Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Plaid®. All opinions are my own.

I recently mentioned that Plaid® has several fun new products coming out this summer, and today I am so excited to share one of my favorites with you. I made DIY ombré dyed baskets for toy storage for our playroom using new FolkArt® Ultra Dye, which is hitting the market this month.

Ultra Dye is a polymer-based brush-on dye for porous surfaces (think unfinished wood, burlap, and natural fibers), and it won’t bleed, leech, chip, peel, or rub off like traditional dyes. It creates beautiful, lasting results, and comes in 14 vibrant colors. Because of it’s gel-like consistency, it’s super easy to control where it’s applied, and it can be used with stencils since it doesn’t bleed. It’s water-based and nontoxic, and allows wood grain to show through, creating a really beautiful effect. (It should be noted that it’s meant for indoor use, and should not be used on fabrics that will need to be washed or anything that will get wet.) There’s also a FolkArt Ultra Dye Satin Varnish available for extra protection, and Ultra Dye Brushes specially designed for use with the FolkArt Ultra Dye. This product is unlike anything I’ve ever used, and I am beyond excited about it!

DIY Ombré Dyed Baskets

Project Supplies:

• FolkArt Ultra Dye in “Venom” and “Tantalizing Teal”
• FolkArt Ultra Dye Satin Varnish
• FolkArt Ultra Dye Brushes
• Painter’s Tape
• Rubber or Plastic Gloves
• Styrofoam bowl or cup
• Baskets

Step 1

First, tape off the area you want to dye. I chose about a 4-5 inch section at the bottom of my baskets, and I used the tape as a general guide since it’s hard to securely adhere it to the bumpy surface of the basket.

Step 2

Paint your first color onto the basket starting at your tape line and painting down about halfway to the bottom of the basket. I used “Tantalizing Teal” and “Venom”.

Step 3

Paint the second color (using a clean brush) starting from the bottom and working your way up to where your first color ends. Blend the line between the two color so they mix a little bit, creating a transition between the two colors rather than a crisp line.

Step 4

Remove your tape, and touch up the line with your brush, adding more of the first dye color as needed. Allow to dry for approximately 15 minutes.

Step 5

Add a topcoat. If you’re using two colors like I did, you might want to use an acrylic spray sealer before adding the varnish to prevent bleeding. Since I was going for an ombre effect and therefore I wanted the colors to bleed together a bit, I opted to skip the spray sealer and just use two separate brushes for applying the varnish, one for sealing each color.

Now, here are my cute, colorful, ombre dyed baskets! These are so fun for the playroom, but I kind of want to steal them for my mom cave.

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Thanks for visiting!

-Erin