All the Things You Can Do with Tim Holtz Distressing Ink

I am obsessed with Tim Holtz distressing stains, they are seriously amazing!!  If you have ever been to my house before you have probably noticed that i’m into rustic, vintage & love the distressed look of furniture and home decor.  You can probably guess why I love this line of distressing stains for all my craft project needs.  Not only are they simple to use, but there are a lot of fun projects you can create with these types of stains.  

Today I thought it would be fun to share with you some of my favorite projects to create with Tim Holtz distressing stains.  That way you can try them out for yourself & decide how much you like them.

Color Wheel-Before beginning any craft projects with your Tim Holtz stains it might be a good idea to create a color pallet so you know exactly what each stain looks like when applied to paper.  I created my color wheel with some simple 8.5”x10” piece of white cardstock.  I cut each piece of cardstock into 8 equal parts.  I then took each square and applied a different color of distressing ink to each one.  I then wrote the name on the back of each color, placed a hole punch in the corner and put my color squares on a metal ring so I could easily flip through each color when I needed to.  If you use distressing stains at all, I highly reccomend this project.  I can’t count the number of times I have used my color wheel.

Embellishments-I love to go to craft stores & find simple paper embellishments in the clearance section that nobody wants.  I usually can find extremely inexpensive products because of their dull design.  I love to take these simple designs and turn them into a work of art by simply using my distressing inks.  This is seriously one of my favorite things to do with these inks.

Cards-I make a lot of homemade cards at my house.  Once I discovered how to use distressing inks I use them on almost all of my homemade cards.  The ink gives each card a unique flare that it wouldn’t have without it.  These inks are a great way to jazz up all your cards.

Gift Tags-Another great way to use distressing ink is with gift tags.  You can turn a boring, plain & simple gift tag into something great with some simple ink colors.  I love to do this to all my gift tags that I create or find.  

Creating with Tim Holtz distressing inks really is very easy and can be a lot of fun.  If you don’t know how to use these particular types of inks it only takes a few minutes to learn and once you do you will use them the rest of your life!  They are amazing!!

I hope this tutorial helped you today.  If you need help finding distressing inks I like to get mine from https://www.craftdirect.com/supplies/inks/tim-holtz/distress-stains.html I’ve found that they have the best supply.  Feel free to share with us some of your ideas, or some great projects you have made with these unique stains!  Watch for more tutorials coming soon!

Make Your Own Love Notes Journal

I recently came across a great idea while browsing the internet and could not be more excited to share it with you today.  The fun project that I found was a Love journal designed to help you remember special times in your marriage.  The journal was made from  a notebook that is  put together from scratch.  Each day you sit down and either write special moments you had with your spouse that day, things you love about them or even a love note.  On your anniversary you can sit down with each year and read your Love Journal together or even surprise your spouse with it.  It’s a great way to show your loved one how you feel about them while remembering special times in your relationship.

Putting a love journal together is very easy and only requires a few simple items.  If you are wanting to put one of these cute notebooks together here is what you will need.

• Notebook
• Scrapbook Paper
• Ribbon
• Love Die Cuts
• Glue Gun
• Glue Dots

First you will need to cut out a scrapbook paper that will fit on the front of your notebook.  Measure your paper to your notebook before making your cuts.  Once your paper is cut out, use your glue stick to attach it on.

Next, cut a 3 inch wide strip the length of your notebook & attach it on the left hand side.

Once you have your narrow piece of scrapbook paper attached to the left hand side it’s time to add your ribbon embellishments & die cuts.  You can decorate the front of your journal however you would like, it’s up to you!

Once you have attached everything to the front of your notebook you are then ready to begin documenting your love story!  Not only is this a lot of fun, but it is the perfect way to cherish special moments with your loved one.

Check out more great ideas here at http://happybrownhouse.com/2011/02/14/love-notes-journal/