LILL Team Holiday Traditions

With this week being Christmas and the start of Hanukkah, the much anticipated holiday season is in full bloom. We here at LILL thought it would help to get you in the holiday spirit by sharing our holiday traditions with you.

"We have a fun tradition that began when my oldest brother was born - we take a family picture every year dressed up in our winter jackets with axe in hand next to our fake Christmas tree like we cut it down. We have a pic of the family every year. They are all now in a book at my parents. It is pretty fun to look at and see how we changed through the years and how the coats were passed down - poor Bob always got the hand me downs :-).... Some of the teen years we all looked "thrilled" to be taking the pics and I have some really great hair in the late 80's :-)" - Jen Velarde, President of 1154 LILL

"I buy an ornament each year that reflects something significant that happened in our lives that year. For example, this year I’m looking to get a (wedding) bell or a ring for our engagement…and I always write the date on it." - Mandy, Design Director

"Every year, my mom buys all of the girls new pajamas. We open them Christmas Eve and then wear them to bed that night." - Laurie, Creative Services

"We always watch A Christmas Story before dinner. After dinner, and before opening presents, my uncle takes all of the cousins out to look at lights around the neighborhood. When we get back the grownups have had a minute to relax and then we open gifts." - Sarah, Store Operations

"I do that Cheeseburgers and milk shake picnic in front of the tree on Christmas Eve. It’s so nice to have an informal meal under all the pretty lights plus it’s cute to listen to the kids to guess about what Santa will bring the next morning." - Rachel, Creative Services Manager

"Our family tradition started with my Mom, she would give us a new ornament each year, one year it might be made of glass the next year it maybe made of plastic, I can remember being so excited, waiting to see what my ornament would look like, what color, I don’t have all the ornaments, that she gave, I do have a few that I was able to hold on to thought the years and they are on my tree at home today." - Donna, Parts and Pieces Department

"For the extended family Christmas dinner, we forgo the entree because everybody brings such great appetizers. There is no formal dinner sit-down, the extended family eats buffet style from the appetizers each of the eight families brings. Of course, you cannot get in the door without Christmas cookies.
We also have a gift give away. In addition to the secret Santa gift, everyone brings a wrapped gift costing no more than $20. The gifts are placed in a pile. All the gift-give-away participants is given a number picked from a hat. Person number one picks a gift and unwraps it. Person number two can either “steal” from person number one or pick an unopened gift. Anyone one having a gift stolen can steal from any of the opened gifts or open a new gift. This goes on until everyone has a gift.
We implemented several rules. You can only have your choice stolen three times. We have outlawed Chia pets and candles. This is turning out to be the most popular part of the evening. You would think that there would be a lot of animosity built up by having your sister steal a gift you wanted but it is in good fun. In addition, the gifts are pretty cheesy. I am still trying to get rid of the Ginsu Knives my wife picked and nobody would steal." Mike, Production Director

"My family’s holiday tradition is an annual Holiday Bingo party. I don’t know what gave my mom the idea the first time, but it was so much fun that we’ve been doing it for probably 15 years. My mom buys little gifts and wraps them up so you can’t tell what they are, and when you win a round of bingo you get to pick a prize – and you never know if you’re going to get something good or something not so good. Last year I got stuck with a key chain of a tiny foam flip-flop... It started out with about ten people, but every time someone new comes, they want to come back the next year – so the crowd gets bigger every year!" - Liz, Accounting Manager

"My mom always gives my brother and me a Christmas ornament each year. Whenever possible she finds one that somehow relates to events that occurred during the year for us—for instance, I got a porcelain rabbit purchased in Vermont the year we took a family vacation there and a carved wooden English Bobby the year I spent in London in college. It’s a wonderful tradition because now my brother and I each have a fantastic collection of ornaments, each of which conjures up a memory of the year we received it. So... thanks mom!" - Kate, LILL on Location Director

"Ever since I've been with my husband we have his brother and wife (who happens to also be my best friend!) come over to our house on Christmas Eve after Grandma's dinner and present opening extravaganza. Every year I hide a "Christmas Pickle" in the tree. The brothers fight to find it. Whoever finds it gets to open the first present and play Santa. Now we have kids so it gets to be more fun than ever!
My birthday is also on Christmas, so we stay up until midnight and then my husband and in-laws/friends present me with my b-day gift at 12:01. They count down the minutes 'til my birthday. I love it, it makes me feel so special." Amy, Web Store Manager

Thanks for sharing in your holiday traditions.
If any of you LILL fans have a tradition you'd like to share, we'd love to hear it! Send it to: lilly@1154lill.com

LILL wishes you all a joyful holiday season and a wonderful new year to come!

Cheers!

Featured 'LILL Girl' - Meet Hillary!

Some LILL Fans have just discovered the joy that is creating your own handbag and others have been long time dedicated, die-hard fans who spread the word to anyone and everyone no matter what state you are in. With that, I'd like to introduce you to Hillary, an ER nurse. Her love for LILL began in 2004 when she was a student nurse in Chicago at the Children's Memorial Hospital ER and would walk by Lill everyday on her way to work.

She was one of 30 attendees who attended a LILL on Location party in Seattle. She has a great history with LILL and fun stories to share.

