Invitations: If you have time to make your own invitations, here is an easy tie-dyed suggestion. Purchase enough tie-dyed decorative craft paper to make one invitation for each guest. Use this template to cut out T-shirts from the tie-dyed craft paper. You can reduce or enlarge this template on your printer before use, if you prefer. On vellum paper print out the party details, such as time, location and other important items. Cut the vellum to fit each T-shirt. Punch two holes in the top of vellum sheets and two matching holes in tie-dyed T-shirts. Affix vellum to T-shirt with a small decorative ribbon bow. Include a reminder for your guests to wear old clothes or bring a smock or large old shirt to the party. Remind your adult helpers to dress for mess as well.
Decorations: This party is a great excuse for an outdoor party. It is a good idea to do the tie-dying as the first formal activity once all the guests have arrived. Set up the dyeing station ahead of time. Cover the work area with a disposable plastic tablecloth or a few garbage bags and tape these protective covers in place. Have a trash can and a roll of paper towels nearby as well as a large bowl of soapy water for the kids to rinse their hands. Most importantly, keep some extra white T-shirts on hand to allow for mistakes or in case some grown-ups want to get in on the fun.
Since tie-dyeing is an iconic activity of the '60s, think hippie or flower power for other decorations. Use fun psychedelic colors for plates, napkins, cups, cutlery, tablecloths, steamers and balloons. If you want to spice things up, add some tie-dyed items from the Birthday in a Box Tie Dye Party collection. Make a banner that says, "Welcome to [child's name] Tie-Dyed Birthday Party," or order a personalized tie dye banner from Birthday in a Box. Don't forget groovy music. Play artists like The Beatles, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, The Mamas and the Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, The Monkees and The Who. This groovy music will get everyone in the '60s party mood.
Activities: These tie-dyed T-shirts are a great party activity, take-home favor and a brilliant fashion statement all in one! To save time and simplify the process, start the party off by dyeing the T-shirts. Tie-dyeing is not difficult, but it can be time-consuming. Be prepared for the process by reading thoroughly your kit's directions a few days ahead of time, so there will be no surprises on party day.
Step One: Set up the dyeing station per the instructions in the Decorations section of this blog entry. One kit to consider is Rainbow Rock. You can buy this brand at Michael's or Walmart. One kit will dye 2 to 8 cotton shirts depending on the darkness of color desired. Kits contain dye in reusable bottles, soda ash fixer, latex gloves (you may want to get some more at your local drug store), and rubber bands (you may want to get some extras at your local office supply store). The kits come in four color pathways - Dreamy (soft ocean, soft orchid and sand), Classic (fuchsia, yellow and turquoise), Primary (red, blue and yellow) and Vibrant (blue, lime and violet). If you don't want to use Rainbow Rock, there are other brands and kits available.
Step Two: Prepare the tees. To make sure the shirts are fit to be tied, soak them in water first. They'll be much easier for the kids to work with. Have the kids "tie" their shirts with rubber band and marbles, coins and/or small stones.
If the dyes come with soda ash, dissolve it in a tub of water. Soak the "tied" shirts in the soda ash solution for 20 minutes. This helps the dyes to bond with the fabric more easily producing brighter, longer-lasting results.
Step Three: Prepare the dyes according to the manufacturer's directions. After each shirt has been dyed, wring it out and place it in a sealable gallon-sized plastic bag with the child's name on it. Set it aside as you commence the other party activities. When the party is over, send each child home with his or her bagged shirt, an extra pair of latex gloves, and a set of finishing instructions (below).
Since tie-dyeing is an inexact craft, you may want to buy one or two additional kits. Be sure to arrange with the store the return of unopened, unused kits after the party.
Send your party guests home with these Washing and Drying Instructions:
Washing and Drying Instructions
1. Allow the T-shirt to set in the plastic bag overnight. Put on the rubber gloves and rinse the shirt, starting with warm water and then cool, until the water runs clear. Remove the rubber bands during rinsing. This is permanent dye, so be careful not be get any of it on your clothes.
2. Wash the shirt by itself in the washing machine with cold water to avoid shrinkage. It is a good idea to run the washer again with warm water and some soap to make sure that no dye is left in your machine.
3. Hang up the shirt to dry or dry it in the dryer on the coolest setting.
4. After your child wears the shirt, wash and dry it separately once more in case the dye is not completely rinsed out.
Games: Tie-dyeing will take up a good portion of your party, so you will not need to plan many other activities. After the shirts are packaged up to take home, a few rounds of Freeze Dance will get everyone moving to their favorite groovy tunes. To play this game, have all of the kids start dancing when you turn on some '60s music, such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Simon & Garfunkel or The Monkeys. After a few minutes, turn off the sound and say "Freeze"! Anyone still moving is out. Continue play by starting the music again and stopping it randomly as before. Continue playing until only one dancer remains. If you want to play more games, search the navigation bar - Activities/Games/Crafts on the home page of Kids' Party with Flair to find a couple that suit this party theme.
Crafts: An excellent transition while you put the finishing touches on food is to have the kids work on a coloring page. Click here for one with a '60s theme.
Food: Since the tie-dyeing process is pretty involved, serve simple party fare that can be made up in advance. Your party goers are sure to love submarine sandwiches. They are very easy to make and easy to transport outside to eat. A perfect treat for this party! Serve the sandwiches with individual bags of Sun Chips and some carrot and celery sticks. For a '60s thirst quencher serve Tang punch. All you need to do is mix Tang with 7Up (regular or diet).
Cakes: For dessert serve a Tie-Dyed Party Cake. It is tie-dyed inside and out. Your guests will love this delicious, colorful treat. If you prefer cupcakes, try the Tie-Dyed variety. And Tie-Dyed Ice Cream will be a great accompaniment to the festivities. To make serving scoops of ice cream easy at your party. Before the party fill one paper cupcake liner with one scoop of ice cream for each guest. Freeze the scoops until time to serve.
Favors: Your guests will have a special favor in their own one-of-a-kind tie-dyed shirt. If you want to do something more, think the '60's. Thank your guests for coming to your party with favors like love, beads, smiley face daisy rings, lip gloss, and rainbow punch balls. Check out the selection of '60s trinkets at Birthday in a Box. Shop for tie-dyed treat bags here.
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