Dry Embossing

Another fantastic technique is Dry Embossing. What exactly is it? Embossing creates a raised image and the ‘dry’ version is accomplished by actually manipulating the paper so that there is an impression. I found an excellent instructional site for basic dry embossing techniques at Amp-Your-Stamps. This site reviews, for the most part, the basic stylus and template method of dry embossing. And though this method is very helpful at times, there have been many ‘advancements’ in the world of dry embossing.

I think the most influential of these advancements has been the onset of ‘embossing machines’ (many companies promote their own version of this) which makes the process of dry embossing a snap. For the most part, there is a pre-designed impression plate/folder which is combined with the desired paper and ‘run through’ the machine – ta da: out the other side is a perfectly embossed paper. In addition to using the pre-designed templates, custom templates can be made to suit any design need (click here to see how a daisy template was created/used).

I love the way dry embossing gives a subtle accent to a project – subtle in design, but huge in impact. Here is a baby card which was created by my sister, Rachel. I love it (I got it in a plethora of colors, but the template is the same in all of them). If you look at the picture and allow your eyes to go out of focus, then you can see that the layout/design is very basic, but the addition of the dry embossed ‘baby themed word collage’ on the background paper takes this card over the top. This is an excellent example of how dry embossing can be used to make an impact on a card.