Dying Pocket Charts Black

Read directions carefully!

So this week one of my coworkers called me “creative” which is probably true for the most part, but truth be told I PINTEREST A LOT. So the summer began and I decided to get some projects done.

My first Pinterest project was what I thought would be a quick and simple project that would make my “invisible classroom” ( I call it this because I am currently displaced and have no idea what or where I will be teaching next year) look absolutely AWESOME.  This project was to dye pocket charts black.

I looked on so many blogs and I think it was a lie. Every single one of them, seriously. So let me go through the steps of what happens when a somewhat crafty person dyes a pocket chart black.

It all began with an idea. I was looking through the Scholastic Bonus Catalog and thought that I should try this pin I found. Dye pocket charts black. I mean I hate primary colors ( yes, the elementary teacher HATES her room in primary colors). So many bloggers of have done this right? 

Beautiful new pocket charts. These look amazing to dye BLACK! They will make my room look so perfect no matter what grade I teach.

Great my pocket charts came in and summer is this week. I must begin the projects. I do not know what grade I am teaching right now so I can get things that are basic completed.  I went to Wally World and grabbed the dye. I don't need to read instructions because I am an amazing teacher and I automatically know everything. 

Get home. Read more blogs before I begin this project at 8 at night. Realize I should not do this in a white tub, washer ( husband banned me when he saw black dye), and should just do it. So I get my canning pot I use for the garden. I fill it up and begin to boil. Put the dye in and then the chart. I don't need anything else right? WRONG

I read the directions later to realize I needed to add vinegar. Well I only read the directions once I noticed nothing was even happening. So I didn't measure and dumped a ton of vinegar. I figured more is better. HAHA I let it sit overnight ( everyone seemed to have a miracle occur when they let it sit overnight). 

Well the miracle fairy skipped my house. I woke to find that nothing happened. Including me remembering to put on gloves. So I didn't drain ANYTHING and began again. I started the boil, put another container of dye ( maybe I needed more). and well why not more vinegar. 

Took a nap. Heard sizzling. Cleaned up black dye without gloves again. WHEN WILL I LEARN the only thing dying black right now is my hands. Set the pot in the grass. OH CRAP THE GRASS! This is a whole different post about my husbands love of the grass haha. Well now there is a perfect burnt circle in grass. 

The precious grass. I guess it's better than a bathtub. Right?!

Left overnight again hoping for the fairy to come again. I should have left her cookies because she didn't. I forgot gloves AGAIN and rinsed everything out to find

THEY LOOK AWFUL AND ARE NOT BLACK! 

My hands are black and but the charts. The plastic is now fogged over and well cooking them make the plastic look funny.

Well I cannot even straighten the charts back out. 

My question is what did I do wrong? Has anyone really dyed the charts black?

Oh and the husband was correct when he walked into the kitchen the first time and said “ You can’t dye that material B.”

Any suggestions?

Love,

Miss Stetson