How to Heat Emboss in 90 seconds or less!

Heat Embossing is a really great technique that you can use for just about any project! You can use the heat embossing technique on a large stamp and completely change the look of the entire page or you can use it in small areas to subtly accent your page.

For such a cool looking effect it is surprisingly simple to do and it honestly won't take you any longer then about a minute to a minute and a half to achieve. Just follow these simple steps to add some added dimension to all of your wonderful projects.

First, you will need a few tools

 - Embossing powder - there are several brands, thickness, and colors to choose from. Ranger actually makes really nice embossing powder that you can try. Honestly, you can even use some of the cheapie powders to play with until you perfect the technique (and even after lol) to save a bit of money:)
  - A watermark stamp pad - My favorite is VersaMark because it's nice and thick, wet, and sticky to really hold the embossing powder. I also find that it applies the stamp very evenly which is important when you are heat embossing.
  - A heat gun - there are loads of them out there, I personally don't have a preference as long as it gets hot enough and does the job. The one I use is the Marvy Urchida Embossing gun. It runs about $20 and it has never let me down.
  - A Stamp - Obviously, so you have an image TO heat emboss lol
  - A piece of paper to gather the loose powder to pour back into the container (no waste, Yay!) and, of course, the project that you wish to emboss on.
Also
  - A dryer sheet (Optional) - to rub on the paper to keep the static from attracting and sticking the embossing powder where you don't want it.

If you have those things go grab them and lets start heat embossing with these 5 easy steps!

1. First, use the dryer sheet and rub it all over the cardstock or project you are embossing. This is optional, I honestly never do that lol.

2. Stamp your image in the VersaMark ink and then stamp onto your project. This will be clear but you will be able to see a slight shine so that you know where the image is.

3. Take your embossing powder and liberally pour it all over your stamped image being sure to throughly cover the image.

4. Then fold your extra paper in half and gently pour the excess powder onto the sheet that is folded and use it as a funnel to get all the excess powder back into the container.

5. Lastly, simply turn on the heating gun and, holding the gun 4-6 inches directly above the image, move back and forth over it for about 15 seconds (slightly more or less depending on the size of the image) until the embossing powder is completely melted. Be careful not to hold it on too long or it will burn, you are just looking for it to liquify.

And Voila! You have a beautiful heat embossed image to add to your project!