Squigglefly Digital Stamps

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Reported by Heather Strenzwilk

One of the hot trends in stamping today is digital stamping. I was very reluctant to put away my rubber stamps until I was comped several Squigglefly images for a project over the summer. I was immediately drawn to the style of the images. Thicker lines make them easier to color, they can be re-sized, and they come in both left- and right-facing versions. Because they are electronic, storage is not an issue and they can be printed an unlimited amount of times.

'Pretty Witch' is perfect for creating a treat for your favorite ghost or goblin

Squigglefly is a family business owned by sisters Ashley Summers and Chesney Young. Their mother, Holly Young, describes herself as a "Squigglefly Supporter Extraordinaire" and is well known to the stamping world. Among their talented pool of artists is their aunt Lynne Stansbery (of Shy Bears fame).

I recently spoke with Ashley and Holly about the success of Squigglefly and digital stamping. The company was named Squigglefly to generate some buzz about digital stamping. They credit the wide variety of their images to their artists, who are encouraged to draw what they like, and it shows in their wide variety of images. New images are released on the 3rd Saturday of the month in a mini release party.

'Mudzie Plays Christmas Tree' is part of the ever growing Mudzie collection

Squigglefly recently secured the rights to sell digital versions of Shy Bears and Mudzie the Moose. In the past these images were only available as rubber stamps. Consider the possibilities of using these beloved characters in new ways by using your own sentiments or adding rub-ons to give the images your unique style.

'Flower Umbrella' is part of Squigglefly's latest release

The Squigglefly team has visited local stamp stores (Little Rock, AR area) because many crafters don't know what to do with digital images. Their seminar focuses on basics such as how to download, arrange, re-size and add text to digis. For those living in other areas, the tutorial section of the website offers some video tutorials.

I added the words to Mudzie using PowerPoint software

Squigglefly initially offered a modest 15 images; today they boast over 500! Their most popular images to date include: Divine Bovine series, Turtle with Flower, Oswalda the Ostrich and First Haircut. With 99 cent bargains and a free digi image with every $15 spent in the shop, there is something for every budget. Want to try before you buy? Free images and background papers are available on the website. Once you purchase an image, you can download it again for free.

Pros:

• Wide variety and style of images
• Thicker lines make the images easier to color
• No need to flip images- they come in left and right facing versions
• Mudzie the Moose (I am Heather the MooseLover after all!)
  

Cons (because I have to):

• Website gallery displays artwork oldest to newest rather than newest to oldest

'Thanksgiving Thanks' is perfect for a special Thanksgiving card

Squigglefly has generously offered Craft Critique readers a 25% discount on all purchases until 11/15/2009. Simply use the discount code (all lower case): craftcritique

Have you gone "Squigital" with Squigglefly digital stamps? Share your thoughts with our readers.