Dingbat

As I've stated before, I have an ongoing love affair with fonts. But I also appreciate the lesser known dingbat fonts. Unless you're a professional and have access to a large collection of design elements, these fonts can be a great asset. I find them very versatile as they can be resized, colored, layered, or made into die cuts using digital cutters. Some of the applications? Cards, custom rub-ons, fabric appliques, iron-on transfers, and stencils.

Something I like to do with silhouette type dingbats is to print them directly on the matte side of freezer paper (cut down to a regular paper size). If I'm using the dingbat as a stencil, I cut out the interior and iron the freezer paper onto the fabric I'm stenciling. If I'm making a cut-out, I print the dingbat onto the freezer paper, cover the freezer paper with another piece of paper or a pressing cloth, and adhere it to the fabric or felt. THEN I cut it out following the outline of the dingbat. This is a great way to cut items like snowflakes and still retain the delicacy of the design. (I use sharp, fine-tipped scissors when I'm cutting designs like that.)

If you like the idea of custom rub-ons, simply print the dingbats onto rub-on transfer paper and you're set. It's a great way to customize notebooks or create designs on glass (or any other surface you'd normally be able to use rub-on transfers on).

Here are some I like (with links to download):

Butterflies and Butterflips