Distressed Photo Tag Book
By
Cheryl Gebhart
Off Road Inksters
Intermediate Scramping Team Designer
For this project, I
distressed both my photos and my tags. Since I didn’t want to damage my
original photos, I scanned them and printed them on glossy photo paper.
Supplies
- Mini Medallion
stamp (TAC)
- Ornaments, Express
It, and Providence stamps (Making Memories)
- Antique Uppercase
Alphabet stamps (PSX Design)
- Clock in Square
stamp (Mrs. O’Leary’s)
- Distress Inks –
Old Paper, Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Black Soot
(Ranger)
- 5 Tags 2 3/8” X 4
¾”
- Rollabind Punch
(optional)
- 2 small Black
Rollabind Disks (optional)
- Twist Ties (I
KanDee)
- 8 Photos
approximately 1 ¾” X 2 ½”
- Adhesive (Hermafix)
- Spray Mister
Bottle
- Stipple Brush (Toybox)
- Mini Travel Iron
(Clover)
- 100-grit Sandpaper
- Paper to protect
your work surface
Distress Tags
- Remove the strings
from the tags.
- Lay your first tag
flat in one hand and press in the center of it with the thumb of your other
hand. This will break the surface tension of your tag allowing you to crumple
it without tearing it.
- Crumple your tag
and then carefully flatten it out. Repeat this process two or three times.
Flatten it out and set it on scrap paper.
- Take the Old Paper
Distress Ink pad in your hand and rub it over your tag in a direct to paper
approach (DTP). The ink will be most concentrated on the creases and folds of
the tag. Repeat the process with the Antique Linen Distress Ink.
- Mist with water,
and then use a stipple brush to move the ink around.
- Repeat steps 4 and
5 on the other side of your tag.
- Iron the tag to
both dry it and flatten it. If you don’t have an iron dedicated to crafting,
cover the tag with clean printer paper or newsprint before you iron it to keep
your iron clean.
- Repeat steps 2
through 8 for your other tags.
- Set your tags
aside to work on your photos.
Distress Photos
- Print 8 photos to
fit tags. Most of mine are 1 ¾” X 2 ½”.
- Rub Antique Linen
or Old Paper Distress Ink onto your photos.
- Repeat with Tea
Dye or Vintage Photo Distress Ink putting most of the darker ink around the
edges of the photos.
- Using a very light
touch, sand the edges of your photos to put a few scratches on them. Avoid
faces when you sand them and remember to use a light touch!
Make Your Tag Book
1.
Stack your tags with the long direction horizontally and the holes on the
right side.
2.
Take the first tag from the stack and stamp FAMILY and the Clock in Black
Soot Distress Ink. Stamp two Scrolls and the Medallion in Walnut Stain Distress
Ink. This will be the cover of your book.
3.
Turn the tag over so that the hole is now on the left. Stamp Cherish in
Black Soot and the Scroll in Walnut Stain. Adhere photo. Set aside with the
hole still on the left.
4.
Take the second tag from the stack. Stamp True love in Black Soot and
the Scroll in Walnut Stain. Adhere photo.
5.
Turn the tag over so that the hole is now on the left. Stamp I love you
in Black Soot and the Medallion in Walnut Stain. Adhere photo. Set this tag on
top of the first tag with the hole on the left (this stack will be your book, in
reverse order).
6.
Take the third tag from the stack. Since the photo on this page is of my
grandparents, I stamped the names I called them on this page in Black Soot and
the Scroll in Walnut Stain. Adhere photo.
7.
Turn the tag over so that the hole is now on the left. Stamp Live in
Black Soot and the Medallion in Walnut Stain. Adhere photo. Set this tag on
top of the first two tags with the hole on the left.
8.
Take the fourth tag from the stack. Stamp “memories” in Black Soot and
the Scroll in Walnut Stain. Adhere photo.
9.
Turn the tag over so that the hole is now on the left. Stamp “family” in
Black Soot and Scroll in Walnut Stain. Adhere photo. Set this tag on top of
the first three tags with the hole on the left.
10.
Take the fifth and final tag from the stack. Stamp “Remember” in Black
Soot and the Medallion in Walnut Stain. Adhere photo.
11.
Turn the tag over so that the hole is now on the left. Stamp “TIME
FLIES” in Black Soot and both Clocks in Walnut stain. Set this tag on top of
the first four tags with the hole on the left.
12.
Pick up the whole stack and turn it over so that the holes are now on the
right. This is the way your book will be put together. Use the Rollabind to
punch two holes in the center of the short left edge of each tag. Insert small
black Rollabind disks into the holes.
13.
Insert twist ties into the holes of the tags so that you can read what
they say. I alternated black twist ties with white twist ties. I have black
twist ties with white writing on pages 1, 3, and 5, and I have white twist ties
with black writing on pages 2 and 4. The twist tie on page 1 says “LIFE IS A
JOURNEY;” page 2: “you make me happy;” page 3: “a moment in time;” page 4:
“everyday moments;” and page 5: “memories last forever.”
Alternative Bindings
- Score the left
side (opposite the hole) of each tag ½” from the edge. Staple the tags
together within the ½” scored area. Cut a piece of matching or contrasting
cardstock 1 ¼” X 2 3/8”. Fold this in half lengthwise and glue over the
scored and stapled edge to hide the staples.
- Follow instruction
1, but use colored staples and leave off the cardstock that covers the
staples.
- Punch two small
holes within the scored area and tie the tags together with decorative fibers.
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