Lil' Inker - The Store

Winner, Winner (You know the rest, LOL!)

2012-05-17T13:13:00.000-04:00

Miriam Prantner and Mary-Anne V you are the prize winners from last week's release hop!!! Congratulations! Please email me at lilinkerdesigns@gmail.com to claim your prize. I will let the lady who reaches me first choose from the Sentiment Flag Addition Die and Stamp set or the $10 LID store credit. Thank you to everyone for your support and wonderful comments! We are just delighted your enjoying our new goodies!! Stay tuned for a hop recap post containing all the deliciousness created by our designers for this release! Small Bow Dies are back in stock and we still have a small supply of Large Bows, Texture Plate:Frame 1, Embossing Pad Kits and Sentiment Flag Additions sets!!! Have a great day!!!!

Hop Day 5 - Sentiment Flag Additions and Group Post Day!

2012-05-11T00:01:00.000-04:00

Hi there!! Wow! I can't believe it's Friday. I am very excited to share another brand new set of goodies to share with you today!

Almost 2 years ago, I was combing the Internet for a die that cut a ribbon tail ended flag because I wanted one for my own personal craft projects. I couldn't find one...ANYWHERE! I saw an opportunity and I went for it and about 4 months later Ariana and I released our Sentiment Flags Die and Stamp Set. Today, we're releasing our follow up set, Sentiment Flag Additions Die and Stamp Set!

Sentiment Flag Additions Stamps contains new sentiments for babies, weddings, birthdays,even apologies! We've added new borders for our original sentiment flag die, a new striped flag pole stamp and a wavy flag border stamp which both coordinate with our new Sentiment Flag Additions Dies.

The die set contains a flagpole die and a wavy flag die. These dies ALSO coordinate with our Original Sentiment Flag stamp set. We did our very very best to make sure that these sets can work together or individually AND we've added lots of purchase options in our store so that if you own the original set you can purchase the new set, stamps only or dies only. ALSO the Original Sentiment Flag set is restocked as of today!!! AND it too is available as a set, stamps only or die only. This way you'll be able to pick and choose which pieces you want OR realize a savings by purchasing the sets.

Ok, so before I continue....I do have 2 projects to share with you today and they do use our SF Additions stamps but unfortunately I didn't get to finish my project using our new dies :( I had some free time today but I thought you'd be happier to hear that I was busy packing and shipping all of your orders! I promise I will be sharing that project soon. The flagpole die is just tooooo cute!

Here is what I have for you today. I was searching for an easy teacher appreciation gift on Pinterest and I found THIS and then decided to try my hand at it. Check out the link. It gives you the recipe for the delish dip which was super easy to make. It's Marzetti's Caramel Dip (I used lite), cream cheese and Heath Bar Toffee Bits!

I used our new Small Bow Die to embellish the packaging and I used the thank you stamp from our Sentiment Flag Additions set and I am just in love with this perky and fun font!!!! I just love the way these turned out! This was seriously the easiest gift I've ever made!

While I did use our Welcome Baby sentiment from SF Additions on this next card it's really the texture frame I wanted to talk with you about today again. I had an idea as I was crafting for a new use with the B side or plain frame side of our new frame 1 texture plate. I thought it would be really really cool to mask it off and stamp a border around the outside of the frame! I used post its which made this technique really easy. HOWEVER, it was my intention to stamp a gingham background and for whatever reason I could not get my stamp to cooperate. It wasn't stamping a full image and after 2 failed attempts I switched to polkadots. I really wanted to share this with you because I think this opens up a lot more possibilities for this new product. Don't you think??

I have had so much fun this week. I'm so inspired by and thankful for all of your wonderful comments and feedback. I'm looking forward to picking 2 winners from all the comments. One will receive our new Sentiment Flags Additions Set and one will receive a $10 store credit! Everything you saw this week along your travels is still available in our LID Store now. We are getting a little low on Small Bow Dies and Texture Plate Collection: Frame 1 so if you're eying them...snap them up before they are backordered. Fringe Flowers have been restocked as well as our Original Sentiment Flags Die and Stamp set! So if those are things you've been waiting for, wait no longer.

I am going to send you on your way to Amy Kolling's blog. I know she and our designers will have wonderful and inspiring goodies to share with you today! ENJOY! And thank you and I will be back in a few days to announce our hop prize winners! Thanks for stopping by!

New Release Hop Day 4: Texture Plate Collection - Frame 1

2012-05-10T00:01:00.000-04:00

Hello. Welcome to day 4! Today we have more projects using our brand new Texture Plate Collection: Frame 1 to share with you!

I hope your loving this new addition to the Lil' Inker product line up as much as we are!

Here's the project I made to share with you today. I thought that since this is a frame I should put a picture in it. So I did!

I thought this would be a super easy way to make a super cute Christmas Card. All I had to do was emboss my cardstock, trim down my favorite photo of my son and add some fun embellishments. In this case, I used the goodies from our Holly Jolly Die & Stamp Set.

Isn't our new texture plate a great backdrop for a photo? I hope you like it!

I am going to make today's post short and sweet and send you on your way.

A quick thank you to our amazing Design Team! They are totally knocking it out of the park with their projects for this release! I hope your enjoying it all!! Next up is the amazing and talented Alicia Thelin! Thank you so much for stopping by today!

