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I have a light table, a couple of brass templates, the empressor and the regular stylus, but I just cant seem to get inspired to do the dry embossing thing. I love the look of things that I see in the gallery, but actually doing them seems to be a bit of a PITA to me. (PITA = pain in the a**)
Do any of you LOOOOVE using the dry embossing??? Do you have any tips???
I guess you could say that I'm NOT in love with dry embossing, so I don't do it that often either. However, I do think it makes a great addition to a card to give it a little something or a little texture. I tend to treat it more as an embellishment than the feature of a card. Another problem is that while it looks great in person, it's much harder to capture it on a scan or picture, so people on-line can't always see the effect. Maybe some other SCSers can give us a pep talk and get us to start doing more dry embossing. It really is a pretty addition to any card.
I think I'm with you. Love the look, not the work. Have several brass templates, however. I think I tried dry embossing before I ever got into stamping. Worked my poor fingers to the bone and have never been that into it since.
I agree with you it's a PITA.... I actually pull out all the supplies (that I had to have) the other night. I received a card in the mail the same day that was dry embossed and it was beautiful. I thought I would try it again! What I made, or tried to make, ended in the trash. :lol:
What I like to do is dry emboss and then use the sanding block to take just a little off of the top of what's embossed. Then use you chalk to color on the raised lines. I'll see if I have a sample I can scan in.
Another suggestion is to take parts of the brass stencil (and other stencils you may have) and dry emboss on different colors of paper. Then paper piece together. This really makes the images pop then if embossed on a single color paper. You can even make it more 3-dimensional using pop dots. Example below:
I love dry embossing. I find it to be very easy. Rub the cardstock with wax paper to make the stylus move easier. Also make sure you have a really bright light box or window.
The wax paper idea is a good one. PITA.... this made me laugh!! I haven't done much embossing but I am going to go try it now. I was just online trying to find a card to case and let myself wander back to the forums. I will try and emboss on my card and I'll post it here later. Hope its not too much of a PITA :lol:
Patti, how did you ever manage to emboss on that darker paper? For the life of me I cannot emboss on anything other than white or the lightest, cheapest CS. :( That's the reason that I don't do more embossing ... I'd like to use something other than white or pastels.
Oh, I LOVE dry embossing. I think it adds interest to a card, esp when combined with stamping and embellishments. And a note to Patcreates - your samples are great! Now I can see I'll have to play around with different colors more, as I tend to stick to white or ivory.
A few tips: it helps to use respositionable tape to hold the stencil in place on the light table, so that your hands are both free to hold the card and the stylus. I also rub a piece of wax paper over my cardstock first, to keep the stylus gliding smoothly. And, don't forget, you can color in the embossed parts by turning the stencil over and repositioning it on the completed card, then color in the areas exposed (the stencil works like a mask over the rest of the card).
A note on uploading cards that have been dry embossed: I find that my scanner does not pick up the detail, esp on white cards that have not been colored. But, I do tend to get a good image from the digital and the proper lighting. I have a few cards in my gallery that are dry embossed, but unfortunately I haven't yet added that link to my signature. (Maybe someday.)
Linda
__________________ Linda
”From the rising of the sun to its setting,the name of the Lord is to be praised!”
Doesn't it just figure that I get online to ask you all about dry embossing as I just got the light table, stylus, and 2 brass templates last week and wanted to get any tips, hints, etc.
I love the samples posted. I'll have to do a search in the forum to see how others use this technique to spice up a card as well.
Thanks! And keep the ideas coming!
__________________ ~Katherine, Proud SU! Demo since 3/03 www.stampsalot.net
Ok, here is my sample I just made. I got my stuff major crooked and I have fixed that am too lazy to rescan the straight image. I did dry emboss on the background and it really wasn't a PITA :lol: It did kind of hurt my hand though. I should have left it alone instead of chalking over it because it look more classy without the chalk. Oh well, I'd say keep practicing with dry embossing because it is fun.
OK...if you are lazy, like me, then you can do your dry embossing with the Zip'emate made by Accucut! You can use all your brass templates that you have, you just lay the template and the cardstock on the platform and turn the crank...and voila! you have dry embossed the image in 5 seconds!!!
I love my Zip'emate, sometimes they are available at Oriental Trading Co. for only $99. Other places have them for about $125. The website that shows details is www.accucut.com
They also make an alphabet that is 5/8 inch high, beautiful font, and is embossed and cut in a circle in one step! It's awesome!
Just thought I'd let you all in on my methods...
Diane
__________________ ~Women and cats will do as they please; men and dogs should just get used to it!~
I actually love dry embossing. I don't do it as much as stamping, but it is really fun & pretty when I do. I am just about finished with 130 very intricate wedding invitations which I made for my son & his fiance, and I dry embossed the reply card and both the inside envelopes and outside envelopes with a retired SU! template. It looks really good and it was so easy, just watched movies and relaxed which I did it. Every year, I look forward to the new templates from SU!, but I also love some of the other sites.
I don't just rub my paper with waxed paper, I emboss through it. The stylus moves so easily with no drag at all.
This is the way I do it, too. It's a really good way to keep the stylus gliding so you don't make holes in the paper.
And the ONLY way you can emboss on dark colors is to use Lasting Impressions paper, which is colored on one side and white on the other so you can see through it on the light box. There may be other brands, but the paper has to white on one side to work.
__________________
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we might as well dance.
I don't just rub my paper with waxed paper, I emboss through it. The stylus moves so easily with no drag at all.
This is the way I do it, too. It's a really good way to keep the stylus gliding so you don't make holes in the paper.
And the ONLY way you can emboss on dark colors is to use Lasting Impressions paper, which is colored on one side and white on the other so you can see through it on the light box. There may be other brands, but the paper has to white on one side to work.
Any online sources for that paper, that you know of? I've never seen it at any of my local stores! :(
I don't just rub my paper with waxed paper, I emboss through it. The stylus moves so easily with no drag at all.
This is the way I do it, too. It's a really good way to keep the stylus gliding so you don't make holes in the paper.
And the ONLY way you can emboss on dark colors is to use Lasting Impressions paper, which is colored on one side and white on the other so you can see through it on the light box. There may be other brands, but the paper has to white on one side to work.
Any online sources for that paper, that you know of? I've never seen it at any of my local stores! :(
Go to www.lastingimpressions.com and check their store directory. I'm not sure if you can order direct from Lasting Impressions online, but maybe you can from some of the stores.
__________________
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we might as well dance.
Before I started stamping, all I did was dry embossing. I probably have 100 stencils!! But I haven't dry embossed in a long time. It's still really pretty.
To see some great samples & how-to's go to touchofembossing.com
Those are actually the best stencils on the market - and they have great paper to emboss on!
__________________ I'd love for you to visit me on my BLOG!!
Patti, how did you ever manage to emboss on that darker paper? For the life of me I cannot emboss on anything other than white or the lightest, cheapest CS. :( That's the reason that I don't do more embossing ... I'd like to use something other than white or pastels.
I did these particular ones so long ago, I can hardly remember, but I believe I was just barely able to use these colors using the lightbox. I think the paper was thin enough. I think it was just regular craft store cardstock at the time. If you can find white core cardstock (which CTMH has) or cardstock that is only colored on one side it is much easier.
Have you seen the new dry embossing stuff that goes with your sizzix? I guess you put your template under your sizzix and push it down and it takes care of it for you. No more using a stylus. I am not for sure how it works, I have just seen it a Roberts
Dry embossing....
