Paint dying ribbon

I bought this earring holder off a lady for $1 at a flea market. I don't know what I thought I was going to use it for, but I finally figured it out this weekend. I added nails at strategic points around the frame and used it to hold my ribbon while I painted it with dyes. I got this idea from a book called "Silk Ribbon Embroidery Bible" by Joan Gordon. It was fun and I like the variegated look of the ribbon. The ribbons need to be wet to get the variegated effect. I painted the entire ribbon first with water then with a light color. Then using a darker version of the same color, I just touched the edge of the top of the ribbon and the dark dye would run into the light creating interesting effects. I used both silk ribbon and white rayon seam binding. The silk ribbon was 13mm and is the purple ribbon in the photos. I also tried 4mm silk ribbon and it worked fine (not pictured). The green and yellow ribbons in the photos are the white rayon seam binding.

Paints on lace

These are the fabric paints that would work when nothing else would. They do add a stiffness to your lace. I also used textile glitter that I got at a quilt fair, but you can get it at http://www.stewartgil.com/. It is called Galactica and I have the Moss and Penny Copper colors. It seems like glue with glitter in it, but whatever it is, it is especially made for textiles and adds the glam we all love.