view past entries for inspiration... 1,2,3 - more

Below are our past 'I love my LILL' winners! We loved these stories and are thrilled to know that LILL has played a special part in your life.

1-of-a-kind satchel
1 decision maker on the overall look and feel of the bag-to-be . . . ME!
5 hours to decide on the final product (Ok, it was more like 2 hours, but it was so fun that I could have easily spent 5 hours at the Lill shop!)
4 compliments on my Lill bag the first day I carried it (and many more since then)!

Lavender, green, and orange in color
Ideal for work & play . . . I can carry this purse anywhere!
Lots of suggestions and helpful hints from friendly Lill staffers
Love all the pockets available in the “Pamela” design

Summer bag that is versatile and stylish
Three weeks, and it was ready!
Unique, unique, unique . . . need I say more?
Designing a look with solids, stripes, and floral prints - who knew they could all look so good together?!?!?!
I’m already planning a return to Lill this fall to “build” a winter bag!
Overall, what a fun experience!

I moved to Chicago in August and began looking for a teaching job immediately. Finally, at the end of September, a job opened up and I was thrilled. There was just one problem-- I didn't own the perfect bag to bring to school with me! I was on a hunt, looking high and low for a great, roomy, inexpensive bag.

My best friend was living in Chicago for a while before I moved there. She kept mentioning this place where you could make your own purses and couldn't tell me enough about how cool it was. One day in October, we were bopping around different neighborhoods, and she brought me into the Lill studio. It seemed like so much fun to make something, but I knew I was going to have to wait for a little while before I bought one. But then my friend handed me an envelope... and inside was a card and a check for me to buy a bag for work! My friend had contacted a bunch of my family and friends, who all chipped for a surprise gift to say "Congrats on your first teaching job!" It brought tears to my eyes immediately, and we stayed to design a great Erika bag with Peridot and Holiday Party. I love my Lill bag and use it everyday for school. Having received it this way makes it so much more enjoyable! What a great and creative surprise!
-Rachel H.


We LOVED these stories from past entries and are so glad that you chose to share it with us. Thank you!

Our Special Mother's Day Winner:
For years, I've been Mom's "personal shopper", spotting her style miles away. Lill Studio is it! My Mom is selfless and deserves the world. Dad is retired and their income is fixed. Mom works in Boston, has a phenominal sense of style, needs to look modern and professional, yet can't afford to. - Susan S.

I used to live right down the street from the 1154 LILL store. I would pass by the store every single day, looking at the new bags in store, planning a day to finally get one! Recently, my fiancé broke up with me. Ever since then, I have planned small things to treat myself to, and keep my mind off the relationship. One day I decided to plan a weekend with my friends to make a Lill purse. This was the time to finally get a LILL Bag. Designing, and anxiously awaiting for my LILL bag, definitely kept my mind off things and cheered me up. I designed an Ally in waterfall, and silver Shantung, and I absolutely love it. I have started teaching, and cannot wait to get a Pamela to take to class with me! - Maryam

I'm waiting for my bag but I absolutely devoured the process of creating it!!!

I am a designer and am working alone for quite some time now. I miss the creative environment I once was in at art school in Chicago and felt my sources of inspiration to slowly wither away. The process of creating my OWN personal bag rejuvenated my spirits and gave me fresh inspiration and energy!!! It took me 2 entire days to contemplate over my bag and finally I chose the beautiful Hibiscus Chenille with Magenta stripe silk. I love 1154 Lill and cannot wait to order more bags!!!!
Thanks 1154 Lill!! - Sumaiyya

I love my LILL because I designed it with my mom at a mother-daughter handbag party! My mom and I are both artistic and were inspired by the many colors, patterns, textures, and weights of the available fabrics. By the end of the party, we actually chose the exact same fabric combinations for our LILLs: noir faux suede and tainted love, a fabric of abstract hearts amid swirls of goldenrod, ivory, and raspberry. It must have been mother-daughter intuition. So now we have elegant, high-quality, one-of-a-kind (two-of-a-kind?) matching LILLs! We did choose different styles (an Ally for me, a Maggie for Mom) because a girl and her mom have very different needs when it comes to handbag shape and size! Every time I use my LILL (i.e. every day) I think of my mom and smile. -Andrea

