April's Review	Andrea's Review	Randi's Review	Catherine's Review	Chris's Review

Review by April

Ranger is one of my favorite manufacturers of craft products. I'm addicted to and frequently use their Paint Dabbers, Ink Pads, Alcohol Inks, Liquid Pearls, Stickles, and now after this review...their Embossing Powders!

For this review, I received eight 1-oz. jars of embossing powders in a variety of colors and finishes. I did not realize that embossing powders could be that different and offer so many unique finishes, so I was excited to find that I had six different finishing choices to play with! I received two regular embossing powders, one in clear and the other in Holographic, which basically gave everything a super cool clear glitter finish. Two of the jars were Embossing Antiquities in Rose Quartz and Verdigris, which were super rich colors and provided great faux finishes. I also received a jar of Super Fine Detail in Clear, an Embossing Pearl in Red which provides different results depending on what color ink you use with it, an Embossing Tinsel in Snowflake - which gave the effect of glittery snow after drying, and a super cute jar of Embossing Glitter in Lavender - which was really cool because even though it provided a light purple glitter finish, it also allowed the ink color beneath it to show through. Last but not least, I received a Clear Big & Bossy pad, which is a giant pre-inked embossing pad allowing you more room for larger stamps, embellishments, etc... and let me tell you it Rocks!

I created a Bouquet of Glitter Flowers for my first project. I love creating home decor items and I was anxious to try the embossing powders on all types of surfaces! I used three embossing powders to decorate everything: Embossing Glitter in Lavender, Holographic Embossing Powder, and Embossing Antiquities in Verdigris. I experimented with embossing chipboard flowers and swirls, a wooden frame, a metal brad, and the terra cotta flower pot itself. The embossing powders worked beautifully on everything including the flower pot, however I did discover that the pot required a longer heating and drying time than the other surfaces. I used a Ranger paint dabber, Stickles, Liquid pearls, and some Alcohol ink to decorate the flowers and flower pot. I also added some ribbon, buttons, jeweled brads, stamped images, and flowers to accentuate everything. I adhered the flowers and frame to wooden dowel rods, stood them up in some floral foam that I placed inside the flower pot, and added some shredded paper!

Title: Glitter Bouquet
Products used: Patterned Paper (Autumn Leaves)
Embossing Powders (Ranger Embossing Powders: Antiquities "Verdigris", Glitter "Lavender", and Holographic)
Embossing Pad (Ranger: Big and Bossy)
Chipboard (Maya Road, Fancy Pants, Technique Tuesday Tiles)
Stamps (Autumn Leaves)
Jewel Brads (Karen Foster)
Ribbon (Tie One On Ribbon Club)
Paints, Colored glues (Ranger: Paint Dabber in Pool, Stickles in Pink, Liquid Pearls in Lavender Lace)
Alcohol Ink (Ranger)
Buttons (Bazzill, Autumn Leaves)
Flowers (Prima)
Frame (Chatterbox)
Other (Clay pot, Dowel Rods, Shredded paper grass)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

My son was watching me play with the embossing powders and asked if I would emboss around one of his photos he wanted to scrap. After I embossed his, I realized I wanted to do it myself! For this layout I used the Embossing Tinsel in Snowflake, around the edges of my photos, my cardstock, and on the "Noel" Christmas ornament. I really like how it gave the pictures and the title a glittery snow like effect! I added rub-ons and some journaling to complete the layout.

Title: Charlie's Winter
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics: Spring Willow Medium)
Patterned Paper (Making Memories: Mixed Brocade)
Embossing Powder (Ranger Embossing Tinsel in Snowflake)
Embossing Pad (Ranger: Big and Bossy)
Rub-Ons (BasicGrey)
Christmas Ornament (Walmart)
Jeweled Brad (Karen Foster)
Pens (Sakura and Uniball)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

I have had a small collection of embossing powders for a couple of years, but until now I have always sort of passed them over because I didn't know what to do with them and they can be kind of messy. I also thought for the longest time that embossing powders were mainly used by stampers, and since I am not a huge stamper, I never really considered all the different possibilities of embossing. Now that I have tried them on a variety of surfaces, I realize how cool the ending results are and I'm anxious to continue my experimenting and play! I love the fact that Ranger provides so many different varieties of embossing powders and I would like to encourage everyone to give them a try. They are truly a unique and fun scrapbooking medium and I am excited that this review has not only re-introduced me to embossing powders, but has also encouraged me to keep creating with them!

