Tutorial: Blessed | Weathered Stain Backbground

What a busy, busy week!  This week I decided to move my studio from my basement up to the attic space of my house.  I knew that I had a ton of stuff in my studio, but it wasn’t until moving each thing up two floors did I realize how much I had!  I am telling you, carrying dies up two flights of stairs is a monster work out!  Thankfully I worked ahead last week and photographed two tutorials in anticipation of the move.  It is a good thing, because it has taken a big chunk of the week to get the new studio functional.

This week’s tag is such a pretty tag!  I think this background is so pretty and best of all, it is quick and easy!

Here is how to do it:

Apply a coat Snow Cap Adirondack Paint Dabber onto a metal Ornate Plate and two brads.  I used a pouncing motion to apply a thick and “lumpy” coat.

Dry the paint using a heat tool.

Apply a second thick coat of paint.  Again, no need to worry about getting the paint smooth or even.

Use a heat tool to dry the paint.  Set aside.

Tear a  piece of  ledger paper (mine is vintage) slightly larger than the frame portion of the Ornate Plate.  Apply a thin coat of paint using the dabber to the paper to mute the color and to give it a shabby look.

Apply a thin to medium coat of Picket Fence Distress Stain to a #8 manila tag.  Use a heat tool to dry the stain.

Apply a second coat of Picket Fence Distress Stain to the tag.  Don’t worry about trying to cover the manila completely.  The more streaky the stain looks and the more manila there is peeking through, the more color variation your final tag will look.  Dry the stain with a heat tool.

Scribble Broken China and Peeled Paint Distress Stains onto a craft sheet.  If your sheet is dirty with paint, the stain will get milky where the stain and paint mix.  I consider that a bonus!  If you get paint on your stain’s applicator, simply wipe it off with a dry cloth.

Cut a small square of Cut & Dry Foam.

Swipe the white side of the piece of Cut & Dry foam through the stain on the craft sheet.

Swipe the stain onto the tag.  I applied mine in straight swipes from the top of the tag to the bottom.

Continue swiping the color on in layers until you like the look you have.  Allow some of the manila and some of the Picket Fence to show to add the more color variation.

Use a heat tool to dry the stain.

Ink a script stamp with Potting Soil Archival Ink.

Randomly stamp the text onto the tag.  For a softer stamped image, stamp first on scrap paper.  Stamp again onto the tag without re-inking (second stamping).

Use a heat tool to dry the ink.

Use an ink blending tool to apply Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

Lay the tag on a flat surface.  Use a sanding grip flat on the tag to sand in a straight line from the top of the tag to the bottom.  Never sand on your non-stick craft sheet, it will damage the finish of the sheet.

Sanding will soften and blend the swipes of color.  It will also knock down some of the stamped script.

Place the tag inside an embossing folder.  I like this design a lot because the design is only along the edges of the folder and is not an all over design.  I cut a slit in the fold of all of my embossing folders so that I can emboss tags with the bottom of the tag lining up with the bottom of the folder.

Emboss the tag using a die cut machine.

Lay the tag on a flat surface.  Use a sanding grip flat on the tag to sand the embossed areas.  Sanding over the embossed areas will knock more color off of the raised areas, bringing out more of the Picket Fence and the manila base and accenting the embossed design.

Apply a strip of adhesive through the center of the tag from the top to the bottom.  Lay a strip of wide lace (mine is vintage) on the tag.  Wrap the excess over the top edge of the tag to the back.

Apply a strip of Tissue Tape over the lace.  Wrap the tape over the top of the tag.

Use a line of adhesive tape to adhere a strip of woven trim over the Tissue Tape and lace.  Fold the end of the trim over the top of the tag to the back.

Add a line of machine stitching along the top edge of the tag through the layers of lace and trim.

I love the way the thick dried paint looks on the Ornate Plate.  It reminds me of a plaster ornament.  Optional: Use a sanding grip if desired to sand off some of the finish and reveal the metal.

Use an ink blending tool to brush Vintage Photo Distress Ink onto the paint.

Use an ink blending tool to apply Vintage Photo Distress Ink to the edges of the ledger paper.

Adhere the Ornate Plate to the ledger paper using the painted brads.

Apply adhesive foam squares to the back of the ledger paper and Ornate Plate.

Brush the edges of a Chitchat Sticker sentiment.

Place the sentiment on the ledger paper inside the Ornate Plate.  Adhere the assembled piece to the front of the tag over the lace.

Adhere a small Mirrored Star to the Ornate Plate above the sentiment.

I love the way the sanding accents the embossed design!  It makes it stand out without being too bold.

I love the soft shabbiness of this tag!  It reminds me of the colored weathered wood on beach shacks.    It is such an easy background that is perfect for lots of different project themes.  I hope you give it a try!