New Release Hop Day 3 - Texture Plate Collection: Frame 1

2012-05-09T00:01:00.000-04:00

Helloooooo!!! Welcome to day three of our new release hop week. Thank you for all your positive feedback regarding our new Bow Dies! They are FLYING out of here! YAY! I'm so glad you like them.

TODAY, I'm excited to release not only a new goodie but to introduce a BRAND NEW PRODUCT into the Lil' Inker Family! Introducing the first release from our new Texture Plate Collection...Frame 1!

Our new Texture Plate is double sided and perfectly embosses a frame on an A2 sized card. Side A embosses a woodgrain frame with an inset, dotted frame and Side B embosses a simple or plain frame (complete with mitred corners) and also has an inset, dotted frame.

I really thought it would be so fun and so clever to give the focal images of your projects center stage by framing them with a beautiful but soft background with one easy step! And this really is beautiful in person. The dotted frame in the center is raised in your paper and I think it makes all the difference! What's also neat about our Frame 1 Texture Plate is that depending on how you cut and score your cardstock it works perfectly for a horizontal or vertical card layout!

In case you have not yet worked with an embossing plate, it's different than an embossing folder in that it only adds texture to one side of your card. When I used our new texture plate I lined everything up (paper to plate) by eye and then I added a tiny piece of tape to keep my alignment as I passed through my machine - works like magic! And speaking of using these plates...I have found that you truly get THE BEST impressions with an Embossing Pad Kit SO MUCH SO that I am stocking them in our store.

Our Embossing Pad Kit contains 2 rubber embossing pads, 1 thick and 1 thin. It's the combination of these 2 different thicknesses that gives the perfect impression in your paper. I've tried a lot of different things...shimming 1 pad with paper, expensive crease pads and let me just say this is THE BEST $6.99 I've ever spent!!! LOL!!! If you purchase our Texture Plate Collection: Frame 1, for a limited time you can also purchase our Embossing Pad Kit for $5.00 (regularly $6.99) if you use the code EPKIT5 at check out.

Again, it's not something that you have to have to use our texture plate but I really recommend it for a clean, crisp and true texture!

And more on using our new texture plate...I have a Sizzix Big Kick. Here's my sandwich from the bottom up:
Multi-purpose Platform OPEN to Tab 1 (so one tab is not being used)
Cutting Pad
Texture Plate
Cardstock
Embossing Pad Kit
Cutting Pad

For CuttleBug Users here is your stack:

A base plate

B plate

Cardstock

Texture Plate

Embossing Pad Kit

B plate

Ok, enough CHIT CHAT! Let me show you a project!

I think this card is a really great example of how you would incorporate our Texture Plate into a simple project! It basically did all the work for me. I added a simple sentiment on our double ended banner die from our Flags & Tags Die collection and I covered some chipboard numbers with patterned paper. I think this project took less than 10 minutes. Admittedly, I could have spent longer making my numbers a little neater looking...but no one's perfect, right? HA!!! My aunt loved her handmade card so that's what counts! LOL!

I also used our new Texture Plate: Frame 1 in my post from yesterday which you can see HERE.

Do you love this new product? I hope so. Ariana and I worked so hard to design this for you and to bring you the first in a series of texture plates that we think you are going to love love love!!! Ariana worked especially hard to design the woodgrain texture. A round of applause for her please! She's so amazing at what she does!!! Love that gal! ...I digress!

Ok, so before I send you on your way here is my daily reminder to leave some love along your travels today and all this week so that you can be entered to win one of two amazing prizes; a Sentiment Flag Additions Die and Stamp set and a $10 credit.

Remember, today is day three of our hop. Monday and Tuesday we release our Large and Small Bow Dies and seriously, if you're just joining us PLEASE go back and look at our previous posts. I truly think that our Bow Dies are something that EVERY PAPER CRAFTER will love working with!

OH and speaking of Bow Dies... Are you on Facebook? Lil' Inker is giving away 2 Small Bow Dies through Paper Crafts Magazine's Facebook page. To participate and be entered to win, click on THIS LINK and then leave a comment on the photo about what you'll be doing to celebrate Mother's Day! Easy Peasy and I will be picking 2 winners in a few days! YAY!

OK, now HOP! :) You can head on over to Amy Kolling's blog to see what deliciousness she has for you today! Enjoy!! Thank you for joining me today!!

New Release Hop Day 2 - Bow Dies

2012-05-08T00:01:00.000-04:00

We've received an overwhelmingly positive response to our new Bow Dies! Thank you so much! We're so glad that you're liking them and are happy to see something so new and different!

Thanks for joining us again today! Today we're have more Bow Die projects to share with you.

Are you just joining us today? Check out THIS POST from yesterday and to bring you up to speed we've released 2 new Bow Dies.

These dies are available in 2 sizes. Each die cuts three pieces (bow, tail and knot); and when assembled make the CUTEST bows AND they feature our signature stitching detail for just a little extra fun. The Small Bow Die cuts a perfect sized bow for tags, smaller projects and even accessories while the Large Bow Die creates a bow that is the perfect topped for an A2 sized card or even gift wrap.

Have a look...

Here is a project I made to share with you today featuring the Small Bow Die.

This is an A2 sized card so you can really visualize the difference in size between yesterday's bow and today's! (There's a little sneaky peek of our new Texture Plate Collection: Frame 1 which we'll be showcasing tomorrow!)