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Review by Andrea

Oh boy embossing powder! One of my ALL TIME favorite crafting items! Lots of colors, versatility and just plain FUN, what could be better? Ranger makes it easy to emboss - lots of variety and texture in their embossing product line, not to mention matching inks to go along with them. Have you ever picked up a business card with raised, shiny lettering? That's heat embossing or thermographic printing as it's called in the printing industry. The stuff that makes the shiny lettering is what starts out as a powder. That's what we'll cover in this review. Neat isn't it?

We received a variety of different powders for this review along with a terrific 2 page guide about the Ranger embossing powder lines. The best known embossing powders are opaque and colored or clear, these are the foundation of the Ranger line. They are a medium sized granule of powder, not as light as dust or as fine as an artificial sweetener, but more on the size of regular table salt. Ranger also has a small sized granule of powder called "Super Fine Detail" which is perfect for intricately detailed rubber stamp images and small text. Then there are the coarse or large sized granules of powder in the Distress or Ultra Thick embossing enamel range. These are mostly for full coverage of areas instead of detailed images.

The powders for this review were mostly in the medium range with one from the fine detailed line. We had the "regular" opaque style powders, semi-matte and matte powders from the Antiquities line, pearlized interference colored powdered from the Pearl line, glitter powders from the Glitter and Tinsel lines, beautiful gold opaque powders from the Ancient Golds line and fluffy powder from the Puffs line. All provided a different look and feel that brought each project to life!

For the first card, 2 embossing powders were used on the same stamped image. You can see in the close-up of the text that there are 2 colors, black and gold. The black is the detail powder and the gold is from the Ancient Golds line. Can you see a difference in the crispness of the black text versus the gold? That is due to the powder granule size between the two colors and types - the black is the Super Fine Detail one where the gold is the medium size granule.

Title: Thoughts of You Card
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics, Exclusives and Metallics)
Stamp (Lasting Impressions with Panache)
Ink (Ranger Big & Bossy Embossing Pad; Clearsnap Colorbox Fluid Chalk, Dark Peony)
Embossing Powder (Ranger: Super Fine Detail Black and Queen's Gold)
Flowers (Prima)
Centers (Sakura Glaze Pen)
Metals (We R Memory Keepers)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

For this project, the Antiquities powder took center stage on the palm tree, making it look a bit matte and distressed. This powder is meant to leave a faux stone look which is more rough from the traditional powders. The saying was embossed with the glitter powder that has a clear embossing powder mixed with pink glitter. I used green Citrus ink to stamp the saying, so the green ink with pink glitter combination mixed to make the pink deeper in tone. It sure sparkles in person and Ranger is not shy with the amount of glitter they use per jar!

Title: Tropical Birthday Card
Products used: Embossing Powder (Ranger: Antiquities Weathered White and Pink Embossing Glitter)
Ink (Ranger Big & Bossy Embossing Pad, Resist Pad, Big & Juicy Tutti Frutti and Adirondack Citrus)
Stamps (Lasting Impressions with Panache)
Ribbon (Stampin' Up!)
Resist Idea (PageSage Rubber Paper Scissors DVD)
Glossy White, Pink and Marbled Cardstock
Brads (JoAnn's Scrap Essentials)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

I couldn't resist embossing some punched flowers for my niece's school page. The flowers were punched from the dark blue mat behind the photo then inked with black ink. This allowed the Enamelware powder to stick and have a great dark base. Since enamelware is known for it's dark base and speckled white finish, this powder performed exactly as expected to give that look!

Title: Back to School
Products used: Patterned Paper, Chipboard and Buttons (Junkitz School Days)
Ink (Ranger Perfect Medium Black)
Embossing Powder (Ranger Enamelware)
Thread (Making Memories)
White Pen (Signo Uni-ball)
Black Pen (Sakura Glaze)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

Please visit the ScrapFriends Ranger gallery to see the other creations using the embossing powders not seen in these samples, but were sent for this review. The Embossing Pearl powder gives a great subtle metallic finish to an image. The Embossing Tinsel is similar to the Embossing Glitter, but offers an opaque or pearl powder as the base instead of clear. This way, the ink color won't show through as in the glitter powder. The Embossing Puffs powder was perhaps the most unique technique. It's almost like a puffed rubbery feel to the image after heating - quite different!

