Remember when you were little…smearing paint onto paper with a big brush or dipping your fingers into cold finger paint and making swirls and circles? Let’s face it – painting is fun and there are lots of ways to incorporate paint onto your layouts and projects.

• Get a distressed look by dry brushing paint along the edges of paper or photos
• Create a background for journaling or a title by painting a “swath” of color before adding your lettering (see how the chipboard letters are on a block of Heidi Swapp pumpkin paint on the photo box below)
• Use paint with your stamps
• Make your own patterned paper – use stamps, experiment swiping paint randomly on the cardstock, or dip your finger into the paint and dap it on the paper. Also try running paint alng the edges of your paper (see the card example below)
• Paint chipboard shapes or letters to coordinate with the colors in your layout.
• On the back side of a Heidi Swapp ghost frame, letter or shape, using a dry brush and lightly swipe paint along the edges. You can get the same effect by using a transparency and brushing paint on the wrong side of it.
• Paint a wooden box or tag with a light color. When it dries, paint it with a darker main color. Finally, brush crackle medium over the piece for a cool, antique look.

   Some manufacturers make paint especially for scrapbooking. Making Memories and Heidi Swapp are two popular ones. The Heidi Swapp paint is very thick and dries with a glossy finish while the Making Memories paint has a matte finish. Craft stores sell many different brands of acrylic paint that can be used but I’ve found they tend to be a bit thinner than the paints made especially for scrapping. So now that you have some ideas, go grab some paint and get messy!                

Photo Box by Paula Thompson                         Card by Liz Goldhawk