HOW TO: Customize Digital Papers + Giveaway - Featuring Really Reasonable Ribbon

Digital stamps and papers are still a mystery to many crafters... I too was the kind of crafter that preferred real, rubber or clear, stamps and perfect paper pads that I often didn't use much because they were treated as a collection piece... Well, everything changed when I discovered all the advantages of digital stamping! I've been, since then, creating products to inspire you to make the same beautiful classic cards using technology as a your ultimate craft tool! 

New Holiday Traditions Collection
Today I, once again, have a new project idea using digital products, but this time I want to share at least a couple of tips on how to make your digital paper prints even prettier, customizing them to fit all your holiday paper crafts! I finally have the pleasure to share with you my new Holiday Traditions Collection available now on Etsy as an instant download! I've prepared these stamps and papers with lots of love and anticipation and I can't wait for you to try out each of the new sets!

We are releasing 4 new stamp sets: Winter Blessings, Jingle Bells, Christmas Poinsettias and Cheery Christmas. Plus a beautiful new paper pack: Holiday Traditions. Mix and match all the images in this collection to create a unique project this Season.

Use coupon HOLIDAYS2017 to get 15% off
when you buy all 5 of our new Christmas stamps and papers. 

(must be added to card individually, discount code will apply to all during checkout). 

Really Reasonable Ribbon

This month the designers and I will be featuring Really Reasonable Ribbon on our projects! Really Reasonable Ribbon is the ribbon source that has been meeting the needs of the crafting community for over 15 years. They offer a large variety of ribbon in sampler packs and mid-length pieces along with full spools at discount prices. Today, I am using a stunning ribbon selection from RRR October's Monthly Ribbon Club and it's the Christmas Assortment. I love all of the options this assortment has to offer in beautiful traditional holiday colors. But if you like even more variety, make sure to check out November's Country Holiday Collection. Both these assortments are available now and you can get them HERE.

Tips for Digital Paper Prints
1. Adding foiled details.
For today's card I started out by printing one of my favorite patterns in Holiday Traditions in an Inkjet printer (which is what most of us already have at home). I wanted to add foiled details to the printed sheet and one of the easiest ways of doing that is using the Deco Foil Adhesive Pen. I used this pen to add dots of adhesive on some of the berries on the paper and let it dry. Once the adhesive was tacky I added some Gina K. Designs Fancy Foils in Radiant Red, burnishing it with my fingers. Another alternative product would be Deco Foil Adhesive which is thicker but works just the same.

There many more ways to add foiled details to digital papers, so I'll leave here a couple of other ideas I've tried out in the past that could work great for you too, like foil splatters (here) or even reprinting your paper with a simple texture, using a laser printer so you can foil it (here).

2. Adding a sealing coat.
When you print on Inkjet printers, the ink is not permanent, meaning that any tiny bit of humidity can make your digital paper print smear. The solution for that is simple, add a coat of sealer. At some point in my life I used hair spray as a fixative. (As long as it doesn't have a tacky finish, it works fine.) But then as I started building my stash I've discovered some products that work great and give your papers a beautiful finish. Lately I've been using Glitter Dust spray a lot for not only papers but also digital stamps. Glitter Dust comes in different colors, it is made by Therm O Web, and it gives your project a subtle sparkle. I love it! A light coat of Glitter Dust will do and the lighter your coat is, I find, the better the result.

Another product I enjoy using is Resin Spray. Resin is a form of plastic but this formula is extra easy to use and it's meant for adding a glossy finish to resin pieces. I use it as a sealer when I want the print to look a little brighter and it also gives a semi glossy finish to the paper.. This is great if you don't have special coated cardstock around. Three coats of Resin Spray and you'll see the difference right away.

These are 2 tips I used myself to make today's card. I know there are many more ways you could find to customize your digital papers, like printing them on vellum, glossy or textured cardstock and so much more... I encourage you to have fun discovering new ways of using digis!

Blog Hop & Giveaway

As always we want to share more project ideas with you, so make sure you visit the links listed below for more inspiration and also for a chance to win a $20 gift card -not coupon- to the shop, so you can get our entire Holiday Traditions collection this month! 

Bonnie Garby

Cynthia Olheiser

Karen Seifert

Maria Pilar

Milagros Asensio

Peggy Timmerman

Regina Cooper

Terri Burson

For more Tips & Tricks

Visit my YouTube channel today and check out my latest tutorials! There's lots being shared over there and I would love to have you join our YouTube family! Click here to subscribe.