Give Thanks Giveaway and a Labor Day Sale

I just wanted to pop in really quickly to let you all know we thought it would be fun to have a little sale in honor of labor day weekend! The sale starts now and will run through Monday evening at midnight EST.

And we also wanted to do a little giveaway for one of our give thanks pillow covers!

How can you win this pillow cover?

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post. 

You don't have to have a blog to enter, either. If you aren't a blogger, just enter a comment and then where it says "comment as" scroll down near the bottom and click on anonymous. However, if you do that, make sure to leave your e-mail address so we can confirm that you are the winner. If we draw the name of someone who doesn't leave any identifying information we will simply draw a new name. Make sure to check back here on the blog to collect your prize!

 And if you want to up your odds of winning you can "pin" any of the above photos onto Pinterest for one more entry. 

Just write "Pinned" on a separate comment below!

Or you can "share" the link on facebook with your friends. If you do that you get another entry.

Just write "shared on FB" on another comment below!

 This giveaway will run from now through the weekend.

 

I hope you all enjoy the last few days of summer!

 

Tea Party, Love Is..., A Winner and the Rusted Chain

Last week we had a little impromptu tea party. Lillie had asked for one the night before, but I told her we'd have to wait until tomorrow if she wanted to have a one with snacks included so she, Jon and Lola decided to have a pretend one with the little pink set that Jon got her for her when she was a baby (you can see the tiny pink teapot and saucers in the photo above). A few minutes later I heard a crash. We no longer have any teacups and let's just say none of the females in the family were to blame. I think there's a reason tea parties don't normally include boys - haha! =) So, when we had our tea party the next day we had to use some of our grown up pieces.

Also I forgot to mention in yesterday's post the paint colors. I used Ballet White (leftover from several projects) for the table top and chairs and for the table legs I used Valley Forge Tan (leftover from when I painted my computer armoire.) You can see the two colors clearly in the photo below, but I would say it looks a little more contrasting in the photo than it does in person.

Lillie's friends Chloe and Bayley gave this adorable little sock monkey to Lola (and gave Lillie a bunch of their dolls!) and while Lola was napping the sock monkey got to enjoy the tea party with Lillie.

 

Lola's checking it all out.

Mmmmmm...nothing like a mini chocolate bundt cake! =)

Also, we have restocked our Love is... pillow cover sets in both black:

 and white:

I also wanted to announce the winner of our Aadley and Co Giveaway:

Congratulations, Janice! You will be receiving an e-mail shortly from someone at Aadley and Co so they can get you your $50 gift card!

And finally, I want to introduce to you our newest sponsor, The Rusted Chain:

The Rusted Chain is a lovely shop that offers a wide array of stamped jewelry including this items like this bracelet:

and this necklace:

I hope you all are having a wonderful week!

Our $5 Yard Sale Table and Chairs

For four years I have been on the hunt for a little table and chairs. I really wanted a set when I was pregnant with Lillie but couldn't find one I liked that wasn't terribly expensive. Then I forgot about it for a while and then would remember and start looking on Craiglist and in consignment shops and then when nothing turned up would forget again for a while and so it went. Well, one day while we were up in NH we were headed on one of the narrow, winding roads from my parents house to my grandfather's and I excitedly yelled and turned the car around because I thought I spotted a set at a yard sale. Sure enough, there was a little set and the lady said it was $5. I'll be honest I didn't think there was any chance we were going to be able to get it back to VA with us seeing how our car was jam packed on the ride up there, and we already had several a few new things to bring back, but I couldn't pass up $5. (Actually, I didn't have any cash on me so technically my mom was the one that actually paid the $5 - haha!) It took quite a bit of packing and repacking but we got them in. Now, I have to say the table was not in great shape, but it was sturdy. Even painted, I wouldn't say it's my favorite thing ever, and the chairs are a bit boxy for my taste, but it is an improvement and the girls LOVE it. They've been eating breakfast and lunch there every day and have spent hours and hours doing their little projects at it.

It took quite a while to get all the lovely stickers off the top - that was fun! =)

This wasn't originally where I planned on putting it but it's where it fit best.

I hope you have a wonderful day! I'll be back tomorrow.

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes...

I am so excited to be able to tell you all that Lillie and Lola are getting another cousin! Jamie and Josh are expecting their first baby early next March! These were the first photos I took when we arrived in NH this summer and I have been patiently waiting until this week when Jamie starts her second trimester to tell you all! (She's much more patient than I am - haha). Anyway, we are all thrilled and cannot wait to meet their little bundle of joy. They are going to make such fabulous parents. In another month or two they will find out if it's a boy or girl and then the fun of helping decorate a nursery and planning a baby shower begins! I can't wait!

Lillie's pretty excited too, and I am sure Lola will be once she's aware of what's happening. One day last week Lillie asked me for a box. I asked her what it was for and she said she couldn't tell me because it was a secret. I told her I needed to know the general idea of what the box was for to make sure it was safe and she informed me she was making a special present for Jamie's baby. I of course, gave her the box and a few minutes later saw her stuffing two toys that she plays with quite often into it. It was so sweet. After a few minutes though I saw her wrinkle her brow and then she looked at me and said, "Actually, I think I might still need these. Maybe I should give it something else." Ahh - yes, that's more like a three year old. The night before that we were in Target and cut through the baby section. She squealed when she saw a few of the outfits but I told her that Lola was too big now for the ones she was pointing to and she responded, "No mom, not for Lola, can we get them for Jamie's baby!"

It was so sweet taking these photos under the same tree that Josh proposed to Jamie!

