Let’s do this.
It’s a good idea to read through the instructions in full before uploading your image and ordering your stones—that way you can ask us any questions before you’re into it. If everything seems pretty straightforward, then we’ll just see you on the other side!
Step one: Select the size (there’s only two on the menu)
— Lil’Stones with a 75mm face
— Lil’Lil’Stones with a 35mm face
Step two: Select the amount.
— Lil’Stones (the bigger ones) can be ordered as a single stone or in sets of 3 stones.
— Lil’Lil’Stones (the smaller ones) can be ordered in sets of 3 only, and are not available in singles.
Note: You can order up to 9 stones per order—that’s 3 x 3!
Once you’ve selected size and volume, simply click the ‘Next’ button and head through to upload.
Note: If you want to go back at any stage, travel up – the process is all on the one page.
Step three: It’s image time.
Your images can come from any device—phone, tablet or computer. There’s also an upload link into your instagram account – we have some extra instructions on how to select images from your feed in ‘How do I upload from Instagram?’ FAQ (Note: always ask permission if you are not sure whether to use an image that does not belong to you).
Selecting multiple images
Hold down the Command (CMD) key on Mac computers / devices or the Control (ctrl) key on PC / devices.
You can select more images than the quantity of stones selected. The extra images will appear below the substitute (subs) line, under the quantity sets ordered. These subs can be dragged above the line – shuffled, edited or dropped at any time. They’re there for you to test and play with set options.
Step four: Edit and upload.
This bit is really cool because you get to experiment with the combination and placement by dragging the images around with your cursor or by touch. Double click on the image to add it to the left side feature and from here click on the image to open the cropping tool. When you’re happy with the crop select ‘Love it’ to return the updated cropped image to the sets on the right. When the playing is over and you’re happy with your set/s selection click ‘make it real’. If you’re not ready you can always upload more using the ‘add more options’ button.
Here are some guidelines for how to have the best uploading experience:
- Use Chrome or Brave on a computer to order. If you’re finding it hard to move the image around on a mobile or tablet, try doing it on your desktop.
- Make sure all your images are JPGs. We do not accept any other file type for safety reasons.
- The maximum upload size is 9MB. If you’re image is bigger, you’ll need to reduce it before attempting to upload again – ‘How to re-size my image?’
- We automatically convert all colour profiles to sRGB
- If you want to gauge the printability of a low-resolution image—Zoom until it’s roughly the size of the Lil’Stone you’re wanting to print on. The image will print close to what you are seeing on screen, so if it works for your naked eye go for it—but do be careful with low-resolution though—our Lil’Stones are matte and good quality resolution always gives the best results.
If you’re having trouble uploading, here are some typical causes:
- Using Internet Explorer to order. Our website isn’t very compatible with this browser—but we love Safari, Chrome, Brave and Mozilla!
- Uploading the wrong file type. Make sure they’re JPGs! (PDFs, GIFS, PSDS, TIFFs or .AI files are not accepted).
- Uploading the wrong image size. Check your JPGs are at least the minimum pixel size for this particular product. Our minimums are generally the size of the print at 100dpi – The sizes again are 35mm and 75mm.
- A helpful hint, if you can’t complete the upload process, take a photo so you can easily pick up from where you left off again when you’re ready.
Shipping across Australia!
Flat rates (no limit to how many you send to one address)
Standard – $10
Express – $20
If you want your Lil’Stones fast select Express and add a note with the eta. If you choose to have your order expressed, we use Shipit to determine the best shipping option for your location and it’s usually via Australia Post, Couriers Please, or FedEx. If you’d prefer to select a shipping option make a note in the checkout page under ‘Order Notes’. Also, read our Privacy Policy if you’d like more information on third party data sharing.
Do you ship internationally?
We do!
Our international shipping rates are calculated by weight and destination. If you would like an accurate quote email hello@lilstones.com or engage the live chat and include your address, date required and the order size and quantity.
Do you offer expedited orders/shipping?
We do offer express post shipping; it’s a flat rate of $20 across Australia.
Do you offer Pick up?
