Hello beauties! I can’t wait to show you this fabulous tutorial. Making paper look old has never been so easy or fun! Who doesn’t love the nostalgic feel of old books and photographs with worn, faded and discolored pages?

There are a several ways to make fresh paper look like it’s been around for decades. Today we are going to skip the mess of coffee, tea, and other wonderfully aging ingredients and head straight for the shoe polish! You’re not going to believe how easy this is.

Let's Get Started

Materials Used:

√ 8 x 11 sheets of your favorite black and white vintage prints
√ Brown Shoe Polish
√ 1 Foam Brush
√ 1 Stencil Brush(similar)

I printed out a few 8.5″ x 11″ sized prints I found online. Be mindful of copyright issues. If you look online you can find sources that provide free downloads.

Stick to black and white to make the antique look more authentic. I also suggest images with small print like a newspaper look, music sheets or recipes.

Step #1: Wrinkle Your Paper

The first thing you will want to do with your paper is crunch it into a ball. That’s going to make it nice and wrinkled. The wrinkles will help add aged and distressed character to the look.

Step #2. Tear Your Edges

For even more worn character, I like to tear off the edges. Simply rip the paper along all four sides. Don’t worry if it comes out jagged. The tears will add to the character.

Step #3. Add Shoe Polish

Next, using your foam brush, or a make up sponge works well too, start rubbing your shoe polish on. I pressed down on my foam brush as I rubbed the shoe polish in.

Shoe polish is not like paint. You won’t have to worry about getting too much on your brush at a time or it running all over the paper. Once you apply it, it does not really move.

Continue adding shoe polish until you like the look. I personally filled up most of my paper leaving only a little bit of the white still exposed.

Step #3. Darken Edges

Now we are going to highlight the edges by darkening them. Using your stencil brush, dab it a few times on your shoe polish and then up and down along the edges of your paper.

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The firm bristles of the stencil brush are going to add another level of vintage to the aesthetic. Darkening the edges gives dimension to the overall look and a more finished appearance.

Watch My Video Demo

And that’s it friends! I used these antiqued papers to create a vintage-inspired scene under the Christmas tree this year. By pairing the antique paper with a natural tone wrapping paper, you get a timeless aesthetic that is charming and rich in character.

Next time I would like to try some black shoe polish with this technique. I think it will be fun to experiment with different hues of antiqueness! Stay tuned for more fun DIY projects