5. Line the bottom of your microwave with paper towels. Place the wet watercolor paper in the microwave to dry quickly. Set on high and dry in increments of 15 seconds so that the paper doesn't burn. The paper can also be air dried. Skip step 6 for more intense colors or if Batik- EZ has not been used.

6. For a subtle color rinse in the sink under running water. Use a sea sponge to remove resist medium and excess dyes. Let dry.

7. If desired, outline, paint or use colored pencils around batik-dyed areas. Embellish images with brads, buttons, stickers or stamps.

8. To make bookmarks, cut cardstock into 2-by-4 1/4-inch pieces. Cut batik-dyed paper into1 3/4-by-4-inch pieces. Glue each piece of batik-dyed paper to a piece of cardstock. Punch hole in top of bookmark and tie on eyelash yarn or ribbons

— Rit Dye (www.ritdye.com)

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Rit Dye, long a standby for fabrics, can also be used for paper crafts. Dyes can be sprayed, drizzled, dripped or brushed onto paper. For best results use 90 lb. watercolor paper. Batik-dyed papers can be used to make greeting cards, album covers, scrapbook pages and paper-covered home accessories. Dyed paper can be decoupaged onto desk accessories, picture frames, clay pots, lampshades and more.

Here's how to dye paper:

1. Cover work area with several layers of newspaper.

2. Prepare dyes. Mix 2 teaspoons powder dye or 1 teaspoon liquid dye with 1/2-cup very hot tap water. Leave dye in a measuring cup or pour into a spray bottle. Note: Powdered dyes can be mixed with less water to achieve more intense color. Liquid dyes can be used full strength.

3. To create a batik-dyed effect, stamp, stencil or brush a resist medium onto water color paper. Let resist dry. Powdered embossing powders can also be used with stamped images and heat set to create a resist.

4. Spray, dip, drizzle or brush the dye solution over the entire piece of paper. Other dye colors may be added for blending or highlighting detail areas. Start with light colors and drip or spray more intense colors on top to blend wet-on-wet. Let paper air dry.

5. If Batik-EZ was used line the bottom of your microwave with paper towels. Place the wet watercolor paper in the microwave to dry quickly. Set on high and dry in increments of 15 seconds so that the paper doesn't burn. Rinse in sink under running water, using a sea sponge to remove resist medium. Let dry.

6. If desired, outline, paint or use colored pencils around batik-dyed areas. Embellish images with brads, buttons, stickers or stamps.

7. To make bookmarks, cut cardstock into 2 x 4 1/4-inch pieces. Cut batik-dyed paper into 1 3/4 x 4-inch pieces. Glue each piece of batik-dyed paper to a piece of cardstock. Punch hole in top of bookmark and tie on eye-lash yarn or ribbons

— Rit Dye (www.ritdye.com)