Distress Stain/Shaving Cream Tutorial {Marbled Cardstock}

I've got a fun technique to share - I haven't seen this particular combo anywhere yet, folks!

To begin, you will need:

• Tim Holtz Distress Stains
• Barbasol Shaving Cream (or another white foam shaving cream)
• Wax Paper
• A paintbrush (or something you can 'stir' with)
• Heavy white cardstock (You can find my favorite here) 

Start by placing a sheet of wax paper on your work surface and squeezing out some of the Distress Stains - you just want a little puddle of color. For this tutorial I worked with the following Distress Stains: Spiced Marmalade, Wild Honey, Spun Sugar, and Victorian Velvet.

{Tip: If you are working with more than one color of Distress Stain, leave a little space between the puddles.}

Now you can shake up your can of shaving cream and squirt a bit on!

I like to add another sheet of wax paper on top to help flatten it out a bit, but I bet if you like to get really messy you could just use your hands. {The bonus about using a second sheet of wax paper is that you will end up having two portions to work with. Just peel them apart and set one aside for a second round.}

Use the end of a paintbrush (or whatever other handy stirring device you may have close by) and swirl the shaving cream and Distress Stains. You will start to see the color swirling into the shaving cream - it already looks beautiful!

Take your cardstock (I've cut mine down to a standard 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" - perfect to fill the front of a card) and press it into the shaving cream mixture. {I prefer to press it down to make sure the entire front is covered.}
Lift your cardstock panel out of the shaving cream and scrape it off or wipe it away with a paper towel. You will be left with a beautifully marbled piece of cardstock. (You can even try smashing two cardstock panels together here to get two marbled pieces in one shot.)

{For the pictures above I have placed my cardstock panel only into the side of my work surface containing the Spiced Marmalade and Wild Honey Distress Stains.}

You should be able to use your shaving cream mixture a few times - I was able to get about 4-6 panels when I was doing mine. Sometimes I would scrape the mixture back into a pile to work with - it created a more subtle marbling, but provided great all-over color.
When you are done with the first round, go back and do it all over again with the wax paper you used to help flatten it all out previously - have fun with it!

Be sure to stay tuned - I've got a few projects I created using this technique that I will be sharing.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#); 
Ink: Ranger (Distress Stains - Spiced Marmalade, Wild Honey, Spun Sugar, Victorian Velvet);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer);