STAYS WET LONGER - (allows you to blend and shade on photos and paper - also emboss) other dye inks dry too fast especially on photos so you end up with lines and marks if you go direct from the pad.

COLOR WICKS OR SPREADS OUT - (these inks will travel across the surface of your paper when spritzed with water) other dyes do not travel as much although they might bleed a little when wet, the Distress Inks actually "wick" or spread out much further creating several tone on tones.

COLOR STABILITY - (the colors of the Distress Inks will not break down when wet or heated allowing you to have more color control for the finished look) other "brown colored" dyes will break down when water is added leaving a pink & green hue.

COLOR PALETTE - Well these are unlike ANY other colors of inks you've seen. The color palette of Distress Inks is:

Antique Linen - The color of aged lace or linens found in the cherished heirlooms of grandmother's trunk

Old Paper - The color of weathered and timeless book pages tucked away in the attic for generations

Tea Dye - The orange hue of saturated tea bags with the results of dying in a tea bath for days

Vintage Photo - This color is captured right out of the photographs from times gone by

Walnut Stain - A rich, dark stain of and old walnut tree perfect to create a dark wash of color

Black Soot - From the depths, a black like no other - this is the one you've been searching for

Fired Brick - The look of charred cinders from an old camp fire

Weathered Wood - Taken from the patina on a dairy barn’s window frame

Peeled Paint - The color of the flaked green paint on Aunt Sadie’s porch
furniture

Tattered Rose - Grandma’s cabbage rose wall paper, faded and stained to
perfection

Milled Lavender - A veil of pale lavender sachet tucked into mom’s lingerie
drawer

TO DISTRESS: I like to use water when I am distressing. I think it gives the papers more of a weathered texture, so here's how I start. Working on any type of paper (manila, cardstock, or text weight), crumple the paper up - always press in the center of any heavyweight cardstock or manila stock - this will break the surface tension of the paper and allow you to crumple up the paper easier without tearing it.

Next rub the Distress pads over the surface - you can work with several different colors or just one - WALNUT STAIN IS IDEAL FOR THIS. Then spray the inked surface with water (you will immediately notice the ink "travels" outward when water is applied as these inks are designed to react with water). Heat the surface to dry - and here's why... Although you don't have to Heat Set these inks for any reason, I like to dry the water using either my Heat-It Craft Tool or an iron. This will allow for more tone control and keep areas dark and others light. Ironing the paper will also give you a much smoother surface to stamp on without compromising the aged finish. *If you allow the surface to air-dry most of your color will end up on the edges only because the paper will bend and buckle when wet, forcing the ink and water to the edges. Notice that these Distress Inks retain their color value even when wet and dried. Other brown dyes will break down in color (sometimes leaving a pink and green hue).