Ranger Stained Wood Grain

Memorial Day greetings!  I'm excited to show a technique creating a cool wood grain background using Ranger Distress Stains and a Sizzix Tim Holtz Alternations embossing folder!  The card is just in time for Father's Day too!

Here's how the wood grain is done:

Lightly mist the cardstock panel and begin swiping on Ranger Distress Stain (I used Vintage Photo).  By lightly misting, the surface is nice and slippery when staining begins. (However, you don't have to mist first.)  Don't worry about exact coverage and the more random and uneven the better.  Dry with a heat tool.

Place the cardstock piece inside the woodrain embossing folder and run through your diecut machine.  Finally, edge with Distress ink and a blending pad to create additional color variations as in the photo below.

For the image, simply swipe distress stain(s) onto a scrap piece of cardstock.  While drying, feel free to spritz  here and there to allow the stains to wick.  Spritzing will also give you ghosted water droplets adding further interest.

Stamp the image in Ranger Archival Black using good pressure.  Edge in Distress ink using a blending pad to frame the image.  The tag is another scrap from the same stained piece used for the image.  Edge in Distress ink!

The image is a favorite I've had for many years and unfortunately don't have the origin of it.  Stamp is another favorite and is from Hampton Art.  Gears are from Tim Holtz.  The ruler strip is Graphic 45 A Proper Gentleman.