Emboss it!

This is going to sound like some silly hair-accessory commercial (hence the worthy title). I've had a couple requests to describe how I managed to emboss my own handwriting, and so here it is:

This is actually super simple, but it took me a while to think of it. I was so used to using stamp images that it never occurred to me I could emboss anything else.

Here's the supply list:

-Paper, or whatever you're going to emboss
-Embossing powder (can be found in the stamping aisle of any craft supply store)
-Embossing heat gun -or- hair dryer with low setting
-Gel pen, preferably in a color to match the embossing powder (I used a metallic red one without any issues)


Take the pen and write whatever you're going to emboss on the paper. I somehow magically forgot to document this step, of course.


Sprinkle your writing with the embossing powder. I prefer a generous sprinkling because it fills all the cracks and details that way. Be sure to have your embossed surface on a spare piece of paper to recover the powder after the next step.


Dump the powder off onto the spare piece of paper. I usually flick the embossing surface a few times with my finger to get any extra off.

Take your embossing heat gun or hair dryer set on low and gently wave it back and forth over a small area of the embossing powder until the powder changes color and melts. You don't need to let it melt for very long; depending on the color of the powder, 5 seconds should be more than enough time. You'll need to move it slowly to other sections until the whole design is melted. And here's the final result, though as a quick-and-dirty sample, it's not my best work!


This is one of the bridesmaid gift boxes I've been working on. I made the floral image with a stamp and then wrote in the empty space and embossed their names on the boxes, too. I am quite pleased with this technique! It's a very easy way to make your handwriting pretty and permanent, without the smearing concerns of just using a gel pen.


Pro tips:

-WARNING: You will get sparkly stuff everywhere.
-With darker/ brighter colors of powder, be wary of tiny leftover spots on the surface after you flick off the powder. If you want your final product to look smoother, you may need to go through and gently rub them off. I found that this red powder sort of stained the paper in some places.
-If your embossing powder is heavy on the glittery stuff, you may not be able to see the powder change color when it's melted very easily. There's a very brief moment when it will sink down and darken, be sure you keep your eye on it!

What have you discovered that should have been a "duh"?

(All pictures in this post my own).