Summer of Creative Chemistry: Distress Stains

If you are interested in learning A LOT about your crafting supplies, especially inks, stamps, and Ranger products, you should take Online Card Classes Creative Chemistry. It's well worth the investment. I've learned far more than just how to use Ranger products, I've learned how they relate into everything I own.

For Challenge Week 2, I pulled out a little used product of mine: Distress Stains.

Binary: I made the tags with the marbled stain technique which is very similar to wrinkle free distress. This tag was made with Dusty Concord, Shaded Lilac, Broken China, and Picket Fence. It's edged with Bronze? I decided to keep the robot stamps out. (I think it might be a robot summer for me. I'm seeing them everywhere and adding computer code, circuitry, and gears to my extensive collection of supplies!) 

I used a stamp from Creative Embellishments (Binary) and Ranger Super Fine Copper embossing powder for the background. The gear in the center is also from CE. I embossed the chipboard with some powders from Lindy's Stamp Gang...it looks A-Mazing up close!

I really enjoyed this card but the color combo was one I had done in the past. I knew it would work well. So I decided to try something else as well.

After all, if the technique worked with Picket Fence (the "opaque" stain), it should work with any of the metallics, right? Yea, sort of.

Seahorse:  I made these tags by substituting the Bronze stain for the white. I used Broken China, Salty Ocean, and Cracked Pistachio. I like the result though the finished result resembles the wrinkle free distress look more than the marbled stain. But I realize that the difference is just as much about how you drag your tag through your stain as it is about which colors and how much you use.

The seahorse stamp is from 100 Proof Press and the seaweed is another chipboard offering from Creative embellishments. I used more Lindy's embossing powder on the seaweed. I like how the green seems to brighten the card.
 

There's a really intense shimmer with the metallic stains. Difficult to photograph but you can see a bit of it at the top.

I did some other backgrounds but have yet to finish the tags. Maybe tomorrow.
-Wy