Thrifty Living: Dollar Tree Headbands, Dyed:

I wanted my 10 month old girls to get dressed up for the holiday so I bought some bright white headbands from the Dollar Tree. Well, the outfits they are going to wear when we do our Christmas, do not have bright white in them. One girl has a cream colored sweater dress, the other has a pink, black and gray sweater dress.

I steeped some green tea and put a headband in the hot tea for a few minutes. Rinsed it in cold water and even hot water a few times. Then I added a tea bag to the already steeped tea and heated in the microwave for another 90 seconds. The results are exactly what I was looking for!

Then I realized the pink dress didn't have white, so I decided to dye that headband pink. I tried with pink food coloring in hot water, but it wasn't working. Funny enough, my boyfriend's generic Crystal Lite from WalMart did the trick! The bow to this one fell off instantly when submerged into the hot liquid. I wanted the bow to be a shade or two darker, so I put it in a more concentrated batch. In the midst of it, the "rose" unraveled so I just wrapped it and tacked the bow onto the headband with a diamond earring (not pictured). I am very happy with the results, especially the cream colored one!!

Afterwards I rinsed it really well in vinegar, water and salt. I read it will help keep the dye in. Even if they only get one use out of them, it was worth it! I am very happy with the results!