I cut and assembled this cute little pink bow and I was very inspired to make a baby card. (The sentiment is also from a set we're releasing this week.) Isn't the bow a terrific embellishment for a sweet baby card?

These dies have been really hard to put down and judging by your response to them and how fast they are flying out of here YOU won't be able to put them down either!

While I happen to think they are SO SIMPLE to put together I created a photo tutorial for you so you can see for yourselves and then have a reference when they arrive in your home. HERE is a link to the tutorial online.

What do you think? Are you loving these??

Before I send you on your way, let me remind you to leave us all some love along your way as we'll be giving away one Sentiment Flags Additions set as well as a $10 store credit to 2 lucky commenters!

Also, all of the goodies we are releasing this week are all available for purchase now at the LID Store so you can see them and pick and choose which you'll think you can't live without! And SPEAKING OF CAN'T live without....just wait until you see the newest product addition to Lil' Inker Designs!!! More on that tomorrow!

For now, head on over to Alicia Thelin's blog and see what she has in store for you. I've seen a peek and it's amazing. So head on over! You won't want to miss it!!! See you tomorrow and thanks for stopping by today!!

New Release Hop Day 1 - NEW Bow Dies!

2012-05-07T00:01:00.000-04:00

Thank you so much for joining us today! It's going to be a fantastic week filled with new goodies! Let's get right to it! I have been dying to share these new dies with our customers and fans! I think you are going to LOVE THEM! Today we're introducing our new Bow Dies!

The Bow Dies are available in 2 sizes; large and small. Each die cuts three pieces and when assembled make THE MOST ADORABLE bow featuring our signature perforated stitching detail. The Large Bow Die is the perfect size for an A2 card, large tag, even gift packaging. The Small die is just right for a small tag, accessories or even use multiples on an A2 card. Today, I'm featuring a card made using our Large Bow Die. Have a look!

Our Bow Dies are so fun and so simple to work with and once cut are assembled in just a few short steps. To show you just how easy they are to work with I put together a tutorial which you can view HERE. Go ahead....take a peek. I'll wait! Ha!

What makes these dies so easy to work with are the built in little ...I'm calling them the "bullseyes". See all the rounded little parts? They all work/fit together. They're guides so that you know where to put your glue dots. Line up the bullseyes and you'll get perfect, even bows every time!

Before I send you on your way, let me remind you to leave comments along your way to day and every day this week! We will be giving away 2 prizes; 1 $10 store credit as well as a Sentiment Flag Additions Die and Stamp set which we'll be showcasing later this week!

Remember, all of the goodies we're releasing this week are available now and can be seen in the LID store today. Also available today...our Original Sentiment Flags set has been restocked!

What do you think of these new dies? Do you love them? I'll tell you what I think.....(ok, I know...I'm a little biased) but I think these dies are amazing and I think every crafter should own them because I seriously can't think of a project that wouldn't look awesome with one of our bows on it (LOL). And did I mention they're super cute with felt too?

Ok, I am going to send you on your way to enjoy the rest of our hop. Next stop is Amy Kolling's blog. Enjoy what everyone has for you! Thank you so much for joining us today!

Designed to Color!

2012-04-26T19:33:00.000-04:00

Hello there!! I have some fun news to share so I thought I would stop by but before I do let me back up for a minute.

I came across the release of a brand new magazine called Designed To Color and I really thought the idea behind this magazine was truly genius. Designed to Color is specifically for paper crafters and card makers who LOVE to color. Projects featuring colored images in some publications are often few and far between so this is really the perfect outlet for those who are addicted to markers to show their amazing talents, be published and recognized for their stellar skills.

I am not the greatest with the markers by far, but I was lucky enough to have a project chosen for publication in the current April/May issue which uses colorless blending solution to add texture!

LUCKY ME!!

My project features our Cutie Cat image from our 2 Cute Ink line which is ALSO designed for the marker lover in all of us! Designed to Color is definitely the right place to submit some designs and show the marker marvels how fabulous these sets are!

Here is the project that was chosen for the current Designed to Color issue...

Gosh I love that image and sentiment combo!! I highly encourage you to check out Designed to Color and subscribe to their free digital magazine! NOW, go get caught up on their first two issues HERE! Thanks for stopping by!!

Good Morning!

2012-04-23T09:34:00.000-04:00

Hello and Good Morning!!! I thought I would stop by and chat about a few things!

This Saturday, April 28th, Lil' Inker Graphics Designer Extraordinaire, Ariana Grant, and I are heading to the Creating Keepsakes Scrapbook Convention in Manchester, New Hampshire!! It will be my first time attending this event AND Lil' Inker is one of the many fabulous sponsors. We've donated 5 crop prizes and 1 Grand Door Prize. I cannot WAIT to go and I'm looking forward to running into so many crafty ladies including our design team member, Sarah Jay! Yahooo!!!!

For more information about this event and to purchase tickets, please visit THIS LINK.

On another note entirely, we've been chatting with some of your favorite and fabulous craft supply and paper crafting retailers about wholesales! We are SO PROUD to announce that our 2 Cute Ink line is now available at Jay Gee's Nook!

I just know that our many customers in Australia will be absolutely delighted to know that they can order Lil' Inker Designs locally through their favorite online retailer!!

