Heat Embossing

We talked about dry embossing on Tuesday so today we are going to talk about heat embossing. The tools you need for this process are: a rubber stamp, cardstock, embossing powder, Versa Mark ink and a heat tool. Things like Powder Pals trays and a dry paint brush are helpful.

1. Ink up your stamp on the VersaMark pad(#102283). Then stamp your image onto your cardstock. I used the rose from Fifth Avenue Floral(#113734) and Daffodil Delight cardstock.

2. After you apply the Versa Mark, it will look like this picture below. You will barely be able to see the ink.

3. Sprinkle the embossing powder directly over the ink. You will want to have it over a Powder Pal, tray or sheet of paper to catch the excess. On this project I used clear Stampin' Emboss Powder(#109130). Embossing powder comes in a large variety of colors. SU! currently carries 10 different colors plus the clear.

4. After the image is covered with the powder, shake off the excess. I try to shake as much as possible back into the container but I have my Powder Pal tray under it. All the excess, pour back into the container to use on your next project.

Your image will now look something like this. Again, you can barely see it, with the clear powder. If you use a different color, you will be able to see whatever color your embossing powder is.

 5. Turn on and point your heat tool (#100005) directly at the image. I usually hold mine up and out away from me. I've found that if I leave it laying directly on a surface, the surface will sometimes warp from the heat of the gun. The reason it is laying down in this picture is because I had to have one hand for my camera. lol

6.You will be able to see the embossing powder melting right before your very eyes. It's almost like magic! It will take 10-15 seconds before it starts to melt but then it will melt fairly quickly. If you are embossing a large image, you will need to move your heat gun around on the project to cover the area. In the picture to the left, you can see that they powder has started to melt.

Here is my finished rose, ready to go on my card or scrapbook page.

7.  Sometimes, if you have an image with empty areas, like this polar bear,

you can end up with Versa Mark in the center of the image or around the

edges.

That is actually an easy thing to fix BEFORE you use the heat gun. Simply wipe, rub or scartch the excess embossing powder from the card.

This image was embossed with a silver embossing powder. The polar bear and the lion both came from the Zoo Review (#122197) stamp set. The lion was embossed with gold embossing powder.

Whether you are using the dry or heat embossing method, it can add some extra zip to your projects. If you have any questions, just ask. I will try my best to answer.