How to Age Scrapbook Papers

Why not add some character to your scrapbook pages by making them look older? Here's how.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Three black teabags
• Measuring cup
• Flat bowl large enough to hold the paper you'll be aging.
• Water
• Microwave or stove to heat water
• Paper towels
• Paper to be aged

1. Prepare two cups of hot water in your microwave. Pour the hot water into a bowl and add three black teabags.

2. Allow the teabags to remain in the water for 45 minutes to add strong color to the water.

3. Pour your tea into a large, flat bowl large enough to accommodate the size paper you're using.

4. Place your paper in the water. The degree of staining will vary depending upon how long you leave the paper in the water. For a light stain, immerse the paper and quickly remove it. For a darker stain, keep it in the tea stained water longer.

5. Once you remove the paper from the tea water, lay it on a dry towel to dry. Apply a heavy object such as a book to hold the paper down and keep it from curling.

6. Allow your paper to thoroughly dry with the weight on top of it.

Tips & Warnings

• You can create unusual effects by enhancing your tea stained papers with scrapbook inks and other scrapbooking techniques.
• Aged scrapbook papers are wonderful for a vintage photo album and can be beautiful used in art collages.
• Have fun experimenting!

[kjv4thee]

on 1/16/2008 Good simple idea, Burning the edges of paper is an idea also. I use to put plastic guns together and age the plastic by scraping it and rubbing in shoe polish. ( this made them look old and heavy ) Many people thought that they were real guns until they picked them up.