Dip Dye Decor
9 Materials
$0-60
1 Hour
Easy
I'm sure by now most of you have seen at least one item in a store that appears to have been dipped in paint. I know I've been seeing dip dyed wicker baskets in several places and I just had to have one so I figured I'd try the technique with a handful of items to see how they turned out. I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome of all five items I tried this technique on!
SUPPLIES:
-Behr Interior Flat paint (Colors: French Colony and Tapestry Red)
-HDX 20 gal. plastic bin (you can use any container to pour the paint in for this project)
-different objects for dipping [I used a wooden oar, candelabra, lamp, step stool and a basket for my objects.]
Not pictured:
-paint brush (optional)
-Rustoleum metallic copper spray paint (optional)
STEP 1: Prep objects (optional)
I know not everyone will use the same objects that I did to dip dye but in case you're curious how I did each object, I figured I'd throw this little step in.
I found a plain, black lamp at my local thrift store that I wanted to dip dye; however, I didn't want the lamp black so I taped off the parts of the lamp that I didn't want changed and used some metallic copper spray paint I had on hand to change the base color.
STEP 2: Pour paint and dip
As you can see, I went a little overboard on the size of the container I used to pour my paint in. I didn't want to get too much paint because I knew I wasn't going to need an entire gallon, especially since I wanted to use two different colors. Hindsight I would have used a much smaller container. Oh well, lesson earned! 
For the lamp, I tried to keep my container at an angle so I could essentially spin the lamp inside the paint. To get the paint further up on the lamp, I scooped the paint with the bottom edge of the lamp. I know this can be done with a paintbrush as well but I really wanted it to look as if the paint was put on haphazardly.
Between the lampshade I purchased at Home Depot for this thrift store lamp and the colors of the lamp itself, I love this addition to our newly decorated living room!
Another random piece of decor I found at my local thrift store was an old wooden oar. It was super long so I cut it down quite a bit with our chop saw and rounded out the end a bit with a piece of 60 grit sandpaper. Then, I took the paddle end and rolled it around in my container of paint, again, trying to make it not-so-perfect looking.
I love how the paint turned out on this ore! To me, it really looks almost like the paint is still wanting to drip down the wood. Because Bo and CC will be sharing a room, I haven't decided yet if I'm going to mount this oar on the wall but I'm very much considering it being a part of their room decor permanently. Possibly a camping/"glamping"/outdoor theme?
Finally, with the same French Colony color, I dipped the top of a step stool I had gotten for Bo since he's now at the age where he wants to do things himself like brushing his teeth and washing his hands. I used the help of a small paint brush to wipe off the excess paint that was on the top of the stool but again, I didn't want perfectly straight lines which is why I did the dipping technique.
To say Bo loves his new stool is an understatement! He picks this cute little thing up and takes it around the house to reach things like the light switch in his room and books on his shelves.
Another color I wanted to use in our house was this really pretty Tapestry Red by Behr. I'm more of a warm tone girl but I've tried to settle with cool colors, especially in our living room, so the space looks more open and airy. However, I've got to have my reds and oranges in my life somehow so I chose this color as an accent to pop here and there.
I've been seeing dipped baskets at Pottery Barn and other places of the sort, but of course the price tags are way out of my frugal range so I decided to try my hand at dipping one myself. I just decided to wing it and dip it freestyle, putting it in the paint at different angles so that the paint line wasn't perfect; however, you can always use some painter's tape to make a boundary for a straighter paint line.
I'm in love with this basket!!! Whether I need it to hold throw blankets or to hold diapers and wipes in the living room so I don't have to take the kids to their room to change their diapers, this is the perfect little way to hold everyday items while still having them look as part of your everyday decor.
The last item I dipped was a bit of an experiment. I found a plain black candelabra at my local thrift store and thought it may look cool being dipped. Like the stool, I used a small paint brush to help get the paint up to a certain point so that the paint line wasn't perfectly straight.
I really like the way the paint color pops against the black and how thick the paint looks; to me, it almost looks like wax because of the matte finish.
All-in-all, trying this whole dip dye technique was a success and I think I may be going basket shopping at Marshalls and the thrift store soon because I believe I've developed a bit of an obsession with the dipped baskets! {shhh don't tell Rob} 
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Comments
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2 of 82 comments
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Love the oar! Maybe use it for a curtain rod?
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Just wanted to let you and others know that the county dump recycles paint and you can go and get paint for free . At least where I live they do . You can call and ask .
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Seems u waste a lot of paint. Did u use same container over and over
Do you use anything to seal the paint? I love the dipped look! Great Job!
I sure hope you are still taking questions. I purchased 2 lamp bases at Dollar General shaped like the Eiffel Tower. And ideas on colors? I doubt it’s possible, but when Kings Island lights up their 1/5 scale model each night, they use one super cool color at a time, which lights bottom to top in a faded neon purple (for example). Ideas on how to accomplish the look?