ne mm the Hunt GIVE ANEW LIFE TO YARD SALE AND FLEA MARKET FINDS Even the best yard sale or flea market finds are useless if you can't incorporate them into the decor of your home OF TURNING TRASH INTO TREASURES Add a splash of color to lamp shades and lace, revive sheets and pillow shams, accent frames and furniture with dye! It’s an easy and affordable way to add warmth and charm to any room. can transform hand-me-down items into treasured accessories Summertime is the season ot la/y days, barefoot walks, picnics but most importantly, it s the season ot bargains l Bargains' BARGAINS" Hidden treasures can be found at every yard sale, garage sale and flea market But what do you do with those random items that you found tor a fantas tic price ’ How can you coordinate them with your home' You can use them to reinvent the look of your tavonte, or not-so-tavonte room, just by using a little imagination and dye Dye-stain the beat-up table that overstayed its welcome in someone s living room, and turn it into a colorful show piece that adds pizzazz to your decor Accent your room with dyed throw pillows, lamp shades and picture frames Give faded lace tablecloths or curtains new life with a splash of color, or keep that “antique” look by dyeing it lightly Add a variety of color and texture to a room by dyeing towels, sheets, blankets and throw rugs And don't forget to think creatively' An old mirror may need only a colorful refurbished frame to look terrific over your dresser A beat-up wooden chest can become a com fortable seat at the foot of your bed or under a window A scratched telephone stand can be trimmed with a vibrantly dyed dustskirt and serve as a new vanity table A discarded end table might be just the right bedside stand, just use Rit Dye to color match a slipcover for it Did you find several different long-lost kitchen chairs ’ Create a full set of personalized chairs, color coordinated, with just a sprucing up of dye' The trick is to keep your eyes open for new ideas everywhere—you can transform someone else’s castaways into exquisite prized possessions' THE HOW-TOS lash of DYEING FABRIC ■ You can dye fabric using one of three methods in the washing machine, in a sink or bucket or on the stove top ■ Soak fabnc in plain water before immersing it in the dye bath then follow package directions ■ You can dye most washable fabric, including cotton, linen, silk wool, ramie blends, rayon, nylon or synthetic blends The only exceptions are polyester and acrylic which don’t take dye well ■For best color results when dyeing fabric containing cotton, rayon, ramie or linen, add one to two cups ot salt to the dye bath ■Since you may not know the fabric content of many yard sale finds, cheek the color often It the color is not as deep as you want it, remove the item, and tiy dissolv mg more dve in the dye bath before reimmersmg the item ■Take items out ot the dye bath when they look a little darker than you want —colors will lighten as they dry ■For the deepest color results, use the hottest water that is sate tot the fabric The longer the fabric remains in the dye bath, the deeper the resulting coloi Items can remain in the bath up to one hour as long as the water remains hot and the item receives constant agnation or stirring ■When dyeing colored fabric, dye wall mix with the original fabric color to produce a new color For instance, red dye over blue fabric will produce purple ■Print fabric will absorb dye colors in the light areas, but will not become solid The print pattern will still show through Helpful hint: Rit Super Stain Remover, Rust Remover and Whitener and Bnghtener have been specially formulated to remove a variety ot tabnc disasters including stains, yellowing, color bleeding and rust marks— an important step for sprucing up rummage sale finds Unlike most bleaches, these products don't damage fabric fibers, making them the perfect choice for restoring vintage items! Make sure whites are their whitest and colors their brightest before dyeing to ensure maximum success These products can also give a new lease'on life, to items you decide to leave in their natural color DYEING METAL ■Brush the metal with a metal primer and let dry Then brush on white gesso primer, and allow it to completely dry ■Use a paintbrush to paint on liquid dye straight from the bottle For more home decorating ideas write to. Rit; P.O. Box 307; Dept. FF 98-1; Coventry. CT 06238 * ‘