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

Bridal Contest - Winners!

We are excited to announce the winners of LILL’s Bridal Contest for 2008!
So many stories and photos were sent in and we here at the LILL HQ had a wonderful time getting to know all you LILL Girls out there a little better. We were delighted to see how LILL helped make your wedding day special.

1st Place Winner of the $100 LILL Gift Certificate – Angie W.!

2nd Place Winner of the $75 LILL Gift Certificate – Melissa K.!

3rd Place Winner of the $50LILL Gift Certificate – Nikole J.!

Thanks again to our brides who submitted their stories and photos and thanks for making LILL a part of your big day.
Congrats to the winners and have fun creating your next LILL Bag!


-Lilly S.

LILL Bridal Contest!

2008 was an exciting year for many of our LILL Girls because they had a very special day to celebrate, their wedding! We received a great response to our Bridal Contest and are so excited to share their stories with you.

Here are the top picks from our contest entry submissions, vote for your favorite! The lucky winner will receive a LILL gift certificate for $100! 2nd and 3rd place winners win a prize too!

Enjoy the entries and have a great time voting for your favorite! You have until January 16th to vote! The winners will be announced on January 19th!

Entry #1
Laura S.

Mary" was a perfect way for me and my maids to match the big day's color scheme, while offering room for our own creativity on the reverse side. Cute and functional, our "Marys" held all our party-primping necessities!

Entry #2

Angie W.

I designed handbags for all four of my bridesmaids. I visited LILL the previous year when I was visiting a friend in Boston. I fell in love with all of the bags! So, the following year when I got married, I knew that a purse for my bridesmaids was the perfect gift. The purses were made in my wedding colors, which were pink and green. Attached is a photo with the girls and their bags. Thanks!!

Entry #3
Lindsey M.

I just loved my LILL bag that my husband had made for me. He gave it to me the week before our June 21st wedding and I was so surprised. I had made 6 of them for each one of my bridesmaids, and was bummed that I had not got myself one as well. Unfortunately we did not get a picture of us all with our bags! But they all loved them!
Thanks so much for having great choices to choose from!

Entry #4
Carrie O.

LILL bags were the PERFECT gifts for my EIGHT bridesmaids. I surprised them each with a custom bag I designed to compliment their unique personalities. They were all so excited and I continue to get compliments whenever I see them. Thanks, LILL!

Entry #5
Jennifer W.
I had ordered coordinating LILL bags for myself, my mom and my wedding party prior to my Las Vegas wedding. I was getting ready to walk down the aisle and I realized my 30 year old flower girl had left her basket in the room. We dumped out the contents of her brand new LILL bag and filled it with rose petals. In a moment of panic, the LILL bag saved the day!

Entry #6
Rebekah S
For my August 30th wedding, I custom made five Liz style purses for my bridesmaids and groomslady! I also made myself a custom Grace style purse! They made great gifts!

Entry #7
Anne B.

My bridesmaids and I are all obsessed with purses, especially custom-designed purses, so it was an easy decision of what to get them for attendant presents – LILL Bags of course! And they were useful for the day’s festivities and functional and fun for other nights out!

Entry #8
Sara L.
I customized clutches for each of my bridesmaids to wear on my wedding day. Unfortunately, I don't have the photo from my wedding, but we did take a pic the night before when I presented the bags to each of them. Enjoy!

Entry #9
Jamie T.
I wanted something personal yet practical to give my bridesmaids, these bags were perfect! I had a special hand in creating their gift and they have something they'll actually use.

Entry #10
Melissa K.

I am a purse fanatic!! I have a purse for every occasion, season and holiday. When my sister moved to Boston and found 1154 LILL on Newberry street she new it was my dream store. I have 2 Lill purses and they are my favorites by far! So when I became engaged it was a no brainer that the girls in the wedding party would carry purses instead of flowers and LILL was the first place I thought of. It was so much fun picking out all the fabrics for the girls with my sister. When they opened them it made me smile to see how happy they were and how touched they were that I personalized them!
LILL really helped to make my wedding wonderful and memorable.

Entry #11
Nikole J.
For my bachelorette party, I chose Chicago as the destination for all of my bridesmaids to unite from their cross-continental locations. we went to the LILL boutique and designed GRACE Bags for the wedding. They were a HUGE hit! Not only did designing these bags unite my college and high school friends with my family - but they also served as a fabulous accessory piece, and a popular conversation topic the day of the wedding!
Thank you so much for adding to my wedding day festivities. I will always be grateful to 1154 LILL!

Thanks so much for sharing your stories LILL Girls and congrats on your Special Day! Perhaps we will hear from you again when you are ready for a diaper bag?

Best wishes to you all.

-Lilly S.