Some of today’s trendy card making styles incorporates a worn but elegant look known as shabby chic. Made popular by decorator Rachel Ashwell, this look for card making and scrap booking ideas can be easily achieved with paper paints.

One of the most common elements of Shabby Chic is the peeled paint or lightly sanded distress look. To achieve this with paper, you can use a paint and treatment for cracked paint similar to that used for furniture. With products from Delta’s Paints for Paper ™ and Paper Plus ™ Finishes, this look can be achieved with little effort. Simply brush on a base coat of colored Paints for Paper, add a coat of Crackle Finish and then a final light colored coat. The crackle finish is evident in minutes as the Paints for Paper dry very quickly.

Perhaps the easiest way to achieve a Shabby Chic look is by using a dry brush technique. Simply load ivory or white Paint for Paper on a wide brush. Stroke the brush on a piece of scrap of paper or card stock and then, apply to your card or scrap book page. Take another stroke in a different area and direction without loading the brush again. What you should see are wide bands of color, with card stock peeking through.

A final quick way to achieve the Shabby Chic look would be to paint card stock or pre printed papers all over. You don’t have to paint the entire page or use a lot of paint. Simply apply one coat to the paper. Once it is dry, sand lightly using a fine grit sandpaper to remove the paint. This is especially lovely on the edges of your cards and scrapbook pages.

Whether you are card making or scrap booking, the Shabby Chic look can be fun and easy to create.

Printable Version