Weddingbee Blog

Prior to actually creating our save-the-dates, I had never done any embossing. But oh, what fun it was! Embossing the return address on our save-the-date envelopes was a quick and easy way to add a little extra touch to the finished product (and justify my heat-gun purchase, woo hoo!).

You will need:

• Rubber stamp
• Pigment ink pad
• Clear embossing powder
• Heat gun (I heard an iron works as well, but I haven’t tried it)
• A file folder (to catch the extra embossing powder)

Step 1: Ink the rubber stamp with your pigment ink pad
I ordered my stamp from Rubber Stamp Champ, and they were great – a quick turnaround, and the price was right. I recommend using a pigment ink pad instead of a regular ink pad because it takes a little longer to dry (important in a multi-step process such as embossing) and the colors look a little more vivid. I chose gold.

Step 2: Carefully and evenly stamp the paper
No need to press extra hard here – a firm and even hand works best.

Step 3: Sprinkle a ton (be generous!) of embossing powder onto the freshly stamped image
Make sure the image is completely covered. Don’t worry about wasting powder; as you see in the next step, I make sure the powder is re-used. I recommend clear powder and pigment ink because the color will come out more even, and this prevents random specks of colorful pigment getting stuck all over your finished product.

Step 4: Tap off the excess powder onto the file folder, and return to container
I use a file folder because the folded edge allows me to easily pour the excess powder back into the container. Only the amount needed for embossing will remain stuck on the stamped image. (I told you we wouldn’t waste! )

Step 5: Using the heat gun, heat the stamped and powdered image until it becomes glossy
This is the super fun part. Hold the heat gun about 2 inches away from the image at a 45-degree angle. Slowly and steadily move the gun over the image until you see the powder turn glossy. The image is now embossed.

Voila! The finished product! I told you it was easy!

Have you embossed before? How did it go? Any tips?