TOOL TIP TUESDAY, Distressing Essentials & Vintage Ink Stains...

Distressing Essentials is a fabulous set of tools that were released last year.  I absolutely love this kit.  It features tools that make it easy to create a distressed, vintage appearance to your projects.  Some of the styles that distressing works well with are:  aged, vintage, steam punk, grunge, shabby chic, collage, nostalgic, antique, retro, Victorian, Edwardian, twentieth-century, mid-century, romantic, timeless and classic.

DISTRESSING ESSENTIALS INCLUDE:
■ Sanding block (3" x 3/4" x 1-1/2") and two-sided emery board (4" x 3/4") for distressing Designer Series paper or smoothing the edges of card stock or DSP that has been adhered to On Board chipboard
■ (3) Precision files (5-1/2") for sanding intricate die cuts and sanding in tight areas.  They also work well at curling up edges.
■ (4) Blendable, water-based vintage ink spots: Tea Stain, Charcoal, Mahogany, Navy
■ Flat Stamp (1-1/2") for applying ink to create an aged appearance
■ Comes in soft plastic case

TOOL TIPS:
■ Because vintage ink contains alcohol, they are not recommended for scrapbooking.
■ For an aged look, it is best to crinkle your paper into a ball, and then smooth it out.  When you dab the ink on the flat stamp and rub it over the paper, the ink will be heavier on the creases, resulting in a distressed look.
■ For a subtle ink stain look, try the flat stamp to apply the vintage ink.  It provides a softer look than applying the ink spot directly on the paper.  To intensify the distressed look, try misting the ink lightly with water before or after applying to the project.  The ink will dilute and bleed resulting in a vintage appearance.
■ When using a stamped image that you do not want to bleed, be sure to use a waterproof ink like StazOn on your stamped image.
■ Use an Aquapainter to apply the ink refills directly to a stamped image.  Be sure to use StazOn or waterproof ink to stamp your image.
■ Use sanding--both edges and top--to distress your project even more.

The one drawback of the Distressing Essentials was that there were no refills for the Vintage Ink Spots.  This was troubling for me because with spots, I used up my favorites quickly.  Because of this, I had trouble enthusiastically recommending this product.  However, I am thrilled to let you know that REFILLS ARE NOW AVAILABLE for all the Vintage Ink Spots!  Yippee!  Thanks so much for listening to customer and demonstrator suggestions, Stampin' Up!

Here are the shopping links and information to order your Vintage Ink Refills:

• Tea Stain Vintage Stampin' Ink refill  #125731, $4.95
• Charcoal Vintage Stampin' Ink refill  #125732, $4.95
• Mahogany Vintage Stampin' Ink refill  #125733, $4.95
• Navy Blue Vintage Stampin' Ink refill  #125734, $4.95
• Distressing Essentials  #118762, $19.95
  

HOW TO RE-INK THE VINTAGE STAIN SPOTS:
Re-inking a Vintage Ink Spot is different than re-inking a Classic Stampin' Pad or Spot. To create a distressed, aged appearance, a Vintage Ink Spot should be drier than a Classic Stampin' Pad. When it's too dry--that is, the ink applies more lightly than you like on your projects--you should re-ink the Spot. To re-ink your Vintage Ink Spot, do the following:

1. Using the eyedropper in the Vintage Ink Refill, apply ink one drop at a time in equal, thin stripes on the pad.  DO NOT saturate the pad--it needs to be drier than a Classic Stampin' Pad.  Let the ink settle into the pad for a few minutes before continuing. 
2. Using the edge of a credit card, drag the ink diagonally across the pad from corner to corner.  This will ensure that the ink is heavier in some places than others, which is necessary to create a distressed appearance.
3. Blot lightly with a paper towel to remove excess ink.

Here are a few examples of cards made using the Distressing Essentials: