Crack-Head approved

The 113 now comes in Pink Pearl eraser pink! When Beth and I were walking over to Foxglove Flowers to take this picture, a person of a homeless/drug addicted persuasion said that he really liked her cool pink jacket... Although he may have been saying it to snaggle a quarter for the phone. Still, you never forget your first compliment on a new garment. Other new spring colours that are coming soon are mauve, dark grey and cream. I am so glad it's getting sunnier out here, the perfect weather for a light weight coat!

ScreenPlay!

Monday marked the first class of Smoking Lily's inaugural screen printing workshop! It was a very informative evening led by Trish, who satisfied many of our curiosities while guiding us through the fundamentals and techniques of this beautiful art. We were put to work right away with hammers and staple guns, building wood frames and laying out our screens...whew! I have to admit that I broke a bit of a sweat yanking that screen and shooting all those staples. Our hard work certainly payed off though; by the end of the night we each placed our completed screens on the rack, all ready for the next step...which happens next Monday. I can't wait! In the mean time, we all have a bit of homework: artwork! This week we have to prepare our silk-screen image...oh, the possibilities.

Oh yeah, I also wanted to introduce myself on the blog here...I'm Devon! I'm the newest addition to the Smoking Lily clan. I've been keeping busy in the Victoria shop, and more recently I've been helping with production in the studio as well. I LOVE being creative and working with my hands...since silk-screening has been on my list of 'awesome skills to learn' for awhile, I thought I would sneak into the class!

To be cont...after day 2.

Finally!!!!

We finally came up with a date that worked for all of us here. March 21st from 10 to 1pm is the date for this years charity garage sale. We've been busy here in the studio getting new spring stuff out to the shops and now we are all getting excited about the sale. We've been making some really funny one of tote bags and found some cotton eyelet fabric for PJs. We just got a new till in and we are busy training our selves to use it properly so we can speed up the line. We are look forward to seeing you at the sale!

New fabric for the Aprons

I just order new fabric for the apron skirt.  The fabric company had sold out of the striped navy but they had a couple of good alternatives.  Here is a sneak peak at  what's on order.  The new aprons should be restocked in about two weeks. Yah!

Bunny love PJs

On Valentine's Day, Beth wrote about the PJ pants we made and lots of people have asked about them since then. They are not on the website but we do have some in the stores if anyone out there needs PJ pants covered with anatomical hearts and flowers with the hansom Mr Hare peeking around your leg. Apparently they are boy friend approved, what ever that means (and who really cares what they think!) They are made of a light weight cotton fabric and oh so cute. They are $42 and come in s/m or m/l. They were really fun to print, so who knows, maybe we will make more. Who knows what they might look like?

Spring Postcard Photo Shoot

Today we had perfect weather to go and take some photos with professional photographers Michelle Loewen and Rebecca Wellman. With Tara as my stylist and with a bundle of fresh Lily clothes under our arms we took off from the studio complete with an old bike in the back of the car. Off we went towards the Gorge Waterway and famed Galloping Goose Trail. There Michelle and Rebecca took many wonderful photos with me standing in an alley of trees, in a stream, and then riding the bicycle. These photos will be up soon made into a postcard! I can't wait to see them! Below are some photos I managed to snap of Tara, Michelle and Rebecca when the camera wasn't pointed at me.

The Offical G.S. Tote

So we have officially started production for our upcoming Garage Sale! Everyone at the studio has taken on a project; from printing tee's, sewing skirts, or designing new accessories, we're all very busy!
This year, Steph has designed an amazing G.S. Tote. Made from hot pink vinyl and lined with anatomical hearts, this bag is the perfect tote for your G.S. finds or just to carry about town. The best thing about this new bag? The "skull and scissors". Steph you rock!

I've Got a Heart On!

...my pajamas.

Beth here, wishing everyone a happy Valentines Day! I'm not all that mushy myself, but I still appreciate how cute these new pjs I've been working on this week are... they're so full of bunny love. Nothing quite says Spring like bunnies, right?

I've also been cooking up some new apron skirts, in great new spring colours. Keep an eye out for those, because fabric may be limited!

Beautiful Things

In the past week or two, we have been making so many new and beautiful things here in the studio. And everyday when I walk home, it seems like it is getting more and more beautiful outside. Days are getting lighter and longer, and things are starting to grow! Like the cherry blossoms!! And what could be more inspiring and uplifting that cherry blossoms?

Learn new skills with us!

We are all very excited about our new little venture here at the studio.  Starting Feb. 23rd we are going to have our very first silk-screening class.  The class runs for three weeks every Monday evening for 2 1/2 hours. We are keeping the classes small so if you are interested call the studio at 250.382.5164 or go to our shop on Johnson and sign up.   

United We Post

So, the SL blog is about to get a lot more interesting! I've decided to give all the Lily Ladies a little homework assignment... write one blog post a week. That's right, from here on in, Trish, Rachael, Steph, Nicole, Beth, Alex, Karmen, Devon and myself (Tara) will post on the SL blog once a week... Everything from what we're working on in the studio, what inspires us, or just what's going on in our own creative worlds; expect daily blog posts from all the girls here in the studio!

Spring Photo Shoot

We had a lot of fun yesterday taking pictures of all our new spring designs. All us studio girls brought in our shoes, tights, bags and jewelery to accessorize. It kind of reminded me of being back in high school and having those girlfriend clothing exchanges where you empty out your entire closet and proceed to fashion show for each other, taking lots of horrible pictures and giggling a lot. We definitely giggled a lot yesterday...but hopefully the photos turned out a little more professional that those out of high school! So yeah, check out our website for the latest in Lily clothes and to see all the new photos we've posted! The two photos here, one of Rachael and Nicole and the other of Steph are two of the fun and more candid shots we got yesterday...not quite right for the website but still pretty cute!

Cast Your Vote!

The Garage Sale is going to be here before we know it! There are so many decisions to make and things to do. This year we're leaving one of those important decisions up to you - what charities should we make donations to? Every year Smoking Lily donates a portion of our G. Sale proceeds to charity. Last year we donated locally to Theater Scam, TLC and the Food Bank. So, this year we'd like you to drop into our Victoria or Vancouver shop and cast your vote!

The ballot boxes will be in the shops on Friday, along with a link on the blog for our online Lily Ladies to vote too!

Any suggestions?