Holiday Style Tips per LILL's Design Team

I asked Jamie from the Design Team what she was looking forward to for Holiday style and to give us some tips on how to dress for that next party.

Here are some fun tips for Holiday 2007 per Jamie!

“Here in Chicago, Holiday is always about a desperate attempt to escape the cold, grey, terrible, dark winter, and the endless days of practical fleeces, snow boots, bulky sweaters, claustrophobic turtlenecks, and my ubiquitous puffy coat that I am ready to burn already in December. But this season more than ever we will have ample opportunity to escape into a heady world of Shangri-La as stores will be filled with clothes and accessories that gilded, glowing, and sumptuous as fashion takes us on a trip down the Spice Road...
I'm looking forward to wearing a spicy palette of saffron, cinnabar red, and nutmeg brown. I'll add color and sparkle to that with pops of turquoise teal, gold dust, plum, and emerald green.












Even though I'll spend my December trudging through black ice, doing my best to dodge the yellow snow on the sidewalk, in my mind I'll be following the trade winds on an exotic journey to Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, all the way to the Far East. Jewels, gems, precious metals, baubles, and spice - Holiday 07 is going to be a party, for sure!

I'll be celebrating with sumptuous velvets and suedes, the luster of satin, patterns inspired by ornate architecture - temples, pagodas, filigrees & arabesques, along with rich paisleys, ornate jacquards and damasks, shimmering metallics, and decadent brocades. This is the season to gild the lily. For my part I'm going to be sure to have one last hurrah before fashion becomes sober and minimal again. And what better time to load up & pile it on than the Holidays?

In terms of accessories, I'm going for it this year: hats, costume jewels, dramatic belts -- maybe I’ll even be brave (or crazy) enough to work a turban or some gloves into my ensembles. For my handbag, the crowning jewel of any well-planned outfit, I'll be carrying CORA, ADRIENNE, and GRACE to all my holiday parties.



CORA I love for its dramatic, oversized grommets, substantial metal chain, and deco-inspired sunburst pin tucks. And, most importantly, it has an adjustable strap. Double it up through the grommets and you have a sleek little bag to wear on your wrist or over the shoulder for the office Christmas party. Let it hang long and you can wear across your body on New Year's Eve when it's time to get down on the dance floor or for those occasions when one finds oneself with both a cocktail and a glass of champagne ...












ADRIENNE I love for its vintage elegance. I'll be making mine with one of our modern, graphic fabrics to keep the look young and current. Its framed shape stands up well to the architectural silhouettes I plan on wearing this Holiday.

And GRACE I will need on those winter nights when I've spent the whole day feeling decidedly shapeless underneath all my practical layers and needs something decidedly feminine to cheer me up. GRACE is just the thing for that mood - it's delightfully coquettish in pink velvet Baroque-inspired floral with a mauve-y pink ruffle - a little convection fit for a queen (Marie Antoinette?).













But for me, I'll be making my GRACE out of a moody, emerald flocked taffeta for a femme fatale/Old Hollywood inspired look, doing my best to channel the smoldering glamour of Greta Garbo, even if I have my snow boots on. "








Thanks so much for the design tips Jamie! You have inspired me to go out and get myself ready for my next holiday party!
-Lilly S.

Have a holiday style tip you'd like to share? Please send them to me to help others get inspired for holiday dress! lilly@1154lill.com

Lilly's Cookie Exchange

Lots of holiday parties are underway and one of my favorite types of holiday parties is a cookie exchange! With the help of the Loncar sisters at the production office, we were able to put together some yummy ideas for you to bring to your next holiday party or have your own cookie exchange!
Have a treat you’d like to share with us? Send it to lilly@1154lill.com

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxOreo Balls

What you need:
1 package of Oreo’s – crushed into fine crumbs
1 package of cream cheese at room temperature
Chocolate suitable for melting – usually located in the baking isle at your grocer

How to make:
Combine crushed Oreo’s and cream cheese until well mixed. Roll mixture into small balls and place them on a plate or baking sheet line with wax paper. Place the rolled balls into the refrigerator for ½ hour or until set.
Heat the chocolate according to the directions on the package.
Now it’s time to dip the set Oreo balls into the melted chocolate! Place the finished chocolate cover Oreo balls onto wax paper.
Add some decoration to the top if you like! (white chocolate works great!)
Place back into the refrigerator to set.
Store in refrigerator until about 20 minutes before serving time.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxTurtle Pretzel Cookies




What you need:
Pretzels – preferable the grid shaped ones
Rolos candy
Nuts – this recipe uses almonds, but you can use your favorite kind

How to make:
Pre-heat your oven to 250 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with the pretzels
Place a Rolo candy on top of each pretzel
Put them in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes
After you remove them from the oven, immediately place a nut of your choice on top of the Rolo candy and gently press down.
Place into the fridge to set and they’re ready to serve!