We can—it’s always exciting when people visit the studio! Our Lil’Stones HQ is located in Mornington, and we’re happy to keep your Lil’Stones in the studio for collection. Select ‘Pick up – Mornington’ in shipping options we’ll be in touch when they’re ready and look forward to meeting you!
Our address is 78, Watt Road Mornington 3931 and our number – (03) 80609842.
How can I return or exchange my order?
As a first step, get in touch with us at hello@lilstones.com if there’s an issue with your order. At this point we suggest you read the FAQ titled ‘Can I cancel or edit my order?’. If you need to return the order for a replacement we ask you to return the Lil’Stones in their original packaging and when we ship out the new ones we’ll include a shipping credit to cover the cost of you returning your Lil’Stones to us.
If you have any questions about this process, you can email us at hello@lilstones.com or call us (03) 80609842 and tell us what went wrong.
Can I have my order sent to multiple addresses?
We do not currently support the ability to ship orders to split addresses. You’ll need to place a different order for each address – sorry!
If you’ve already placed an order, email a member of our team at hello@lilstones.com with the address details, and we’ll do our best to help.
How does the Lil’Gift referral system work?
If you are thinking about referring us to someone, can we start by saying thanks – that you love our Lil’Stones enough to spread the word means a lot to us.
- The first step is to set up an account when you order. If you’ve ordered before and missed this move, send your order number, name and email address through to hello@lilstones.com and we’ll make one up for you.
- Within your account you have a shiny referral code, unique to your email address. Copy this code and you can share it with your friends/family via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or email.
- Send the referral link to your family and friends and when they register they receive a code. This will give them $5 off their first order, and the referrer will receive an email with a $5 credit—it’s a two-way treat.
My referral code doesn’t work in the checkout page?
There could be a couple of issues here –
- The email address used is already associated with an order. Only first-time users can utilise a referral code—one use only. Unless it’s a referrer’s credit (see below)
- You may be entering it in the ‘Gift Card’ field. Try the field above – ‘Lil’Gift coupon’
If there’s another reason, email hello@lilstones.com and we’ll help you out.
Using the Referrer credit code
You’ve been a super referrer and you’ve got a bunch of credit notes—congratulations and thanks for sharing our lil’ product with your mates!
Credit codes can be used in multiples on the one order—just add, enter and add another into the ‘Lil’Gift coupon’ field. You should see a drop of $5 with each entry.
Are Lil’Stones fragile?
Yes. Lil’Stones are small works of wonder—treat them as you would a snowdome – shake them just don’t drop them.
Your Lil’Stones will chip or break when dropped onto an equally hard surface. We’ve designed the stones carefully to reduce pressure points, however it all depends on the fall – Distance, speed and contact material are all factors.
Stone is a porous material and can act like a sponge which is why we don’t use extra sealants to adhere the ink to the stone—they bond as naturally as stone and ink can. For extra protection, you can spray a little art sealant on your stone otherwise, avoid dirty hands, inks, oils or sharp objects.
Can I clean my Lil’Stones?
You can give your Lil’Stones a gentle clean by running warm water over the stone and carefully rubbing with a clean microfibre. Avoid using abrasive cleaners near the image and leave your Lil’Stones in the sun to dry—usually around 12 hours.
Can I cancel or edit my order?
Got a Lil’ remorse? You can cancel your order – but you need to be quick!
You see, to get your prints to you as fast as possible, the pre-production part of our system is automated and begins within hours of you submitting your order. Because of this, we can only accept cancellation or edit requests within a small time frame from placing your order.
If you need to change or cancel your order, please email us with your order number ASAP at hello@lilstones.com
Please understand that if your email reaches us after production has commenced, we will not be able to cancel, edit, or refund. We are so sorry – we know some of you may be frustrated hearing this – but as you can appreciate, nothing about Lil’Stones is mass produced – this is a customised product and once printed we can not re-use, re-sell or return to a shelf. If an order has been printed it must be shipped as ordered.
I just received my order and I am unhappy with the results :(
Oh this is a tad embarrassing!
