fizzi~jayne's crafty tips for stamping.... #4 heat embossing

Have you been stamping since I shared my tips on how to stamp? It's been a while so I hope you have had the chance to practice and try out the techniques before I show you this really cool technique of heat embossing!

As well as card and a stamp from the basic material list you will also need these additional materials....

• Tsukineko Versamark Watermark Ink Pad. This is a clear sticky ink which is perfect for embossing and can also be used to create watermark effects. This is my ink pad of choice but there are other brands available, like Ranger's Perfect Medium Clear Pad.
• Embossing powder
• Heat Embossing Gun. These give a targeted heat perfect for embossing.  Don't use a hair dryer, they are not hot enough and will just blow the powder off your card. Heat tools have a high intensity heat, so young children will need supervision and heat tools should not be used to dry your hair, ouch! 
• Heat-resistant surface like the Ranger Non Stick Craft Sheet, embossing guns can heat up to 600 degrees, so you’ll want to handle with care.
• Anti Static Bag. This will help to eliminate static, smears, smudges, fingerprints and stray flecks of embossing powder that could appear on your work. A light dusting of talc can also do the same.

How to heat emboss....

1. Wipe your card with the anti-static bag.
2. Ink the stamp with your embossing ink pad using the same techniques I shared in the how to stamp post and stamp on your card.
3. Immediately pour embossing powder on the image. Make sure you cover the entire image.
   
4. Shake the excess powder onto a piece of scrap paper. I usually tap the edge of the card to make sure I've removed any stray powder. A small dry paintbrush or cotton swab is perfect for removing stray powder too.
5. Gently roll the scrap paper into a funnel and pour the embossing powder back into the bottle.
6. Place the card on your heat-resistant surface and/or hold it with tweezers so you don’t burn your fingers. I like to warm up my embossing gun for a few seconds before using it.
7. Hold the embossing gun about 15cms (6 inches) away from the image. Hold the gun over the image, taking care not to direct it in one area for too long. As soon as you see the powder change move the heat tool, don't be tempted to over heat as it will flatten and the colour will become dull.  You can heat from underneath the card which will give you a smooth finish, whereas heating from above is more textured.  I prefer to heat from above as I feel I have more control and I am less likely to burn the card or over heat the powder.

   

   Using a silver metallic embossing powder, the hearts on the left have not been heated where as the ones on the right have been heat embossed. Hopefully this shows the difference between how the powder looks once it changes when heated.

8. That’s it! It amazes me every time, it's like alchemy!

Embossed wine bottle using a copper metallic embossing powder.

Embossed champagne glasses

As with any other stamping, embossing can be used for a main image as well as backgrounds.  I have embossed both the Champagne glasses and hearts in the background for a recent order for a wedding card.

You can also emboss with pigment inks as they are slow to dry so you have enough time to add embossing powder.  If you do this you can choose any ink colour and use clear embossing powder.  This can be a good way to start as if you have any stray embossing powder you don't see it on your project because it is clear.

Not only does embossing add texture to your work, it is also helpful if you are not so good at keeping in the lines when colouring as it acts as a resist.

Until I am brave enough to do video tutorials I thought it would be useful to share a YouTube video that takes you step by step. You can see the magic that happens when you heat emboss.  There are loads of them out there but I liked this one as it takes you step by step through the basics.

I hope you try this technique and have fun with heat embossing.  I'd love to see your stamping projects. You can tag me on social media or leave a link in the comments below. Or please feel free to email me your photos at fizzijayne@gmail.com and let me know if I can share your work, don't worry if you don't want me to I would just love to see what you have done.

Happy Stamping!

Disclaimer: The Amazon links in this post are affiliated.

Also in my crafty tips for stamping....

#1 Types of Ink

#2 Basic Materials Needed

#3 How To Stamp