CCM&M Challenge 128 - Distress It!!

Afternoon!! Hope you're all having a good one!! It's time for a new challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers and More. This time round our lovely leader, Lin, is hosting and she has asked that we all 'Distress It'. So, she would like to see distressing on your projects - and preferably lots of it!!

We are sponsored this time by Di's Digi Stamps who are offering a $12 gift certificate! And also by the wonderful Woodware Craft Collection who are offering a £12 voucher! The team from Woodware are also playing along with this challenge - so be sure to check out all the fab inspiration ontheir blog as well as the inspiration from our team over on the Crafty Cardmakers and More blog.

Now, I really like this kind of challenge. But, if I'm being honest, when I first started crafting, I really didn't like getting messy, and to crumple things up and rip and tear edge, seemed just crazy! So, if any of you out there are a little bit unsure about distressing, my suggestion to you is - raid that stash of off-cuts of paper. You know - the ones that you think you will use - but rarely do. Practice on them - you don't even need to start with a full project. Just play!! If you're not keen on being messy, then have a pack of wipes and a kitchen roll to hand, and clean up as you go. That's how I started - and now I love it!!

So - onto my project. I will start with an apology. I was rummaging through my papers when I was deciding what to do, and found these in a box. However, I had thrown away the packaging - so I now have no idea where they came from. I have a suspicion they are are Papermania as they are A5 - but I have searched and searched the Internet - and cannot find them.

Once I had found a selection of papers that I liked, I then picked out what else I would use. I usually do this - I don't always end up using everything - but it gives me a selection of things to work from. So, the base card is Papermill Navy card, and I used some Nostalgia Core'dinations, Distress Inks, Distress Crackle Paint, and my Tim Holtz Paper Distresser.

I started by distressing the edges of this paper, then inking with Crushed Olive DI.

With the second piece of paper, I distressed the edges, then crumpled it up into a ball. I then rubbed Rusty Hinge DI over the top to highlight the wrinkles, then blasted it with a heat gun. I then ironed it flat.

For this mat, I again distressed the edges - but also ripped into it to show the colour core. I also lightly sanded around the edges with my Core'dinations Sand It block. For those that don't like mess, then make sure you also have the Dust Buddy Handy. It's great for clearing up the mess from sanding - but also rub it over the card to remove the residue from there too! I then inked with Chipped Sapphire DI.

This piece of Core'dinations was embossed (Embossalicious Elegance), and sanded back to reveal the core.

I then covered it in Rocky Candy Distress Crackle paint. You have to be quite generous with this to get a decent crackle - and looking at the results, I think I was maybe a little mean. After it was dry, I used Creative Expressions Golden Light gilding wax over the top. Hopefully the photo below shows the finished effect. 

I used Chipped Sapphire to stamp onto the papers using three of the stamps from the Magenta Blooming Floral Clear Stamps set. I fussy cut the smaller two, and used a circle die to cut the larger one. A scalloped circle with sanded edges provided the mat.

Finishing touches include organza ribbon, satin ribbon, a little charm and some pearls.

Now it's over to you! Remember, don't be afraid of distressing!! Just have a go - you may surprise yourself at how much you enjoy it!!

I would like to enter this into:

A Creative Romance  - Something Old (the papers - they're so old I'm not even sure who                                                             made them)

Inky Impressions - Anything Goes with Pearls

Cxxxx