How to Shop the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale

Guys.. This is a big deal. Set your alarms. The Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale dates were announced and it will start this upcoming Monday.

Last year, the website crashed and we were "oh shifting" all over the place. To prepare for the sale, I've listed some tips.

1. If you have your heart set on something, look for that item first. Things will sell out very quickly. The holy grail prints like Let's Cha Cha, Tusk In Sun and You Gotta Regatta will sell out first. Prior to the sale, make a quick list of what you hope to get out of the sale. I listed down Callahans, Elsa's and Murfees because those are the items I like to collect. 

2. Set a limit. My dream is to have a million dollar gift card so I can purchase everything Lilly Pulitzer, but that's never going to happen. Make sure you have money in your account and don't over indulge if you can't afford to. 

3. Check out early and often. Just because you have something in your cart, it doesn't mean you have it. I've heard plenty of stories of people checking out and having their items disappear from their shopping bag. The struggle is real. This is why most people choose to buy each item in separate transactions. Don't wait to have five items in your shopping bag. You will probably lose one of those items when you checkout. Don't risk it. I've had this happen to me when I kept a Let's Cha Cha dress in my bag. I browsed for more items and after two minutes, the dress was gone. 

4. Get online before the scheduled time. For the New Years Cheers Sale, a few people were let in the website to preview the sale. I'm not sure if they will let us this time around, but it is worth a try. The sale goes live at 8am EST on Monday. I'll be on the site around 4:30am PST to preview the sale.

5. Check out the signature stores. They will also participate in the sale. I highly recommend The Pink Pelican and The Pink Palm.

6. Make a Lilly Pulitzer account. If you have not already made an account, you should make one prior to the sale. It saves up a lot of time because you won't have to input all your information during the sale. 

This is going to be a very good weekend. Ladies, may the odds ever be in your favor (Sorry I just had to!).

Have you scored some great deals in the Endless Summer Sale or New Years Cheers Sale? 

J+B

It's been a week since I attended both concerts (Yes, both) and I'm still in awe. This summer, Jay Z and Beyonce kicked off their On The Run Tour. Song after song, the couple killed it with their performances. Queen Bey was simply flawless. I was surprised at how many Jay Z I could recite. Despite divorce rumors floating around that stadium that night, there is no doubt that these two performers make a great team. Here are my favorite parts of their tour:

1. You ready B? Let's go get em.

The OTR trailer set the tone for the concert. It sets us back to the '03 Bonnie and Clyde / Hov and B days.

2. Beyonce covered Lauryn Hill's Ex-Factor.

3. Jay-Z knew how to get the Bay Area crowd on their feet. He performed Too Short's Blow The Whistle and told the security to let us dance in the aisles.

4. Young Forever continues to be one of my favorite songs. I loved how they mashed it up with Halo. I enjoyed seeing videos of Blue Ivy and the couple's wedding. The stadium was beautiful. 

5. Bey's costume changes. She rocked them all. FLAWLESS

Lesson Learned

With summer orders picking up and more work demands, I've been stressed out recently. Balancing a small business and a full time job is tough to do. I started my small business last year. I used to get ten orders a month and back then, it was easier to keep up. Over the past few months, B&K has grown and changed in ways I never could have imagined. There were so many times when I questioned what I was doing and if it was all worth it.

I think most small business owners struggle with balancing their shop, full time job and personal life. If you haven't experienced this yet, it is bound to happen. When I get home from my job, I start working on my B&K orders. I come home sometimes and I'm so burnt out. I chose a very competitive market so it is important to stay current and active. There are tons of shops out there and it is difficult to set your shop apart when everyone is selling the same thing.

Even with all the stress and drama, I don't think I can ever walk away from B&K.  I love what I do. I love being my own boss and setting my own hours. When people buy my products, I feel accomplished. I think people who have the same competing demands never truly find that balance. Instead, I think they have embraced it. It is fine to have "bad stress" and meltdowns. You just have to pick yourself up by your boot straps and reflect on the positive. Seeing my bows pop up all over the US makes this whole things worthwhile. There is always going to be a long list of things that I need to do. There is absolutely no way I can do everything. I've learned to take breaks and step away from both jobs once in awhile.

Store FAQ

I often receive questions via Instagram and email about these topics and I thought it would be best to answer all of them on my blog. If you have additional questions about the shop, feel free to comment on this blog post or Instagram. I'll be sure to add my answer on this blog post.

"I am actually very interested in being a rep for the fall and was wondering what I would need to do?"

I often get questions about the B&K campus rep program. I feel bad sometimes because I don't have time to respond to each email or direct message. As of 7/7, I am not looking for brand reps. The B&K campus rep program is a three month commitment, so I'll probably look for new additions in the late fall. I don't have an exact date yet, but keep following us on Twitter and Instagram for the announcement. If you want more information about the B&K program, head on over the B&K Campus Rep page.

"What are you looking for in a campus rep?"

There are plenty of factors that come into play when I choose the campus reps. Overall, I think the biggest factor is personality. I think one of my favorite things to see on the campus rep application is how each person answers the fun fact segment. I want to see that you're willing to dedicate three months into this company. It's not just about scoring free items from a shop. It's also not about the person with the most Instagram followers. I want to see that you genuinely know and love B&K and not just looking to score a few items. My biggest fear about starting the campus rep program was that I would not get a response after I send the free items. And of course,  it is utterly disappointing when it happens. After those incidents, I'm more careful when I choose the B&K reps. 

Also, if you want to be a brand rep for a company, make sure you are tailoring your message. It's kind of a deal breaker for me when I see a person message similar companies about becoming a brand rep. Just an idea.. :)

"Where can I find Lilly Pulitzer fabric? Where do you get all your fabric?"

I really don't mind sharing where I get Lilly Pulitzer fabric. There are a few shops on Etsy that sell authentic Lilly Pulitzer fabric. You can find there here, here, here and here. I'm pretty sure that are more shops on Etsy that sell Lilly fabric. I recommend doing a quick search of "Lilly Pulitzer fabric" on Etsy and you'll come up with different shops that ship from Florida to Hong Kong. For yards of Lilly Pulitzer fabric, I usually go to Pretty Chic Fabrics or Ebay. 

Be careful when buying Lilly Pulitzer fabric! Make sure the fabric has a seamless pattern. If you see lines where the pattern stops, you probably have a fake print. Also, all authentic Lilly Pulitzer fabrics have the company name and year date on the fabric selvage.

For non-Lilly fabric, I purchase from Joann's, Beverly's, Fabric.com and Etsy.

"What kind of embroidery machine do you have?"

I have the Brother PE500. I recommend purchasing it from Overstock.com since they have the lowest price for this item.

"What apps do you use to edit your pictures?"

For all my Instagram pictures, I use Afterlight, Studio, WordSwag and Beautiful Mess. 

Eat Your Vegetables

  Weekly Dose of Aubrey: Eat Your Carrots from Paulette Piedad on Vimeo.