In an effort to make cards and other papercrafts even more interactive, now there is a way to add scent to your embossing with Scentz by Color Box of Clearsnap.
I picked these up at my local scrapbooking store and couldn’t wait to try them out and see how they smelled! First, though, here’s how they are described on the website:
CLEARSNAP-ColorBox: Scentz Embossing Powder. Don’t just give your designs texture
– make them smell good too with these fabulously scented embossing powders! This package contains one .5oz jar of scented embossing powder. Available in a variety of scents: each sold separately. Conforms to ASTM D-4236-94. Made in USA. Scents last 2-3 weeks once embossed/ melted. 0.5 oz. jars.Scents include: Peppermint, Lemonade, SnickerDoodle, Bubble Gum, Root Beer, and Grape.
I had three varieties to try out: Snickerdoodle (cinnamon cookie with a tan color), Peppermint (red), and Lemon (yellow.) Of course, the first thing I did was to stamp out some samples to make sure that a) they embossing powder works well as actual embossing powder, and b) that they smelled true.
By the way, you actually can smell the scent as soon as you open the containers. Some, like the Peppermint, were really apparent, which the Lemon just smelled kind of chemical-y. None of the smells were over powering or overtly offensive in their dry powder form.
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Using regular pigment ink (a Cat’s Eye pigment pad by Color Box, in fact) I embossed using the powders. As you can see in the photo above, the coverage was a little spotty, so I’d recommend using the same color embossing ink (or clear) as the color of Color Scentz you are going to use.
During the heating process, there was a slight chemical odor with the Snickerdoodle and the Peppermint, but really it was very minimal. The Lemonade, however, continued to smell like melted plastic and not lemony at all.
Next, I let some samples cool and then tried to see if I could identify the scent with a “fresh nose.” When I came back an hour later, my opinion was unchanged: Snickerdoodle and Peppermint were pleasant odors and easy to identify- but the Lemonade (while I liked the color) just didn’t smell like lemon. It was chemically and off.
I even took these samples to my family and, without telling them what they were called, asked them to try and identify the smells. My kids and husband got Peppermint immediately. My kids thought the Snickerdoodle was cookies (yay) and my husband thought it smelled like cake. However, nobody correctly identified the Lemon.
So, OK. Next I left the samples out in my studio for a week and re-checked them- they all still put out some scent! I thought the odor would dissipate in the open more quickly, but I was pleasantly surprised. The description says that they will last 2-3 weeks, and I red elsewhere on the web that if you emboss your image and then seal it in a plastic baggie the smell will stay potent longer. The take-away here is that if you are going to send a card, you’ve got about 2 weeks to emboss and get it to the recipient.
I’ve seen some fun stamp sets that coordinate with the Color Scentz, but I didn’t have any on hand. However, I thought that sending an embossed message using the Snickerdoodle Color Scentz inside these cards would add just the right amount of whimsy! And I have some adorable candy cane stickers that will work very well with the Peppermint Color Scentz- but again, I’m going to wait to emboss them right before I send them out for maximum impact.
Here are the details: Color Scents retail for between $3.75-$5.00 USD for a 1/2 oz. jar, depending on where you can find them. I think it’s a fine value, but you might want to check the odors before you buy to make sure you are OK with the smell. I’m probably going to use the Lemonade, but allow the smell to dissipate before sending them. (After all, I do like the bright yellow color.) I certainly will use Snickerdoodle & Peppermint, though, this holiday season!
Disclosure: I paid for these products myself and bear no connection to the company. If you’d like to purchase Color Scentz please consider supporting CTD and using our Amazon Affiliate links contained in the post and below. Thank you!
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