emBOSSing

Well, I didn't post a single thing in the year 2014 until NOW! I have made a few "not-ugly trash bags" and a few other things, but nothing major. Which is why I didn't feel the need to blog about it. However, I decided to try embossing. I made several Christmas cards, which turned out pretty nice. I did not take pictures, so you'll have to just believe me. Now that Christmas is over, and I am recently unemployed (don't worry), I decided to make some notebooks. I cut up these folders ages ago, but I didn't know how I wanted to decorate them. I will be sewing the notebooks together later. Maybe I'll remember to post a finished project.

Here is a little tutorial (or whatever) on embossing. I know there are probably sophisticated embossing tools and screens and stuff, but I only have the powder and a heat tool.

I found a large pack of thick manila envelopes at a thrift store and decided to take them home to make little notebooks out of them. I cut them down and cut down some graph paper to put inside. 

I got the embossing ink pad and powder from Hobby Lobby. 40% off coupon, holla. I have a pretty sizable collection of stamps (not all pictured). You definitely want to use the right ink pad because the powder sticks to it really well. You can use regular ink, but it dries quickly and isn't quite as sticky. 

I stamped my cuppa stamp on the folder. 

I covered it in pretty purple embossing powder. After you pour it on, you just put it right back in the bottle (like glitter on glue). The powder goes a really long way, so $4.99 doesn't feel as bad as you might think. 

This is the stamp with the powder before the heat is applied. The stamp has really fine edges and the ink and powder combined let those details pull through. 

Apply heat. I tried using a hair dryer, but it didn't work. So I used my 40% off coupon again and bought this sweet tool. It works really well. 

Done and done. Embossing powder is really fine particles of plastic, so that's what this is...melted plastic. It's pretty. 

I also have two embossing ink pens (white and black). They work really well with hand drawing or any writing that needs to be done. 

That's all, folks.