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What is Embossing?

If you have ever bought (or even seen) a Hallmark card, you have probably experienced the effects of embossing. The embossed part of the card is the raised part you can feel when you run your hand across it. It might be the text, an image, or pretty much any design you can think of! There are different types of embossing… in this case I’m going to talk about heat embossing. Learning to emboss is actually very easy and doesn’t require a whole arsenal of supplies or a certain skill set to get started. I started embossing a little over a year ago but I’m still learning and experimenting with different techniques.

Embossing Supplies

There are so many different ways to emboss and so many different tools, inks, and stamps to use and experiment with. There are different colors of ink and embossing powders as well.

You will need some basic tools to start embossing, like:

• Heat Gun
• Embossing Powder
• Anti-static Pouch
• Slow Drying Ink
• Cardstock
• Paintbrush
• Stamps

Ink

Let’s start by talking about ink. When choosing an ink to use, it is super important to choose a slow drying ink. A regular ink pad wont work well because it’s a fast drying ink. The time it takes to go from stamping your image to pouring your powder is so long that by the time you’re done, the ink will have already began drying and your powder won’t stick to the ink anymore.

Right now I’m using the Letter It Embossing Ink Pad from Ranger and it works pretty well, but a lot of crafters use VersaMark. You’re not limited to using just clear inks though; there are slow drying inks that have color to them and are useful when attempting to create depth or other unique designs.

Stamps

Stamps come in all shapes and sizes. There are clear rubber stamps and wooden stamps. I use both kinds but I prefer the clear type better. There isn’t really a difference between the two in terms of the quality of the finished product. The wooden stamps work well, the problem is that it can be hard to see where the stamp is going. It’s just really hard to be precise.

You can be very precise using the clear stamps. The problem is that you will need what I call… a sticking devise. Wooden stamps are made by gluing a rubber stamp to a block of wood (the sticking devise). With the clear stamps, the sticking devise is not included. You can, however, buy your own sticking devise at your local hobby store or get creative like I did. When I first got started I didn’t have my own sticking devise so I used the back side of a wooden stamp instead. This worked really well but at the same time didn’t offer the precision I wanted because I couldn’t see my project as well.

Stamp Accessories

If precision is what you’re looking for then, I would suggest buying these clear acrylic stamping blocks. These help a lot because you can see your project under it, and there are also lines on the block to help you line things up easily. You will still need to be careful not to move your stamp as you press on it because your image can smear.

Of course, if you’re worried about smudges, I have another suggestion for you. I highly suggest the Misti stamp positioner! This devise is super helpful for placing the stamp exactly where you want it, without creating smudges of any kind. It’s also really helpful if you want to mass produce your project.

Embossing Powder

There are so many choices for embossing powder! Of course there are different colors but there are different effects too! There’s the opaque colors, clear, metallic, holographic, glow in the dark (I’m dying to try that one).

A lot of people use WOW and say it works well. Unfortunately, I haven’t used that brand yet but I am eager to try it as soon as I can.

On the card I made (pictured below), I used the Recollections brand (gold). I love this powder and use it most often. Unfortunately, the only place I have been able to find this brand is at Michaels.

I also use the Ranger brand. However, I don’t suggest to use their black powder because its hard to remove from the cardstock. I always end up having specks stuck to the card, no matter how hard I try to remove them. The other colors I have used don’t seem to be as bad… or maybe I just don’t notice it as much.

Other Supplies

As for heat guns, I don’t really know much about them. I bought mine at a yard sale and didn’t really know what to use it for at first! I did some research and found one similar to mine which has good ratings on Amazon. You can check that one out here! If you want to choose from a selection, I found a website that offers information on some different heat guns. Check out Glytterati.com and see if any of the heat guns they review work for you.

You will also need an anti-static pouch so the embossing powder won’t stick to your cardstock as easily. These really are useful, which I can attest to because I have accidentally forgotten this step before and I had a rough time removing the powder from the card I was making. I am using the one from Ranger and it seems to be working well.

Paint brushes are useful because you will need to dust off the cardstock. I find that having different types of brushes is a good idea. Small brushes are good for detailed areas and large brushes are better for large areas. I will even use a toothpick for very small, cramped areas. I even use old makeup brushes…just be sure to clean them first.

Let’s Craft It

1. Wipe down your cardstock with the chalk pad to remove static and help everything stick better.
2. Next, press the stamp into the ink and make sure that the stamp is completely covered. Then, press onto the cardstock.
3. Working quickly, pour your embossing powder onto the ink where you just stamped. The next thing to do is to pour the embossing powder back into the container it came in (no wasting here). I do that by keeping another piece of paper near by or under the project that I’m working on so I can just pour it onto the paper and I won’t have to crease my project.
4. Now’s the time to touch up the project. Sometimes specks of the powder sticks to the cardstock where you don’t want it. You’re gonna want to get the powder off now because after you heat it, it will be stuck there forever… till the end of time. So what I do is use a paint brush or an old makeup brush, whatever you have, and brush it off (carefully). This is the meticulous part of the project because one wrong move and you will dust off part of your design and essentially ruin everything you’ve done so far. Patience is key!
5. The last step is the best part of the entire project! All you need to do is use your heat gun and wave it over your powder and watch the transformation happen! Be careful as you do this because the heat gun can get very hot so don’t burn yourself. Another thing to be careful of is that you can also burn your project! I haven’t had this happen very often but certain powders that contain glitter have caused trouble when I wasn’t paying much attention.

Tahdah! Now you have a finished project! After you emboss your first project you will get the heat embossing bug! You just wont be able to stop yourself! Now you can create homemade greeting cards and gift tags, embellish journals, emboss ceramic mugs, and more! So go get some supplies and start embossing!

Happy crafting!

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