If you love using rubber stamps for your paper crafts, chances are you’ve got embossing powder and a heat gun in your tool box. After all, embossing powder adds a lovely glass-like finish to stamped images, making them more dimensional - definitely a must-have!

You can also use embossing powder as a resist, to create a sort of “faux batik” effect. This technique works well on watercolor paper in combination with water soluble paints, dyes and inks.

Today we’ll use the embossing powder resist technique to make some motifs that can be turned into gift tags or embellishments for bigger projects like scrapbook pages and greeting cards. The photo at the right shows how this can be used on a greeting card, a gift tag, and an artist trading card (ATC). Let’s begin!

You will need:

* Watercolor paper
* Watercolor
* Paint brush
* Water
* Clear embossing powder
* Embossing ink
* Foam stamps
* Heat gun
* Dry flat iron
* Ironing board
* Clean sheet of paper
* Piece of newsprint
* Craft knife
* Cutting mat
* Ruler

Cut the watercolor into the desired sizes, and score and fold as needed. Stamp on the watercolor paper with embossing ink. Working above a sheet of paper, completely cover the inked image with clear embossing powder. Tap off the excess powder onto the paper and pour the embossing powder back into its container. Heat the embossing powder with a heat gun until it melts into a glass-like finish. Allow to cool.

Paint over the embossed image using one or two colors of watercolor, layering them for effect. The melted embossing powder will resist the paint, leaving the underlying parts uncolored (Note that dark colors work better than light ones, as they will cause the image to stand out). Set aside to dry.

Variation: Try painting the background first with a light color before embossing the image, and then use a darker second color to paint over the embossed area.

Place the watercolor paper with the embossed side up onto an ironing board or on a heat resistant surface, and cover it with a piece of newsprint. Iron over the embossed image until the embossing powder melts and is absorbed by the newsprint, leaving the imprint of the stamped image.

Try this technique using acrylic paints, water soluble inks, or stamp pads. You can also experiment with mulberry and other handmade papers. Have fun!