It's What's on the Inside That Counts

My mother always told me "it's what's on the inside that counts." I was reminded of this recently when I received a beautiful gift from my staff as we celebrated the 11th Anniversary of LILL. The team presented Robin and I with commemorative ELLIE totes - in a fabric I didn't recognize at a distance. As they brought the bags towards us, I realized that it was a patchwork fabric made up of a multitude of fabrics in our line. Each team member had selected their favorite fabric and they had stitched them together to create a beautiful tapestry representing each person in our organization. Along with the bag came a fabric "key" that listed each person and their selection. At the top of the key was a statement that I just love - "A business is made up individuals working towards one goal. When they all come together amazing things can happen." I adored the bag and couldn't wait to start carrying it. Then someone pointed out the inside...

On the inside of the bag, each person had written a short note and signed it. I use the bag everyday and as I open it up to pull out my work, I am reminded of the wonderful group of people that make up LILL and I am thankful for the opportunity we've had to build this business together. It simply makes me smile. I can almost hear my mother's voice saying "it's what's on the inside that counts."

As you start to consider gifts to give for the holidays, you, too, can give a gift with a little extra meaning. Our ELLIE totes with their nylon interiors are perfect for giving to that special teacher, coach, boss, mom or grandmother. Pick an exterior fabric she'll love and have the group sign the inside to commemorate your experiences together or have the kids stamp their hand prints on the interior. Your recipient will enjoy receiving a beautiful bag, but will LOVE what is on the inside.

Happy Designing,

Jen Velarde

Hot off the Press!!

1154 Lill has had quite the exciting few weeks in regards to press and upcoming publication opportunities! We wanted to share with you where Lill has shown up recently and where you can look for us in the near future.

Where we've been:

• The Bachelor Pad's Tenley Molzahn loves her Lill! She has been spotted 3 times out on the town wearing her GRACE and ERINN.
  

Where we're going:

• November's issue of InStyle will be featuring our super chic ERINN in Flocked Houndstooth.

Cross your fingers:

• Good Housekeeping's "Goodlist": We sent out a variety of bags in beautiful teals, purples, and neautrals in hopes that Lill will get featured in their "Goodlist." So far they love them and shooting starts tomorrow so-keep your fingers crossed our bags get chosen!!

If you get a chance follow Lill and all the new happenings in the press via our Twitter account! http://www.twitter.com/1154_LILLStudio

By the way...

We are thrilled to be featuring a bag for a good cause on our website, and now the ELLIE Beat Breast Cancer bag is on the Young Survivors Coalition site as well!! Check it out either on our site at 1154lill or on YSC's twitter .

Our Turn to Be the Customer!

For forever at LILL HQ we've had a monthly potluck lunch tradition where those with birthdays in the month choose a food theme and everyone contributes something to a potluck meal. It is something everyone looks forward to each month. In fact we like potlucks so much it was a major factor in the design of the office lunchroom layout - including the massive 6' x 20' island. We just had to make sure we had enough room for everyone's treats each month...

About a month ago we added to this tradition by including a handbag design party for staff as part of the potluck. Now, each month during the potluck we draw names of a few styles staff can choose from to design. Then everyone pairs up to take turns being the stylist and the customer to help each other design and place an order. My hope in adding this was that the staff who primarily works at headquarters vs. in the field directly with customers would get a sense of what it was like to be at a party or to work as a Store Stylist or as a LILL on Location Rep. My goal is to use the staff bag parties to help us make better decisions about fabrics, styles, selling processes etc to improve our overall customer experience - and the big bonus - each staff member would be treated to a new LILL product each month.

What I didn't fully count on was how much fun it would be to change hats and just be the customer for a change. I'd forgotten how much fun it is to mix and match fabrics for myself - I'd become accustomed to the instant gratification of the ready-made and hadn't actually designed one for myself in a while, and especially not a party setting. By the time I was done selecting the combination for my Hadley bag, I was giddy with excitement and couldn't wait to see how my bag and those of other staff I helped design would turn out. I could see the same excitement on the faces of the rest of the staff. The wait was over last Friday when we got everyone back together to ohh and ahh over the finished products. I must say we created some really beautiful bags that fit each person to a tee. It was the quintessential LILL experience. It gave everyone who participated a renewed appreciation for the LILL products and experience as the customer sees it. I definitely think it accomplished the goal and more. Check out the photo of some of our staff with the bags they designed...

We had our second potluck bag party yesterday - this month's bag choices were special occasion bags. Erinn was the big winner as almost everyone designed that style. In a few weeks we'll present everyone's finished products. There were so many fun combinations, I can't wait to see them completed! I just love being the customer!

