Distressing class projects

Sorry for the lack of posts lately – I’ve been up to my ears in preparing for my new Catalogue Launch Party, trying to make samples, changing my email address, setting up new-style newsletters, not to mention nursing a stinking cold!

But now, better late than never, are some of the projects we made at last week’s Distressed About Distressing class. Unfortunately, I took a picture of the pirate card on my phone in a hurry before posting it to a friend, and the picture came out soooo badly that I can’t bear to post it here. But here are the other projects.

We made three cards – the aforementioned pirate card, which used the crumpled paper technique, plus this flower card (some people made a Cherry Cobbler version) and the birdcage card, which is a variation on this wedding card I made recently.

We used lots of distressing techniques, some of which I’ll talk you through.

Flower card

The flower card really took a hammering! The flower itself is punched twice – once from Newsprint and once from Basic Black cardstock. The Newsprint flower was inked at the edges using the flat stamp from the Distressing Essentials Kit, then run through the paper crimper. The flat stamp was used again to ink the raised areas formed by the crimper, then it was run through the crimper again, and again, inking occasionally. Once it was well and truly battered, we flattened it out using the bone folder, this broke down the fibres so that some of the petals “split”. Nice effect – and great to use up those bits of creased or marked Designer Series Paper!

The Eggplant panel is inked around the edges using the flat stamp, too.

The elaborate Crumb Cake panel is made with the Top Note die. Put it through once, then turn your cardstock 90º and put it through again. I’d done these in advance to save time, but the classgoers got the opportunity to run it through the Big Shot again, with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder. Next we inked the raised areas using the flat stamp and Crumb Cake ink, then dabbed them with a sponge dauber and some beautiful Champagne Mist shimmer paint. You can’t see it in the photo but it gives it a really gorgeous sparkle.

The black strip is crimped and the ribbon is simply folded and twisted onto a length of Sticky Strip.

Birdcage card

The front of this card was stamped and stamped off using Crumb Cake ink and the foliage stamp from Nature Walk. Then it was spritzed using the Night of Navy marker. A section of the front was crimped, to add interest.

The main image was created by inking the En Francais background stamp lightly and erratically with the flat stamp, so that areas were missed. Then the foliage was stamped and stamped off.  The edges were inked with the flat stamp, too. The birdcage was stamped separately, cut out and popped up.

The edges of the cardstock were distressed using the files from the Distressing Essentials Kit.

Pirate card (not shown)

For this card we used the crimper again, plus the crumpled paper technique. For this, we took a piece of perfectly good cardstock, soaked it in water and screwed it up tightly. We opened it out and left it to dry, then tore it into a random shape. You at home can use damaged cardstock for this technique – it’s brilliant for salvaging seemingly useless scraps. If your cardstock is marked, you can ink it once it’s dry, using the flat stamp, or the Direct to Paper technique with your ink pad.

Recipe (retiring products in red)

Stamps: Just Believe, Nature Walk, En Francais

Cardstock: Elegant Eggplant, Basic Black Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Night of Navy

Paper: Newsprint

Ink: Night of Navy, Crumb Cake, Elegant Eggplant

Accessories: Distressing Essentials Kit, Colour Spritzer, Night of Navy Marker, Linen Thread, Regals Buttons, Fancy Flower Punch, 1” circle punch, ¾” circle punch, Big Shot, Top Note Die, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, sponge daubers, Champagne Mist shimmer paint, Paper crimper, Basic pearls, Satin Ribbon – Night of Navy (now out of stock)

We also used Beware, Pirates, which is retiring

All products by Stampin’ Up!®