Backing Papers

I was delighted to get this IFAW mailing through the post - look at that expanse of usable paper! It's a soft green with stars on it. Inside there was also a nice piece of red glossy paper. TIP: always *open* your junk mail - it might not look promising, but there may well be craft treasure hidden inside! Keep all the bits of plain white paper of a decent size, too. I can't believe how much people pay for backing papers that they could make themselves easily and uniquely with scrap paper.
As I had some plain white paper (left over from the minutes of a Vegan Organic Network meeting!) I decided to make them into fancy backing paper for a couple of cards I wanted to make. You will need: a flat waterproof surface. I'm using a tile, but a plate or platter is fine. Water-based paint of some kind - the colours from a child's painting set are fine, as are some felt tips. Lots of bits of card and paper. Glue. Scissors.
I started with some backing card, with a co-ordinating colour torn across and placed over a half (readers of previous posts may recognise Virginmedia and Capital One bits used there)! Always remember TIP: tearing *towards* you exposes the fibres of the paper - tearing away from you conceals them. Now get those bits of white paper ready and shaped to fit roughly over the top of the backings you've made.
Paint watery stripes of colour on the tile. Do the next bit quickly - don't let the paint dry on the tile! Drizzle water on it if it does. Put the bits of white paper over the paint to soak up the colour. Make as many as you like/need, then leave them to dry. I have to say, they look pretty darn funky, don't they? Wash the tile clean.
I then tore the papers round the edges TIP: tear them just before they're completely dry. the tearing will be more accurate. Tear them into whatever patterns/shapes you like. I've done a backing, then made a diamond stuck on co-ordinating card scrap, stuck on with 3D foam for texture. I don't think that the photo does them justice, but I'm sure that you can see that what we have is better than the VON minutes, Virginmedia and Capital One mailings, and various bits of scrap that we started with.
Then it was time to personalise the cards. Caroline wears a lot of red and other bold colours, so she gets the red one. The red/gold ribbon came off a bottle of something nice, if I remember rightly. Janet is more delicate and wears light blues and aquas, so she gets a silvery approach. I also made Janet's asymmetric, and the two cards have a very different feel, despite using the same techniques. Oh, and the cost of making the cards came out as ninepence each! You can also marble paper easily, if you have oil-based paint rather than water-based. Just drizzle a few bits into a bowl of water, and let the paper catch the resulting swirls from the surface.
I really enjoyed this. There's nothing my inner child likes more than sloshing paint about and dipping stuff in it. It was so much more fun than going to the shops to *buy* papers, made from virgin forest and designed by someone else. Make it yourself, and it's unique! More environmentally-friendly too, of course.
Lots of love, until next time,
jehanine x