I have a slight addiction to purses. I am a grad student and commute from home to school to work on a daily basis and I've been looking for a bag that allows me to carry the important stuff but also compliments my casual to night out to work styles. Honestly I was getting frustrated going from store to store not quite finding what I wanted until a friend recomended LILL. The website is like a candy store for me. So many styles and fabric options that anyone can represent their unique style. On the first visit, I picked out and designed my own PAMELA. I anxiously waited for my custom bag to arrive and used it right away the same day it came. While completing some errands, I recieved 3 compliments on how cute my bag was and practical that very day!! I can carry books, my laptop or whatever vital materials I may need for the day and represent my style. I recieved the bag just in time for traveling to Mexico and it made the perfect travel carryon. I've introduced a couple friends to the wonder that is 1154 LILL and already have a birthday gift request from a family member in Mexico.
- Christie

Soon after having our second child, my husband surprised me with a gift certificate to Lill in Kansas City. Although he suggested that I invite a few friends and make an evening of the adventure, I opted to go to
Lill ALL ALONE and I had a wonderful time! I spent about 90 minutes looking at beautiful fabrics and selecting the versatile Pamela which I have used ever since. My bag is fashionable enough to wear out to the movies and spacious enough to replace the diaper bag on occasion. Your employee was tremendously helpful, very patient and happy to host me on my solo quest for creativity, relaxation, rejuvenation and solitude. Now, whenever I receive a compliment on the bag (which is often), I am reminded of my husband’s thoughtfulness, my wonderful children, and my creative side which, although often overshadowed by diaper changes and toilet training, is always nearby thanks to my Lill bag! - Elisa

Hey LILL! I saw my friend at school carrying around one of your amazing handbags and it was love at first sight. I knew that I had to have one. Myself being the prep that I am was wild about the look of the bag. Very chic! The Kimberly bag was my favorite. Overall, I just love the idea of making your own handbag. Letting your creativity show is the best part. When the girls at school ask me where I bought it I say, "It's a LILL handbag and I designed it myself!" I adore the look on their faces. Thanks for letting me have so much fun! - Lara

I am in the Army, and most days and nights find me in awful olive green cammys or worse brown camoflague! It is hard to feel feminine when you look almost like every other military person male or female in your unit. My mother sent me a Lill Messenger bag for my birthday and it was the best birthday gift I have ever received! On the weekends I proudly carry it while wearing my jeans and T and feel not only feminine but also unique. It not only made me feel human again but also was my lifesaver 4 weeks ago. We had to evacuate as Hurricane Katrina was barreling down on us and as we had to shelter in our workplace (along with about 400 other people), we were limited to what we could take. I grabbed my Lill bag and filled it with pictures of those I love, credit cards, pajamas and my portable radio and television. It was so roomy that I could take everything that meant a lot to me and still had room for a few more items. We were sheltered in the Base Hospital when all of a sudden the loudspeaker came on saying that we had to move quickly to the 4th floor as the first floors had suddenly flooded. The generators failed and it was pitch black with the wind howling and windows shattering. I had thrown in a flashlight in my Lill bag so I helped to lead us up the stairs to the upper floors. I was so lucky to have come out of it okay and my Lill bag helped me to save pictures and other momentos I would otherwise have lost. I love my Lill bag and will never ever use any other.  -Laura

I know it is tacky to give the bride ideas for bridesmaids' gifts when you are a bridesmaid, but it was worth it for a LILL! My sister was married a few weeks ago and I love my new Liz. I was thrilled because I have a bit of a LILL addiction. My newest LILL just makes me want to make more! Thanks for always having new styles and fabrics. LILL is so wonderful and I get compliments on my purses everywhere I go!  -Stephie