Happy Designing!
Jen Velarde

Winner # 3

Our week 3 winner of the Design a Bag Kit is Sara Armstrong! Sara hosted a party with our Indianapolis rep, Amy after learning about 1154 LILL from her sister-n-law. At the party she picked out an adorable Drea reversible handbag (pictured to left) and a fun spring Carolina wallet. Next she'll get to try her hand at designing a Maddie Jane with the Design a Bag Kit that is on its way to her. Can't wait to see what she picks out! Here are the answers to the questions we asked her about 1154 LILL:

How did you hear about 1154 LILL?

"My fabulous Sister-In-Law and all of her friends have 1154 Lill bags. We try to get together one night each month for a "Ladies Night". What better way to have fun with the girls than to design purses!"

What is the best part about hosting a party with 1154 LILL?

"Being able to have everyone together at my house and sharing ideas with each other."

What is your favorite bag style and why?

"My favorite style is the Drea because its two bags in one!"

What would you like to see 1154 LILL do in the future?

"Keep offering more designs!"

Enjoy your new bags Sara!

-Jen Velarde

2009... SO FAR...

I don't quite know where January went, but as February begins, I realized I haven't posted a blog yet in 2009. And,...as one of my New Year's resolutions was to get a bit more tech-savvy and participate more in the blogging community. I guess it's about time for me to get started. Here's a quick catch up on the highlights of my year so far....

New Year's Eve with Friends..... I toasted at midnight to being pregnant on New Years (again) and to a happy and health year ahead.

Family trip to Mexico...... My mother-in-law plans a trip for my husband and our kids each year. Usually it is in March, but with the pending arrival of her 3rd grandkid, she planned it earlier this year. What a wonderful getaway (and mother-in-law)!

Returning to sub-zero temps in Chicago was not fun, but our month of snow and frigid temps has provided for some cute shots of my "snow bunny" and some fun indoor projects for Joey....learning to bake cookies at Nana's, and several nights of "pirate ship building" in our living room.

January at LILL is full of planning for the year ahead. My favorite project for the month was our Spring/Summer fabric buy. At times this month Winter has seemed relentless, but with beautiful fabrics arriving daily at our production offices, Spring is definitely in the air at LILL! Look for them to arrive shortly on the web, in our stores and with our reps.

We've also been working on a number of new style introductions and the implementation of new technology systems aimed at enhancing the shopping experience for our customers as well as the management and marketing tools for our internal team. All of the projects have our team excited about the prospects for the year ahead.

Our team at LILL HQ watched the inauguration of President Obama together. No matter your politics, it was a historic moment and you couldn't help but feel proud to be an American. Witnessing such history with our team was something I won't soon forget.

We have a monthly potluck lunch at our LILL HQ offices. It is something everyone looks forward to. At our January potluck, we also announced the winners of our 2008 LILLies Awards for everything from Team Member of the Year to Most likely to end up with 7 kids. Our internal "social committee" makes these potlucks so much fun.

As January ends and February begins, I'm looking forward to being a month closer to better weather, longer hours of daylight, new spring fabrics, new spring styles and a new baby. I can't wait to spend more time outside (seriously suffering from cabin fever) and generally be renewed by a fresh new year and the forthcoming change in seasons. Happy February!

Jen Velarde

Founder / President, 1154 LILL Studio

Happy New Year and THANK YOU! Thank you for staying tuned into our blog and thank you for being a fan of LILL in general. You are truly the best and we feel so lucky to have such amazing, caring, creative and loyal customers.

All of us here at LILL have so enjoyed and appreciated your stories, comments and feedback - please keep it up! We're using your ideas and input to design new products, choose our fabrics, improve our processes and policies and much more. We look forward to more conversations and idea sharing to come!

We know that 2008 was not an easy year for so many. No getting around it - the economy was tough and will be for a little while longer. We want to thank you for making the decision to support LILL as a local independent business. It means the world to us.

We hope you are able to ring in the New Year with friends and family close by - have fun and stay safe!

Wishing you joy, good health and much success in 2009!

Jen and the entire 1154 LILL Studio Team

LILL's "Team Member of the Month"

October's Team Member of the Month award goes to....Candice G.! Assistant Manager for the LILL on Location department.

Candice is known for being one of HQ’s brightest stars. She is quick witted, creative and always a team player. Whether it's answering emails at 1:00 am, adding fun games or themes to the monthly potluck she is constantly going the extra mile and delivers great results. Her humor and positive energy effortlessly infect all who work with her to push a little further. Some recent accomplishments that were noted to award this honor to Candice were, her help with the sample bags for the Sample Sale held at LILL's HQ, always being available to LILL reps and her notable lead in the social committee over the last few months. She is very organized, dedicated and always willing to help out to get things done.

Bravo Candice- job well done!

Candice has been with LILL for 3 years, let's get to know her by learning of her favorite things and more! As she is outgoing and willing to share fun tid-bits about herself, I think everyone will enjoy learning more about her.

