I love stamping and embossing- it’s such a quick and inexpensive way to make your projects look…well, more expensive! And today I’m introducing a new-to-us line of embossing powders: Piccolo Micro Embossing Powders from GlobeCraft.
Piccolo Micro Powders are made up of tiny particles that provide a smooth, metallic finish while preserving fine detail. They can be heated for a smooth finish or used like traditional embossing powders. Apply with Piccolo Enamel Powder Adhesive and apply two to three layers for maximum results. Coat with Glastique for enhanced shine and durability.
- Black Archival Ink: Not a LOT of missing powder. Obviously the ink is not “sticky” enough to hold the powder.
- Black VersaFine. A good choice for embossing because it’s sticky, but the black still shows through a bit.
- VersaMark. Since there it is both sticky AND colorless, it was the best choice for our tests!
As you can see, though, that the powder actually did not show the finest detail. This is evident in that I used multiple pads and colors and still lost some detail.
So let’s move on to coverage. How opaque/shiny is it on different colors?
First, you’ll see a repeat of the ink pad tests as described above. On the black paper, we got the most accurate image rendering with the Archival Ink- I guess the black-ink-on-black-paper really lets the embossing powder shine through the best!
The copper and silver were very shiny no matter what the color of paper. Of course, White was a little lost on the white paper, but you certainly got that nice, glossy, raised texture. But WOW, does the white powder show up nicely on black paper. We’ll take a closer look at that in a minute.
Next, I used VersaMark to coat a piece of chipboard. I used the gold micro powder and embossed it.
One coat gave me a very shiny image, but not thick enough to obscure the texture of the chipboard.
Next, I wanted to see how two coats worked.
Here, you can see how White Micro Powder performed on cardstock stamped with a VersaMark pad. Two coats certainly gave a thicker coverage.
(If you are not sure how I did this, I just stamped, sprinkled the powder/ tapped off the excess, then heated the powder with my heat gun until it melted. As soon as it was melted, I sprinkled a second layer of powder on top and repeated the process. )
So now I was back wondering how the white powder would cover on black paper with a bolder design.
I really, really like the coverage of the white powder here. And here’s the only place that I really felt that the “micro” fine part of the powder really stood up- those letters are pretty teeny tiny and the powder held it’s ground. It was fine enough to hold onto the embossing ink and give a nice, crisp edge.
Next, I dredged the edge to create a faux-soldered edge, and loosely sprinkled silver powder on top of a glue-resist painted tag.
Again, it’s a lovely molten-silver look that has nice presence.
Lastly, I did some background-style stamping with a large graphic stamp.
With this first one, I embossed with white powder and then let it cool. I went over it with Gelatos to create a resist background. I do like the white powder here.
Lastly, I used multiple metallic colors to emboss this sample on black paper. Very impressive and shiny- almost like foiled paper.
Nitty Gritty: Powders sold in 1 ounce jars (which is actually a LOT considering that you use very little with each emboss and cost $6.99 each. They are available on the GlobeCraft website. There seems to be 8 colors in the category of Micro powders, but I only have experience with the four I’ve demo’d here. (Now I wonder how the black would have done? )
On the whole, these really are not perfect for super-detailed stamps. And please make sure you use an embossing ink pad with them, because it really does effect their performance! But the metallic colors are very shiny and they are easy to use. The results are very nice for bolder stamp images, especially when using the white or multiple coats. I’m certainly going to play with them more and layer those metallic colors for more foiled effects!
Disclosure: sample provided for review purposes.
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I really love the Globecraft Embossing Powders. The trick is to use their version of embossing fluid. It gives better coverage and is made especially for their powders. A little goes a long way. I’ve never been unhappy with the results I’ve gotten, even with just one layer. Again, I think it all has to do with their embossing fluid.
Thank you for testing these! If I try them, I may only try the white and silver and will take the advice of the other commenter and use their embossing liquid. She says that really does matter…
If so, that is unfortunate. I visited the owner’s booth and he did not give me a sample of the liquid to use/try, nor did he indicate that it was a necessary for optimal embossing. Since it wasn’t packaged together as a 2-part system, I had to test the powder independently.
An update…Piccolo products are now owned by Sweet Stamps in Fowlerville, Michigan. Stacey and her mom Sandy have traveled to many shows in the US demo’ing these products. Check the Sweet Stamps website for info and blog has ideas. I love them!