NEW Release Hop Day 1!

Hello and welcome to day 1 of our November New Release Hop!!!

If you visited us last week you saw some Pre-Release Sneak Peeks! It's something we've not done before and I would love your feedback. Do you like seeing some projects in advance of the release or would you rather be surprised on release day?

Either way, today is release day and I'd love to share the product images of everything we're releasing with you. Here goes.....

Up first is a gorgeous Cover Up Die that strays away from the repeating geometric patterns we've been seeing in dies like these. We wanted to bring you something unique that has more of an organic feel and being that I was designing this for release in the Fall this is what we came up with....

Cover Up Die: Leaf Pattern

The super neat thing about this fresh and pretty leaf pattern is that we've given some of the leaves out stitching detail and some even have a cut out center. We designed the die this way so that the many negative cut leaves can be used for other projects will leaving you the main die cut to design with as well. This die adds instant, but easy wow factor to your cards in no time!

Next up is another funky and fresh Cover Up Die also with a more organic design. We call it Cover Up Die Swirls!

Ooooooooh, this die adds just about the coolest effect to your card fronts and paper crafting projects!

This next die might just be my favorite of the entire release! Have a look at our On the Diagonal Die...

At first this might look like a stitched strip but when you see what this baby can do you will instantly realize that this is no ordinary stitched strip. I swear it possesses magical, paper crafting powers!!! LOL!

This die was designed specifically to be used on a A2 card front (4.25"x5.5"). If you look closely, it's the negative stitching or the stitching opposite the main cut line that allows you to do so many cool things with this die.  When you combined it with your Stitched Mats: Rectangles it will blow your mind! 

Up next is a stamp and die set that you're going to WANT RIGHT NOW! I have a love for anything that looks doodled by hand. Specifically, I've been eyeing Mehndi and Henna tattoo art which are gorgeously designed and immensely intricate patterns. 

Mehndi or henna tattoos are used as celebratory body art in Asian cultures. While I'm not an authority on their use or meaning I am drawn to the pure beauty and intricacies of these designs. Have a look.....

(photo credit)

(photo credit)

Gorgeous, right? So being that I was inspired by Mehndi body art AND being that I've been wanting to design a floral stamp set our brand new Modern Mehndi Set is where we arrived!

Modern Mehndi is a totally new take on a traditional stamp set and I know you are going to LOVE having these stamps in your collection especially after our designers show you what they can do! 

What is a stamp set without a coordinating die set?

Our Modern Mehndi Dies are a set of 6 dies which come nested on a magnetic sheet for easy storage. You will notice that one die in this set cuts and coordinates with two of the stamps in our Modern Mehndi Stamp Set. You'll also see that these dies are hollow so that you can perfectly align the die to your stamp before cutting! Now you can stamp, color or even heat emboss your Modern Mehndi Stamps and have the perfect coordinating dies to cut them out! 

Last but certainly NOT least is a set of dies that I have had a zillion requests  pleas for! And you've been very patiently waiting and thank you for that! Introducing Stitched Mats: Ovals!!!!!!!!!

This is a set of 4 nested, stitched oval dies and just like our Stitched Mats: Circles and Stitched Stars feature our signature, negative stitching detail! So not only will these four dies cut perfectly sized, stitched ovals for your A2 cards they will leave a negative stitching detail in the wake of cutting! 

Would you like to see some projects?

I think for today I'm going to focus on our On the Diagonal Die and share a project with you that shows off our Ovals as well!

So here is the card you saw last week showcasing our On the Diagonal Die:

This is the standard use for this die meaning that I simply die cut the angled, stitched strip from white paper and used it as focal point for my sentiment. See how nicely it fits some of the larger sentiments we have in our collection? This one is from our Darling Diamonds Stamp Set. If you don't own this stamp set you are completely missing out! HA! We did some awesomely over sized sentiments in both this set and coordinating ones in our Spot On Stamp Set as well. The font is UBER trendy! Behind my On the Diagonal you will see that I used our new Modern Mehndi Die Set to cut out flowers from patterned paper which I embellished with coordinating enamel dots. LOVE THIS!!!

