Learning How to Heat Emboss

Mckenzie
Jul 24, 2017
2 min read

So as crafters, we are naturally inclined to love glitter, but we don't always love the mess that comes along with it. We have all heard the fact that glitters is the best and worst part of crafting because you will find it everywhere. Well, Heat Embossing is a great way to get your glitter fix while still keeping your friends free from sparkle bombs.

Supplies needed: Stamp (any stamp will work: acrylic, wooden or rubber. I'm using Avery Elle's Ellie Stamp), Embossing Powder (Zing and Stampendous are my favorite brands), Embossing ink (see more on this below) and a heat tool (can also be swapped with a toaster oven, but I really recommend a heat tool. I'm using Darice Brand. Ranger is also recommended.)

When choosing an embossing ink, do your research. Any ink that stays wet for a while can be embossed over. There are several inks that are marketed as embossing inks from brands such as Ranger. All of this in mind, my favorite to use is actually a watermark stamp pad. These ink pads are versatile enough that you can use them for several different projects and appearances, they stay wet for a while which is great for embossing and they come in small and large ink pads which can be refilled as well as coming in a pen.

I'm using my Tim Holtz Stamping Platform. This is my elephant stamp connected to it.

Ink it up with your VersaMark (or other choice) ink pad.

Don't worry if you don't see anything/very much. The ink is clear until it dries and wont ever appear on white. Due to the fact that this ink takes so long to dry, you have to be careful when you stamp because both images will appear if you stamp twice. It can stay wet for 15 minutes or more.

Once you get your stamp down, start shaking out some of your embossing powder. It will look a lot like an ultra-fine glitter powder. Embossing powder comes in so many different colors and styles so there is a color for everyone. I love this silver glitter, but it also comes in solids, glitters and metallic. Colors I'm also partial to but are not shown here are clear and white. They work great for emboss resist and for accenting pieces.

Coat the stamp as much as you want. If you put a piece of paper underneath, you can shake the excess powder off and put the rest back in the container. One container can last a very long time!

Shake, shake, shake! Dust off any excess embossing powder.

Heat the embossing powder using your heat tool. You will see the change as it melts. Let it set for a minute to cool. It will be VERY hot so be careful.

And there you have it, Heat Embossing is very cool and a great way to get your glitter on.

Be sure to leave comments or send me an email if this tutorial helped you at all. Feel free to send me questions and pictures of your finished projects!

Instructions Written By: Mack