Stampin' Saturday For Distressing Backgrounds

Create a smooth distressed background for your tags. Make several for your stash to save time later.

Start with a craft sheet for the artsy mess you will make.  Select three different colors of dye ink.  You also will need a water mister. Note I used Ranger Distress Inks created by Tim Holtz who has a video on his website that demonstrates this technique.  Here is my shortened version in words. I didn't follow his directions completely.  I did only one layer of ink.  I didn't dry my tags with a heat tool. This is what I did to create the tags that you see here.  There are many ways to use ink to make backgrounds.  The examples  you see here are made with dye ink, specifically Ranger Distress Ink .  I also have made tags with Liquid Chalk Ink.  The look and feel is entirely different.

  

Take an ink pad and swipe across the craft sheet. Repeat the process with a second color, swiping directly below the first color.  Repeat again with the third color below the second color.  (Your three swipes of color should resemble three horizontal stripes or a rainbow.)  Spray a fine water mist on top of the ink that you swiped onto your craft sheet  (use a craft mister designed for this purpose).  You will see the three colors travel and blend where they meet.  Place your tag on top of the inky mixture, pressing down on the tag so that it absorbs the ink.  If you have a specific plan for your tag design, place the tag accordingly.  (You will note in the tag above, I wanted enough brown on the bottom of the tag to anchor my trees from the Paradise Found stamp set.) Remove the tag and lay tag flat to dry. You probably will have enough ink left on the craft sheet to make another tag.  You will see in the photo, some areas of the tags didn't get covered.  I did go back and touch them up.  Note:  after the tag dried, I sprayed it with Perfect Pearls mixed with water in a second mister.  Once thoroughly dry, you are ready to use your tags and/or store the extras for future projects.

When I used the William vintage stamp to design my interpretation of the Disney/Pixar film, UP, I had another tag in the ready.

Both of these QKD  stamps are available in the store. A link to the QKD store is on the left sidebar. And while you're at the sidebar, please click on the Gallery for more ideas.
Until next Saturday, I hope you have time to stamp a lot!  Helene aka 2amscrapper at  LOTSA SCRAP