Altenew Academy Project #14...

Hi! I am here today with two cards that I created for the Altenew Educator Certification Program. These cards are my assignment for the Impressive Heat Embossing Techniques by Svetlana Marchenko.

I have always loved heat embossing and enjoy trying out new techniques. So I was really looking forward to this class. I would highly recommend this class to both newbies and experienced crafters. It covers the basics really well as well as giving several fresh ideas for using your supplies.

I chose to try a technique that I have admired for a long time but never tried. This was the lesson on Layered Heat Embossing. Here are the two cards I made.

I chose to use the Perennial Beauty stamp set because it is easy to line up and doesn't have an outline. I have a large collection of coloured Wow! embossing powders and I used them for my layering. I used glitter EP for the final layer. I don't have glitter blue EP. So I did the last layer with dark blue EP and then repeated the layer with Holographic EP.

Once my layered heat embossing was done, I thought the card needed something more. So I stamped the outline leaf image from the Peony Bouquet stamp set around the flower and heat embossed with clear EP. I didn't bother masking my flowers. I simply brushed off the clear EP off before heat embossing.

Here is a closeup of the blue flower.

There were lots of white specks on the card base after my embossing was done. To cover it I diluted some white poster paint, added a hint of blue and then flicked it all over my card. The sentiment is from the Birthday Greetings stamp set. I trimmed the sides and the bottom of the panel and mounted it on a bright blue card base with foam tape. Here is a closer look at the completed card.

Entering the card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Monday - Monochrome:

Allsorts Challenge Week 486 - Water or Colour Blue:

The Twisted Challenges TTC#4 - Celebrations + Monochrome:

Dare2B Artzy Septemper Challenge - Favourite Colour:
I really love the colour blue, especially when combined with black.


I wasn't too sure about the pink flower. In fact, I started stamping two pink flowers - one on black and the other on dark blue base. The dark blue one was abandoned after a couple of layers because it wasn't looking good. The paper was wrapping too much and the colours didn't work together. When the final layer was done, I loved it! Here is a close up of the pink flower.

I trimmed the flower panel and adhered it to a black card base. I die cut the second panel with an aperture out of the same cardstock and mounted it over the flower with foam tape. Before that, I stamped the sentiment from Birthday Greetings stamp set with glitter pink EP. I tried to re-stamp the sentiment with my stamp positioner. Unfortunately, the paper shifted slightly. So I heat embossed with clear EP. This gave a nice, off-set shadow to the sentiment. Here is a close look at the completed card.

Entering the card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Bling It On:

The Flower Challenge - #24 - Anything Goes:

Some of the lessons I learnt are:

• Use the anti-static powder LIBERALLY between layers. Otherwise, you will end up with a speckled mess. I use talcum powder with a makeup brush.
• Make sure your heat gun is very hot and you work very fast especially towards the end. If you apply too much heat, the layers will start melting together.
• Use a juicy ink pad for stamping and stamp couple of times to get a good coverage.
• Test the paper you are using beforehand. You don't want to abandon the card after putting in a few layers because the paper starts warping or the colours don't work well together..
• Use an opaque embossing powder for the base layer. Otherwise, it will not show up on the dark card base.
• Feel free to mix small amounts of embossing powders to create new colours or effects. 

Love,
Nandini