Enjoy!

Lilly’s etiquette tip:
It’s customary to present the hostess with a little “Thank You” gift when attending a party. Typically you can bring a nice bottle of wine or desert. But if you want to stray from the ordinary, LILL Bags make fun and unique gifts!
Some lower priced items that make great gifts are:

SAMANTHA xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCANDY xxxxxxxxxxxxxJOEY

Go Shopping with Lilly!

Hi LILL Girls and Boys! The shopping season is here and you are probably looking for ideas. I’m here to help! I have a long list of my own and thought I’d share my gift giving ideas with you.

Secret Santa – a CANDY full of Candy! Easy on the pocket book, plus who doesn’t love candy?

My Mom – CAROLINA wallet. My mom is very organized and this is the perfect gift for her.

Grandma - JOEY photo album filled with pictures of our past family holidays together. Sentimental and sweet, Grandma’s love that stuff!

My girlfriend – LIZ Bag. Perfect for Girl’s Night Out events plus doubles as a wallet.

Sister-in-law – She has everything so I’m going with a LILL gift certificate to LILL so we can design a bag together. This will give us some much needed ‘get to know you time’ as well!

Hey guys! Need an idea for your girlfriend or wife? Get one of LILL’s accessories such as AMY, SAMANTHA or LESLIE and put a piece of jewelry in it. The perfect packaging for the perfect gift!

Happy shopping!

-Lilly S.

Meet the Loncar Sisters!

The Loncar sisters are famous at LILL's production office not only for their hard work and dedication to LILL but also the many talents they bring to the company. Most importantly, they are known for their desserts! There is not a production office potluck complete with out one of their treats. They are as sweet as the goods they bake and it’s always a pleasure to work with them.

Get to know the Loncar sisters! I’ve asked them a few questions so you can learn more about the 3 girls that are equally nice and bring us such joy.

Meet Kristina(Bottom left) - Cutting and LOL Associate:
Nickname - Kris, Krissy
Favorite treat: Ice cream
Favorite movies: Pillow Talk, How to Marry a Millionaire, Anchors Aweigh, Move Over Darling
Favorite Music: Rockabilly
Favorite hobby: Swing Dancing
Mentor: My grandma Mary
Special Talent: I’m a great navigator

Meet Mandy (Bottom right) - Design Manager
Favorite treat: Chocolate
Favorite movies: Empire Records, Ghost World, Silence of the Lambs
Favorite Music: Indie Favorite hobby: Hanging out with friends and family


Mentor: My mom
Special Talent: I’m a good problem solver; sometimes I think I’m Macgyver!
Mandy is also the namesake of our MANDY Bag!


Meet Katie (The cherry on top!) - Cutting Associate
Nickname – Kate, KT
Favorite treat: Brownies
Favorite movies: Nosferatu, Night of the Living Dead, Psycho
Favorite Music: Punk
Favorite hobby: Coloring
Mentor: Petar Rogic
Special Talent: I’m a good listener

Check back soon for some of the Loncar sister’s delicious recipes – just in time for your next Holiday party!

Traveling in Style

With the Holidays just around the corner I realized many of you "LILL Girls" (and boys!) would be traveling to visit friends and family very soon. This inspired me to find helpful ways to travel the "LILL" way. I spoke with our marketing coordinator, Bridget, who recently traveled to New Hampshire to attend an e-commerce seminar. She helped me gather some helpful tips when traveling.

Here's how to travel according to Bridget:
"I’d be there for 2 days and 1 night. As I’m not the biggest fan of checking in luggage, I decided to pack smartly and load up a carry on (or 2) of my belongings for my venture. I called upon a few friends for help.















DONNA graciously held my laptop, PJ’s and change of clothes.

While Tara was equipped for traveling essentials and entertainment. A couple of tag-alongs came too that kept me well organized and ready for the trip through security. LIZ worked as my wallet/cell phone holder and LESLIE held all my toiletries. Both were snuggled together in my TARA.

Wow! Did I look chic, not to mention organized and ready! My trip went smoothly and I had fun with my “friends”."

Thanks so much for the tips on how to travel in style, Bridget!

Here are a couple more tips for travel:

If you are traveling with liquids, you may not bring any containers that have over 3 oz of liquid. You can bring up to 1 qt. size zip lock baggy worth. See the Transport Security Administration's website for more information. Wear slip-ons with socks. I know it sounds “old lady-ish” but your life will be a lot easier when traveling through security. Taking your shoes off is one thing, walking totally barefoot in the airport is another. You’ll thank me for it later!

Happy travels!

-Lilly S.