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If you are not familiar familiar with embossing, it's a method in which you get a raised type. Above are some thumbnails at an angle so you can see how it looks. I also encourage you to click on the link at the top and see a picture tutorial. But basically an image is printed with embossing fluid on paper and then the embossing powder sprinkled over it. The powder adheres to where the fluid was and the excess is removed. Then the powder is heated and the powder melts and sticks together and looks more like a raised liquid on the paper.


I started out by carving a few small little triangle stamps to make some banners and test out the embossing process.


When I think of banner messages, I think of sayings like "SURPRISE" or "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" so I though it would be funny to make some banners that were a little less exciting, like "it's your birthday... or not!" and "I don't want to go to work!" Wouldn't that be funny to walk into a party and that was the banner hanging there?


At first I only bought black and green, so the next day I went back to see if there were any other colors I'd like. I decided to play with some other carved stamps I made.


This is when I started experimenting with painting with the embossing fluid in the bottle.


This is when I got the idea to thin out the fluid and put it in my Kempar Drawing Pen that Rosa gave me eons ago. That pen comes in handy so often!


I was able to get multiple colors by drawing out one part, sprinkling the powder and then drawing another and repeating. I learned if I heated each color between each color by the end the original colors would start to flatten out and get absorbed into the paper.



Lastly, I went over many of the finished cards with light, wet layers of watercolor. I had a lot of fun making these, and I know this will not be the last time I have embossed things to share... I'm thinking maybe some paper products for the etsy shop!
-Robyn (robayre)