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Friday, June 24, 2016

50 Shades of Orange


Our HalloWedding colors are, of course, orange and black. As this is a Halloween themed wedding, not just any orange will do.  Our biggest problem in coordinating decor for the event has been finding and matching the right shade of orange.  It has been especially difficult being that we are "out-of-season."

Several months ago I ordered a set of 30 orange table runners from a company I thought to have the closest shade for the best price.  Not even close.  They were actually more of a springtime melon orange color.  Oh well, we're crafty.  Let's just dye them.  So off I went to do the research on the material and to find the right dye formula.  Much to my chagrin, these runners are 100% polyester.  It turns out polyester is a synthetic material and the most difficult to dye.  So after much deliberation and procrastination I discovered this: 
 Rit DyeMore Apricot Orange for synthetics.  This is a stove top method dye.  So, be sure your material will fit in a pot and won't be ruined by heat.  The dye will need to be heated between 180 and 212 degrees Fahrenheit (just before boiling point).  I used my largest stainless steel pot that I don't cook food with and a large wooden dowel rod to stir and keep the material moving.  I must admit here that I alternated stirring and letting it simmer in 5 minutes increments for a total of 30 minutes each batch.
Me, in my purdy purple craft gloves and an orange shirt in my orange kitchen with an orange tablecloth in the background, dyeing table runners orange.  Hmmmmm...I'm seeing a running theme here.
I want to note here that the bottle reads per "2 lbs. of fabric" and for polyester to double the amount of dye.  They mean 2 lbs. precisely.  For me, that was 8 runners in 3 gallons of water with 2 bottles of dye.   I used a kitchen scale to weigh my fabric.  I tested this theory by adding a few extra runners to the pot after my first 2 lb batch was finished.  The dye did not come out as dark at all.  Keep in mind, my runners were already orange  to start so this result could vary with lighter or darker colored materials. The results could also vary with the type of material you are using.  Here is a photo of the original color on the right and the dyed product end result is on the right.  BIG Difference!  I am very pleased with the result.
The original table runner color is on the right and the end result color is on the left.
After the first batch was done, I added another full bottle to the leftover dye in the pot and completed dying 7 more table runners. It took me 6 bottles of dye and about 6 hours total over two nights to complete dying 30 melon orange table runners to a darker Halloween shade.  Overall, I found polyester simple to dye with Rit DyeMore.  I would do this again without question.  I can't wait to see the tables decorated.

Until next time, my peculiar friends.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Let the Games Begin...


...on this sweet, sweet gaming table.  Enter to win @ http://swee.ps/DAsoJhzr
I have been admiring these beauties for quite some time now on BoardGameTables.com
Good Luck, my peculiar friends!

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Gremlins Inc.


For the past couple of weeks, I have been obsessed with a game called Gremlins Inc. on Steam.  I'm not especially good at it, but I love it.  It's an awesome video game of a card game full of strategy and malice.  ...So much malice.  Oh, and it has a steampunk theme!  The artwork is incredible.  The gameplay is challenging and fun.  You can play online or solo games.  After I purchased the video game, I immediately went to the Gremlins Inc. website and discovered they have, for purchase, a hard copy prototype of the game.  SOLD!

Well, it arrived yesterday all the way from Lithuania and I'm all fired up to played it!  The game mechanics are said to be slightly variant from the video game version.  I'm curious to see what the differences will be.  However, because I like things neat and tidy, I had to order card sleeves (70 x 110 mm if you're interested) to protect the integrity of the game's mint condition before I can play it.  Yes, I am a total geek.

So if you're on Steam and you have this game, look up my id (OddFallweather) and let's play.

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Shark!

 Hotel Megalodon: A Deep Sea Thriller

Wih Shark Week coming up on Sunday, June 26th on the Discovery Channel, I thought I would share an ebook I just finished reading.  Hotel Megalodon: A Deep Sea Thriller by Rick Chesler is a quick and easy read.  It has all the flair and fun of a Syfy B-Movie.  This is not my usual genre of book, but I really enjoyed it.  Without giving any spoilers, the synopsis is about a young marine biologist that gets her dream job working for the world's first underwater luxury hotel.  Things turn bad very quickly and just continue to get worse at every turn.