Fun Techniques - Emboss Resist

OK, this isn't the first time I have posted about the emboss resist technique, BUT this time there's a little twist. After reading the "Stamp It! Techniques" column in the September/October 2013 issue of Paper Crafts Magazine, I knew I was going to have to test it out. The twist here is that you stamp a pattern or background onto your base project first, then proceed with the emboss resist. Let me show you...

First, stamp a background image onto your project base. In my case, it's a card front:

Next, choose the image you will use for the resist. I chose the cupcake image from this month's Stamp of the Month, "A Chocolate Affair". Using VersaMark ink, random stamp this image over your background:

Now, cover the images with clear embossing powder and heat emboss:

Next comes the fun part! Using one or more different colors of ink and a large sponge dauber, swirl ink onto the base using a circular motion.(NOTE: For a more pronounced result with your embossed images, make sure the inks you use are darker that the color that you stamped your background in.)

After applying all of your colors, use a paper towel to wipe off any excess ink:

Isn't that so cool?! Here is the finished card:

I made the note above because I think my result would have been better if you couldn't see as much of the original orange background through the green and blue inks.

So, I decided to try another card, only this time I used a patterned paper instead of stamping a background. I used a nice, small pattern from the "Frosted" paper pack, and stamped on it with the image of a small piece of solid washi tape from the "Washi Wonders" set. This time, I used Twilight ink to cover the background, and I think it looks much better!

That is just so cool. It looks like I cut small pieces of the patterned paper and glued them over a blue version of the same paper. The snowflake patterned paper on the opposite side is also from the "Frosted" paper pack, and the snowman and sentiment are from the "Flakey Friends" stamp set. This was snow much...I mean SO much fun! I would LOVE to see what cool results you get with this technique!

Ready, Set,...Reverse!

Today I'm going to show you one way that you can get the reverse image of your stamps. I saw this technique used on a card once, and I was stumped for the longest time trying to figure out how they had done it - and the answer is quite simple! It involves heat embossing with clear embossing powder.

For this example, I am going to be using one of CTMH's new background stamps from the "Distressed Backgrounds" set. It's a cool chicken wire image, and here's what it looks like stamped in grey on white cardstock:

Now let me show you how you can get the reverse of this image. Start by stamping the image with VersaMark ink (or any other clear embossing ink you might have) onto white cardstock. Then cover with clear embossing powder:

Tap off all of the excess powder and funnel it back into the jar. Now use your heat tool to melt the powder:

Next, using a sponge dauber, sponge, or brayer, apply ink to the surface of the cardstock, going right over your embossed image:

You can put as little or as much ink on as you like - the darker you go, the better you will see your embossed image. When you have completed this step, take a paper towel and rub off the excess ink. The embossing with resist the ink, so your image will appear white on your inked background:

Pretty cool, huh? Here is the card I made with this piece:

Of course, you could also try and get this look by using white ink on colored cardstock, or just using white embossing powder on colored cardstock. However, you can only achieve the following variation with clear embossing powder. This time, instead of stamping onto white cardstock, stamp your image in VersaMark ink onto a piece of colored cardstock. NOTE: Make sure your cardstock is a color that is lighter than the ink you will be using to ink over it.

(Powder has not been heat-set yet, so that you can see the pattern better. I have used Blush cardstock.)

After heat-setting, follow same procedure as above, using an ink color that is darker than your cardstock. I chose to use Hollyhock, and this time applied it with a rubber brayer. The result - your image shows through in the color of the cardstock that you stamped it on, giving a nice tone-on-tone effect, as opposed to the straight white of the first example. Here is the final result:

Nice, right? You can, of course, use this technique with any of your stamps - it doesn't have to be a background stamp. I hope you have fun experimenting with this! I would love to see what you come up with!