Stampendous Fran'tage Embossing Enamel

Let's talk about this incredible product :) 

 Stampendous Fran'tage Embossing Enamel is one of my all time favorite products and I recommend it to everybody. Honestly, this stuff is phenomenal...none of the photos I managed to get really do justice to this stuff so please keep that in mind as you're scrolling through them. 

While it's a little more difficult to work with than regular embossing powders, the results are beautiful. If you're looking for something to give you fine detail this may not be the best product for you. This is an embossing ENAMEL and it melts with much more texture and dimension than a typical embossing powder. It's just thicker...not sure how else to describe it. I know you've all seen me post layouts and projects where I've used this stuff but I wanted to dedicate an entire post to just highlighting these because I really love them that much. 

Here are some photos I snapped this morning of some of the colors that I own. And remember...the pictures do not do justice to how beautiful this enamel is. 

These are the colors that I own and there are a couple more
colors available that are still on my list. The majority of mine
I ordered from ebay because my nearest Hobby Lobby doesn't have them.

 These powders run at approximately $8 per bottle but a little goes a long way. I honestly don't think anyone would be disappointed in these.  I'm not much on doing videos myself but there are some great ones on YouTube that might better depict how to use these. I try to heat from beneath with these because otherwise the goodies tend to get blown around by the heat gun. However, I have also heated from above using another piece of paper as a buffer between the powder and the heat gun.

You can kind of see the combination of powder, gold flecks
and gold glitter in this shabby pink. It's the combination that gives
such a stunning effect when these are melted.

This is the Chunky Metallic...you can see that's it's an
incredible combination of different granules of enamel and
when melted looks amazing. (see photo above)

I encourage anyone who wants to add dimension and pizazz to their scrapbook layouts or cards or any other project to give these a try. Get just one bottle...that's what I did. I started with the "aged teal" and as soon as I opened the bottle I was completely hooked. I'm betting the same thing will happen to you.

Making your own enamel dots for scrapbooking and card making

If you guys have been living under a rock, like me, and somehow missed out on this incredible tip then today is your lucky day because you've stumbled onto the right blog. I am going to amaze you with just how simple and cost effective it is to create your own enamel dots to use on whatever project you're working on.
Come on, we all love our enamel dots for embellishing our scrapbook pages and homemade cards but they can get pricey quick fast and in a hurry. I've found myself more than once reaching for other embellishments so I could save my enamel dots for something "more important". Ha, not any longer...I'm going to be using them like crazy from now on.

I happened upon a video on youtube while I was doing a search on another product and to say my jaw dropped would be fairly apt. I was in total awe that I could get an almost endless supply of enamel dots so cost effectively.

The only supplies you'll need are:

parchment paper--NOT wax paper and NOT freezer paper
Perler beads
pony beads
an oven or toaster oven.

THESE are PERLER BEADS...I bet we've all used
these at one time or another, either ourselves or with our kids.
I got this on Amazon for $14,59 and there are 22,000 beads in this
bucket. Yes, you read that correctly....22 THOUSAND beads.

THESE are PONY BEADS. I also ordered this on
Amazon for a whopping $3,07 as an add-on item. 

Let me make clear that the pony beads are NOT meant for melting and they DO invade your kitchen with a horrendous odor while in the oven. Some people have stated that the fumes are not healthy...so you use those at your own risk...I'm not advising anyone to do so, only showing you the ones "I" did. I opened my doors, windows and used the fan on my stove and another fan as well so that I was well ventilated.

Here are my pony beads before going into the oven.

You want to place your beads on the parchment paper as I've done here
with the hole facing up and down.

You can actually play around with your baking times as most ovens vary. I set my oven at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes.  And like magic, enamel dots appeared where the beads had been.

Did I tell you they were amazing?? They look exactly like
the enamel dots I've spent way too much money on.

Now, the Perler beads ARE made for melting and there was no odor from

melting them in the oven. Here are my beads before going into the oven. 

You'll place these with the circle facing up and down as well. They don't spread as much as the pony beads but you will still need to leave adequate space for the melting process. 

And now here they are after going into the oven at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes.

 Remember if you actually click on the photos you'll get a larger image and see more detail. 

These melt beautifully! Honestly, the hardest part is the time it takes to separate the beads and then to place them on the parchment paper covered dish.

Here is another view of my "enamel dots"

These are the larger dots made from the pony beads.
You'll notice they even have the same gloss as actual
enamel dots...and the colors are incredibly vibrant.

These are the dots made using the Perler beads.
OMG...the colors are unbelievable you guys! In that one
container of Perler beads I got over 30 colors!!!

And that's it y'all...it's literally THAT EASY...just put them in the oven and wait. I don't know how I missed this hack but so glad I've found it now. Any questions, just leave a comment.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope I was able to inspire you to try making your own enamel dots. Happy creating!