Inspired by the horizon, where sea meets sky, these dreamy dip-dyeing projects capture the relaxed beauty of summer's essential elements. They're as much fun as putting your toes in the surf -- and almost as effortless.

So head on outside and give this carefree craft a try. With three simple hand-dipping methods -- immersing fabric and paper in dye, candles in wax, and baskets in paint -- you can give ordinary objects bold bands of color. Start with inexpensive, commonplace items (the plainer the better, in fact, since white or cream is best for showing off colorful embellishments). Before you purchase supplies, look around for things to recycle or reuse. Give a T-shirt or an unused candle new life, or put leftover paint to use.

Set up outdoors, where you'll have plenty of room and won't worry about drips. As you work, admire the varied shades and asymmetrical lines created by hand-dipping. Just as every wave's wet outline on the sand is different from the next, uneven borders lend these crafts their one-of-a-kind charm.