Please stay tuned! We have so many great things happening here at Lil' Inker! Our next release will be Monday May 7th and can I just tell you something???? This is release is totally amazing. I can hardly WAIT until we can share our new goodies with you. We're getting ready to release some products that you will NOT be able to live without once you see what our designers do with them! Seriously, AMAZING STUFF! We'll be posting about our next hop very soon and we might just be giving you a little sneaky peeky of what's to come!!

MORE EXCITING NEWS.....Lil' Inker officially has its own Company Gallery at Splitcoast Stampers! The keyword is "lilinkerdesigns". You can find this gallery HERE or you can upload your own Lil' Inker projects by simply including this keyword in your upload. It really is the perfect place to go to see loads and loads of fabulous projects by our design team and fans using our products! Ok, I think that's all I have to chat about for today! Thank you for stopping by!

Happy Easter!

2012-04-08T19:11:00.001-04:00

I hope you're all having a fabulous Easter weekend! Design Team Member Emily Leiphart here! I have a Lil' Inker Designs project to share with you today. This one uses last month's release Coffee Cozy with Of the Heart from the previous month. I made this card for a friend I love to shop with. Whenever we go to the mall, she gets a coffee and I end up with a bubble tea. The bubble tea place tucks in a long spoon/stirrer into the sleeve which is really cute. I decorated my friend's cup with a die cut heart and my cup with the arrow as a spoon/stirrer. I'm sure my friend will get a good laugh out of this! I used a ruler to draw faux stitching around the edges of the patterned paper using a marker that coordinates with the ink I used to stamp with.

This set is so much fun and it's not just for coffee lovers, as previously shown with the telephones! With the option of turning the cup into a mug with a handle, you can use this set for tea, cocoa, juice and more. There are so many themes covered in the sentiments and with all the outlines and decorative cozies to choose from, every card you make will be different! You can find Coffee Cozy at the LID Store.

Sources: SU Crumb Cake, Natural White, Melon Mambo, So Saffron & Certainly Celery cardstock; Echo Park Dots & Stripes Candy Shoppe paper pad; Lil' Inker Designs Coffee Cozy & Of the Heart; Lil' Inker Designs Memento Rich Cocoa ink pad & marker; foam tape

More Coffee Cozies - Rainbows & Clouds and Acorns Return!

2012-04-06T10:57:00.004-04:00

Hello! Design Team Member Jen Carter here! I am back today and posting on the LID Blog with a card using the Lil' Inker Designs Coffee Cozy set! I just love this set and find it to be so versatile!

For this card I kept the theme a little bit earthy. I wanted a clean & simple design that highlighted the fun coffee image! To incorporate an earthy feel, I used a piece of muslin to create the bow on the tag, a scrap piece of fabric and a piece of denim.

Have you tried cutting denim with your dies? It works very well! I used the coffee cozy die and my son's old pair of jeans to cut the cozy for this card. It creates an unexpected element. I also took a piece of scrap fabric, twisted it and then rolled it to create the little flower accent that I glued on to it. The steam was stamped in VersaMark.

If you haven't picked up your Coffee Cozy set yet, head on over to the Lil' Inker Designs store! There are so many fabulous dies and stamp sets there!

A couple of little house keeping notes....our Rainbows & Clouds dies and stamp sets AND our Acorn die and stamp set have been restocked as of today in limited quantity at the LID Store! Orders will begin to ship out Monday and Tuesday!

Currently in the LID Store, some of our 2 Cute Ink stamp sets have a temporary price reduction so it's the PERFECT time to snap up these guys! We are going to extend this sale through Sunday, April 15th. Also, currently reduced is our Holly Jolly die and stamp set! Again, perfect time to grab our Winter/Holiday themed 2 Cute Ink sets and get a jump on holiday cards with our Holly Jolly set as well!

Thanks for stopping by!

Blog Hop Re-Cap, Prize Winners, Coffee Die Tutorial & MORE!

2012-03-31T18:30:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone!!! Thank you for your patience while I prepared this post.
At the end of every hop I love to re-cap all of the amazing projects from our designers! Let's not wait any longer. Have a look!

From Teresa Kline

From Sarah Jay

From Laura Pryor

From Jen Carter

From Jen del Muro From Emily Leiphart

From Amy Kolling

From Debby Hughes

From Alicia Thelin

Totally amazing!

Now, a couple of days ago we announced our hop prize winners on our FaceBook Page. Do you follow Lil' Inker on FaceBook? If not, CLICK HERE. I actually do quite a bit of chatting there!

The winner of the $10 store credit is Chunyuan and the winner of the 2 Cute Ink Set of her choice is KopyKat AKA Holly. Chunyuan has already contacted me, but Holly if you're out there please email me at lilinkerdesigns at gmail dot com!!!

Congrats Congrats Congrats!!!!! And thank you to all of you who take the time out to hop with us and leave us such wonderful and enthusiastic feedback. We appreciate it so much!!!

So are you ready for some more??? I've really been wanting to share a pictured tutorial with you showing you how to use the registration marks on our new Coffee Cozies Dies. CLICK HERE to be taken to the tutorial page.

