Sunday, July 30, 2017

True Confessions - Embossing Edition

Since someone else was brave enough to bare their soul on this issue, I thought I would come forward too.

That is how all oppression gets righted in the world anyway - someone following that first person brave enough to step out of line and be defiant, whatever the cost.

So here's my confession. It starts innocently enough.

Heat embossing is like life changing magic. Most people will say that it (and a Stampin' Up! event) is what got them "hooked" on stamping and cardmaking.

Getting to show people that magical moment when gold embossing powder liquifies is one of life's greatest joys. The squealing that ensues is like music to my ears.

And yet - I can't stand to do it.

Don't get me wrong - I DO IT - I just don't like it - I love the result, but I do not like my gritty hands, my gritty desk, my gritty MISTI. And yes, I've done ALL THE THINGS - put down copy paper yada yada. I'm not an animal.

Stop telling people this will stop that weaponized powder from getting everywhere. It won't. Little devious grits will escape any containment system. Makes me shudder.

Strangely enough - I don't feel that way about glitter. But I DO feel that way about sand, which is sort of what embossing powder reminds me of. I don't mind getting ink all over my hands, but I don't like the feeling that they are dirty, which is how they feel when they are covered with embossing powder. It's almost at a phobia level.

However, as with many little tasks in life, like cleaning, you LOVE the result so much, you put up with the task. So that's the state of my relationship with embossing, which I'm sure I'll do for the rest of my life. Too late to stop now.

AND, it goes so well with my favorite thing to do - which is watercolor. So here I sit, trapped in a loveless relationship with grit. Pray for me, won't you?

I really haven't made it all the way through the new catalog stamp sets yet, so I pulled out a really wow stamp set for this card. I heat embossed the image and then watercolored it with the colors linked below.
Emboss Resist Stampin Up by Understand Blue


See? And I didn't even die! It was dicey for a bit, not gonna lie, but I love this card.

I should start a support group - I could even invite the anti-glitter people. Those of us who don't like ribbon, etc. We could just hug it out - ss long as none of us have recently embossed, of course.

Now - about that die cut. When you see the Lovely Words dies in the catalog, they are cut out like mine are. In order to do that, you will need to get the Layering Circles Framelits, the Ovals and the Hearts - those products all coordinate with the Lovely Words dies. If you do not have those, then the dies will cut out everything you see - but what is outside of the circle on my card would just be cardstock, if that makes sense. The Layering Circles dies are what gives me just a piece I can use like I did here, not a word cut into a card front.

After I embossed that gorgeous image from Hello Color, I just watercolored the background. That's my favorite way to use embossing. You know - if I have to. :)

Behind that is cardstock embossed with the Brick Wall embossing folder, which looks good with anything.

I love having "hugs" cards around because they're good for any occasion.

So now, having written all that - I have to go wash my hands. I know you understand.

Check out today's Dare to Get Dirty challenges to see what challenge I made this card for and join us!

Loveyameanitbye.

13 comments:

  1. I feel ya on the grit everywhere, but glitter, to me, is SOOOOOOO much worse! It is the herpes of the craft world. I can get rid of the stray embossing powder very effectively & efficiently. But that sneaky, demonic glitter has a mind of its own & ends up on the OTHER end of the house on someone else even tho they never came near the vile stuff. I have all but banned glitter from my house (I share this space with my crafty daughter who LOVES glitter - go figure!) And I'll do everything I can to never use it. But I'll emboss til the cows come home.

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  2. Love those colors with the white background.

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  3. That card is gorgeous! Fabulous stamp too! I love the look of embossing and almost never emboss anything. SU! was where I bought my first rubber stamp 20 years ago this year. :D

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  4. This is exactly how I feel about embossing! Love the look, but the process is not so fun. Can't stand the mess. I think I went years without embossing, but have fallen back in love with it more recently because I, too can't get enough of watercoloring. Thanks for sharing your story. We are so in the same boat. 😂

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  5. Oooops! I had no idea how you really felt about embossing powder!! LOL Now I'm remembering that total disastrous MESS of it on an embossing station at a retreat ... or two! On those ... I'm in complete agreement with you. But in this particular case ... I ADORE the happy contrast ... AND, the fact that you created it for my Dare to Get Dirty challenge. Mmmmwaaah

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  6. I'm so happy to know I am not alone! I know some people recommend Swiffer sheets for clean up, but I have much better results with a lint roller. I buy in bulk at Costco. Beautiful card.

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  7. If you start that support group, I'm in. I hate the unavoidable mess that goes with heat embossing, but I do it and enjoy the watercoloring when the embossing is done. Moving on with my "terrible three" is glitter, and for that I have moved on to Wink of Stella. Done. No mess. The third, which I'm still debating, would be gilding flakes which float about my work room even if I don't breathe.

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  8. I'm one of the anti-glitter people. REALLY don't like it - and as craftjunkiesc pointed out - it goes where ever the heck it wants to go! ON MY KITTEHS! GASP! (but then, so do those dimensional backings! LOL)

    I, too, fell in love with stamping because of embossing - it IS magic - made my Christmas cards the first year I stamped... And since then, I seldom emboss. Think I burned out the embossing gene my first year... Have to say, though, that I do love the copper embossing results...

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  9. I think you have found some kindred spirits in the crafting world! I, too, hate embossing and for precisely the reasons you mentioned in your blog. Your reasoning makes so much sense for why I don't like sand too - incredible! Thank you for always being so humorous and honest. Oh and I always LOVE, LOVE your work. I am always inspired.

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  10. Haha so funny. That's exactly right. There is no technique other than doing it out in the street that helps. Then if you try to save what went astray you get little hairs and dust bits back in the jar. It's the devil. The result is lovely though, as above.

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  11. Ok. I get it. I do not like sketches, or ... buttons. *hives* Ribbon is starting to bother me, but I don't hesitate to try and use up my stash whenever possible. If I had a craft table and not stuck in my bed most of the time, then I would love EP. But no matter how hard I try, the grit gets EVERYwhere. Plus, I cannot survive without several fans pointed at me all at once. I must hobble to vacuum the bed when done, and shake out the extra cover I put under my "work surface." That's why I try and do multiple panels whenever this necessary evil must take place. Lovely color combo with your embossed stamping. :*

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  12. I don't like grit. I don't like glitter. I don't like ink on my hands. I don't like mess of any kind...but, like you, I press on.

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  13. Thanks for sharing your gorgeous card ... I too have a love-hate relationship with embossing powder, glitter and ribbons. Let me know when you start that support group!

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