Now HERE is where the little die REALLY packs a BIG punch!

Ooooooooo, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

HA!

Ok, so here I pre-made an A2 sized mat from white paper. Then, using the largest mat in my Stitched Mats: Rectangles Die Set I die cut my stitched border. Next, I laid my On the Diagonal Die over this card front. It lines up perfectly wherever you want your cut out to appear and I cut again. It leaves me with two stitched panels as you can see in the photo above which I can now use for a super COOL and TRENDY card front layout! Yipee!! I love this!!!

For this card, I made an A2 card base from pink card stock. Then, I took my two stitched layout panels and placed them over my card front and made pencil marks at the opening. I did this so that I could perfectly stamp my repeating sentiment on the pink base. Once I stamped I simply erased my lines. Then, using foam tape I popped up my layout panels so that my sentiment appears recessed. Is this COOL?

Of course, I finished this card off with the gorgeous stamps from our new Modern Mehndi Set which were cut out with their coordinating die set and embellished around them with enamel dots. Enamel dots where have you been all my life?  Isn't this a nifty little layout? Can you see now how this little die does BIG things? Definitely a MUST HAVE for your die collection!!!

Now, here is a project I made to show you just how awesome our new Stitched Mats: Ovals are!! Here I feature the negative stitching detail.

These dies are awesome! Inside my card and peeking through the front is a sentiment from our new Modern Mehndi Set and the flowers are cut using the Modern Mehndi Dies and are embellished with button centers.

Ok, so even though I want to share all of my projects today, we have two more hop days so I should save them :). Before I send you on your way to Alicia Thelin's Blog, I'd like to take a minute to welcome a fantastic Guest Designer who will be joining us for this release! It's........

Tracey McNeely!!! 

I'm a big fan of Tracey's work and she is a supporter and LID enthusiast so this was a no-brainer!!! I'm so excited to have Tracey with us this week. Be sure and say hi as you pass by her gorgeous blog today, In My Creative Opinion! Yayyyyyyyyyy!!!!!

And please leave some love for all of our fabulous designers as you hop today as we'll be picking a winner for each day of our hop from a secret prize blog and we have three $15 gift certificates to Lil' Inker to give away!

Also, one other housekeeping note to mention....we are currently accepting applications for our Design Team Applications November 25th. We're looking for 2-3 new team members who have a passion for paper crafting and LOVE Lil' Inker Designs. 

Please click HERE to read more about our Design Team Call!

Off you go now to visit Alicia Thelin!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! See you tomorrow with more new projects to share!

Pre-Release Sneak Peek 4!

Hi there! I hope you've been loving what you see this week!

Today's sneaky peek gets right up close and personal with a brand new stamp set and coordinating die set called Modern Mehndi. It's a modern, fresh take on a traditional floral stamp set inspired by the intricate and gorgeous details of Henna or Mehndi ceremonial art.

Have a peek....

The stamps also have a coordinating Modern Mehndi Die Set because what's a stamp set without coordinating dies!!! 

This is a super fun and intricately illustrated stamp set that you are going to LOVE!

I have one more thing to tease you with today, LOL!

On Monday I shared a project made with our brand new Cover Up Die: Leaf Pattern. Here is snippet of a STUNNING card which will be showcased next week by Design Team Member, Amy Kolling!

Just wait until you see how gorgeous this project is!

Join us for our New Release Hop on November 18th right here on the blog where we'll share the entire gorgeous Modern Mehndi goodies with you and Amy's gorgeous card along with so many inspiring and beautiful projects from our Design Team!!

You may have heard about our current Design Team Call. To read all about the details of our call please click HERE. The call is open through November 25th!

We'll see you on Monday, November 18th for our New Release Hop. Thank you for stopping by today!

Pre-Release Sneak Peek 3!

