Words of Wisdom by Joan Holloway

"My mother raised me to be admired." - Joan Holloway, Mad Men

It's all about the Box Bag!

These box bags are inspired by vintage camera cases of the past. Their sturdy shape and structure means they will protect all your gadgets whilst remaining oh so stylish. As usual, we love the retro brown, but that blue bag is something a little bit special! We're off to scour Ebay in search of something similar. Who knows, we might even find one with the camera included!

Collar Clips

These little pieces of jewellery are so on trend at the moment, we're seeing them around everywhere. They add so much retro style to any shirt or blouse, anything with a collar really! Inspired by vintage styles of the past, jewellery designers are revamping and modernising to create some really fun pieces. There are so many independent British jewellery makers selling their clips online, check out http://www.etsy.com/shop/ladybirdlikes or http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/kirstinstride for some beautiful examples and get shopping!

Words of Wisdom

"Nobody puts Baby in the corner!" - Dirty Dancing

Minty Fresh

Mint green is one of the Lilly Loray girl's ultimate favourite colours. In our bag research, we have found so many lovely styles and shapes but if we come across a mint bag, it just seems to leap out at us. This week we thought we'd share some of our faves with you. We'd really love to hear what colours do it for you, let us know in the comment box below!

Hallway Storage

The coat wrack will always be a place in the house that is prone to constant mess and disorder. Many of us will choose to shut this area away in a cupboard or under the stairs but what if that's not an option? We're always hunting for the best ways to utilise your space most efficiently and we've gathered some stylish examples of how you can manage the mayhem. Number 6 would be perfect for a larger family and we love the sweet welcome sign in number one. Let's get organising!

All Wrapped Up in a Bow

Here at Lilly Loray, we're suckers for a bit of nostalgia. When we were young and going to a birthday party, our Mum's would always tie a pretty bow around our ponytails. This summer, we want to re-live this look in a more adult way so we've found all these lovely examples of how it can be done. You can keep it simple with a little clip or ribbon or go bold like the bigger red bow on top of the head, we love them all. Are there any childhood fashions you like to re-live?

Super Summery Pasta

Sometimes when you get home on a warm evening, the last thing you want to be doing is slaving over a hot stove for hours on end. www.alexandracooks.com has provided us with a simple, delicious dish that'll keep you out of the kitchen and in the garden sipping an ice cold glass of Pimms. This pasta will take you less than 15 minutes and it looks and tastes so fresh and fabulous, you won't quite believe it yourself! Just what we like to hear!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. orecchiette pasta

salt

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 lb. cherry tomatoes, halved (I used more like 9oz., and you could probably use even more)

2 Tbsp. basil pesto

1/2 lb. ciliegene (small balls) mozzarella

fresh basil

shaving of Parmigiano Reggiano (optional)

fresh cracked black pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a pinch of kosher salt. Add pasta and cook till al dente, about 9 minutes. (Package instructions said 11 minutes but the pasta will continue cooking as its tossed with the other ingredients so it’s best to under cook it a little bit.) Drain pasta. Do not rinse.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for 30 seconds. Add pasta and pesto. Cook 1 minute, stirring to coat pasta with the pesto. Add the mozzarella. Stir to incorporate. Add the fresh basil and remove from the heat.

Divide pasta among bowls and sprinkle each with some fresh shavings of Parmigiano. Crack the pepper over the top and serve.

Words of Wisdom

"You can't just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream, you've got to get out there and make it happen for yourself." - Diana Ross