Embossing...

When I first started making cards...I had no CLUE about many techniques...no real idea what half the tools people had were for...and no real understanding of what I would ever want to do with any of those tools! After learning a bit here and there...I decided I wanted to try heat embossing...I had purchased a Cuttlebug some weeks prior and was in LOVE with the embossing folders. So I waited...until one day...I caught a peek at the Hobby Lobby ad...and rushed to the store to pick up a heat gun for about 50% off. I was thrilled...and still had no idea how to actually use it or what really to do with it! I purchased a slew of embossing powders...nothing to crazy color wise...pretty much clear, white, black, some random blue I don't think I have ever used, and a couple of glitter ones. My first attempts were quite HILARIOUS! I burned the powder...burned the paper...completely FAILED at melting the powder one time...not to mention the POUNDS of powder I'm sure I inhaled because I kept spilling it everywhere...or forgot to put the lid back on and turned on my heat gun and POOF!!! instant airborne cloud! Anyways...over time I eventually played enough that I got a general feeling of comfort with heat embossing...
Since those fateful days last fall...I have pretty much had that heat tool in my hand EVERY TIME I create! I LOVE embossing! I haven't really added that many powders to my collection (other than Distress Embossing Powders...more on that later tonight). I RARELY, if ever, use much beyond the clear and white...the glitter...I'm still not much more than an utter failure of EVER getting those to anything other than burn...
One of my favorite things to do with heat embossing is to emboss one image over another embossed image...gives a really nice layering...and you can "shadow" them...or give the impression of depth with one behind the other. Another fun thing to do is start out with a plain tag or card...emboss with white or clear...and then ink on top...the embossing resists the ink, you just wipe off your embossed image and it shows beautifully! I have some pics of stuff I have done with that and I'll try to show you some later.
Anyways...here is a recent card I created that was meant to highlight some embossing. It's the current card challenge over at If the shoe fits... (check it out if you haven't already). I wanted to play around and try something a little different. So I applied some Glimmer Mist directly to my Embossing Folder and then ran the paper through...thankfully the folder cleans up very easily! I was surprised with how it came out, and will probably use this technique again...gives your paper some nice color...and since it's Glimmer Mist...some nice shimmer as well.

Supplies:

• Cardstock: American Crafts and Georgia Pacific
• Paper: K&Co Que Sera Sera
• Ink: Ranger Distress Inks - Walnut Stain and Spiced Marmalade
• Sentiment: CTMH - Curly Sentiments
• Tattered Angels: Glimmer Mist - Tiger Lily
• Ribbon: Dashes, Dots and Checks (Michaels)
• Flowers: Autumn Leaves Pretty Poppies
• Cuttlebug: Script Embossing Folder