Featured LILL Girls!

We've had many LILL Girls come to us with great enthusiasm about our concept and brand who enjoy spreading the word about their LILL experience. And that's really what's unique about LILL, more than the fun and fashionable styles and fabrics, it's the experience you get when you gather your group of girls and design fun and unique creations.


There is a particular group of girls who love the LILL experience so much they've hosted 5 parties between the 8 of them in the past 1 and 1/2 years! What a fun way to make sure you spend quality time with your girlfriends.

Let's get to know these LILL enthusiasts from Ann Arbor, MI a little more!

How did you all become friends?
"Through work. Some of us have since moved on to different companies, but we met originally at the same company. LILL parties are one of the ways we spend time together. We also celebrate holidays and each other's birthdays by getting together for fun activities (birthday girl's choice!)."


What began your love for LILL?
"One of our friends, Colleen (not pictured, though her bags are!), had designed a LILL purse at a home party a couple of years ago. Every time we saw her carrying her LILL bag, we complimented her on it and asked her where she got it. About a year later, after finding out Colleen's sister, Jenna, had recently become a LILL demonstrator in the Ann Arbor area, we booked our own home party right away. After one party, we were all smitten! We had so much fun designing our bags, but getting them in the mail 3 weeks later was even better! We love the endless design possibilities and look forward to the new fabrics and styles each season, as well as sharing our love of LILL with others."


4. How long have you all been LILL girls?
"With Colleen's first bag in 2006, but the love for LILL pictured in the photograph truly began in July 2007."


How many bags do you own?
"Collectively amongst the 8 of us, we have designed 57 LILL products, most of them bags, but also accessories, including Lulu, Connor, Anne, and Joey.
We've given several designed items as gifts as well."


What is your favorite LILL style?
"I'd have to say we're most fond of BRIDGET, MOLLY/LUCY, and ANDI. Several of us own these styles, with some of us having designed more than one bag for ourselves in the same style."


Top 3 fabric picks:



"Stained glass window--we love color combination and the texture of the flocking in this fabric.









Inferno--we love the bright colors.

Marmalade Swirls--great pattern and color."






If I were the owner of LILL for a day, I would...
"Spend some time writing personal notes to put into LILL bags, like little fortune cookies, saying things like "you're a fabulous LILL girl!" :-) I'd also invite some customers in to see LILL bags being made."

Thanks so much for sharing your story and your love for LILL!

-Lilly S.

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 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.