How to age paper with a tea bag. How to age paper with coffee

Ways to age paper
I want to tell you what methods I use.

Why get old? To then apply in scrapbooking, when making a photo and creating frames. Whoever does this will understand me.
I have everything from improvised means, I did not acquire anything special for this.

1. Aging with tea leaves.
I described this method here and in the blog earlier too. I'll repeat it just in case.

What you need:

2. Tea brewing.
3. Boiling water.
4. Dishes where to dip the paper.

1. Preparation of tea leaves. Calculated based on what we want to get. If you need a highly saturated dark yellow leaf, then stronger. If less saturated yellow, weaker.
On average, 2 tablespoons of tea are brewed in 0.5 liters of boiling water. Let it brew for 3-5 minutes under the lid. We filter so that there are no tea leaves left in the brewed tea.

2. Paper preparation. We take a sheet of paper. If you need a very old and wrinkled, then we crush it harder. If you just need a few creases, then we crush in several places.

3. Aging. We dip the leaf into the tea leaves. We keep it there for about a minute. If necessary, turn over.
Then we take it out and carefully unfold and straighten it. Lay it out on a flat surface to dry.

4. Scanning / photographing.
When the sheet is dry, you can scan wrinkled. Can be ironed. You can still drip tea or coffee stains.
In general, from a regular white sheet, we get the following result:

There may be many options. Paper can be scanned upside down, wrinkled again, or vice versa - ironed. Can be made old colored paper, any textural or newspaper.

2. Aging with milk.
What you need:
1. A sheet of plain white paper (for printers).
2. Milk.
3. Board where to lay out the paper.
4. Brush.

1. Pour milk into a regular mug (just a little).
2. Lay out the paper on a flat surface.
3. Dip the brush in milk and "paint over" the paper over the entire surface with it.
4. If the surface on which the paper is laid is textured, then you can press the paper well, then this surface will be printed on it.
5. Let the paper dry.
6. Then you can go in different ways. For example, iron paper. From exposure to heat, the paper will begin to turn yellow (as practice shows, the fatter the milk, the more uneven the result).
This is what it looks like after ironing:

You can stop there.
7. Or you can hold the edges of the paper over a hot electric burner (just don’t burn down the apartment !!!), then they will become dark and the paper will really be very similar to the old, old one.
Result:

8. I used paper with rounded edges, which I cut out with scissors before aging. Of course, the cut at the edges turned out to be smooth and sharp. To make the cut a little shabby, I walked along the perimeter of the paper with sandpaper (you can walk along the surface of the paper too).

Using these 2 methods, I got these nice little stacks of paper:

For creative people, such a topic, for sure, will not cause any surprise, because they constantly invent, create and prepare something, that the use of aged paper is in the order of things for them. Someone may have questions: why make it old? Is it bad writing on plain paper?

All this, of course, is true, but sometimes ordinary white sheets are really not suitable, especially if you decide to prepare some thematic scrolls, manuscripts, design, or just start some kind of decorative work. Another common phenomenon in which such paper cannot be dispensed with is.

This is a kind of creative activity, as a result of which family albums or photo collages are created in a specially designed way. For such creativity, photographs, newspaper clippings or any other images are necessarily used that, using tactile and visual techniques, convey some event or story from your life.

It can be a wedding, a child’s birthday, a trip to the sea or to another country, the topics covered are very diverse, but for decoration, they often use paper decorated in a certain way.

So, there are a fairly large number of ways that allows you to get such paper, which seemed to have lain on a dusty shelf for several centuries or was stored in the secret libraries of the great kings. If you still don’t know how to age paper with your own hands, then pay attention to this article, we will tell you some of the most effective and interesting options.

We use tea

What an amazing and healthy drink! Tones, quenches thirst, fills our body useful substances, has healing properties... And also knows how to age paper! So, what do we need to turn new leaves into sheets that have turned yellow from time to time? We write down:

• tea brewing - 5-10 tbsp. spoons (the stronger your tea leaves, the brighter the effect of aging will turn out. For a slight yellowness, 5 spoons are enough);
• boiling water - 250 ml;
• a sheet of white paper A4;
• container for soaking the sheet;
• clean surface to dry.

To give the paper the most ancient look, it can be pre-crumpled and straightened, or you can make just a few creases. Next, we deal with our tea: pour the tea leaves with boiling water, let it brew for 10-15 minutes under a closed lid.

After that, we filter through a strainer and pour into a prepared container. It is better that it looks like a small bath, and the leaf in it could fit in an unbent state. The next step is aging. We lower a sheet of paper into the tea leaves, leave it there for only a couple of minutes.

