There's a baby fairy in my teacup! A sweet close-up of the bling!

I guess this is as good a time as any to remind you that I am new to the craft of card-making…but hopelessly, helplessly, happily, head-over-heals in love with it. Well, here’s the latest: I just discovered digital stamps! For you pros and veterans, you’re probably thinking, “where ya been, girl?” Well, the truth is, I’m still on my journey of discovery…and, shut the front door, I’m in love, again!

I wasn’t sure what the purpose of digital stamps was, until I found this great site, Designed2Delight. I have reviewed this site in minute detail and IT IS WONDERFUL! In fact, I made this card specifically for the Saturday’s Designers’ Challenge which, this week, is being hosted by Designed2Delight designer, Kendra.

There's a baby fairy in my teacup! ...the whole card.

Seven super reasons why I LOVE digital stamps

But, first, let me be clear–this doesn’t mean I don’t absolutely adore traditional rubber and acrylic stamps and ink, embossing powders and heat guns, because I do. But, there is a place for digital stamps, too. Here are some of the reasons why I love them:

1. Low cost: they are dirt cheap (the average from $1 to $3 each).
2. Easy to store: they are easy to store on you hard drive–no need to buy extra storage containers.
3. Easy to locate: just file them in an organized manner on your hard drive, and they are always in the same place when you go back to them (unlike my rubber stamps).
4. Versatile: they can be mixed and matched to make new images–for example, I just bought some Designed2Delight images and they can be combined to make a whole new stamp. Or, you can take a character and put it in front of a spring garden image or in a patch of Hallowe’en pumpkins.
5. FAST: need to make a card in a hurry? Digital images can be printed off in a flash. So, for example, if you are making invitation cards, you can print out the quantity you need in the blink of an eye.
6. Big selection: there’s a huge selection of digital stamps to choose from…just visit Designed2Delight and you’ll see what I mean.
7. Lifespan: digital stamps last forever! No worries about them drying out or deteriorating in any way–just make sure you back up your hard drive regularly (my husband the computer genius does this for me!)
8. I lied about there being seven great reasons…there’re actually 10, but 10 just didn’t work in my title: if you use a laptop, you have access to your stamp collection, from anywhere on the planet (you have to bring your laptop with you, of course)!
9. Enhancing and embellishing: you can add sparkle and bling to digital images just as easily as you can to stamped images. Instead of using embossing, powder and a heat gun, you can, for example,  use a glue pen and sparkles. (See the image at the top of this post).
10. Let the waters flow: you are limited only by your imagination, so experiment with digital stamps, have a blast and be sure to come back and share your discoveries with us, your fellow crafters!!