Week Set-Up

So, here I am showcasing Week #19, with a little twist: I'll be reviewing Tim Holtz's Distress Ink at the same time. So in order for me to do this, here's a look at this week's pages:

Week #19 using Tim Holtz's Distress Ink

Materials used in this layout:
1- Tim Holtz's 'Vintage Photo' Distress Ink & applicator
2- Washi Tape
3- Project Life's 3x4" Journal Card

Bear with me a little, I know my layout ain't as fancy as others I've seen out there, but with really limited resources (like stickers!), and events that usually requires all the space possible for each day, this was the best I could come up with.

The usage of Tim Holtz's Distress Ink was a step up for my planner. My other weeks are mostly 'plain-Janes'. Though, I must admit, I really am an amateur at using the distress ink, so the shading with the applicator is a little rough on the edges (pun-ny?). But I'm pretty sure with time, I will hopefully get better with it. After all, practice makes perfect. I do, however, still like the look it gave to my pages. The Tim Holtz colour I'm using in this layout is called 'vintage photo', and with good reason. It's a nice soft, subtle brown which gives that antique, aged effect to any type of paper, photos or fibres.

These inks are water-based dye inks and are able to be mixed with other ink colours, misted on to create a mottled effect or used plainly for stamping or shading. They're acid free, non-toxic and fade resistant (says their website). I've tried using these stamping pads with acrylic stamps, however, they gave that usual mottled, unclear, non-sharp lines appearance I absolutely hate (and currently have a hard time describing). So here's a picture to show how they turn out when being used with acrylic stamps on regular A4 paper:

Tim Holtz ink on regular paper using acrylic stamps

I was thinking that maybe it's the type of stamp I'm using, because I've seen them being used with regular rubber stamps and turning out just fine. So I tried it, and voila:

Tim Holtz ink on regular paper with rubber stamp

It does look a tad bit better and a little more defined than the acrylic stamping, but the details and lines are still not too sharp as an oil-based ink would have. (It could also very well be due to my crappy stamping though... hmm.) But you can tell that the ink isn't really well evenly spread with little blotches in areas where the ink was saturated.

But alas, this isn't a review on it's ability to be used as a stamping ink. Overall, when being used with an applicator, the colour turns out beautifully, giving that weathered look which was the initial aim. I also love how well it has gone with the Project Life journal card I've slotted in. If I could find it in Aussie stores, I would definitely buy more colours to try out its blending abilities.

And that's Week #19!

(On another note, I gave into my temptations and bought myself an A5 Dark Aqua Original on eBay! D'Oh!)