At the end of time, carefully take out our sheet, and then carefully spread it on the prepared surface. After it has dried, it can be ironed on top.

In order to give our sheet the most realistic look, you can sprinkle a couple more drops of tea leaves on it. If you want paper that has "survived the fire" resulting in dark spots on it, then simply burn the edges with a lighter or candle. Ready!

Aging with coffee

Probably, as a result of this particular method, the most realistic result is obtained, which can easily be confused with ancient scrolls or papers that have survived more than one century. So what we need:

• natural ground coffee - 5 teaspoons;
• boiling water - 200 ml;
• a sheet of A4 paper;
• soaking container;
• drying surface.

First, prepare the paper - crumple it well, wrinkle it, and then straighten it. We brew coffee: for this, we brew it in a Turk, then insist another 10 minutes under a closed lid. After the time has elapsed, the coffee must be filtered, carefully, then let it stand for a few more minutes so that all the sediment goes to the bottom.

Pour the coffee into the prepared container and lower the paper into it. Again we leave it for 3-5 minutes, no longer, otherwise it will simply crumble and you will not be able to pull it out of the water in a whole state. Drying remains - lay the sheet on a flat surface, dry it and, if desired, again iron it with an iron.

Milk aging

If everything is clear with coffee and tea, at least the shade matches there, then how can ordinary milk add age to a piece of paper? Quite, maybe. This artificial method is less popular than the previous ones, but in vain, with its help, sheets of paper acquire a special shade of antiquity. So what we need:

• milk, preferably homemade and fatty - 150 ml;
• sheet of white A4 paper;
• brush for drawing;
• drying surface.

To begin with, the paper needs to be prepared: for this, we cut off the sharp corners of the sheet, turning them into rounded ones, and so that they do not look too neat, you can walk along the edges with sandpaper, the rest of the sheet, by the way, can also be touched.

You can age paper more in a simple way: use bright sunny days! The prepared leaf just needs to hang in direct sunlight for several days, most importantly, make sure that it does not get caught in the rain. If you want to get realistic ancient scrolls as a result, then first cut the paper into long, but rather narrow strips.

They must be aged according to the same principle as we described above. Then we roll them into tubes, as scrolls are supposed to, and bring the edges to a burning candle, letting them light up. When you see that they are decently singed, instantly put out the fire under a powerful stream of water.

We must wash all the scrolls to get rid of excess ashes, dry them, and then send them to “warm up” in the oven. Final stage- this is the application of decor - words, the necessary text or monograms that would correspond to your theme. Such scrolls are often used for themed weddings, parties or quests.

You will need

• - black leaf tea;
• - instant coffee;
• - hot water;
• - milk;
• - iron;
• - matches or a lighter.

Instruction

One of the most popular tricks is soaking paper in tea leaves. Pour 5 tablespoons of black leaf tea with a glass of boiling water and let it brew. Instead of tea, you can use coffee in the ratio: 10 teaspoons of instant coffee per glass boiled water. The richer the solution, the darker the paper will be. Strain the infusion and pour the resulting liquid into the bath. Drop a piece of paper in there. It can be pre-crumpled to give your work more historical accuracy. After five minutes, remove the paper from the bath and lay it to dry on a flat surface. To speed up the drying process, it is recommended to iron the sheet with an iron.

You can age paper with milk. To do this, apply milk to the sheet on both sides with a cotton swab. After it dries a little, iron it gently. If you hold the resulting paper over a hot stove, you can get very picturesque tan marks that will give your product a special chic. When working with an open flame, remember the safety precautions.

Very effective, but longer in time, is the method of aging paper by the sun. To do this, place the required number of sheets in direct sunlight. After a few days, your paper will naturally turn yellow and take on the appearance of a rare document.

After you have received the old paper, you can give it an even more believable look. To do this, rub the sheet in several places with coffee granules. This will make it color uneven. Then gently burn the edges with matches or a lighter.

If desired, any of the proposed options can age the book. To do this, it is necessary to immerse each page in the solution and iron it with an iron. Only after the sheet has completely dried can you proceed to the next one. The process will take quite a long time, but you can become the owner of a rare book edition.

Sources:

• How to effectively age paper
• how to make vintage paper

The effect of parchment and shabby paper, enclosed mostly in yellowish color, is easily achieved at home.

You will need

• Paper;
• Large container with strong tea;
• Lighter;
• Clothes dryer.

Instruction

Leave the sheet to dry.

Related videos

Helpful advice

If you are aging several sheets, paint over the edge with gold or other paint. This is not visible on a separate sheet, but a beautiful effect is created in a stack.

