Thank you, Debbie, for the wonderful tutorial this week:
Do you like a vintage look?
Aging your cards convincingly is a relatively simple process!
Probably the most common way is
sponging distress ink on the edges of the cardstock or patterned paper. My favorite distressing ink is the Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress pad, followed by the Vintage Photo color. I keep sponges handy in both of these colors, tapping them on the ink pad, testing it on a scrap to make sure it isn’t too wet and blotchy, and simply wiping ink on the edge of the cardstock with my sponge.
When I use printed patterned papers, I like to first sponge ink on the edges, then randomly sand the edges. Why both? The darker perimeter helps convey age as well as drawing the viewer’s eye to the focal point. Our eyes are naturally drawn to light, so when the perimeter is darker and the inside is lighter, we tend to focus on the inside—where our focal image usually is. The sanding does not remove all of the darker area—just the very outside area. Sanding adds one more visual layer, and one more aspect of age.
Scraping, Tearing, and Curling Corners: I often combine these three methods, so I’ll group them together here. First, scraping edges: I have bought three or four distressing tools over the years. But I have to confess that 90% of the time, I simply use the back of my scissor blades. I hold the cardstock firmly in my left hand (because I’m right handed), and I vigorously scrape the edges of the cardstock, pushing the frayed edge up so that it shows on top of my mat layer or focal layer.
Occasionally I’ll scrape extra hard in one place so that I can create a little tear and curl its edges up—usually about 1/3 of the way across an edge rather than in the very center of the edge. I also like to roll the corners up and occasionally peel apart the layers of the paper so that I can have a tighter inside curl and a looser outside curl. Scraps, tears, and curls are a great vintage look!
How about trying the cracked glass technique for aging? In cracked glass, you begin with an already slightly aged image, preferable, then press the image face down into Versamark ink or embossing ink and sprinkle UTEE or clear embossing powder on top of the image. (If you use UTEE, you can get by with one or two coats. If you use regular clear embossing powder, you should use three or more coats to get a significant effect.) Heat-emboss to melt the clear EP to the cardstock, reapplying it to get thicker layers as desired. Then set your thoroughly coated cardstock into the freezer for a few minutes. Take it out and immediately bend the cardstock in several directions; you should end up with hairline cracks that you can emphasize with distress ink if you choose.
Not as often, I will wad up a piece of cardstock, then smooth it out a bit with my hand before sponging distress ink on it. After distress ink has been applied, you can even iron the cardstock out so that it lays flat on your card—it will still maintain enough of the wrinkled look, especially if you’ve sponged distress ink on it, to be convincingly aged.
These are all fairly simple ways to add a bit of age to your vintage cards; we would love to see your distressing projects if you’d like to paste a link in the comments area!
