Shabby Chic

I looked in the dictionary to see how this term could be described. Shabby was described as threadbare, and worn out. Chic was described as being sophisticated, stylish and fashionable. If you put these two together you will get worn out but stylish. I would also describe it as taking something that is new and stylish and making it look worn out without losing the style that it possesses. In the scrapbooking world, there are several ways to do this and I am going to share a few of them. (also, see our Shabby Chic gallery)

1. Paper crumpling
I think this is my favorite! Wad up some paper, smooth it out and throw it on your page. Well, almost. I like to cut my paper after I crumple it, as the crumpling makes it a little smaller. If you use cardstock, I would recommend misting a little water on your paper after cutting it. Crumple it up, roll it in a ball, fold it several different directions, any way you feel comfortable. Smooth it out with an iron or another thing I like to use is a brayer.

The best paper to use for this is the kind that has a white core, or white backing. I like to use fine or medium fine grade sand paper. Make sure that you remove all photos from your scrap area as you don't want any dust to get on them. You can rub the sand paper on your paper, pattern or plain, in any direction you choose. Practice on some scraps and see which give the look you like best. The sanding will give your paper, letter, title etc.. an aged look. Another thing you can do with sanding is use it on your pre-made embellishments to give them an aged look.

I like to coincide sponging with sanding and crumpling. I like to sand my paper so that there is white showing through and then take a sponge (any type will do) and dab brown ink over the paper to give it a really aged classic look.

There are several other things that you can do to give your paper that worn out look. Wire brushing, using a paper crimping over and over again, steel wool, plastic wrap in place of a sponge, and the list goes on. The possibilities are endless! I challenge you to try this technique. Give your pages a beautiful sophisticated worn look. They will look stylish!!!

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