Sources:

• Blog about arts and crafts

Thinking of a romantic vintage photo album or do you want to surprise your little brother and his friends with an exciting quest with old maps, pirates and chests full of treasures? Then you can not do without an aged sheet. Antique papers are priceless artifacts of the past, mysterious and evoke a desire to reveal the age-old secrets they keep. Notes, sketches, letters, photographs and maps - only after passing the test of time, they acquire a high rarity status, turn into piece and expensive things. But still, you can cheat time and "age" in a matter of hours.

You will need

• - paper of different grades;
• - tea / coffee / cocoa / milk / decoction of onion peel;
• - brush, cotton swab, toothbrush;
• - iron;
• - candle or lighter;
• - hard eraser, fine sandpaper.

Instruction

There are several ways to give paper an antique look. For example, with the help of strong tea or other herbs and plants. Brew strong tea and pour it into a container or tub. Dip a sheet of paper into tea (possibly with tea leaves) and hold it there for a while so that the fibers of the paper are saturated with the coloring solution. Then take out the sheet and dry it. To speed up the drying process, you can use an iron, heating or a hair dryer.

If you need unevenly dyed paper, as if darkened in places, then with a brush you can re-apply the infusion on its surface, covering it with arbitrary spots. Torn edges can be obtained by tearing the paper right in the tea container.

The second way is staining with instant coffee. Pour boiling water over a few teaspoons of coffee in a large container. Place the paper in coffee and hold for 10-15 minutes. Then take out the paper and dry it naturally or with an iron. Evaluate the result, and if it does not satisfy you, repeat the coloring again, adding more coffee to the coloring solution. You can dip crumpled paper into your coffee - it all depends on what effect you want to achieve. In the same way, paper is tinted in boiled cocoa. Only the shade is slightly different.

Onion peel toning. To do this, soak onion peel in water room temperature for three hours. The husk should fill the container ¾ of the volume. Then bring the water with the husk to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about an hour more. Put the paper in the prepared cooled broth and wait until it is saturated with liquid. If you need an even tone, then place the paper in a strained broth. After staining, dry the aged sheet. Experiment, because the result cannot be accurately predicted. Experience the desired effect.

A good result is obtained by wetting the surface of the paper with milk. Apply with a cotton swab to the sheet. Dry a little, and then hold the paper over a hot burner until it begins to darken. So you can get "" unevenly darkened paper.

Additional effects and "damage" by time and circumstance are achieved using the fire of a candle or a lighter. Gently burn the edges of the "rarity" with fire or hold the entire sheet over the flame to smoke it in some places. In doing so, do not forget about the precautions.

Traces of tea, coffee or a glass of wine will look intriguing on aged paper. Place a cup with the bottom wet from tea or coffee on the sheet to print a trace. You can simulate accidentally spilled drops or “puddles” from drinks.

An additional effect can be given by splashing on paper with a toothbrush all the coloring solutions used in tinting or paint of a suitable shade.

You can also imitate scuffs, creases and other defects in antique papers. Rub the surface with an eraser or fine sandpaper, fold in half and make folded corners. Place under pressure for a while. In general, imitate everything that paper, writing, photography could survive in its long years of existence.

Related videos

note

Take precautions when charring the edges of paper and when working with an iron.

Helpful advice

Aged paper of loose grades will look especially impressive, because in the old days it was precisely such paper that was produced. The aged tracing paper also has a refined texture.

To get a sheet of aged paper with a flat surface (for drawing, for example), stretch a white sheet of paper over a tablet, and then tint. Leave on the plate to dry, then remove from the plate and cut off the folded edges of the sheet (or burn, tear, etc.).

Sources:

• Shabby chic paper aging techniques
• how to make antique paper

Antiques are an invaluable material of the past, causing a desire to discover age-old secrets. Passing the test of time, they turn into expensive things. However, you can cheat time itself and make book under antiquity. And trust me, it's not that hard.

Who among us has not dreamed of holding an old book or a map in our hands, receiving a letter from the past? It would seem that this is rather problematic, because antiquarian books are expensive, and letters are not stored for such a long time.

But what if you try to make a book or a sheet of paper, a letter, a card or a postcard visually older on your own? After all, it's so simple!

Let's talk with you about how to age paper with and without text, and in what cases you may need this skill.

Decor with paper

First of all, let's consider the following question: why do we need aged paper at all and why can and should it be used?

First of all, it is needed for the design of various crafts: postcards, photo albums, invitation leaflets. It can also be used to create original albums, recording sheets, thus showing its originality.

Agree, an "antique" book, a vintage postcard or just a sheet of parchment with a picture or a map will delight any person, no matter how old he is and no matter what he is fond of. Let's talk about how to make aged paper at home without resorting to outside help and without spending a lot of money on it.