Ok, so we still have Coffee Cozies sets and Funny Bunnies sets available at the LID Store for you to take home today. AND as an extra added BONUS we've just marked down some stamps sets in our store and we'll be running this select items sale until at least next Sunday. Currently marked down are some sets from our 2 Cute Ink line: Hamster Cupid $5, Arctic Friends, Snow Mouse, Cocoa Bear and Sweet Bee are all $7.50 for a limited time. We have a few Holly Jolly sets in stock and they've been reduced to $15. Why not grab one up today?

Thanks for stopping by today!

International Shipping Rates Update

2012-03-25T15:33:00.003-04:00

Good afternoon! I'm following up from our post a few weeks ago regarding our International Shipping Rates.

We did find it necessary to increse our international shipping rates as of now.

For Australia, Canada and the UK our first class shipping has increased from $5.00 to $5.50 for orders totaling $66.00 or less. We are keeping our rate of $6.50 for orders over $66.00.

Other regions, such as Netherlands, Denmark, South Africa, Iceland, Greece, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, Belgium, French Polynesia, Italy, Switzerland, Slovenia, France, Malaysia, Germany, Bermuda our first class rate has increased from $5.00 to $6.00 for orders totaling $66.00 or less. We are keeping our rate of $6.50 for orders over $66.00 for the time being.

We think you'll find that these rates are competitive and that the increase is reasonable considering the recent postal increases.

We'll be back shortly with a post to re-cap our exciting release hop, a pictured tutorial using our new Coffee Cozies dies and thei built in alignment tool as well as the annoucement of our prize winners and some pictures from the swap I attended with Ariana and Sarah Jay on Saturday!!

Thank you so much for your attention and understanding.

New Release Hop Day 5

2012-03-23T00:01:00.000-04:00

This has been such an amazing week!! Thank you to everyone who has so positively and enthusiastically left comments for myself and the Design Team this week. We've all had so much fun making projects with our new sets Coffee Cozies and Funny Bunnies and now it's YOUR turn to enjoy them! There are still sets left at the LID Store today!

And speaking of enjoy.....get ready to enjoy a post from all of our designers today with more amazing projects showing off our new goodies.

I am planning to come back with some pictures to add to the informal tutorial I wrote up on Monday about using our Coffee Cozies dies and their registration marks for perfect stamp to die placement. AND I will be back to announce the winners of the prizes we're giving away for this release. You have until 11:30 P.M. EST Saturday March 24th to comment to be eligible for the random drawing.

We are experiencing a slight delay getting our Funny Bunnies orders out the door. We really appreciate your patience while we get these orders packed and shipped and all ready for you. It shouldn't be long at all. I'm guessing that they will all have grown wings and will be well on their way by Monday the latest!

So I am going to leave you to get started on the rest of your crafty little way! The first stop on the hop today is Alicia Thelin!

Enjoy have a fabby day and I'll see you in a few days with a pictured tutorial, Prize Winners, hop re-cap AND I'm hoping to snap some pics on Saturday at my first Shoe Box Swap. I'm going with Ariana and our friend and DT member Sarah Jay is going to be there and we'll be meeting for the first time!!!! OH YAY!!! I cannot wait and I just MIGHT be bringing some prizes with me!

Ok, off you go! Thanks for stopping by today!

New Release Hop Day 4 - Funny Bunnies

2012-03-22T00:01:00.001-04:00

Oh my goodness! I can't even believe today is Thursday already! SO many of our new sets have grown little wings and are off and flying to their new homes as we speak. We're so happy with the response we've received from our customers and fans this week regarding our new sets. If you think this release is good...oh boy! You just wait until NEXT MONTH!!! More on that at the right time!

Let's talk more bunnies!!! Isn't this set so great!

If you're just joining us today, we're showcasing our new 2 Cute Ink set called Funny Bunnies! It's jammed packed with cuteness with TWO focal bunny images, a basket image, two different egg stamps and NINE sentiments.

If you think bunnies are only for Easter, think again!!! This set contains some great sentiments for everyday use such as "Hiya, Sweetie!", "Just hopping by with a great big bunny hi" and "Fewer things are lovelier than friends like you". Aren't those good? I think so! HA! But I think it's also neat that so many our sentiments in this line are truly interchangeable with all of the other images in the 2 Cute Ink line and this really gives you more bang for your buck, don't you think?

I have a quick and easy card I made to share with you today. Have a peek....

I tried to color an actual, colorful, swirled lollipop. I added some clear embossing powder over it to give it some shine. It's hard to see in my picture but it's pretty cool in person. I made a grassy hill for my bunny to stand on and I added in the clouds by sponging with white craft ink and using a negative from a cloud die cut. I also embossed my sentiment which is a great way to add a little shine and really have your sentiment pop off the kraft paper.

Ok, come and get your copy of this set in the LID Store. They are selling fast! And don't forget to leave comments along your way through the hop today to be eligible for our prizes; a $10 store credit and a Funny Bunnies set!

Amy Kolling is the next stop on your way today and then onto Sarah Jay, so a quick hop today but TOMORROW pour yourself a cuppa coffee. It's our group post day so our entire team will have something new to share with you!

Thanks so much! Make it a good day!

New Release Hop Day 3 - Funny Bunnies

2012-03-21T00:01:00.008-04:00

Hello and welcome to Wednesday, day THREE of our new release hop! Thank you for joining us and supporting us with your delightful and exciting feedback over the last few days!

