Going digital

There is a wonderful assortment of people making things with paper, and lots of them are selling their work on line. If you want to delve in to the variety, take a plunge into Pintrest, and do a search or two on greeting cards,paper mache, hand made paper....you can really spend hours!

If you are just starting out crafting with paper, the variety can be overwhelming. If you are aiming to eventually turning your hobby into a business, beginning on trend may be wise. I tend to be very un-trendy, but I must admit that certain trends appeal to me.

A big expense saver is in the world of the digital.Here is a brief list:

 1) Digital lay outs . Lay outs are simple sketches that show where to put shapes, and are really helpful to learn proportion as you go. digital card lay outs

2) Digital papers. You can buy digital papers, and get them for free,too. There are some use limits on all of these, so be careful before you download or buy. The advantage is that you can print out as many of one pattern as you like.If you buy patterned paper at a craft store, to buy more than four of a pattern, you have to buy single sheets (expensive) , or buy packs that usually have only four of any particular pattern.
    The disadvantage is that you need a really good printer (translate :expensive) to get the pattern looking good, or to print on card stock. You can print a pattern onto paper and then take it to a big box copier to replicate onto card stock. This may be cheaper than printing at home if you are going to print out a bunch!
Again, be sure to be very careful when downloading, I have found these to be very "buggie."


3) Digital Stamps. I am not a fan! These are sketches and drawings, usually by a single artist in a style designed to coordinate with other products.They are, of course, in black, and you need to print them out, cut them, and then color them.  Buying a few of these may help you get the hang of designing cards or scrapbook pages, but in my opinion, they are designed to get you to buy a product line. If you just love a product line and want to go for it, you have my blessing!
Digital stamp sites list

That is enough for now, SEE YOU LATER!