Where are you originally from? I was born at Good Samaritan hospital in Downers Grove, Il – I’ll give them a plug because they have cable with on demand movies and really good quesadillas w/ GUACAMOLE! I now live in Naperville; it is glorious. We just got a Loehmann’s and Nordstrom Rack right next to each other.

Favorite LILL style? I love JANE! She’s little but does sooo much… like an Olsen twin. I love to attach JANE to my AUDREY because she she’s perfect to use at the casino. Audrey fits all of my players club cards from the casino, my id, and my winnings in her and I can hook my Audrey Jane to my pants loop when I go to the buffet.

Top 3 fabric picks: Tiger Lily, Snow Leopard & Viva Las Vegas














What do you love most about working for LILL?
Being employee of the month… and the people! It’s a super cool company and I love my job but the people are definitely what make working for LILL so amazing. It’s hard to even use the word co-worker because I consider the majority of people here my most bestest friends. Oh, and did I mention I love my boss, Kate? Love you, Kate (the Great). It never hurts to give your boss a plug.

Nickname: Actually, instead of a nickname I’d like to lengthen my name so people have to use the full thing every time. Candice Adeline Gatlin. It sound much more regal and if movie stars can do it, I should certainly be allowed. And No, I have no nickname but for the 9 months prior to my birth my parents told everyone I would be named Danielle. But, while my mom was in labor (and probably after they received gifts with the name Danielle embroidered on them) my parents decided they were sick of the name Danielle. Subsequently, while my Mom was trying to birth me my Daddio was watching David Letterman (my fave!) and Candice Bergen was on… they went with that. I’m guessing I probably came pretty close to being Murphy Brown too.

Favorite musician and band: I love, love, love Kings of Leon, Louis XIV, Damien Rice, and M.I.A. but my all time faves are Dolly Parton, Cher, and Michael Jackson. Ooh! And I love Madonna because she does what she wants and doesn’t take guff from anyone- the way I live my life.

Where did you last go on vacation? VEGAS BABY!!! Well, I also drive to my Michigan casino every other weekend to gamble but that’s more of a compulsion than a vacation. Buffets or bust!

Anything else fun you’d like to share? Hmmm…I’m stuck somewhere between “where do I start” and “I could go on forever”.

More fun facts about Candice!
-My celebrity crushes are Bill Murray and David Letterman. Nothing gets me more than a really old guy with 45 years worth of jokes under his belt.
-I have a son; he is a cat. His name is Homer Spider-man X-rat Cat Gatlin-Kelly. Though he answers to many other names, among his favorites are Baby Pepper Steak and Peabo Bryson (or Peabs for short). Homer had an unfortunate syndrome last year and had to undergo a very stressful (and expensive) surgery that many would consider a sex change. Don’t worry, he’s still my little handsome man.
-I’ve never lost an argument and I’ve never been wrong.
-I drive a hybrid car and am a member of the Go Green Committee at Lill HQ. Go Green; Go Prius!
-If I weren’t at Lill I would love to be a medical examiner, crypto zoologist, or a critic- I have lot’s of opinions and they’re all valid and correct.
-If I were a Muppet I would be a mix between Miss Piggy and Animal because I’m super into myself (seriously, I would marry myself) and because I look (and may just be) crazy like Animal- same hair do and everything.
-I have a TLP project, it stands for time lapse photography and it consists of me standing in pretty much the same spot everyday and taking a picture of myself while I document the number day. I started it on January 1st of this year and plan on continuing forever… or until I forget to take a picture. I think I’m going to make a calendar at the end of the year with my photo from that day on the previous year on every day and then give them out as gifts to family, friends, and strangers.
-I love reality tv. I want my own tv show; it would be awesome and would defo top the Hills.
-I am a vegetarian… but I love meat. I mean I LOVE it. I became a vegetarian a few months ago after talking with one of our LA LILL on Location reps, Jenny W., about all things green and eco friendly and realizing the effect that farming too many cows has on the environment. I miss meat so much though. When packages arrive at HQ from Texas they always smell like tender, succulent, delicious meat and I like to curb my cravings by sniffing the boxes.
-Though I am not a fan of children, I have a deep love for the show Jon & Kate plus 8. Beyond them making me infinitely happy, my favorite thing about the show is that no matter how many children they have, they treat each of them equally.
-I have a grainy YouTube video from a night at the roller derby when I won a riotous game of extreme musical chairs. That’s me at the end being swept off my feet with a chair and tackled by roller derby gal Megan Formor.
-I love Thai food. I got the logo for my favorite Thai food restaurant tattooed on me…3 times. It’s really good.
-My favorite video games are Dance Dance Revolution and Centipede; I am amazing at both.
-I am a Brookfield Zoo member and I love learning about animals. If I were an animal, I would most likely be a Utahraptor or a Megaladon shark because I’m wicked cool, crafty, and cunning.
-I am uber interested in serial killers. Ed Gein is my fave though his status as a “serial” killer is debatable.
-Though I love my look, if I had to choose a celebrity to look like I would be stuck in tie between Nicole Richie, Megan Fox, Monica Bellucci, and Victoria Beckham.


