Meet Paula!

Summer is right around the corner, which means longer days, breezy nights, and of course, vacations! I love to travel and get out of the city, even if it is just for a long weekend. However, I hate to be weighed down with luggage, and I want to able to pack quickly and not waste any time grappling with unwieldy suitcases. ‘Travel light’ is my motto, which is why Paula is the perfect bag for my weekend adventures.

This deluxe duffle bag offers the style and sophistication that typical duffle bags do not, while it is still soft enough to fold down and store. The zippered compartments are perfect for keeping my makeup and toiletries intact, and the detachable strap makes it easy to carry.

Of course, designing Paula is half the fun! I wanted my bag to be as bright and summery as the weather itself, so I chose Apricot Blossom for the exterior, and then I kept it simple and chic with a Pearl Sateen strap for the exterior accent. And the best part? No matter where I travel, I always recognize my very own personalized Paula from a mile away as she comes down the luggage conveyor.

Summer, here I come!

Emily's Pick of the Week

I decided to make a very special pick this week in honor of Mother's Day. My Mom, Mary S. from Frankfort, IL, recently designed a DREA bag. I love what she picked out! For the exterior, she chose the bouncy black and cream Round About fabric. The external stripe and strap match in Black Basketweave. The interior has the whimsical Ink Swirls. She added a pop of green in the interior pocket with Key Lime Twill. The bag is so pretty and it goes with pretty much everything! I made my first LILL bag with my Mom at 1154 LILL Studio in Chicago. I have such great memories of the time we spent together designing our bags. We have similar taste since we ended up choosing the same fabric for our bags!

I want to wish my Mom a very Happy Mother's Day! I am going to become a Mom in a few weeks, and I have been spending a considerable amount of time thinking about my Mom lately and just how much she means to me. My Mom is so giving, caring and supportive. I know that I can always count on her to be there for me whenever I need her. Thanks for all you do, Mom. You mean the world to me. I can't wait for you to meet your new grandchild in a few weeks! Happy Mother's Day to everyone this weekend. I hope you enjoy the time with your families. Emily R. The picture on the left features my Mom with my niece, Fiona.

Meet Brianna!

We are excited to introduce the latest edition to our line, BRIANNA! A darling, over-sized slouchy hand-held with a sneaky hidden side zipper pocket and black wooden handles. BRIANNA is great for toting all your essentials and is reversible for two looks in one. Carry her to your next lunch date with your girlfriends or around town, BRIANNA is sure to add that right touch of class to any outfit.

Now let's get to know the name behind the bag!

Meet the real Brianna, granddaughter to Donna LILL's Parts and Pieces Manager.

Brianna is sweet and sassy, just like her grandma and the bag named after her.

Let's get to know Brianna by learning of some of her favorite things:

Favorite style: DONNA, because it’s named after my Grandma!
One unique or funny thing you carry in your bag: Barbie
Favorite Movie: Alvin and the Chipmunks
Favorite Colors: Yellow and Pink
Favorite Celebrity: Carlos Zambrano – Go Cubs!
Last great book you read: Queen of the Class by Mary Engelbreit
Hero or Mentor: My Grandma
Favorite Food: Pizza
Hobbies or Activities important to you: Reading

Thanks, Brianna! It was fun getting to know you and your favorite things.

-Lilly S.

Emily's Pick of the Week

Happy Friday Everyone! Thanks for your input on the fabric choices for my custom SUSAN diaper bag! I heard from our LILL On Location Rep from Milwaukee, WI, Lori B. Thanks for your comments, Lori! I have decided to go ahead with the fabric choices that I mentioned last week. In three weeks, my custom SUSAN diaper bag will be here and my baby will arrive a week or two after that. I am so excited!!

This week I'd like to focus on one of our Simply Chic bags, CHARLIE. CHARLIE is a darling messenger bag. You get to choose one fabric for the exterior and black or khaki poplin for the interior. CHARLIE is a great summer bag to take to festivals, concerts and barbeques. Ann P. from Elyria, OH recently designed an adorable CHARLIE bag. She chose Watercolor Pond for the exterior and Black Poplin for the interior. Watercolor Pond is such a beautiful fabric. The pinkish red flowers really stand out against the shiny cream colored background. Also, the black velvet detailing adds a nice finishing touch. Have you thought about designing a new LILL bag for the summer? CHARLIE is a great choice! Have a great weekend! Emily R.

