How do you have pages of a journal look antique?

Answer 1

If you want to take a journal and transform it so that the pages to look antique, you want to start with a journal filled with uncoated paper, if you can find it. Modern papers often have a coating on them which makes them easier to write on, but makes it harder for them to accept stains and dyes. If you cannot find uncoated paper, use what you have available.

Once you have selected your journal, distress the pages. This part can be fun! You can open the journal, wrinkle pages, and smooth them out again. You can throw the journal down a flight of stairs, against a wall, or up into the air to allow it to fall on the ground. If your journal falls in the dirt, in a bush, or hits a tree it can get dirty, which will help it look distressed. Repeat this process until your pages look well worn.

When distressing your pages, also consider distressing the sides and edges of your journal. You can do this easily with sandpaper. If you don't have sandpaper, run down the street while dragging an edge of the journal along the pavement.

Tear some pages. You can tear off corners, tear out full pages, or just put rips in pages. If you want your journal to look well worn, fold pages as well. You can fold down corners as if the page was being marked, or put creases in pages as if the journal was put down carelessly.

Staining pages is an important part of making them look antique. If possible, dip the entire journal into a dish with coffee or strong tea. Make sure that each page is exposed to the coffee or tea. If this is not possible, use a watercolor brush to individually stain the pages with coffee or tea. Once the pages have been stained, allow them to dry. As the journal dries, the pages will wrinkle, causing the entire book to fan out. Once completely dry, use rubber bands to close the cover tightly, then stack several books on top to help flatten the pages. You will need to let it sit for at least 24 hours.

Once your stained pages are dry, you can add additional distressing. You can purchase distress ink at the craft store that you can apply with a brush, paper towel, your fingers, or even directly from the ink pad. This distress ink will allow you to apply smudges to the sides and edges of pages easily. You can also add ink stains or stain your journal with other materials to make it look more worn.

Before you finish making your journal look antique, go back through the pages. Add additional rips, folds and wrinkles in places until you are satisfied with the overall look.

Taking a modern journal and making it look antique can be a long process, but it is fun to see a journal you purchased at the store transform into a journal that looks like it was used a century or more ago!