Easy Scrapbooking Tips for Distressing Your Scrapbooking Pages
Sometimes it’s the little things that can really add interest to your scrapbooking pages. These quick tips for distressing your pages are so easy. I use at least one of them on most of my scrapbooking projects.
1. Get Out the Sandpaper
Look for cardstock that is colored on one side and white on the back. Cardstock that is solid color throughout, like Bazzill papers, do not work for this technique. You can sand either your 12×12 background paper or just the paper matting or die cuts or both. Lightly sand over the surface of the paper. You will begin to see some of the white showing through to the front. It’s an easy way to add a little extra to your page.
Chipboard is very popular right now. You can find chipboard titles, letters and page accents. Try sanding the edges of your chipboard pieces. For example, take black chipboard letters and lightly sand just the edges on the pieces. You’ll see the lighter chipboard color begin to show through the edges adding a soft border effect around your letters.
2. Ink It Up
I love this tip and use it frequently. Take your cardstock and lightly run the edges along an ink pad. Let the ink smear onto the edges as much as you want. This gives a great bordering effect to background cardstock, titles, frames, matted embellishments, and just about any paper element on your page.
I tend to use black ink for most of my projects, but don’t limit yourself. Dark brown ink gives a unique effect as well. It can bring a bit of an antiqued distressed look to your page. I’ve also tried matching the ink color to the paper. For example, I’ve used dark blue ink with a blue cardstock and red ink with red patterned paper. Experiment with different inks and find a look that works for your page layout.
It’s easy to use a distressed look on your pages with these two simple tips. I hope they inspire your next scrapbooking project.
