The ins and outs of embossing

~ Tips to make embossing projects easier

To emboss, or not to emboss? That is the question. Trying new products and techniques is one of the best parts of scrapbooking, but the more complicated the project, the more intimidating it can be. Embossing isn't exactly new, but there are some new products on the market that open up the possibilities for using this technique in paper art.

The problem is sorting through all of those products and figuring out which ones work best for you. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

Stamping and stencils and pens ... oh my!

Using rubber stamps, embossing ink, embossing powder and a heat source is one way to get the job done, but there are other options as well, like embossing markers or embossing pens. The latter two use special ink with a longer drying time, allowing you to apply embossing powder.

Pigment ink -- as opposed to dye-based or water-based -- is what Southeast Missouri scrapbooker Sue Stephens recommends for use in embossing.

According to Stephens, pigment ink has a paint-like quality, making it slower to dry. Using clear or slightly tinted embossing ink with colored powder is one option, or use colored ink and clear embossing powder.

Technique tips

Here's are the steps Stephens suggests for embossing with rubber stamps:

1.) Choose a stamp, embossing powder and ink pad.

2.) Load ink onto rubber stamp, stamp image onto paper (pigment ink does not work well on coated paper) pour powder over the image and then tap off the excess powder back into the container -- kind of like those glitter projects you did in elementary school.

3.) Hold paper about two inches away from heat source, watching for dullness of power to disappear and remove from heat immediately from image is shiny.

Now we're cooking

For most people, this is where the project tends to go wrong. Stephens says the mistake many people make is over-cooking the embossing powder, so that the fibers melt into the paper leaving a greasy/oily affect.

She recommends moving the heat source back and forth over the image, never focusing on one spot too long.

As soon as a section of the image raises, move on to another area.