If you like stamping and the look of embossing, some selections from Ranger's wide product line of powders is a must in your scrap stash. The clear jars with clear tops for easy viewing makes it even easier for the consumer to see what color the product is in a hurry. (The picture at the top of this review is of the original packaging and actually, the next to the last jar reflects the style we received for this review.) Each approximate 1-oz jar is good for tons of embossing projects, especially if you're just working with stamped images. No matter what the look is that you're wanting, Ranger has it! Check out their selection today!

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Review by Randi

Everyone knows about the fantastic ink options from Ranger, but did you know they have an impressive selection of embossing powder options as well? Ranger currently offers over 100 powders, all of which are non-toxic and acid free! The Review Team has, in the past, worked with Ranger's Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Powders and their Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel. This time around Ranger sent some of their other embossing options. This sampling rated a big "WOW!" with me.

Also included in their package was a handy, fifty-two page book entitled "Ink Essentials" that is a fantastic reference of techniques and ideas for the beginner to advanced stamp enthusiast. Using this reference I've compliled a brief description of their other embossing options:

• Ranger Original Embossing Powders - a variety within a variety that include powders to created raised metallic, sparkly and opaque finishes.
• Super Fine Detail Embossing Powders - formulated to be ideal for very detailed stamped images.
• Embossing Pearls - These pearlized, interference powders appear white but stamp a dramatic pearlized color effect on dark paper.
• Ancient Golds Embossing Powder - these metallic golds come in a variety of finishes from bright to antique.
• Embossing Antiquities - these semi-matte and matte powders has a texture that resembles faux stone. Some metallic options are available in this collection also.
• Embossing Puffs - this powder puffs when heated for surface dimension. Ranger suggests these are perfect for use with a stamped teddy bear image!
• Embossing Glitter - This glittery powder is in a clear base allowing the ink color and paper underneath to show through.
• Embossing Tinsel - Available in an opaque or pearl embossing base, this is the choice for glitz and glamour.

I used the Super Fine Detail Embossing Powder in the layout below. I really liked how the words on the quote showed up so clearly with its use! In the process of this layout, the Embossing Glitter became my new all-time favorite embossing powder. I have long been a fan of glitter but never found a satisfactory way to use it with stamps. Here is the answer! Forget the expensive chipboard letters, stamp your own at a fraction of the cost!

Beach
Twilight Light Prismatics Cardstock, Prism Papers
Brina Exclusives Cardstock, Prism Papers
Turquoise Embossing Glitter, Ranger
Black Super Fine Detail Embossing Powder, Ranger
Williamsburg Extra Large Capital Letter Stamps, Technique Tuesday
Quote, Past Time Stamps
Versamark Ink
ColorBox Dark Brown Fluid Chalk Inkpad, Clearsnap
Catch a Wave Chalk It, PM Designs
Blue, Orange Staedtler Mars Graphic 3000 Duo Markers
Permanent Bond Glue Runner

The Ancient Gold Embossing Powder gave a shimmery and elegant look to this card.

Dreams, card
Metallic and Prismatics Cardstock, Prism Papers
Ancient Gold Enchanted Gold Embossing Powder, Ranger
Blue Glass Embossing Powder, Ranger
Dress Stamp, Inkadinkado
See-D's Dreams Stamp, SugarLoaf
ColorBox Blue Iris Fluid Chalk Inkpad, Clearsnap
Gold Encore Ultimate Metallic Inkpad, Tsukineko
Permanent Bond Glue Runner,Adhesive Tech

I confess I've been a "Plain Jane" with embossing powders up to this point. I'm loving the discoveries I'm making with this embossing sampling from Ranger. Buy a few and check them out for yourself. You will be glad you did!

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Review by Catherine

Ranger is a company that produces a wide variety of products for stamping, paper-crafting, and scrapbooking. Ranger was the first company to introduce embossing to the scrapbooking world in 1980, and has since produced an extremely wide array of embossing supplies. According to the Ranger website, there are over 100 different possibilities to choose from whenever one wants to emboss using Ranger powders.

My first impression upon receiving my new Ranger embossing supplies was one of glee. I was excited to get so many different styles of embossing powders to try out. I received a variety of different finishes for this review. The available finishes that are available in Ranger Embossing powders range from antiqued, to glossy, to puffy, to shiny. In the past, the Scrapfriends Review team reviewed the Ranger Distress Embossing Powders, UTEE, and Adirondack Powders. In addition to these, there are: Embossing Powders, Super Fine Detail Powders, Antiquities Powders, Embossing Glitter, Embossing Puffs, Embossing Pearls, Embossing Tinsel, and Ancient Golds. With so many different varieties, there is sure to be a favorite for everyone!

