Embossed paper can be used to make scrapbooks, cards and invitations.
Embossing machine tools are great for scrapbookers and paper crafters on the go. As well as using your embossing tool to make personalized cards, scrapbooks and collages at home, you can take many of them with you to meets and retreats. There are many different dies for embossing machines, from pretty lace patterns and natural textures to alphabets. Most machines are dual use, allowing you to cut out paper shapes with them as well.
Cuttlebug Embossing and Die-Cutting Machine
The Cuttlebug is a small, light machine designed for portability and ease of use. The Cuttlebug lets you select from a wide variety of dies. You can emboss a range of materials, from paper and card, to thin sheets of cork or foam. Even thin sheets of metal can be embossed in the Cuttlebug.
There's also a junior version of this machine called Cuttlekids. Designed especially for younger crafters, this is a smaller, lighter model that requires less strength to operate it. The Cuttlekids is also designed with child safety in mind, using special blades that can't harm small fingers.
Sizzix Machines
The Sizzix Big Shot works with the well-known Stampin' Up! range of dies and materials. It can both cut and emboss. This is a tabletop machine, and is more difficult to carry around than some other models.
For a portable machine, you might want to look at the Sizzix Sidekick, which cuts and embosses, or the Texture Boutique Embossing Machine. Designed to look just like a fancy purse, the Texture Boutique is an attractive lightweight gadget that's perfect for carrying around. With a turn of the handle, it embosses paper and card in seconds. It comes in hot pink and baby blue.
Aimed at professional and semi-professional users, the Big Shot Pro is not cheap but offers a wealth of features for its $350 price tag. It has a larger opening, measuring 13 inches, so it can take bigger sheets of paper or cardstock. Made of industrial-grade materials, it is very durable and can emboss or cut hundreds of materials.
The Provocrafts Cricut
The Cricut (pronounced "cricket") has a nifty microprocessor brain that lets you edit your designs electronically, without the need for a computer, though you can connect the Cricut to a computer if you wish. The basic designs are stored on data cartridges. You can also find Cricut software to use on your computer. Cricut can be used for cutting, as well as embossing. The Cricut is versatile and easy to use, but has one major drawback: the price. The machine itself is quite expensive, and each of the data cartridges must be bought separately. At thirty to seventy dollars each, the cost of the cartridges can soon add up.
