Distressing your scrapbook pages with ink is an easy and fun way to make your layouts look vintage or "shabby-chic". The shabby-chic look has recently become very popular in the scrapbooking world, taking it’s cue from the interior design world. There are a variety of ways to distress your pages, but inking is one of the easiest and, in my opinion, best.

There are many different types of ink that a person could use to distress their pages. There are even inks made especially for inking. My favorite ink for distressing is not one made for that purpose. I particularly like Colorbox fluid chalk inkpads for their creamy texture and “spongy” ink pads. That being said; when using the ink pads made especially for distressing, make sure that you hold your pad at a 45-degree angle to the paper to avoid imprinting harsh lines onto your page. The ink pads that come in the Making Memories Distressing Kits are also very nice, as they are also a sponge textured pad, but they run out of ink very quickly.

First, start by cutting the pieces of paper (either patterned or cardstock) that you will be using on your page.

Taking your ink pad in one hand, and your paper in the other, lightly rub the ink pad in a downward motion against the page. Make sure that you hold the ink pad at a 45-degree angle to the page. Use as much ink or as little as you want to create the distressed feel that you would like. I like to make the very edges of the paper quite dark, and feather in toward the center of the page a little bit.

Ink the edges of all papers before adhering to the page. If you are using a lighter cardstock for the base of your page, make sure you ink the edges of this as well. For darker cardstock, you can use a cream or beige colored ink to run along the edges.

You can also use walnut ink to distress elements on your page. Walnut ink comes in a variety of forms, mainly crystals and liquid. Walnut crystals can be used for a variety of effects, but for this layout, I used a walnut ink liquid spray. I sprayed a plain office supply tag with ink, then let dry.

The possibilities for using ink to distress your paper crafts are endless. Experiment with different types and colors of inks to find the style you particularly enjoy!

See more of Catherine's work in our gallery.