August Release Blog Hop Day 3

And just like that it's Day 3 of our August Release Blog Hop! How can that be?

If by chance you're just joining us today, I would love it if you'd go back and visit our Day 1 and Day 2 posts because typically in the Day1 and 2 posts I share a LOT more details about the products and how to use them. I figure that by day 3 you might think I'm a broken record! HA! Of course, I always try to include the most important tid bits of info about our products in the descriptions on our website. So, be sure to visit OUR STORE for additional details as well.

That being said, again Day 3 and I usually just share the images of what we've released and some new projects I have for you. Today, I am also going to include a closer look at our Deco Edge Border Dies and all the different things that die set can do by showing you Design Team examples and how they put this set to great use.

Here is a look at everything new to the store this week which you literally MUST get your hands on. They are FABULOUS!!!!!

CLICK HERE to check out the entire new release!

Today, I'm going to focus on the projects I made using our beautiful new Modern Mandala Stamps and Dies! Earlier in the week or perhaps even last week I shared this little video snippet as a sneak peek which I made using Boomerang.

For some reason these Mandala Stamps screamed foil technique to me and would you believe I didn't have a laminator or any foils?? GASP!!! So, over to Amazon I went and within 48 hours I had all the tools to foil all the things!! Hahahaha!!

Here is the card I made using that foiled piece of goodness from the video above...

I received a request to give instructions on how I was able to foil a stamped image and I have to say that before this project I had no idea what I was doing and I solicited the help of Jessica Frost-Ballas who helped me with the tools I needed and more! Thanks, Jess!!

Step 1 - Stamp your image onto any paper. I used my MISTI so that I could stamp my image twice making sure that every bit of the image was deep and dark with ink.

Step 2 - Photo copy your stamped image onto card stock using a laser printer. I made sure the quality of my image was increased ensuring the most amount of toner on my print out.

It's the toner of the printer that the foil needs to adhere.

Step 3 - Using a laminator or specialty foiling machine, layer your foil, color side up, over your printed piece and run through your machine according to the manufacturer's guidelines.

Step 4 - Remove from machine, peel off foil and marvel at the excellence of your foiled image and use for any project!

Here's a closer look at the glow of this foiled image.

To create my project, after foiling I stamped two more of the same image just in black to hang over the edges of the white card stock which I then layered over a pink base with a strip of deco paper. Then, using my Modern Mandala Die Set I cut a label from black stock and heat embossed with the happy birthday stamp in the Modern Mandala Stamp Set.

So, there are definitely a few extra steps to foiling images but honestly, it's so worth the extra effort. I already ordered green and red and gold foils so that for Christmas I can foil all the things!!! Hahahaha!!!!

Here is another project I made using Modern Mandalas and before you even look I must credit Jennifer McGuire for providing me with the inspiration for this design which is basically a CASE from THIS VIDEO. Thank you, Jennifer!!

I started first by making a sentiment background which I planned to foil but didn't get a chance to do. All of the thanks and gratitude stamps are from Lil' Inker Designs exclusively and I have to say it was super duper fun to pull out all these previously released sets and put the to great use. I love how the background turned out and because I used my MISTI was able to stamp these sentiment repeatedly making several of these panels for future cards.

Then, I got to stamping this gorgeous Modern Mandala which I then quickly colored with my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers. To finish off this card I die cut a circle from my Stitched Mats: Circles Die Set and a label from the Modern Mandalas Set which I heat embossed with this thanks sentiment and laid everything out as you see above.

Do you ever have a day when you want to create so badly but you just need something to CASE? That was me on the day I made this card and Jennifer's video really came in clutch! :) I love how this all turned out!

One last card for you today.

Here I used our Modern Mandalas Stamps and Dies again. I started with some Distress Oxide Inks and a blending tool to blend out these soft backgrounds. In hindsight, I should have saved my blended panels for another project because the stamps are so detailed it really covered a lot of the blending up and it looks like colored card stock which is totally fine. You live you learn!

I heat embossed and die cut these images and arranged them over a card panel cut with our new Cover Up Die: Hello Beautiful. I love the lacey look of all of these items and how this turned out. My sentiment panel was made with the label die from the Mandalas Die Set but I traced it and cut it out by hand so that I could make it long enough to go across my card. This came out so soft and pretty and I love that these mandalas can also look like little doilies!

As I promised, let's take a closer look at our Deco Edge Border Dies and all the things you can do with them!

This is exactly what I had in mind for these dies when I first envisioned them. Here you can see that Heather has die cut her bright pink stock and then layered a very light pink underneath also die cut with the Deco Edge Border Dies. Doesn't it look like the paper was torn? What's interesting about what Heather did here is how she repeating this treatment on the top and bottom creating a pretty focal panel. I really love this. Here's a closer look.

I really love what Lisa did here. She used her Deco Edge Border Dies to create a striping effect on her card front. In fact looking at this it almost appears as though this is the under hanging of a tree and the bottom is grass and if I didn't know better I'd think there was a tree trunk behind her circle panel. Can you see it? Love that these can be used to create interesting stripes and color blocked panels!

Here, Jessica has used her Deco Edge Border Dies as a ground or terrain element. It totally looks like a rocky background, don't you think? It's perfect with the Dinos!

Here Karen used the same technique but added additional visual interest with some sponging and layering of these panels. I think it's great that two different tones of paper can be used to indicated a background and a foreground!

Here Amy used her dies to create layers of field and grass which I love. This was achieved I believe by using some foam tape on the bottom most panel. Fantastic! Here's a closer look.

Fantastic job, Ladies!!!! 

Would you be interested in winning everything from this new release? Who doesn't like a prize?! Have you noticed we've really kicked it up a notch here with our new release hop prizes as of late? The entire release? Sign me up!!! HA!!

All you have to do to be eligible to win is leave comments for our designers along your way as you hop with us the next three days. Comments should be left by Tuesday, 8/8/2017 at 11:30 PM EST!

Here is a list of everyone participating in our hop today:

Here are all of the people participating in today's hop:

Laura Pryor/LID Store Blog << --- You are here

Amy Kolling

Chrissy Larson

Heather Hoffman

Jen Carter

Jessica Frost-Ballas

Karen Baker

Lisa Henke

Sarah Jay

Thank you so so much for hopping and shopping with us this week! It's been a wonderful release. 

Please be advised that we will be closed for shipping at the beginning of next week 8/7 - 8/9 and resuming on 8/10 SO if there's something you want and you don't want to wait a few extra days order now and I hope to get all orders out as I leave for a few days away on Monday. I'm heading off to Ogunquit, ME to spend time with my parents and my son. It's such a beautiful place!

Thank you again for supporting my small business. For those of you who don't know this already, while I have the amazing support of our Design Team to show you what our dies and stamps can do, Lil' Inker Designs is run out of two bedrooms in my home that have been dedicated as Lil' Inker Designs Headquarters. All the dies are packaged and stickered in house by myself and an occasional helper and all orders are fulfilled by me personally. I can often be found cooking dinner while answering customer emails or under the covers chatting with customers as well in between watching Netflix! It's just what I do and what I've been doing now for the last SEVEN YEARS. That's right! Lil' Inker Designs turns SEVEN this month! Holy moly!

So, that's a little bit about the operation here. It's small in comparison to others you may be familiar with but it's mine and I'm proud. I've honestly never worked so hard in my entire life, but I love every minute!

See you soon and thank you again for your support!

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