Trapped Beauty: Clear & Gold Embossing Techniques Combined

For my AECP Level 2: Impressive Heat Embossing class, I explored a mix of techniques including emboss resist, and layered heat embossing. I had so much fun combining these methods into a bold and elegant card design using the Golden Days Stamp and Masking Stencil Set.

Supplies Used:

• Inks: Shades of Purple & Forest Trail Fresh Dye Inks, Distress Oxide Black Soot
• Embossing Powders: WOW! Clear, Ranger Gold
• Ink Pads: Versamark Watermark Ink
• Stamp Set: Golden Days Stamp and Masking Stencil Set

Process:

I began with an A4 white cardstock panel and layered stamped the large rose from the Golden Days set using the Shades of Purple Fresh Dye Ink. For the leaves, I used the Forest Trail color family. I intentionally skipped the last and most detailed stamp layer for both the flower and leaves, since I planned to use heat embossing for those later.

Next, using the coordinating masking stencil, I carefully applied Versamark ink over the flower and leaves and heat embossed with WOW! Clear Embossing Powder. I repeated this step twice for each element to get a smooth, glossy finish.

Then came the fun part — the emboss resist technique! I blended Distress Oxide Black Soot over the entire background. The clear embossed flower and leaves resisted the ink beautifully, allowing the stamped images to shine through. Once the background was fully blended, I wiped off any excess ink from the embossed areas using a soft cloth.

Initially, I had stamped extra leaves around the design, but I wasn’t happy with the overall composition. Instead of restarting over, I chose not to heat emboss those, allowing the black ink to cover them up, effectively hiding the unwanted stamping. A fun little trick — and no one will ever know!

 

After the panel was dry (I allowed it to air dry to avoid re-melting the embossing), I went back and stamped the final detailed layers of the rose and leaves with Versamark ink and heat embossed them with Ranger Gold Embossing Powder. This added a stunning metallic accent over the clear-embossed base — a layered heat embossing effect that gave depth and elegance to the floral elements.

 

To finish the panel, I added gold splatters by flicking water with a brush and sprinkling gold embossing powder over the wet spots, then heat embossing it to get beautiful raised gold droplets. I also added a few sequins for a touch of sparkle.

Finally, I stamped a sentiment on white cardstock with black ink, trimmed the panel slightly smaller than A4, and foam mounted it on a white card base to create a clean white border.

Final Thoughts:

This project was a great way to experiment with different heat embossing techniques. I especially enjoyed how the clear embossing preserved the original stamping underneath while the gold added definition and elegance. The emboss resist technique also allowed me to fix stamping that didn’t work out — a great reminder that mistakes can often lead to creative solutions!

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