Hillary is originally from Fremont MI, lived in Chicago for a few years, and has since been in Seattle for about two and a half years.

Let's get to know Hillary and share in her fantastic journey of becoming a "LILL Girl".

"I was a student nurse in Chicago at the Children's Memorial Hospital ER and would walk by Lill everyday on my way to work, since I actually lived on Lill Street. I told myself that when I graduated and started working I would buy a "work bag" with my first pay check. I ended up working at the Children's Memorial ER for two more years and carried Pamela with me every day. So total now I've been a "Lill Girl" for close to five years!

The Seattle Children's Hospital Lill madness began the first day I went to work with my new Hadley, which I had just picked up during a trip back to Chicago. Since that day I have found my bag missing with ransom notes left, and other nurses walking around holding onto the bag. Despite work's "no Internet rule", I can usually spot one of the nurses at all times with the Lill website open or minimized at the bottom. When my good friend Sara, hosted the Lill party for our work, over 30 women showed up, and it's still the talk of the ER. "

Let's get to know Hillary by learning of her favorite things!

Hobbies or activities you enjoy doing? "Lately my husband and I have had some serious Monopoly matches, other than that I love to shop, drink coffee, hang out with friends and travel."

How many LILL Bags do you own? "I think 7, but Carolina should be arriving any day now. That doesn't include all of the bags I purchased as gifts though, my bridesmaids loved them!"

Favorite LILL Bag style? "Right now it's probably HADLEY, with my BRIDGET being a close second."

Top 3 fabric picks:

Spring Sprigs, Yellow Stone and Ring Around the Rosie. All different bags of course.

If you were crowned the Queen of LILL for the day, what would you do?

“If I were owner for a day of LILL I would do nothing more than design design design!!! I will always love my Lill bags, but the actual process of designing them is my favorite part!"

Thanks for sharing your great stories with us, Hillary! It was fun getting to know you and we look forward to creating with you again real soon!

-Lilly S.

December LILL Team Memeber of the Month!

December's LILL Team Member of the Month is.....Alexandra A. from LILL's HQ Cutting department! You may also recognize her from an earlier post.

Alexandra is from Mundelein, IL and joined the LILL team in February of 2008. She also works as our Jr. Fabric Associate and works with the Design team. She exudes a feeling of teamwork and positivity. She is known for being a speedy worker and a joy to work with. Alexandra’s hard work ethic, as displayed in her assistance with the new fabric system and dedication during the busy period of the cutting department, influences those around her to push a little harder in all that they do. Whether in cutting or design, Alexandra is always giving her all, learning and implementing as much as she can and always willing to share what she has learned with others.

Let's get to know Alexandra!

Favorite LILL style?
HADLEY…I already have 2!

Top 3 fabric picks:
Tomato Faux Suede, Higan Bloom, Fruity Pebbles (This is my all-time fav!)

What do you love most about working for LILL?
"That all day long I get to look at purses and think about what I’m going to purchase next!"

Nickname: "For the most part I go by Alexandra, but my brother and the girls at the restaurant I work at all just call me Al."

Favorite bands or music genre?
"I am a long time lover of the band Green Day but also hold all genres of Spanish music very close to my heart!"

Where did you last vacation?
T"o Huatulco, Mexico almost two years ago."

Anything else fun you’d like to share?
"I love to sing out loud at work and annoy all the girls by knowing every song that is on the radio no matter what station we are listening to lol!"

Thanks for sharing your fun info with us, Alexandra! It was a pleasure to get to know you better and is truly a joy to work with you.

-Lilly S.

Emily's Pick of the Week

Happy Friday LILL Fans! I am excited to post my pick this week after a short hiatus. This week's pick was designed by LILL customer Elizabeth S. Elizabeth designed a custom BRIDGET. BRIDGET is a reversible bag!

For the exterior, she chose the fun Topsy Turvy fabric. For the interior, she chose the whimisical Bangladesh Paisley with a zipper accent that really pops in Tomato Faux Suede.

Check back next week for a new post. Have a great weekend! Emily

SOUS-CHEF, AT YOUR SERVICE!

Can you believe Thanksgiving is already tomorrow? We are hosting at our house this year, so its time to dust off all those seldom used serving dishes and table settings! Fortunately for my family, I will not be the head chef - I'll serve as "sous-chef" to the wonderful cook that is my mother-in-law. I'll do what I do best - I'll supply the tools and dress the space and leave the "concocting" of the meal to her.

As I see the holiday decor (and hear that familiar music) everywhere I go, I am really starting to "feel" the holidays. It seeps in slowing and before I know it we will be at the height of the holiday season and I will be wondering how Christmas is tomorrow and how I still have a huge list of things to finish. I relish so many of the special things that happen this time of the year, but am always amazed at how quickly the time goes.

So before it gets too far away from me, I wanted to send a note of thanks out to our amazing customers. I truly appreciate your patronage and support of our brand. Your feedback both pushes and inspires us every day. I love hosting you in my "home" that is the LILL brand and I love being the "sous-chef" to the true creators of our products - you! I feel so fortunate to have such wonderful, engaged and loyal customers! Thank you for your business and for sharing your love of LILL with your family and friends. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Jen Velarde
Founder/President - 1154 LILL Studio