Layering, Inking and Distressing

Kraft paper is one of my favorite scrapbooking papers. It's heavy, it inks well, and you can really bend it, tear it, and rough it up without it falling apart.

On this layout, I tore strips of different kraft papers and some black cardstock. I inked all the torn edges that would show with Mocha Mama Chalk ink from Quick Quotes. On a plain sheet of cardstock (kraft or otherwise - it doesn't matter), I layered the strips and glued the back edges, leaving the front edges unglued. Then I sewed the outer edges about 1/4" from the torn edge. I used long, straight stitches. Once I had the edges sewn, I "curled" them up. I used my finger to bend the edges up over the stitching for a really distressed, "curled" look. It really is quite easy. A very simple layout without too much measuring or cutting. The more inaccurate the measurement, the better! As long as you fill your 12x12 paper edge to edge, you're good to go!