Today we're here to introduce what I know is going to make you squeal with delight. This is truly my favorite set from our 2 Cute Ink line so far AND it's our largest with two main focal images and three supporting/coordinating images and EIGHT sentiments. We really have a nice variety of sayings for this set. They can be used for Spring, Easter AND everyday! There's just something about these bunnies which makes me think this is our cutest set yet! Have a look...

So sweet. Right?

Here are a couple of projects I made using these funny little bunnies. I love making little scenes for these guys and this first project is no exception. Have a peek...

I wanted my little bunny to look like she was sitting on a spot of grass. I used the "l" die from our Jingle Joy set to cut a piece of felt (green grass) for her to sit on and of course I added a couple of white felt clouds to adorn her sky! I just love this Springy feel of yellow and purple too.

Let me just stop for a minute and tell you how easy and fun these images are to color. A coloring/Copic marker expert I am NOT. I used some quick "flicks" or strokes to add color for fur and a combo of markers to color her bow and the same "flicks" technique for her ears and that was pretty much it. It took me less than 5 minutes to do and overall I think the results are pretty darn okay!!

So if you're new to coloring I think our 2 Cute images are an easy, fun and CUTE way to get your feet wet. Not into coloring? Seriously, paper piecing is loads of fun and gives you just as cool an effect! So it's true that these sets really are for all and any skill level!

Ok, one more project for you today....I made this fun little lollipop holder!

I started by carefully inking my image so as to avoid the actual lollipop part of the stamp knowing that wanted to add a real one and then stamped and colored my image. Then, I used our oversized sentiment flag from our Flags & Tags set to cut out the tag and because this die has the clear backer I could lay the die over my bunny and line it up and actually see through the die so I could place the bunny on the flag wherever I wanted him! Yet another reason every paper crafter should own this die, LOL!!

After sponging the sky and adding in some grass with my Copics (you guessed it...more "flicks")I used a glue dot to stick my pop on the tag exactly where I wanted it and added in a little strip of paper for a hand?...paw? as if he's holding the pop for you! The rest is pretty easy...a strip of decorative paper, some twine and of course a sentiment! Here I used our Easter sentiment. I thought this would be a really fun way to give a sweet little Easter treat. I hope you like it!

Ok, so...LOVE, right? A total must have set for bunny lovers, colorers, paper piecers and stamp lovers in general for making sweet Spring cards, Easter greetings or just for everday like saying hi!

Remember as you hop along to view our bunny cards for today remember to leave comments along the way. We are going to pick two winners from this week's comments. One will receive a $10 store credit and the other will win our brand new Funny Bunnies set!

I hope you're enjoying this week as much as we are! Both sets that we've previewed this week are currently available to take home today from our LID Store!

Now, I'm going to send you on your way to the FABBY Alicia Thelin's blog to see what crafty goodness she's up to today!

Enjoy, have fun and thanks for stopping by today!!

New Release Hop Day 2 - Coffee Cozies

2012-03-20T00:01:00.003-04:00

Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments you left for us yesterday. Judging by your feedback I think it's safe to say you're loving our new Coffee Cozies set! YAY!!!

And an extra thank you for the feedback you left regarding the registration marks on these dies. If you missed my post yesterday about the new feature you can go back and read all about it HERE. These dies have a built in alignment tool so that your stamps and dies line up PERFECTLY and it's really SUPER simple to use. Run your dies through your cutting machine and use the negative that remains to help line up your stamped art to your die by making marks in the alignment holes. Go ahead on over and read all about it. I'll wait :), LOL!!

However, I can't emphasize enough that this is truly only an option for perfect alignment and we've had just as super results with these products using them the traditional way of die cut first, then line up by "eyeing it" and stamping.

Have you taken a few minutes to look at all the stamps that come in this set and the super cute fonts and sentiments?

What are some of your favorites? I'm loving the Vitamin "C" sentiment. I'm also loving the smiley face in this set. I actually drew it and Ariana perfected it in her graphics software. Heidi Schwoerer of 2 Cute Ink also helped on this set and did a fabulous job of taking my sketches and making them into this cute artwork.Thank you again, Heidi!

So apparently I'm loving the Coffee and Friends sentiment because I just noticed now as I am typing this that I used this sentiment on today's project as well! That's okay! This project shows you how nicely the dies work just by themselves with some patterned paper. Have a look....

It also shows you how the over sized sentiment flag from our Flags & Tags set is literally the perfect backdrop for every project and how I think every paper crafter in the world should have one!!! LOL!!! I swear..I haven't put this guy down. LOVE!!

Now, tomorrow we will begin to post projects featuring our new 2 Cute Ink set which seriously and honestly is the BEST one we've done! So please come back and visit us tomorrow and Thursday so you can see it. And Friday the entire group will be posting. So pour yourself some Vitamin "C" on Friday because our hop will be plentiful and loaded with goodness! Also, don't forget to leave comments along the way as you hop because we'll be giving away prizes, a $10 store credit and our new Funny Bunnies set from 2 Cute Ink! Both of our new sets are already in the LID store and are ready to go home with you today! So run right over for a preview of the Funny Bunnies set!

I'll leave you now to head on over to the amazing and talented Emily Leiphart's blog to see what crafty goodness she has brewing!

Thank you for stopping by today!

New Release Hop Day One - Coffee Cozies!