My favorite of the different Ranger Embossing Powders are the Super Fine Detail Powders. I love the fact that one can achieve such a detailed image using them. The overall effect, once heated, is bold and extremely true to the original stamped image. I also really enjoy the look of the Ranger Antique Golds Powders. These are a range of different shades of gold with just a hint of weathered look. I used the Antique Gold Embossing Powder that I received, along with a Super Fine Detail Powder in black to create a Halloween Themed Layout for my first project.

 

Trick Or Treat
Products used:
Cardstock (Prism Papers)
Patterned Paper (Junkitz; BasicGrey)
Stamps (Autumn Leaves; 7gypsies)
Ink (Ranger Distress Ink; Ranger Distress Embossing Ink)
Embossing Powders (Ranger Ancient Gold Embossing Powder; Ranger Super Fine Detail Embossing Powder)
Brad (Making Memories)
Tape (Cloud 9 Designs)
Photo Corner (Heidi Swapp)
Paint (Ranger Dabbers)
Adhesive (Adtech Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

For my second project, I decided to try out the Ranger Embossing Puffs powder that I received. This product is completely new to me. I was intrigued to see if the powder would actually puff when heated. I used a couple of different stamps and stamped my image with embossing ink onto white cardstock. After sprinkling it with the Embossing Puffs and heating, I could definitely see the embossing powder puff up. What a fun way to add texture and interest to a layout. I decided to cut out my stamped images to add to my layout.

 

[Cousins]
Products used:
Cardstock (Prism Exclusives)
Patterned Paper (Sassafras Lass; Bo-Bunny Press)
Stamps (Autumn Leaves)
Ink (Ranger Distress Embossing Ink)
Embossing Powders (Ranger Embossing Puffs - Red)
Rubon Letters (Reminisce)
Rubon Stitches (Daisy D’s)
Ribbon (Unknown)
Writers Block (Heidi Swapp)
Other (Button, Ribbon)
Adhesive (Adtech Permanent Bond Glue Runner; Pop Dots)

After using a few of the different finishes available in embossing powders from Ranger, I feel like I have barely scratched the surface of the numerous ways that the embossing powders can be used. The possibilities can only by discovered through continued exploration and experimentation.

There is definitely a reason that Ranger is one of the top manufacturers of Stamping Supplies. Each and every one of their products is easy to use and of extremely high quality. The versatility of Ranger products is another plus. I recommend the Ranger Embossing Powders to anyone who loves stamping, paper-crafting, or scrapbooking. There are so many different possibilities, that you just cannot lose!

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Review by Chris

I think many people are afraid of embossing because the final result makes it appear more difficult than it is. Adding embossing to your project adds a finishing touch that can really make it pop. And embossing is really quite easy. Ranger manufactures a wide range of embossing powders which allow the crafter to achieve a myriad of special effects on their projects. Whether it’s adding dimension, altering a color or adding texture to the surface, embossing powder can give you that extra detail that finishes off your creation.

For this review, Ranger sent a variety of different types of embossing powders in a selection of different colors. I received a total of nine 1 ounce bottles.

Ancient Gold (Princess Gold)
Embossing Tinsel (green)
Super Fine Detail (gold)
Embossing Powder (enamelware and clear)
Embossing Puffs (white)
Embossing Antiquities (tanzanite and frosted crystal)
Embossing Pearl (copper)

Each one of these types of powders gives a different finish when placed on top of pigment or embossing inks. You can use embossing powder over an image stamped with the ink or on inks applied direct from the pad or with an embossing pen for a more free-form design. Once the embossing powder has been applied to the ink, simply tap off the excess and heat. The preferred heat source is from a heat “gun” designed specifically for that purpose. However, if you are like me and find yourself away from home without your heat embossing tool, you can resort to other heat sources such as holding your project over the top of a turned-on toaster. It actually does work!

In this first project, a layout, I wanted to emboss my little witch stamp using the tanzanite Embossing Antiquities powder. I thought the subtle purple shade would compliment my papers perfectly, while toning down the bright purple of the spider-web paper. When I looked for my heat gun, I realized I had left it at home. What to do???? Here is where my toaster came into play. After stamping my image with clear embossing ink, I sprinkled on the embossing powder, tapped off the loose granules and, using tweezers, held the paper over the toaster, embossing powder side down. It only took a few seconds for the embossing powder to melt. I love the shimmery look and muted shade of this antiquities powder!!!!