Our Lil’Stones are made with love, to love. If you’re not happy and you’re here looking for answers we’re sorry it’s come to this! Here’s where we stand on some disappointing points:
Print quality
If the image does not match the file uploaded, we understand this is a printing error and we’ll re-print for you at no charge and we genuinely apologise for the extra steps you’ve taken to bring this to our attention – you’ve been waiting for your Lil Stones to arrive, you open the beautiful packaging and…yep we get it – we’ll fix this as fast as we can – that’s on us.
However, if the print is true to file (meaning it’s the same quality as the uploaded image) we cannot refund your purchase. Lil’Stones is a personalised product and can only be printed once – stone is porous and the inks are baked onto the surface. If your image was a little blurry, old, dark or slightly out of focus – then that’s exactly how it’s going to look on a Lil’Stone. We can not increase the resolution or pull focus, add light, sharpen or brighten an image once it’s uploaded.
What we can do is help you with troubleshooting to avoid obvious pitfalls once we know what you’re looking for. Use our online chat and upload your image for a pre-print opinion. Tip: Images viewed on devices such as computers and phones are illuminated with a backlight. This backlight can nullify some red tones, and can also make photos appear brighter than they will print. Printed photos do not benefit from any backlighting, as they are printed straight on a surface and in the case of Lil’Stones, thats a warm white stone surface.
Stone, print or package damage
If there has been damage to your order or you feel there has been a production error, please get in contact with us and send photos so we can help you out and ensure you enjoy the product as intended – You can reach us at hello@lilstones.com
How to resize your image for upload?
The best way to resize images is to use a photo editing application. Resizing an image is the basic operation with every photo editor. You can use any of these standard photo editing programmes:
Adobe Photoshop
Windows Photo Editor
Microsoft Paint
Photoscape
Affinity Photo
Polarr
Portrait Professional
There are also basic free apps – review your apps store to find a trusted one. Or, as I’d do – ask a friend with Photoshop.
How are Lil’Stones made?
With love and reconstituted stone.
These lil’ babies are not simple to make, but they’re simple in their ingredients list. The stones are solid and smooth as matte-porcelain. The face is hand sanded to remove shine and allow the inks to absorb into the stone without the need for sealants or extra nasties. It’s simply stone and ink bonded together using UV cured light.
Keen! I’m an artist and I’d like to apply for the Lil’Collab selection– How does it work?
The process is relatively easy – respecting the artists’ work at every stage of production.
Take some time to think small and craft a set of three pieces that connect with this feeling. Send us the set suggestion in square forms and in order – ie left/middle/right. If the team feels the set suits, we’ll be in touch with a suggested 3 month time slot and send out a sample set for approval.
Commission – Lil’Stones Lil’Collab is a all about the artist – We charge wholesale for the Lil’Stones and cover shipping costs; the artists receives 30% of each sale and retain 100% copyright. 20% of the sale price goes into an ‘Adopt an Artist’ fund to support local artist in printing, framing and sharing their works – email for more information. Payment is made at the end of the three months based on the total number of sales.
We supply and print the stones, fulfil and ship all customer orders via our e-commerce platform and take a few (professional) photos of your Lil’Stones, which you can use to share on your website and/or social platforms. We’ll also promote the Lil’Collab on our website, Instagram and #liltourist—and encourage you to do the same!
Our frames are handmade in Melbourne by a group of art-loving souls. Each Lil’Collab is custom-made for each customer—rather than producing a gazillion units—keeping material wastage front of mind.
LOVE IT! How do I get involved?
Send us your portfolio, website and/or social media links to hello@lilstones.com
We’ll then be in touch with more detailed information on file setup, an agreement outlining the terms of the collab and the next steps.
Lil’Collab is open to artists of all mediums—as long as your work isn’t hateful, racist, sexist or homophobic—we are keen to work together with artists of all visual styles.
Something to note in case you’re wondering: it doesn’t matter how many social media followers you have to collab with Lil’Stones. We truly believe art isn’t a popularity contest and want to share the joy of Lil’Collab with everyone—regardless of likes, numbers and algorithms.
