I am a scrapbook virgin..... I just started about one month ago. I am hooked!! I am very confused about embossing? I have seen machines and heard about light boxes I am lost. I want to emboss but I want a machine or something. And then you got powders, chalk I am confused Help

There are two types of embossing. Heat embossing (uses ink, powders and a heat tool) or dry embossing (using a stylus by hand or using a machine like a cuttlebug, sizzix, etc.

Both are quite easy to learn and once you do it will add tons of dimension to your layouts and cards

Yep, the first thing you need to decide is which kind of embossing you want to do,,,,

heat embossing or dry embossing.

Dry embossing is probably a bit easier, especially if you use a machine, like the cuttlebug or the sizzix texture boutique. It's fun, fast, simple, and literally takes SECONDS to do,,,,and it adds TONS of dimension to your cards and LO's. I love dry embossing. You can buy lots of embossing folders for about 5.00 each, which makes them very quick to collect!

Wet or heat embossing is a bit trickier, but is pretty quick to learn (so they tell me). It involves stamping an image on paper with slow drying pigment ink, sprinkling embossing powder on the image, tapping off the excess, and using a heat tool to melt the powder that sticks to the image,,,,it leaves a shiny raised image where the powder was. Very pretty! You can achieve different colors by using different colored inks and clear embossing powder, or using different colored embossing powders,,,

My suggestion is to look both up on You-tube.

Have fun!!!

Here's some of the dry embossing ideas

Thank you both so much for your help....