Hi there! I thought I would stop by with one more Pre-Release Sneak Peek! Remember, everything you've seen so far this will will be released on November 18th and we'll still have our New Release Hop next so that you can see everything we have for you in much more detail!

Here's a brand new Cover Up Die which will create a gorgeous background for your projects in one easy cut! It's called Cover Up Die: Swirls  :)  and it creates this funky, splash-like, almost paisley pattern which is so super cool!

Ok, and don't forget that we're having a Design Team Call!

If you wish to read more about the terms please click HERE. Applications are being accepted through November 25th and we have 2-3 spots to fill! 

Thanks for stopping by!! Have a terrific and crafty day!

Pre-Release Sneak Peek Day 2

Hello! Did you like yesterday's peeks and our big announcement? If you missed either click HERE or scroll down to catch up :)  (psssst....we're having a Design Team Call)



Would you like to have another look at something we're releasing next week?

This next little die does BIG things! We call it On the Diagonal!

(project and photo courtesy of Jen Carter)

Look closely.....go ahead :) .............

Do you see it? One of this dies MANY uses includes making this super cool, stitched layout. Here Jen used our On the Diagonal Die with her Stitched Mats: Rectangles leaving her with two main stitched pieces for her card front and this great diagonal space where she put that gorgeous sentiment!

Again, that's just one of many things this little die can do and of course we'll show you EVERYTHING it can do during release week next week!  

I think it might make more sense if you see this next card....

Here is just one of many other things this little guy can do.........

SEE HOW AWESOME THIS IS! It makes me so excited! In this example, On the Diagonal is just run through a machine with white paper which cuts out this fantastic diagonal stitched sentiment panel. This is NO ORDINARY stitched strip! It possesses magical paper crafting powers, I swear! HA!

The above photos may or may not contain other goodies coming next week - what do you think?  I'm cruel. I know!

Are you getting even more excited for next week??

There's moooooore! Stay tuned as I'll be showing you some other projects as we get ready for our next release beginning on November 18th. 

If you'd like more information about our current Design Team Call please scroll down for more information or click HERE.

See you very soon!!!

Announcing a Design Team Call and Some Pre-Release Sneak Peeks

Well, hello there!

Our next release here at Lil' Inker Designs is not until November 18th, but I thought it would be fun to do something a little bit different this time around. I thought we could share some sneak peek projects this week before our official release on on the 18th!

Let's get right to it!

We wanted to design a Cover Up Die for you with an organic feel - something that isn't based on a geometric shape or repeating pattern. Being that I was designing products for release during the Fall this is what we arrived at! We call it Cover Up Die: Leaf Pattern!

Our brand new Cover Up Die: Leaf Pattern will be available for purchase on November 18th! 

Teaser - This die's negative cuts feature our signature stitching detail!

Ok, and here is one more sneak peek for you. 

YES, you can FINALLY breathe a sigh of relief!!! Your wait for Stitched Mats: Ovals IS OVER!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you to you all for waiting so patiently, LOL!!

We'll see you tomorrow with another Pre-Release Sneak Peek!

********

DESIGN TEAM CALL!

Beginning today, we are accepting applications for 2-3 spots on our Design Team!

Do you have a passion for stamps and dies? Would you like to join a team of established and talented designers? Do you like to laugh and have fun? Would you like to represent Lil' Inker Designs with your creativity? Well, then READ ON! :)

We're looking for applicants who....

• have a blog, Facebook account, Pinterest account, access to Flickr and able to work with Drop Box for file sharing 
• are able to create one project for each product brought to market during a new release
• are able to create 3-4 blog posts for each new release
• are able to create 2 projects with posts per month (in addition to new release projects)
• are able to take great pictures of projects
• are able to create and share your best work
• are able to commit to at least a 6 month term
• are able to meet deadlines
• live in the USA (due to shipping costs and length of package arrival)

New team members will receive 

• national and international exposure for their personal blog and creative projects
• the ability to work with incredibly talented and established designers
• a one time 50% discount shopping code and up to $50 in additional products of their choosing to get started(based on inventory available)
• all products released during their term at no cost
• a custom designed watermark and blog badge
• a 25% team purchase discount
• a generous magazine publication incentive
• AND MORE!

