Inspire Me Monday with Faux Linen!

Hi all and Happy Monday to you! I am here on this Inspire Me Monday with a short and sweet, easy-as-can-be background technique that adds a splash of texture in a jiffy! In fact, what I am showing you today is really a refresher. It’s a technique I learned when I first started to stamp -- 15 YEARS AGO! Yep, 15 years! I often feel that as we grow and change and move through a craft, it’s a wonderful thing to go back to those things you learned when you started, revisit them, and possibly tweak them to change with the times!

So, that’s what I’m doing with all of you today! Let’s take a trip back in time to learn or re-learn the Faux Linen Background...

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED

Glossy cardstock
Pigment or Solvent-based Ink
Sandpaper
Sponge
Orchids Rock Stamp Set
Lilac Time Stamp Set
Decorative papers and embellishments of choice

STEP 1: Taking a glossy piece of card stock, use your sandpaper and sand in one direction, moving horizontally, and then turning your paper and sanding in a vertical line just like the arrows below show.

STEP 2: Using your ink of choice, sponge ink over top. I used Shabby Shutters Distress Ink for a really nice and soft look. After I was done, I went over top of the ink with Brilliance Gold because I wanted a fun, metallic sheen. You’ll see that more in the finished photos!

STEP 4: While I loved the linen look that I so easily achieved, I wanted to add another layer of dimension with a little background stamp.

STEP 5: I stamped the sentiment using Versafine Black Onyx in the lower right corner. I chose this ink because it is one that is a super vivid black and it also dries on glossy surfaces. Even though you sanded a lot of the shine off the paper, it isn’t super porous. You can also see that when I turn the paper toward the light, the gold accents do shimmer a wee bit! ;-) It is truly a fun and elegant look in real life!

FINAL STEP: From here, you can use your faux linen background however you like! I chose this technique because orchids have a Far East feel for me and with the linen background, I thought it would bring on the mood of a Shoji Screen -- textured, light, and airy!

And here’s one last look with a close up so that you can see not only the sheen but the texture this technique creates as well!

Thanks so much for stopping by on this Inspire Me Monday! I hope you like my step-by-step look at one easy way to add interest and texture to your cards! Like I said, It’s one that I learned more than a decade ago and it’s one I am glad I dug out of my bag of tricks to share with all of YOU!

Have a fabulous week and we’ll see you back here soon!

~Julie