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Faux Aged Leather 

By Jeni Calkins
Scrampin’ Love Bug
Newbies Scramping Team Designer 

This is a quick way to make paper that looks hand made and expensive. The heavier the weight of your paper, the more it will look like leather. What changes the characteristic of your paper is soaking it in water until it is saturated. The heaver weight paper will need to soak longer. Any dye based ink will work, but I like to use the Distress Inks by Ranger. They don’t tend to break down in water as much as some other types.  Be sure to wear gloves during this process and avoid getting unwanted ink on your hands.

Supplies:

Rattlesnake Grass Stamp (Fred B. Mullett)
Old Paper, Mustard Seed, and Walnut Stain Distress inks (Ranger)
White cardstock- Starwhite solid Bristol (Fox River)
Black cardstock (Astrobright)
Hermafix tabs (Herma)
Water in a container
Font –Funky Fun (Internet)
Paper cutter (Fiskars)
Cosmetic sponge

Instructions:

1. Make Distress leather paper using Distress mustard seed ink (see direction above). Let dry.
2. Tear bottom off your cosmetic sponge to give it a rough texture. Dab the sponge onto the Old Paper Distress ink pad to pick up color, then dab it onto the edges of the white cardstock, repeat with Distress mustard seed. Run the edge of your cardstock along the Walnut Stain Distress ink pad and dab a little bit of the walnut stain along the edge with your cosmetic sponge.
3. Print journaling on white cardstock and tear around the edge. Run edges along walnut stain inkpad. Sponge color onto journaling block just as it was done on the background.
4. Stamp Rattlesnake Grass repeatedly along right and left edges using the Old Paper Distress ink pad.
5. Mount photos on black cardstock with Hermafix tabs.
6. Tear bottom edge of distress leather paper. Run torn edge along Distress walnut stain inkpad.  Stamp Rattlesnake Grass in Walnut Stain ink pad along edge of paper. Mount photo leaving extra room along right side.
7. Arrange photos and mount with hermafix tabs.  Complete the project with journaling as shown in the photo.

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