Tool Talk - Distressing

I don't have any Workspace Wednesday Hints this week, but as I've been slowly cleaning and organizing in my craft room, its lots of fun to find some of those forgotten items (both tools and supplies) that were past favorites.   And sometimes those old favorites work with new goodies to provide inspiration for the perfect layout.  This is a big advantage over a big purge with help from my daughter - she's great about pushing me to purge and keeping me focused,  but she doesn't give me the time to appreciate finds and put them to work.

So last week I came across my Creative Memories distressing tool.  It is really just a blade in a handle with notches that makes it easy to pull along a sheet of paper for fun distressed edges.

 As soon as I saw it, I knew all those pretty papers in the Studio Calico Savannah scrapbook kits just demanded to be used on a pretty "shabby chic" layout.  So I pulled a bunch of papers and scraps and cut rough squares and rectangles in a  variety of sizes.  I ran each piece through the distressing tool on all 4 sides.  I wanted to run an ink pad along the distressed edges for added dimension.  But the charcoal I started with appeared to dark in many instances - so I used gold to accent the distressed edges.

 The papers were really pretty but I wanted to add more details and layers.  I had added two sheets of stickers from the Basic Gray Dear Heart collection to my box and they were perfect for this.  I used the distressing tool and ink on the stickers too - but the gray seemed to work better this time.  I added the stickers between the layers and in a cluster at the bottom of the photo. 

The title is from the Pinkfresh Studios Happy Thing collection and is another goodie I rediscovered recently - I still have a couple of words left there to use up.  (I have determined that the reason my supplies appear to be so out of control is that I never finish anything - so I am trying to finish at least one partial pack of something every week this year.  I don't figure I will do it every week, but I do think I will finish some things if I work on it.)

 I finished the layout with a couple of distressed pieces of paper at the top of the page and added a small embellishment cluster.  The pink rubber banner was from the November Studio Calico kit and the color was perfect for this Thanksgiving layout. 

And the distressing tool - it is now in the tool caddy on my desk - I wouldn't want it to get lost again. 

Hope  you're having a great week.