Faux Tearing

Sometimes when you’re making a card, you want to add another layer to give it a little something extra… but what do you do if you need to keep the bulk down so you can mail it?

Let me introduce you to one of the very first techniques I learned when I started stamping 14 years ago:

Faux Tearing

Faux tearing is exactly what it sounds like. You’re creating the look of a layer of torn card stock without the added weight.

And it’s remarkably easy to do! All you need is a piece of card stock for stamping, any ink pad, a Stamping Sponge, a piece of scrap paper, a piece of grid paper to stamp on, and a scrap piece of washi tape.

(Tip: before using your Stamping Sponges, use your Paper Snips or other craft scissors to cut them into sixths — cut the sponge in half, then cut each half into thirds. The smaller pieces make it easier to control where you’re putting the ink, and you get more wear out of each sponge.)

How To Faux Tear:

• After making sure your scrap paper is longer than the “tear line” you want to create, tear down the length of the scrap paper to create an uneven, torn edge.
• Place your card stock on the grid paper so your work surface is protected. Lay the scrap paper down on your card stock with the torn edge where you’re going to ink. Place a small piece of washi tape on the opposite (straight) edge of the paper from where you tore it to hold it still against the cardstock.
• Sponge the ink onto the exposed half of the card stock, up and down the torn edge of the paper, and working your way across to the edge of the card stock. Continue adding ink until you get the coverage you want.
• If you want to add more depth, you can create a background on this stamped area like I did on the butterfly card. Without removing the scrap paper, I used the same color ink to stamp the solid butterflies. Then I added the smaller butterflies with a slightly darker, coordinating ink, making sure that I stamped the butterflies off the edges of the card stock and back over the torn edge of the scrap paper.
• When you’ve finished stamping, give the ink a little time to completely dry so you don’t smudge it. Then remove the washi tape and the scrap paper. You should see a distinct line where you stopped your stamping.
• Now your layer is ready to be embellished and finished!

Product List

I hope you’ll give this classic technique a try!