I also wanted to let you all know we just officially stocked our first batch of our Silent Night, Holy Night pillow cover sets!

I hope you all have a fabulous week!

The Employee Files (Jason's August Post)

While most of you are probably under the impression that Dear Lillie is primarily a one-man show, rest assured that I do get some help from time to time. Because of this common misconception, I figured it was about time that I introduced you all to everyone on our ever-expanding payroll.

In order of their official hire (but certainly not overall importance)…

Jennifer Holmes

My caption got edited out...

Our Vice-President is more than just a former pretty face now past her prime. In between trips to the spa, she can often be found doing simple arts and crafts or rearranging small objects in her home—then taking 4,000 pictures of the new look. She also enjoys light jogs (on company time!) while her husband raises their two children. On the rare occasions that she does feel moved towards productivity, she designs all of our products and does about 99% of the blog work, but that’s not important.

Jason Crotty

Jenni honestly doesn’t think these shirts would sell (probably because I thought of it).

President? …I know, right? Jenni wanted me to take care of the legal paperwork, so honestly what did she expect to happen? While single-handedly building our establishment from the ground up, I do most of the managerial stuff as well as all of the screen-printing and most other day-to-day tasks. I generally split the emails 50/50 with Jenni just to keep her involved. However, you may have noticed that the ones with my name at the end come back about a week or two earlier than you-know-who's.

Jamie Druke

This makes my neck hurt.

Jamie has earned a bit of a reputation around the office as the first person at work in the morning and the last person to leave a night. That being said, she leaves her house less frequently than anyone I’ve ever met. Good thing we work from her home. If you have ordered a shirt or pillow cover in the last five months and noticed that the packaging seems a little more thoughtful, then you are absolutely correct. Jamie’s chief duty is packaging and shipping small items, and I must say she takes it very seriously. Sometimes I just sit there and watch her take twenty minutes to package one pillow. Her pace is literally amazing.

Jacob Miller

And yet this is even more painful to look at.

Jamie actually escaped being on the receiving end of a few more jokes about her lack of hours worked because our newest hire drastically cut back his hours in order to pursue a more lucrative job as a teaching pro at our local tennis club. Jake’s 2-3 hours each week generally start with lunch break followed by “alright, lets get this done quickly so we can golf,” which I of course never object to. Master of the flash-dryer, Jake eventually intends to head up our sales department, because as I’ve heard, most companies have departments.

We do have a few independent contractors who help us out with the sewing and a few other projects as well, but hopefully this gives you a mildly-accurate picture of how our little operation works. I don’t intend to take another six-month hiatus from posting, but then again Jenni is not always willing to share the spotlight, so who knows…

$50 Gift Certificate to Aadley & Co.

It's time for another giveaway! Today I want to introduce you to Aadley & Co. They offer a great line of scented items that you will love. Last month they sent me several items to try and I have to say this is a really easy review to write! The scents were so fresh and clean smelling. The white pear candle is my new favorite scent.

They also have a line of body care including lotion, soap and solid lotion bars. The soap is so pretty and the lotion bar is my favorite. I keep it in my purse. I love that I don't have to get my hands all sticky/lotiony (yes, I know that's not a real word) on these hot summer days and can just rub it right on. Lillie thinks it's pretty cool too and has been caught using it a few times. =)

And guess what?

 They are giving on lucky reader a $50 gift certificate to their shop!

So, how can you win this gift card?

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post!

You don't have to have a blog to enter, either. If you aren't a blogger, just enter a comment and then where it says "comment as" scroll down near the bottom and click on anonymous. However, if you do that, make sure to leave your e-mail address so we can confirm that you are the winner. If we draw the name of someone who doesn't leave any identifying information we will simply draw a new name. Make sure to check back here on the blog to collect your prize!

You can comment each day if you would like to up your chances!

For an extra entry simply visit Aadley & Co.

 and come back here and tell us your favorite item! 

Or "Like" Aadley & Co. on Facebook and come back here and comment that you did for another extra entry!

This giveaway runs through Sunday evening.

Have a wonderful weekend!

A Few New Things in the Dining Room

For several years now I have had the same urn sitting on my dining room sideboard. I LOVE the urn but was starting to get a little bored with it looking the same. I did change it seasonally and for parties (ornaments and lights at Christmas, paper leaves for a thankful tree last fall, Cinderella's slippers for Lillie's birthday, tulips at Easter, etc.) but decided it was time to switch things around a little. I moved the urn to our living room and added this tiered display piece I found at a cute little shop in Peterborough, NH. I got some fresh pears, a little mini rose plant and some fresh herbs at the grocery store to help fill it out for now. I am looking forward to adding some autumn touches to it in a couple of weeks.

I also got this fun little birdcage and planter thing at the same shop!  I originally put them in the dining room when we got home and when I took these photos but yesterday I ended up switching things around a bit more and they are now both in the kitchen area where I think I like them a little better.

 

You can see the whole room here. Not a whole lot else going on in here right now. I am about to start gearing up for fall and am toying with a few changes for the dining room including stripping the paint off the table (not completely sure I am going to yet) and I've been on the hunt for some new dining room chairs to fix up. The gray ones were $6 and were never very sturdy. I had always planned on them just being temporary until I found the right set. They've worked fine for the last four years but are starting to get pretty wobbly now. I am pondering using a bench on one side, but we'll see...

 

We've been busy gearing up for the holidays! Today we have our first Christmas pillow covers in the shop! YAY! We will be adding more as they are ready. 

I hope you all are having a wonderful week!