A Scrapper’s Fairy Tale
Scrapbooker, scrapbooker, let down your hair! After this merry tale, you’ll know everything about being a damsel who can distress with the best of ‘em!
Distressing is a fast and popular method for marring
the edge or surface of a page element to add a bit of interest. If you want an
antiqued, Old World, shabby chic or country look, distressing is the way to go.
You can turn any old frog into Prince Charming!
Pieces to Distress
• Paper edges
• Bindings/Book spines
• Chipboard embellishments
• Photo edges
• Vellum
Forest of Tools
• Course sandpaper (40-130 Grit)
• Medium sandpaper (120-150 Grit)
• Fine sandpaper (180-240 Grit)
• Nail files
• Emery boards
• Fine cheese graters
• Razor blades
• Scissor edges
• Thread cutter pendants
• Pumice stones
• Steel wool
• BasicGrey™ File Set
10 Charming Tips & Tricks
- Distress in phases. Make several light passes to better control the effect.
- Use course sandpaper to remove paint or make a bold statement.
- Use finer sandpaper on photo edges or to lightly distress.
- After distressing, ink edges with brown or black to make it look antique.
- Tear edges instead of distressing for a complementary effect.
- Try tea staining first! Dip paper edges into a cooled cup of tea and allow to dry. Then distress as normal.
- Fold paper and then distress the folded edge. Unfold and repeat in random patterns to age a background instantly.
- Sand the entire surface of vellum to darken it.
- Stabilize the piece you are distressing by holding it along the edge of a clear stamp block.
- Smooth the edges of paper-covered chipboard with fine sandpaper or a nail file.
With this easy method, you’ll get a storybook ending
in no time at all!
Your fairy scrapmother,
Mary
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