I hope you all had fun in the joy of getting to know Candice. Now you all can see what a pleasure it is to work with such a fun and unique individual as we her at LILL get to experience each day.


-Lilly S.

Emily's Pick of the Week

I am now excited to present "Emily's Pick of the Week"! Emily R., is an online stylists for 1154 LILL. She has a true knack for mixing and matching fabrics and loves to help customers create beautiful LILL Bag combinations.

We hope these LILL customer's creations will inspire you as much as they did Emily.

"One of my favorite parts of my job is seeing what people come up with when they design a custom bag. Everyday I see combinations that I never would have thought of myself. I’d love to share an adorable bag that I recently saw come through our web store created by Becca C., from Dallas, TX:



DREA
Exterior: Moroccan Tiles
External Stripe: Key Lime Twill
Interior: Yellow Stone
Interior pocket: Snow Leopard
Strap: Key Lime Twill

You can use this bag all year long! The exterior is hip with a cool black and cream design. This is a nice, thick fabric that has a great texture. The external stripe and strap add a brilliant pop of color in Key Lime Twill. The interior is just adorable in Yellow Stone. This is a bright and whimsical pattern that will brighten anyone’s day! The interior pocket adds a splash of fun in Snow Leopard. This bag is even environmentally friendly with two eco-chic fabrics, Snow Leopard and Key Lime Twill.

DREA is a great bag because you can turn it inside out and you have a new bag! Plus, it's easy to find things!

When I took a trip downstairs to the production area, a particular creation on the Quality Assurance wall instantly POPPED out amongst the others. It was this bright and shiny combination created by Kari O., from South Bend, IN. at a LILL on Location party.

KIMBERLY-Reversible:

Exterior: Strawberry Daiquiri
Exterior pocket: Sari Paisley
Interior: Fruit Cocktail
Interior Pocket: China Doll Brocade

What bright and beautiful colors! You cannot help but notice the hot pink Strawberry Daiquiri on the exterior with the bright orange with pink paisley on the exterior pocket. These fabrics instantly make me think of summer and all of the bright, beautiful weather we have been enjoying over the past few weeks. The interior of this bag is so cute. I have been admiring the two fabrics for a long time, but I never thought of putting them together! The Fruit Cocktail contains pretty and summery stripes that coordinate nicely with summer outfits. The China Doll Brocade fabric on the interior pocket really compliments the dark pink stripes in the Fruit Cocktail. The China Doll Brocade adds a touch of elegance to the entire bag.

It is so much fun to see the unique combinations of fabrics that our LILL customers come up with. I am constantly amazed by the beautiful creations that I see. Each bag truly does reflect the personality of each person that designs it. I have had friends tell me that my custom designed DONNA bag is so “me.” My personality really shines through with that bag!"

Check back weekly for Emily's Pick of the Week! Your LILL Bag might be famous!

- Lilly S.

Help Lilly design her DONNA

To pass the time until the raffle winner of the $50 1154 LILL gift certificate is announced I decided we should all do a creative activity together! I recently joined a gym and am need of a DONNA to tote all of my work-out necessities! So, I decided to treat myself! I do not own a DONNA yet (can you believe it!) and have been experimenting with a few combinations.

What do you think? You can vote on your favorite by using the poll on the left.







DONNA #1
I love pink and brown together, plus the polka-dots are so girly.

DONNA #2
Our design team says that birds are really HOT this year and I just love all the natural colors here. Not sure if my straps are too busy for this combo. What do you think?

DONNA #3

This one is more classic.

Or, do you have an idea on a different combination? Email me your ideas: lilly@1154lill.com .

Thank you so far to the ladies who have sent me their design suggestions. We have quite a talented pool of "LILL Girls" our there. My desision will continue to be more difficult, but that's not a bad thing! If any of you like one of the below combinations, please feel free to email me or post a comment.




Thanks so much to Roselyn who suggested this combination for me as well! I like the patterning on the top and bottom base.

The 3 below were sent by Amity. I love the different colors and textures that are all paired together on the below 3. Bold patterns on the body with patterned straps really creates a uniqe and fun cobination.

This one was sent to me by Catherine. The contrasting, yet coordinating straps really add a pop of color. Henna Paisley is one of my favorites!

This was sent to me by Rebecca. Another great mix of patterns and textures. Plus I love red!

Jennifer recommended I use Tobasco Weave for my straps to add some contrast of color stating "I love using every possible fabric for designing my Lills!" And I couldn't agree more!

I will be announcing my pick on Wednesday, October 31st so check back to see which combination I chose for my new DONNA!