I was at a pre-marriage class with my fiance (now husband) and I needed to use the rest room. A girl followed me in and started ranting and raving about my Lill purse. She told me that she had been eyeing it all morning and told her fiance that she thought it was really cute. He told her that it was probably really expensive and that she shouldn't even bother asking me about it. I was cracking up laughing! I told her about the store where I got it(Chicago) and directed her to your website... I wouldn't be surprised if this girl paid you a visit shortly after our meeting. It was so funny. I have two Ally bags and I just signed up to have an at home party later this summer so I am sure that I will be getting another one soon! -Kari

My Lill "addiction" has grown to 8 purses (2 on order now), but my favorite thing about my bags is that each one has a special story - these are my favorites: Two of my best friends surprised me with my first Lill in Chicago for my birthday - my Pamela was immediately christened "Birthday Lill" and has been my school bag and my work bag. On a visit to Chicago with another dear friend who was moving away after graduating, my Allie - "Graduation Lill" - was born. This summer I have been living in Boston, away from my husband, and my Molly, which I made earlier this summer - "Boston Lill" - symbolizes my adventures here. My Lill bags have come to mean not just a fun experience, a unique bag, and being known as a "regular" at 1154 Lill here in Boston, but each one has a special story which I love to tell and life event associated with it which I cherish! Thank you for giving me another way to celebrate my life's adventures, and look great and be creative doing it!!  -Amanda

I love my Lill! My most recent purchase is a beautiful and summery "Diana". This is a bag I designed online. I take my "Diana" everywhere, and she helps me lug around everything for me, my five year old son, and two year old daughter. The thing I love most about this Lill is all of the compartments on the inside. I use the large zipped area for all of my things, so I never have to go searching past the Purell, sippy cups, and crayons to find my lipstick. I use this bag as the coolest diaper bag ever, and I can still take it on a date with my husband and change the style completely with an outfit and some sandals. Everywhere I go, I get a compliment on this bag, and am forever referring someone to the www.1154lill.com website. I'm just glad mine is one of a kind, so regardless of how many of my friends and acquaintences end up enjoying one of their own, my "Diana" will still express my individual style. Thanks for creating such a wonderful collection of purses and bags. It is truly a delight to feel young and hip, even when I'm frazzled and spent. -Liz

For my best friends bachellorette party I wanted to do something really special and different that would reflect our personalities. My friends and I like nothing better than shopping and have always dreamed of heading to Chicago to make our own Lill's so as soon as I heard about Lill's new handbag parties I knew it was the perfect beginning of a bachellorette party for my best friend! We invited all of our closest family and friends and had so much fun designing our new Lill purses before heading out for the night. We all love them and I'm so excited to know we now all have a piece of eachother's personalities in our bags and have a way to remember her special day. Soon after getting married that same friend became pregnant so now we're planning a trip to Chicago to design a baby bag before her special arrival!!

Thanks for doing such a great job linking friends together forever! ...and what better to do so than through our favorite thing; a handbag!! -Andrea

A few years ago, my sister and I implemented a Sister's Day into our very hectic schedules to make sure that we have at least one day each summer (1/2 way between our summer birthdays) that the two of us do something special together. This year, my sister took me to the Lill store in Chicago to create a purse for my birthday present from her (followed by a fantastic trip to see Wicked!). I picked out a Carmen and had so much fun making it...so much fun that I offered to buy her one for her birthday too so that we could keep creating, so then we picked out a Molly and created that for her! And when she was done, I was hooked...so I picked out a Laurie and created another bag! We could have stayed all day and skipped the play, but we decided to save some fun for our next trip to Chicago! Thanks, to all the girls at the Chicago store for helping to make Sister's Day 2005 awesome! -Kira