My Mom's Day at LILL

Hello Everyone!

It's Amy, I am the Web Store manager for LILL. You may recognize me from a previous post as I was awarded HQ Team Member of the Month. So fun and what an absolute honor it was to be voted for by my peers.

Anyway, I just thought it appropriate to share my experience for my pre-Mom's Day at LILL. I have a LILL tradition with my family and in-laws. My best friend, Kelly, and I married brothers. One year we decided to start a tradition of giving the aunts-in-law, grandma-in-law and our moms LILL Gift Certificates for Christmas with a "save the date" note to visit the LILL store for Mom's Day. We design our bags and then head out to a local restaurant to treat the moms to lunch afterwards. We have a great time chatting about the bags we designed. I look forward to it every year. Last year we all designed SOPHIE bags.

We just had our visit to the Chicago store yesterday! As I am expecting my 2nd baby boy in a few weeks, so we decided to go a little earlier than Mother's Day.

I thought it would be fun to share with you all what we all designed! I hope the family doesn't mind me sharing their gorgeous combos with the world.

My two aunt-in-laws and I designed CHARLIE bags!

I am SO excited to have designed a CHARLIE, he's what she looks like:




I designed my CHARLIE with Giselle Paisley. It has all my favorite colors in it, violet purple, hot pink and green. I think it will be a great "mom-on-the-go" bag for me to carry with my two boys!










Aunt Sandee designed her CHARLIE with Brown Stone.




We were all surprised that she did not use an animal print for once! But I think she made a good choice. She travels a lot, so CHARLIE is perfect for her.











Aunt Robbin designed her CHARLIE using Calla Lily:


We discovered a few years ago that Aunt Robbin is a closet LILL shopper! She started driving down to the store on her own and picking up ready-mades with out telling us. She'd show up to family events with these new LILL Bags. I think she has well over 35 LILL bags now!









My mom's gift from me for Mother's Day was a LILL bag of her choice. She chose CHARLOTTE:



She chose Topsy Turvy. She wanted a bag she could wear around and out to dinner. I think It's a great choice for her. She takes care of my little guy, Jack while I work so she definitely deserves some fun nights out to dinner with a gorgeous LILL bag! She also chose a ready-made DENISE to coordinate with her CHARLOTTE, she's just so sassy and cute!







My BFF, Kelly also picked up a CHARLOTTE:

She's heading out to Florida for a vacation next week with her family so opted for the "instant gratification" approach to her LILL Bag. I was actually going to use Lime Leaves for my CHARLIE, but we decided if we ever wanted to, we could switch bags. We both LOVE this fabric. No wonder, I mean we did marry brothers so we kind of have the same style. She also chose a ready-made DENISE with the same Lime Leaves fabric.









Kelly's mom, Susan, designed herself a NIKKI:



She wanted an everyday bag with fabrics that went with everything. I think she made an excellent choice all around! It's cute and sassy just like her!










And finally, there's Grandma Sophie! She designed a KIMBERLY- zipper:

Grandma chose Spring Fling for the exterior and Key Lime Twill for the pockets and straps. She is the fasted LILL bag designer of the bunch! She walks in, sees what she likes and is done. She never second guesses her choice. She likes to relax and watch us all design our bags after she's done. I LOVE her combination, so cheery and fun, just like her!



I love looking at all these combos now and seeing what different personalities we all have. It's such a wonderful way to bond with the family. Our LILL bags always represent a special Mom's Day memory. When we see each other at family gatherings, carrying our LILL bags of course, we love to talk about the trip we had down to the store and how we can't wait to go again next year! We may have to turn this trip into a bi-annual event though.

Just wanted to thank the girls at the Chicago store for giving us such a fun time, again!

I hope you enjoyed my memories with my family. I wish all you Moms out there a beautiful and happy Mother's Day!

-Amy F.