2012-03-19T00:01:00.011-04:00

YAY! I can finally share this set with you! Welcome to our New Release Hop Day One....Introducing Coffee Cozies!!

We have been working so hard on this set for what seems like FOREVER! I really wanted to bring you a set of dies and stamps which focuses on the cutest part of coffee, the cozy! What's a coffee cozy you ask? Why, it's the little sleeve that goes around your to-go cup, of course!

This set includes 4 dies: coffee cup, lid, cozy and handle which can be used to make a cute to-go cup or even a sweet little mug...mixable and matchable for that perfect cup!

The coordinating stamp set includes 26 stamps, our largest set yet and includes cute images to dress up your cozy as well as many wonderful coffee themed sentiments like "Good Morning" and "Warm and Sweet Just Like You" which are done in a lovely and decorative font! There's even a fun smiley and steamy swirl stamps...lots and lots of possibilities with this fun set!

A VERY special thank you to Heidi Schwoerer of 2 Cute Ink, contributing artist on the Coffee Cozy set! Thank you, my dear! Heidi took my hand drawn art which wasn't TOO BAD (LOL) and made it into something adorable! Round of applause for Heidi!!!

Let's have a look at a project I made using this set to help you fall in love with it as much as I already am!

Before I get to the ins and outs of this project let me take a minute to talk about this die set. We've done something new with this set if you noticed from the graphic above. We've added registration marks to these dies to help with lining up your stamps and dies...the thing about this feature is that it's there as an option for you to use if your a perfectionist like me and want perfectly stamped dies....let me explain...

If you'd like to use the registration marks for perfect stamp placement you will want to run your dies through your cutting machine using a scrap piece of paper. It's the negative here that will give you the perfect placement. See those extra holes the die cut out on the negative? Those are the registration marks and they are the key to proper alignment. Put the negative aside for now...but KEEP it with your set when you store it so it can be used over and over again.

To begin, first stamp your image...color it to your heart's content or stamp it with dye ink in your favorite color...and when it's perfect and ready for cutting lay the die negative (from above) over your stamped image and line it up so that there's nice, even white space all the way around your stamped image. Using a pen or marker(I like marker best)fill in the holes in the negative then remove the negative.

Now, lay your die over your stamped image and line up the markings on your sheet so you can see them through the holes in the actual die and CUT! THIS method will yield you perfect results.

BUT, you do NOT HAVE to use this method for perfect alignment. Ariana and I designed this set in such a way that you can use the standard, slightly faster method of die cut first, then stamp by eyeing just as easily and effectively and pretty darn perfectly too! Again, this new method I described above is an option that we thought it would be nice for you to have!! I like options!

So my first project above is what I thought would be a super cute way to give a coffee gift card to a friend or the babysitter or a thank you for a neighbor! Of course I didn't get a picture of it but I actually made a pocket on the back of this tag so the gift card has a nice little place to sit! I just love this combo of kraft and pink and I think that the heart is my favorite cozy stamp! You likey?

I have one more project to share with you...Have a look....

I just love that you can mix and match colors to make infinite coffee cup combos! This one uses an aqua and red combo that I just love as well as the flower cozy stamp and possibly my favorite sentiment from this set. Here I used the "l" from our Jingle Joy set to create the perfect slit in the top of my card where I threaded my ribbon!

Ok, ARE YOU READY FOR MORE???? We are giving away prizes this week as we celebrate new release week so don't forget to comment all along the hop each day. We'll be giving away a $10 store credit and our 2 Cute Ink set releasing this month which we'll be showcasing here beginning Wednesday.

Now, I'm going to send you on your way to Design Team Member Alicia Thelin's blog so you can see what's up at Scrappy Betties! Have fun today! I can't WAIT to hear what you think of this new set! Oh and one more thing before I forget BOTH of our releases are available for purchase at the LID Shop today so that if you want them both they're yours for the taking with no waiting!

Thanks for stopping by today! We'll see you tomorrow for hop day 2 and more fun with Coffee Cozies!

Flags & Tags Back In Stock

2012-03-12T11:09:00.005-04:00

Good morning! Just a quick post to all who have been waiting.....our Flags & Tags set is back in stock! Please feel free to head on over to the LID Store!

Here are the product graphics for this set. You will receive a huge stamp set filled with backgrounds and beautiful sentiments as well as a three piece die set. I just love love love this set...so many options and possibilities!

And here is one of my favorite projects using this set. I know you've seen it and it's seasonal and the season is...well...over, LOL! But I love it and it's still hanging in my living room! HA!

Enjoy your day!

Back Ordered Items

2012-03-08T19:21:00.003-05:00

Good evening!

Just a quick post to let you know that our Rainbows and Clouds set is currently on backorder. This set will be restocked in 2-4 weeks time along with our Acorn set. If you would like to be added to our notification list when either of these sets arrive please email me at lilinkerdesigns at gmail dot com. Please indicate the set you'd like to be notified about.

Our Flags & Tags set will be fully restocked on Monday March 12th at which time emails will go out to those who requested to be on our mailing list regarding their availability.

Thank you for making these sets so popular. We are just delighted that you are enjoying our goodies!

You know I love giving you a little eye candy when you stop by. Have a look at this beautiful clean and simple design by our DT member, Jen del Muro! You can read all about her project HERE.

Have a great night!

New Goodies Coming Soon, Etc...