I am an 8th grade teacher, and I love my lill hand bag because it has helped my to teach a valuable lesson to my
students. In 8th grade the students want to be individuals, but also want to be included as part of a crowd. In my readingclass we get to discuss this topic using a story. The story, which is entitled "The Gift", is about a friendship torn apart by war. On the day the two young friends are about to part they give each other special hand made gifts that represent what they mean to one another. Our assignment is then to create a special gift for a friend and give an explantion of what it means. I always give my students an example. My example is my lill bag that my friend made for me. I explain to the class that I stood up in my frineds wedding and as a present for that she made each of the bridesmaids a purse. What is unique about this gift is that on the outside of the purse all the bridesmaids were the same, but on the inside the designs were all different to represent the relationships she had with each girl. My students always love that story and my purse, so thank you lill for making my class more interesting. -Emily

Dear Lill,
In the midst of a run of insanely long hours at work, I had decided to stay an extra night in Boston after a business trip. I had exactly 24 hours to rest and relax before gearing back up for more insanity at work. I was wandering down Newbury street and the Lill boutique caught my eye from the sidewalk. Still thinking about work and being "practical," I designed a Pamela for myself - black, of course, to go with all the black suits I wear, but I added a red silk pocket for a little fun, and started to emerge from my funk. Thinking I was finished, I paid for the bag, and began to leave. Then I saw some new fabrics that had just arrived that day. The women who had been so wonderfully helpful as I designed my Pamela were playing with the new fabrics finding some brilliant new combinations, and they were so excited that it was contagious! I decided that my sister just had to have a Lynn using some of those fun new fabrics. By the time I finished that one, we were all laughing so much that I had forgotten all about work! I couldn't stop! I designed a Molly for my very hip grandmother (she is 89!), and another Molly for my stylish mother. Thanks, LILL, for the much needed (hours!) of rest, relaxation, and fun!    - Kelly

My Lynn handbag is my 2nd Lill and I bought her at the Boston store & she was the perfect bag for my trip. I needed a medium size colorful handbag with a zipper to keep my items safe while traveling in Italy. My Lynn looked great with every outfit I packed and she came with me to the Vatican, to the Coliseum and to Florence where I mailed my postcards home. I truly love 1154 Lill’s unique handbag designs & beautiful fabrics. Thank you for creating such a great concept! I’m looking forward to my purse party in August.

Hello,
I have not even received my Polly bag but I am looking forward to seeing my creation.
I read a great article about your company in a Chicago hotel magazine. I feel in love with the idea and we took the entire family to your studio the next day. My husband and two boys (ages 1 and 2) went with me and had a great time.
My boys loved the colors on the walls and all the fabrics. My two year old, Jack, even helped me pick my fabrics for my bag. My husband was thrilled that I got a purse and that I got to create it. (I have not purchased a purse in 12 years) Your staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. I will be back again and I look forward to sharing this unique experience with my family, friends and neighbors.

Thanks again for a fun experience. -Kelly

My bag style name is Erika.
I loooovvvee this bag because it goes great with my coporate apparal and adds fun to my day. The exterior is the black textured floral print with accents of that pink shimmery fabric that has the subtle line texture to it. The inside is baby blue canvas material--very durable. I am a graphic designer, so being able to design my own bags is right up my alley. - Angel

I own a Kimberly reversible purse. It is black denim on one side with a striped red/black/white pocket. The other side is a light brown/white/black plaid. It is the perfect purse since the two sides match most of my clothes. I made it when I lived in Chicago at a friend’s bridal shower. It was a wonderful experience since it gave my friends a chance to get together as well as a fun afternoon creating my one of a kind purse. Since then, I have purchased purses through the website as the perfect gift for friends and family. It is fun to create the purses based on their personalities and then to watch them open it and fall in love with their new purse. Since I no longer live near the studio, I am glad it is still possible for me to create these purses on line. Thanks 1154 LILL! - Anne

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view past entries for inspiration... 1,2,3 - more