Eek!
Products used: Patterned paper (K&Co., Tim Coffey Halloween, Orange Swirl, Green Dots, Purple Stripe, Spider Web Glitter)
Cardstock (Prism, Prismatics, Frosted Kiwi)
Stamps (Kolette Hall for Studio G)
Embossing Powder (Ranger, Embossing Antiquities, Tanzanite)
Ink (Stewart Superior, Memories, Black; Tsukineko, Encore, Honeydew; Creative Beginnings, Embossing Ink)
Stickers (Sandylion, Witch)
Adhesive Rhinestone Words (K&Co)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Tape Runner)

Here is a card made from the scraps of my layout. I used two different types of embossing powder; the ghost stamp and the 31 stamp are both embossed with clear embossing powder which gives them a shiny finish and “BOO” is embossed with the Puffs embossing powder. It has a nice raised look and a dimensional texture.

Boo card
Additional products used: Cardstock (Prism, Prismatics, Classic Purple)
Stamps (Kolette Hall for Studio G)
Embossing powder (Ranger, Clear; Puffs, White)

Next up, I wanted to see what the Antiquities frosted crystal powder would look like. For this card, I used Opalite inks which have a holographic appearance and topped them off with the crystal powder. Awesome! This card is so shimmery and the depth and texture added by the Frosted Crystal embossing powder is fantastic. I love it!

Hello card
Products used: Cardstock (Prism, Prismatics, Papaya Puree Dark; Judikins, Black Glossy)
Ink (Tsukineko, Opalite, Cypress Frost, Winter Rust, Orchid Ice)
Embossing powder (Ranger, Antiquities, Frosted Crystal)
Stamps (Stampin Up! Polka-dot Posies; Stampendous, Brush Hello)
Ribbon (Offray)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Tape Runner)

Embossing Pearl is an interference powder which gives different results over different colors of ink. For this card, I used copper over a clear embossing ink. The result is a shiny, fine metallic image. Truly stunning!!

Thank you card
Products used: Cardstock (Prism, Prismatics, Suede Brown Dark; Judikins, KromeKote and UltraRS)
Stamps (Inkadinkado; Judikins Shell Cube #1)
Ink (Hampton Arts, Embossing Ink)
Embossing powder (Ranger, Embossing Pearl, Copper)
Copper sheet (AMACO)
Template (Lasting Impressions)
Die Cut/Embossing system (Spellbinders, Wizard)
Ribbon (May Arts)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Tape Runner)

And finally a card using the Super Fine Detail gold embossing powder and the Enamelware. The Super Fine Detail embossing powder, as you might expect from the name, provides a fine detail line and is perfect for fine detail stamps such as this iris one. After embossing the image, I colored in the flowers using watercolor pencils. The embossed outline allows you to “stay in the lines,” which if you’re like me, helps a lot!! I love the look of the enamelware embossing powder over the blue ink. The white powder is mixed in with clear so that the embossed image gives that splatter effect. It looks just like the enamel ware kitchenware I remember from my grandmother’s kitchen. Very cool!!!

Dream card
Products used: Cardstock (Prism, Prismatics, Classic Purple and Herbal Garden Medium)
Watercolor pencils (Derwent)
Embossing powder (Ranger, Super Fine Detail (Gold) and Enamelware (over Imperial Blue Ink)
Stamps (Stampa Rosa and Inkadinkado)
Inks (Hampton Arts, Embossing Ink; Tsukineko, Versacolor, Imperial Blue)
Ribbon (Marcella by Kay)
Gold leafing pen (Krylon)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Tape Runner)

Ranger is certainly tops in the industry for innovative and creative stamping products and their embossing powder array is no exception. They have a wide selection of powders which allows the stamper and crafter to achieve a myriad of different effects. Remember, all embossing powder is not created equal, and even one embossing powder can produce different results when used with different colors or types of ink. If you have not done much heat embossing, I encourage you to try it. Even if you are an experienced embosser, there must be a new combination that you have not tried. Ranger has the products to give you beautiful projects. Try them!!! You won’t be sorry. The quality of Ranger's product insures success!!

For more information visit Ranger