DIY Designer Paper

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I saw a beautiful designer paper recently that came in a large pack of rather mediocre paper. So instead of buying the entire pack (for $20+), I decided I could replicate the general feel of the paper fairly well with stamps and ink. So I gave it a try and am very pleased with the results. This is nice heavy paper (since it uses SU! cardstock), so it's great for scrapbook page bases. It takes time, but cost me nothing (I already had the supplies), and it was so EASY! So easy, in fact, that I made another design, AND put together a very quick tutorial...

Here's what you'll need four two sheets each of two different designs:
-Four sheets of white (or other light colored) 12x12 cardstock
-At least three ink colors. I'm using Bordering Blue, Old Olive, and Rose Red
-Quarter of a Stampin' Sponge
-Stamps. I'm using Baroque Motifs
-'Sanded' background stamp
-Stampin'Around wheel, handle, and ink cartridge. I'm using Baroque Border with Not Quite Navy
-Wheel guide (optional but REALLY handy)

Paper One:
1. Sponge Bordering Blue around the edges of two sheets of white cardstock.
2. This is about what they should look like when you're finished sponging.
3. Stamp your design in bold colors. Here I've used Old Olive ink. The paper looks nice just like this, but I wanted something a bit more colorful.
4. I've added two more rows, one Rose Red and another Old Olive, and now I'm using my Sanded background stamp to distress the paper. I'm just bouncing the stamp on my Bordering ink pad, not bothering to ink the entire surface, and pressing it into white spots on the paper.
5. I've added Bordering swirls using the same stamp that I used for the Olive and Rose stripes. However, I stamped off once onto my workmat before stamping the image onto my paper (so the color is more subdued).
6. A close-up of a portion of the finished design.

Paper Two:
1. Assemble your Stampin' Around wheel in the handle with the ink cartridge and roll out rows of designs. The wheel guide is super handy for this.
2. Again, I distressed with my Sanded background stamp, using Bordering Blue and the same willy-nilly technique.
3. Again, I added muted swirl designs in Bordering, stamping off to tone down the color.
4. A close-up of a portion of the finished design.

Give it a try!