but you could do anything – shapes, patterns, even an initial! Brush away any excess.

Because I’m only planning on using these seasonally, I chose not to seal them with a top coat. This was a poor choice! When I took this photo, some dye rubbed off on my favorite white sweater! Seal them with a clear top coat (I prefer the spray style) to prevent any color transfer and to make sure none of the foil flakes off.

Now you have a beautiful piece of Valentines décor to add to your table for a Galentine’s brunch OR a place to display all the chocolates and candles your admirers will undoubtedly be sending on February 14. I really loved this project and I loved the look of the dye on wood. It feels like a watercolor! I’m already dreaming of all the other projects I could do with RIT Dye and wood!