Grace Abounding: Heat Embossing

Just like many others out there, I have all the tools and supplies needed to heat emboss but don't ever do it. So this month I created a layout, titled "Style", that uses multiple different heat embossing techniques, and I want to share with you all what I did. Hopefully I will inspire you to pull out that dusty heat gun and play with some embossing powder. For anyone that’s not sure if they have the needed supplies, he re are the basics:

• a heat gun

• a stamp pad

• embossing powder

That's it.

For the "not so basic" techniques, I also use:

• a glue pad

• an embossing ink pad

• a distress ink pad

• items for masking

• and a soft bristled paint brush

So let’s start with basic heat embossing. In this first close-up of my layout, the Fleur-de-lis is an example of basic heat embossing.

A foam stamp was used to stamp the image onto a scrap of pattern paper from the kit, in a light ink color. While the ink was still wet I sprinkled it with champagne colored embossing powder. Okay, now this next step reminds me of elementary school art class (ahhh, memories)... shake off the extra powder, onto a sheet of scrap paper, and then put it back into the jar. (anyone else having flash backs to white school glue and jars of glitter?) So far, so easy,

right? All you have to do now is heat the powder with the heat gun. Now, be careful as the air that comes out of the heat gun will burn you! If you are using a big piece of paper, you can hold onto the end away from your image. I had a small sheet, so I held the image with my long handled tweezers. Now back to the heating. You want to hold the gun about 2-3 inches from the powder, and slowly move the gun around. You will be able to see the powder melt and spread out into a glossy textured glaze. The embossing will dry very quickly after you finish heating it. To use my image on the layout, I cut it out and layered it behind my flowers. So now that we all know how to do the basic heat embossing, let’s have some fun with it! This next close-up has two different things that I tried with the embossing.

First the distressing on the green paper. I wanted to add some shine and texture to my distressing, so I came up with this technique. I have never seen this done before, but it’s quite possible that others have done this before me. This was so simple, all you need is some distress ink, embossing powder and your heat gun. I swiped the distress ink all over the sheet of paper, and then sprinkled it with pewter embossing powder. Because some of the ink was thinly applied it dried before I added the powder, giving a distressed look to my embossing. Now just follow the basic steps above: shake off extra powder and heat. This random type of distressing would be great for adding detail to boypages, or just grunging up your projects.

The second embossing in this close-up was applied to the title. For this technique you need:

• black ink

• black and sliver embossing powder

• letter stamps

• and your heat gun.

First I stamped my title on a scrap from the kit, spacing the letters out to make it easier to cut them out later. I let the ink dry slightly so that not all of it would hold the powder. Instead of just sprinkling on one color of powder, I added both colors at once, trying to get each letter randomly with both colors. Now when I shook off the extra powder this time, I put it in an empty jar and labeled it, as I had mixed up the colors. This powder is still usable, but you don't want to mix it back in with the original colors. All that's left to do is heat up the powder and cut out the letters.

This next technique was the most fun to do, but also the most time consuming. I created a glittery scalloped border around my layout base.

To create this border you will need:

• 1 sheet of shiny black cardstock from the kit

• large scallop border from the kit

• Rainbow Sparkle embossing powder (made by Ranger, its clear

powder with rainbow glitter)

• a glue pad (this is an ink pad filled with liquid glue, made by

Tsukineko)

• a soft bristled paint brush

• and your heat gun.

This will take a little while, but is worth it and it looks so much cooler in person! You are going to need to work on one side of the base at a time, so the glue doesn't dry out on you. Take the large scallop border and lay it on the edge of the base, as a mask. Dab along the scallop with the glue pad. When the scallop mask is picked up you should have a scallop design along your edge out of glue. Sprinkle the glue with the rainbow embossing powder and then shake off the extra. I used the paint brush to brush off any embossing powder that might stick to your sheet and ruin the clean edge of your scallop. You can glue and powder all 4 edges before heating, just be careful not to mess-up any of the edges while you work around.

Okay, one more simple and quick embossing.

This one is real easy, but adds a great touch to your embellies. I hand cut flowers from a sheet of

patterned paper, and then swiped just the leaves in the glue pad. The leaves were sprinkled with rainbow embossing powder and heated. Just a quick sparkle. This can be done with any embellie. Don't have a brad that matches? Make your own with a little colored embossing powder. Want some more interest in your paper flowers? Stamp on them with a background

stamp and emboss with a metallic embossing powder. I really enjoyed getting some use out of my heat gun, and I hope to see some examples in the gallery soon of what you all have done with heat embossing!