Stamp Embossing

So I recently learned about embossing stamps. I've never been real into stamps because they seem too... unoriginal, but I've learned that stamps can be used in really creative ways, particularly in card-making and decorative crafts.

To experiment with embossing stamps, I created this picture.


I started with three cards I got in the mail. The Red Cross sent me three identical cards reminding me that it was time for me to give blood, one from each of the donor centers I have visited. All this waste needed to be reconciled somehow, so I decided to use it as art. I painted the cards black with acrylic paint and then stamped them with some stamps I liked.

To emboss the stamps you need pigment ink, embossing powder, and heat. You basically dump the embossing powder on the wet stamp so that it sticks. Pigment ink dries slower, which means more powder sticks. Then when you add heat, the powder sort of melts, leaving a nice embossed image. I read that a hair dryer would generate enough heat, but this was not the case for me. You can buy special tools designed for stamp embossing, but that isn't really my style. I was able to get the same effect by holding the powdered image over the stove. Just be careful with the paper.

And that's it! I bought a frame already matted for three images because I was feeling lazy and found one for a really good price at Joann's.

Now I'm working on my first altered book, which pays homage to one of my all-time favorite Tori Amos songs. This will be a longer-term project, so a post may not materialize for several days... maybe weeks. It's pretty fun, though.