A Small Transformation

I am working on a page in an altered book. The book has a story, set in the mid 1800's, and a dance is an important part of the story. I liked the idea of using the pink Martha Stewart paper strip as an announcement of the dance. The pale pink wasn't working with the patina of the old book pages that will form the background so I dipped the paper in coffee. This aged the pink, especially around the edges, but still wasn't right. Since purple is a color used throughout the book, I decided to dip the paper in Tazo Passion tea, which a lovely deep ruby color. I let the strip dry for awhile and still wasn't content.I took the damp tea bag and pounced it over the paper strip and then blotted with a paper towel. I really liked the mottled color, like the purple had faded with time. I found a font very close to the old page of penmanship and printed out the words A New Year's Eve Ball, using the mirror image mode on my printer. I used a solvent pen to transfer the words to the paper strip. This transfer method gives a faded, aged look perfect for this page. I'll share the entire page spread when I finish it.