Creating Grungy Backgrounds!

Howzit Everyone!
Blockheads' is doing a feature in their upcoming newsletter on creating with their exclusive Grunge It Up stamp set.  I've been playing around and made three grungy backgrounds.  First I'll show you how I made them and then you can check out my grungy fancy fold card I designed using two of the backgrounds - 'I Love You Daddy!'.

Here's some links to a few of my other projects that also feature the Grunge It Up stamp set.   It truly is a versatile and fun stamp set to have in your collection!

 Is It Spring Yet? Bleach card
Steampunk Self-Portraits
Grungy Daisies Card
Carnival Bizarre - 3D project
Imagine Steampunk Card
Spring Microscope Slide Magnets

 Grunge Backgrounds #1 and #2

I used Weathered Wood Distress Ink on both backgrounds.

Two of the backgrounds start off in the same way.  Crumple up two sheets of white cardstock so you've got lots of nice crease lines.  Using the direct to paper method of applying ink, rub Weathered Wood across the cardstock to add ink to the creases.  Hold the cardstock under running water so it gets really soaked.  The Distress Ink soaks and blends in more and lightens and all the hard creases go away.

Grunge Background #1 - Gears
For this background I sandwiched the wet cardstock between a few sheets of paper towel and ironed with a craft iron to flatten it and dry it.  The pattern of the paper towel transferred to the cardstock and created what looks almost like snake skin.

Stamp the Gears Diagram (from the Victorian Inventions set) multiple times with Weathered Wood.

Grunge Background #2 - Cross Hatch
This background was dried with a heat tool and then ironed flat with a craft iron.  Stamp the Grunge Cross Hatch-like pattern all over with Weathered Wood.  Spritz sections of the cardstock with water so that some of the pattern blurs and blends more than others.

Spritz a gentle mist of water along the edges of the Gears background (#1).  Grunge up the corners of both backgrounds with the Grunge Splotchy corner stamp.  Use the other Grunge Splotchy stamp along the edges on the Gears background only.  The splotches blend and blur slightly wear the cardstock is a bit damp.

Background #3 - Old wood or bark
This one really reminds me of the bark that's peeling off in strips on the palm trees outside my house!  I used Stormy Sky Distress Stain and Weathered Wood Distress Ink on this Grunge background.

To get a streaky effect swipe the Distress Stain backwards and forwards across white cardstock.  Dry it with either a heat gun or a craft iron.  Stamp the Grunge splotchy line stamp a few times in Weathered Wood to get the look of old weathered wood that's been dinged up a bit or bark.  The photo below shows the background die cut out with a Spellbinders Label 21 die and you'll see what I did with that just now....stay tuned for my 'Grungy Father's Day' Fancy Fold card ;0)  I'll include the link here once the card post is up later today!

  The Blockheads Design Team are having a Grunge It Up Blog Hop so below you will also see a developing collection of Grunge It Up projects by my fellow team mates.  FYI this isn't a challenge so the linkie button is just for DT use!

Happy Stamping!

 THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents