Let's Get Distressed

It seems that no matter where you look these days lots of things are distressed...and no, I am not referring to the economy, but to scrapbook layouts and other paper projects. LOL

There are many ways to get that distressed look to your paper and I thought today I would share a few. First let's gather some tools.

Here I have my favorites; an edge distresser, sanding block and water pen.

I started with my photo. I scuffed up the edges of my photo with the sanding block. No sanding block? You can use plain sand paper. If you print your own photos there are brushes that you can get to grunge up the edges of your photo for you.


Next, how about distressing the edges of the paper? I like to use an edge distresser. There are lots of brands out there, this one is from Making Memories. You slide the paper in between the blades and run the tool along your paper.

You can see it rips the edge just a bit, giving it more dimension. No edge distresser? You can just use your scissors. Open them wide and scrape them along your paper.

I decided I wanted to curl the edges of some of my papers as well. Here is where the water pen comes in. Wet the edge of your paper with the pen,
and then curl the edges with your fingers. The water helps break down the fibers of the paper, and when the paper dries it will hold it shape.

No water pen? How about a paint brush dipped in water or even running the edge of your paper carefully in the running water of your sink?

The combination of the edge distresser and the water really lend a lot of dimension to the page without making it too bulky.

Finish your project as desired. Here is mine.....

Thanks for stopping by.