If you're interested in applying to be a part of our awesome team please send the following to lilinkerdesignteamcall@gmail.com (that's lil inker design team call at gmail dot com) with subject line Design Team Call by November 25th, 2013 11:30 PM, EST

• Name
• E-Mail Address
• Address
• Blog Address
• Personal Facebook Page link if you have one (one is not necessary to apply) 
• Current & past design team and or challenge team affiliations listing the time/term spent with each
• Direct links for up to 5 blog posts containing your best work
• Creative achievements such as magazine publications and/or recognitions, etc... if any
• Tell us a little about yourself! Be sure to include additional interests and talents that could be beneficial to our company and what we do and anything else that you think is pertinent to your application. 

Toot your horn! This is your opportunity to shine and stand out from the crowd!!

We'll be accepting applications over the next two weeks and decisions will be made shortly after. 

I don't believe that we will able to email applicants who weren't chosen. If you don't receive an email from us keep trying and know that we'll be picking guest designers right from our applicant pool!

Thank you, good luck and have fun!

Moxie Fab Thanks! Blog Hop

For my Caring Hearts Card Drive post, please keep on scrolling! Thanks!

Goooooood morning!!!! Today I'm taking part in an EPIC blog hop to say thank you to Cath Edvalson. 

Hopefully, you have arrived from Melissa Elsner's Blog today.

As you all know, Cath will be leaving her post at Paper Crafts Magazine and also her super awesome and inspiring blog, Moxie Fab World. 

Cath's blog has been an enormous source of inspiration for me both personally and professionally. The photos she's shared over years were always gorgeous and her words always profound and touching. I will truly truly miss visiting Moxie Fab! Cath, I wish you the very best!

Here's a little something I created for you. You are FABULOUS!

I'm terrible at goodbyes and thank yous. Please know that I have enjoyed following you at Paper Crafts and Moxie Fab more than I could ever express with one little card and blog post! Thank you so much!

Your next stop today is Ivanka Lentle's Blog. Enjoy!

Caring Hearts Card Drive Blog Hop

Hi there! I'm so excited to be posting here today as a participant of a fabulous hop for an amazing cause. You should have arrived from the amazing Tiffany Johnson's blog!

Right now and through November 28th, handmade cards with a holiday or Christmas theme are being collected to be sent to nursing homes this holiday season so that our beautiful cards can put smiles on so many wonderful faces!

Please click HERE for more details about participating in the Caring Hearts Card Drive and how and where to send in your cards for such a wonderful cause.

Today's hop is loaded with prizes and inspiration! You can be eligible to win a prize by leaving comments along the hop today from some super awesome companies including a $15 gift certificate from Lil' Inker Designs! 

Comments should be left by midnight on Tuesday, November 12th to be eligible for a prize.

Here are two projects I made to share with you today using some of my favorite new goodies from our store.

Here our Cover Up Die: Christmas is die cut from Strawberry Slush paper and layered over the same color background. It makes the die cutting of the text a bit more subtle with almost an embossed feel, but nope - it's a die! 

Here I made a vintage inspired ornament by heat embossing my Merry Ornament die cut from our Christmas Bits Die Set. I used my watermark ink pad and stamped it over half of the die cut which I then heat embossed with gold embossing powder. I repeated the process on the top half but used clear embossing powder.

All of the supplies used to create these cards are listed below my signature :)

A very special thank you to Vera Yates and Jennifer McGuire for organizing and planning this wonderful event and having Lil' Inker Designs participate among so many wonderful companies and designers! Thank you!

Ok, I'm going to send you on your way to the amazing Alicia Thelin's blog! Thank you for hopping with the Caring Hearts Card Drive today! Have fun and thank you in advance for sending in your gorgeous cards!!