How to Paint Marbled Paper Using Shaving Cream

Experimenting with messy craft techniques is not only fun, but also a cool way to produce some eye-catching paper finishes. This shaving cream technique allows you to “paint” beautifully marbled paper to use on gift cards and tags, scrapbook pages, bookmarks and home décor projects.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Shallow frame or pan
• Foam shaving cream
• Squeegee or stiff cardboard
• Ink or liquid watercolor paint
• Wood stick
• Cardstock
• Rubber stamps
• Embellishments

1. Squirt a thick layer of white foam shaving cream into a shallow acrylic box frame or backing pan. Smooth the surface with a squeegee or piece of thick cardboard. (See Resources)
2. Choose 2 to 3 colors of ink pad reinkers, food coloring or liquid watercolor paint. Apply several drops of color across the surface of the shaving cream, alternating colors and leaving space between the dots. (See Resources)
3. Use a wood stick, a paintbrush or your fingers to generate a pattern in the shaving cream with the dots of ink. Pull a little of one color ink into another, create swirls or a funky plaid, for example. Whatever design you see on the surface is what will appear on your paper.
4. Place a piece of white or light-colored cardstock face down onto the surface of the shaving cream. Be sure the cardstock is smaller than the frame or pan so the entire piece will fit inside without bending. Smooth the cardstock with your fingers, pressing it lightly into the shaving cream.
5. Remove the cardstock from the container slowly. Use the squeegee or stiff cardboard to scrape the shaving cream completely off the cardstock. Wipe the excess from the squeegee after each pass so the extra ink or paint doesn’t transfer to your design.
6. Allow the design to dry before trimming it for use on a greeting card, gift tag or as an accent for a scrapbook or décor project. Consider adding rubber stamped images, glitter glue or self-adhesive gems to the surface for a sophisticated look.