Ways

There are many ways in which you can "age" the paper. The most famous of them are its aging with the help of tea and coffee, as well as open fire or the thermal effects of electrical appliances, sunlight. Also, paper can be "spoiled" with milk, lemon juice and potassium permanganate.

For those who are wondering how to age paper with text, we note that the latter should only be printed with a laser printer. If the text was printed using an inkjet printer, then it will simply flow under the influence of water. In order to age paper with such text, only methods of heat treatment of paper are suitable.

We will consider each of these methods so that you can independently choose the one that is more convenient for you. If you want, you can try changing the paper with each of them and then compare the result.

Processing paper with tea

First, let's talk about how to change a sheet of paper using various liquids. Let's start with one of the most famous ways, that is, we will discuss how to age paper with tea. This is the simplest and most accessible method for everyone.

In order to age paper with tea, you will need strong brewed tea at the rate of 5-10 teaspoons of tea leaves per glass of water (if the tea is in bags, then three tea bags will suffice). Tea should be brewed for 10 minutes, then it must be filtered.

After pouring the finished tea into a small bath, soak the sheet of paper you need in it (you can pre-crush it so that the paper is better saturated with water, and also in order to give it an older and shabby look), let it stand for a couple of minutes. Then we take it out of the water and wait until the sheet dries. Finally, iron it with an iron, leveling the surface of the sheet.

Helping coffee

Now let's talk about how to age coffee paper. This method of aging is not much different from the previous one. The difference is in the brew itself. For a glass of water, you need 5 teaspoons of natural ground coffee. Brewed coffee should be infused for 10 minutes, then strain. In this case, the sediment should not get into your bath, in which you age the paper. AT otherwise streaks and marks may remain on the paper. In some cases, the residue can be used to create scuffs and brighter small specks on a sheet of paper.

The time for which a sheet of paper should be lowered into the solution is no more than five minutes, otherwise the sheet will get wet and tear when trying to get it out. In addition, we do not recommend that you put several sheets together in the bath, otherwise they will bunch up into one soaked piece of paper and tear.

A sheet of paper should also be dried on a flat surface, and it is ironed after drying with an iron.

In the event that you do not have natural coffee at home, you can replace it with instant coffee.

We apply milk

Now let's talk about how to age paper with milk. To do this, you need milk with a high percentage of fat. It's better if it's at home. You should also find a brush with which you will apply it.

We crumple a sheet of paper, then with a brush we carefully paint it with milk on both sides. After it is well saturated on both sides, lay it out on a flat surface. Let it dry for some time. Then we iron the sheet with an iron. In this case, the temperature should be high enough, and dark brown spots should appear on the paper itself.

In addition, you can also dry a sheet of paper in microwave oven or with a hair dryer. The main thing in this method of aging is the effect of high temperature on the solution itself, which is impregnated with a sheet of paper.

Lemon juice

Let's say a few words about how to age paper with lemon juice. This is another rather interesting and probably well-known way to many. So, aging paper with lemon juice. If you were fond of detectives as a child, then you probably know that many criminals and even detectives wrote their secret notes with lemon juice. At the same time, the inscription appeared only under the influence of high temperatures.

To age paper with lemon juice, you will need the sheet of paper itself, lemon juice, and a hair dryer. A hair dryer can replace a microwave or a hot iron.

Squeeze juice from lemon. Then we apply it to a sheet of paper with a sponge, brush, or simply by dipping it into a container with lemon juice. Then you should lay the sheet on a flat surface and dry with a hair dryer. As it dries and under the influence of heat, it will begin to darken.

Now you also know how to artificially age paper with lemon juice.

Alternatively, this method can be used for additional sheet decor. So, you can make inscriptions on a sheet with lemon juice, and then develop them. This is a rather original way to decorate postcards and albums.

Aging paper with potassium permanganate

If you have potassium permanganate at home (that is, just potassium permanganate), then it will be easy enough for you to age any paper. To do this, pour a few granules of potassium permanganate into the dishes in which you are going to paint the sheet, then dilute it in cold water until complete dissolution. In this case, the solution should be a saturated dark pink color. When working with the solution, be sure to wear gloves so as not to stain or burn your hands.

After that, we dip the paper in water for five minutes. When it is sufficiently saturated with water, we take it out of the container and lay it out to dry.

After drying, the paper acquires a pleasant brown tint. Now you also know how to age paper with potassium permanganate. As you can see, this is quite an interesting and simple way. In addition, with the help of potassium permanganate, fabric items can also be artificially aged.