2012-03-02T09:28:00.004-05:00

Good morning! We at Lil' Inker are preparing for our March Release Blog Hop beginning on Monday March, 19th! We hope you will join us for FUN, inspiration from our amazing designers and of course, PRIZES!

Update on Flags & Tags....this popular set will be restocked very soon! If you would like to be notified when these items are available for purchase please email me at lilinkerdesigns at gmail dot com.

Also, we are currently running super low on our Rainbows & Clouds set so if you've had your eye on it for FABBY Spring projects I have a few left on hand which can go out ASAP.

We're also looking ahead to our April release which is going to astound you with goodness! I think it's going to be absolutely AMAZING with some brand new never before seen goodies that are 1000% MUST HAVES! I'm so excited! I can't hardly wait!

BUT, up first are our brand new March goodies which are equally as great! Join us Monday March 19th to see what's brewing!

Don't forget....Lil' Inker Designs is sponsoring this week's CPS Sketch Challenge. A lucky participant will will a $20 shopping spree to LID! Head on over to the CPS Blog for more details HERE

Shipping, Etc...

2012-03-01T16:36:00.005-05:00

Good afteroon, Friends and Customers! I wanted to stop by very quickly and let you know that there is going to be an adjustment to our shipping fees. It's very small but it warrants a post here to inform you nonetheless.

Currently, any order greater than $7.50 is mailed via Priority Shipping for $5.25. We are increasing these costs to $5.40 to cover the $.15 increase for this shipping purchased via PayPal. Please note that this increase is for the shipping increase levied by PayPal and we are not increasing our handling expenses.

This adjustment has been made effective as of today and we thank you so much for understanding.

At this time, no changes are being made to our International Shipping but they are currently being reviewed for adjustments. It looks like our Canadian and Australian customers may NOT experience an increase after a preliminary review. However, it looks like there will be an adjustment for our customers in other locations including parts of Europe.

I will keep you posted on these changes. Please know that I will do everything in my power to keep these increases to an absolute minimum.

Thanks so much for your time and attention to this matter!
Since I like you to have some eye candy when you come here I thought I would share I card I made but haven't had the time to post until now.

I saw something on Pinterest which made me think that I could easily make a shamrock using our new Hearts Dies. I die cut three of our large hearts from green felt and snipped off the pointed tails and then I ran a stitch through them all on the same thread pulled them taught and sewed it together. I seamstress I am not so this MUST be super easy, LOL! Then I added the tail using a scrap piece of felt.

The sentiment panel was created using the curly tag from our Flags & Tags set and coordinating border stamp also in green. I love how this turned out!!!! I also love seeing great combos of products and how nicely the Lil' Inker goodies work with goodies from others!!! Love that!

Thanks again and have a great evening!

Stamps: Flags & Tags(Lil' Inker Designs), Wonderful Words(PTI)
Paper: white, shimmer white
Ink: Kiwi Kiss(SU!)
Accessories: Of the Heart dies and Flags & Tags dies(Lil' Inker Designs), Wonderful Words dies and green felt(PTI)
Other: needle, thread, silver dot

CPS & Lil' Inker!

2012-02-26T15:14:00.003-05:00

Well, hello there! I'm excited to announce that this week Lil' Inker Designs is sponsoring the Card Positioning Systems Challenge #154! There is an awesome sketch for all of you to be inspired by! Head on over to the CPS Blog HERE to check it out!

BIG THANKS to Tami Mayberry and Laura Williams for having us this week!!! And a very special thank you to the CPS designers as well!

Here are a few amazing designs using this week's sketch by some of the many fabulous members of the Lil' Inker Design Team.

Alicia Thelin

Teresa Kline

Debby Hughes

Jen Carter

Come play along at the CPS Challenge! Lil' Inker is giving one lucky participant a shopping spree in our store!!! Enjoy and have a fabulous week!!!

UPDATE: Flags & Tags

2012-02-16T09:26:00.003-05:00

Good morning! Just a quick note to let you know that the Flags & Tags set is now sold out. We will be restocking this set but it will be about 2-3 weeks before we can start to ship these goodies again!

Thanks for making this such a popular set!

UPDATE: Original Pinwheels - New Product Coming SOON!

2012-02-15T18:42:00.002-05:00

Hello Lil' Inker customers! I'm here to let you know that it will only be two more days until your orders for Original Pinwheel Dies start to ship out to their new homes!

It did take a little bit longer for these to restock than anticipated but we think you'll find it was worth the wait!

Thank you for your patience!

Also on the horizon for Lil' Inker is a freshly brewed group of products which will be available March 19th with the kick off of our March New Release Hop!

We are also getting ready for an exciting sponsorship at one of your favorite challenge blogs! More on that to come!

See you soooooooon!

Valentine's Day Goodies Hop Day 4!

2012-02-04T00:01:00.000-05:00

Hello there! I'm so glad that we've had some extra time to share some awesome projects with you this week using our new Valentine's Day goodie products, Hamster Cupid and Of the Heart dies and stamps.

Here are some of my favorite projects I've made with these goodies...

I am going to send you right on over to Emily Leiphart's blog so you can see what loveliness she's created for you today!

Thank you for hopping along with us this week. We're so glad to see you're loving these new sets as much as we are. Take them home with you today by visiting the LID Store at the end of our hop today.