Aging paper with a candle

Now let's move on to thermal methods of aging paper. First of all, let's talk about how to change the age of paper using fire.

The simplest and, most likely, well-known method is to use fire to age the paper and give it the appearance of a thing that survived the fire.

For this you need a candle. At the same time, the paper will have to be aged over the sink in order to quickly extinguish it in case of fire and prevent a fire.

We put the candle in the candlestick and then set it in the sink. After that, we light a candle. We pick up the sheet of paper you need and begin to carefully drive it over the candles. At the same time, there should be a distance of at least 10 cm between the paper and the fire. Do not hold the paper in one place. So you can set it on fire.

Microwave as a means of aging paper

As you know, paper darkens when exposed to heat. Heat can be radiated by both fire and a device powered by electricity - a hair dryer, a stove, even an electric fireplace. But let's talk about the thing that every home probably has - a microwave.

One of the easiest ways to age paper is to put it in the microwave for a while at 200 degrees Celsius. In this case, the paper itself should be pre-moistened in water or a solution of tea (coffee).

Alternatively, you can put the paper in the refrigerator first and then microwave it. In this way, you can also age the paper for several years. Now you know how to age paper in the microwave.

Aging with the sun

Well, those who want to add age to paper in the most natural and simple way, without resorting to fire or electrical appliances, various tinctures, should use the help of the sun.

On hot summer days, you can use the easiest way to age paper - sunny. To do this, you need to put a sheet of paper or even hang it so that sunlight falls on it all the time. In a few days it will be ready. But in this way, paper should be aged in advance.

findings

There are many ways to age a sheet of paper. We have discussed only the most famous and used of them. All of these methods work in the same way, although appearance paper may vary.

If you are in doubt which method to choose, experiment with each of them and compare the results. Remember that the type of aged paper largely depends on how strong the solution you treated it with, as well as how strong and long the thermal process of exposure was.

Hello, friends!

The creative team of the ShkolaLa blog welcomes you! In the crafts section, a new master class. Not simple, but experimental. That is, we set up some experiments and at the same time took pictures. So we got a master class called "How to age paper?"

Of course, a completely normal question arises: “Why make it old?” And then there is the answer!

Well, firstly, such a piece of paper can be used in order to make interesting unusual leaves, for a notebook, for example.

Secondly, it was from such aged paper that we got.

Thirdly, such “old” paper will make excellent treasure maps that can be used in preparing and conducting.

As you understand, the thing is valuable, but how to make it?

And we will talk about this now. And we'll even show you! We tested three different ways aging. Various dye solutions were used:

1. milk;
2. coffee.

But first things first.

So, we took three pieces of paper with the text printed on them.

Then, with your fingers, carefully cut off the edges of the leaves. Please note that it is better to do this not with scissors, but with your fingers, so it will be more like old leaves.

Then they crushed these leaves into lumps.

And then straightened out our experimental samples. They already look pretty old.

But this is not the end of the experiment. Now let's prepare the solutions. Pour tea into the first container, the usual tea leaves. The second is milk. In the third - strong coffee. All of our solutions are at room temperature.

Then we lower the sheets into the solutions. And leave them there for 15 minutes so that they are well saturated.

After 15 minutes, the leaves are removed and dried. You can, of course, hang them on a string to dry, but we dried them with a hair dryer to make everything quick. The leaves are only slightly damp. Here's what they look like.

At this stage, it is clear that the leaf dyed with tea looks the brightest, the coffee is a little paler, and the “milk” leaf has not changed much, and remains white.

Let's continue the experiment. First, let's take care of our milk leaf. They took it and ironed it. Oddly enough, this had no effect. The leaf hasn't faded at all. We even got a little upset. But then they took a candle and held a leaf over it. And then a miracle happened! He changed color.

Attention! This must be done with the parents. Since the leaf heats up quickly, and strives to flare up. Be careful!

Here, for example, a sheet without processing and a sheet aged with milk are shown. The difference is obvious.

Now let's get to work with the "coffee" leaf. He's pretty dark as it is. But we additionally ironed the sheet with an iron. It didn't change color much. But there were some dark stains on it. The feeling that the iron smeared paint from the printer on the sheet.

But the effect of aging was still achieved. Look at the difference with the raw leaf. And one more plus of the “coffee” paper is that it smells very tasty.

And finally, proceed to the "tea" leaf. He, in our opinion, turned out to be the most beautiful. The most "old". Even the torn edges turned out a little darker. After additional ironing, it became even better.

This is what “tea” paper looks like compared to regular paper.

And here are all the results of our experiments together.

Choose the option that you like more and age the paper with your own hands.

We wish you creative success!

And good luck with your experiments!