That back to school feeling.

So, that's it - the last bank holiday before Christmas has been and gone here in the UK, and today there is a proper autumnal feel in the air. Back to school for our children next week, Mums will be sewing on name tapes, ironing school uniform, new school shoes will come out of their boxes. It's the start of something new... which in itself is really quite exciting!

And on our website we have a preview of our Autumn/Winter 2011 collection...

and the last chance to get your Summer sale bargains.

Here's one of my favourite pieces from the collection - the Peace and Love jumper, £59. With a peace sign on the front and a heart on the back, it's sweet and cosy and ever-so-slightly rock and roll!

Something in the air...

 

 The end is nigh - summer holidays with only two weeks to go, and the mornings are starting to feel chilly and damp, we're all thinking about Autumn all of a sudden.


New pencils, shiny shoes, a cosy coat and a snuggly jumper...


And for those of you grabbing a few more rays of sunshine before turning to velvet and cashmere... don't miss the last bargains of our sale - a great chance to stock up on Winter sunshine holiday essentials! ilovegorgeous summer sale...

Some holiday inspiration...

It's sometimes hard to think of things to do during these long holidays, either to take a day out or just entertain the children on a rainy day... 'Mummy, I'm bored, what can I do?' is a familiar refrain.

There are some pretty inspirational blogs and websites out there, Ready for Ten is a great resource for parents of primary aged children, and Deb at Carrots and Kids shows you how to get your little ones interested in gardening, amongst other things. Baking Mad offers great easy recipes to bake with children. If you're in London, check out A Little Bird for everything inspirational - with children or without!

And of course don't forget to support your local library, you will generally find summer holiday reading projects for all ages of children, often with storytellers, prizes and incentives to get your little bookworm hooked!

And for those of you lucky enough to be heading off to a festival, a late summer break or even thinking about a winter break somewhere hot... don't forget to catch our sale while it lasts - only two weeks left... ilovegorgeous sale!

Just So Festival...

We're very excited about the Just So Festival next weekend (19 - 21 August 2011), if you're heading over there look out for the fabulous ilovegorgeous... installation - some of our favourite dresses magically turned in to lanterns in the trees!

There are still some tickets available if you fancy a trip to this award winning festival in Staffordshire.

Latest availability in the sale...

There are still lots of styles left in a good range of sizes in our sale - with up to 50% off!

Stock up on pretty tops and dresses, maybe order a size bigger for next year, browse our knitwear, including Logo and Lurex cardis, they will be as useful in Autumn and Winter as they have been over Spring and will continue to be on chillier Summer days!

Carmen Top

Maddie Dress

Carmen Dress

Rosie Dress

Lucy T and Logo Cardi

Daisy Dress

Logo Cardi

Daisy Top

www.ilovegorgeous.co.uk

Rainy day activities...

So after the heatwave comes the rain - and what can we do with those long dreary days and little people to amuse?  An all-time favourite is baking a cake, and a favourite of the ilovegorgeous girls is lemon-yoghurt-poppyseed cake with a crunchy lemon topping - yum. Here's what you need:

For the cake:
100g softened butter
150g golden caster sugar
150g SR flour
1tsp baking powder
2 large eggs (don't forget to buy Free Range or Organic, and never from caged birds!)
2tbsp natural yoghurt
1tbsp poppy seeds
Zest of 1 large lemon

For the topping:
Juice of the lemon
50g golden caster sugar
50g granulated or demarara sugar


And here's how to make it:


First take a 20cm cake tin and grease it, lining the base with a circle of baking paper.

Put the eggs in a bowl and whisk well, add the flour, baking powder, sugar and soft butter and beat well with a wooden spoon. Drop in the yoghurt to slacken the mixture, stir in the lemon zest and poppy seeds and turn the mixture into the tin.

Bake at 180 degrees, set your timer for 40 minutes. And meanwhile do the washing up! Then put the 50g of the two sugars into a small bowl or jug and pour the lemon juice over the top to soak in to the sugar.

When the timer rings, insert a skewer into the middle of the cake, if it comes out clean then the cake's ready! Leave it to cool for about five minutes in the tin, then, while it's still in the tin, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the top and spread about so it covers the top. When the cake's cool turn it out and enjoy. It's the best lemon cake we've ever tasted!

To change things around a bit why not make this recipe into cupcakes for a birthday or for a lovely present for a friend or Granny? You can make the topping into a lovely lemony white icing by replacing the granular sugars with icing sugar - you can play around with sugarpaste flowers, crystallised flowers, sparkles and sprinkles. Or, you know, just eat the cake plain and delicious as it is!

We know the summer holidays can be long... fun, but long... and with this in mind we are currently designing a  fabulous and gorgeous downloadable project that we will put on our blog very soon...  watch this space!

Gorgeous on Monday... Little Chairs

We recently received the most wonderful little chair for our ilovegorgeous... shop, upholstered in our favourite hot pink colour.

A new venture, Little Chairs, used some of our Autumn/Winter '11 dresses for a photo shoot to launch their company. Take a look at the delicious pink chair, and also a preview of three of our pretty dresses, available from September.

Carnaby Street Dress in Teal Indian flower

Buffalo Girl dress in Teal star

Here's a bit more information about Little Chairs - in their own words...

Arabella Hampson, designer and owner of Little Chairs, had the idea for the company after she had her own children:  "My husband gave Rufus (now 3) a chair that he had had as a child -  a miniature armchair.  We had it re-covered and Rufus and his friends all adored it.  So of course when Kitty came along (9 months now), we had to have a chair made especially for her.”

Arabella was surprised that she couldn’t find anything of the highest quality, using the best fabrics, and made in England, to buy for Kitty, so she set about finding the right people to work with, and started making her own. She found that the best furniture-makers were right on her doorstep, and she sourced the most beautiful fabrics with which to cover the chairs.

Little Chairs is the only company in the UK solely making these upholstered armchairs in children’s sizes, which make a very special gift for christenings and birthdays, because they are stylish, sentimental and, very importantly, sustainable.

Arabella Hampson, owner of Little Chairs, says: “ Our chairs are built to last and make perfect heirlooms to be handed down through the generations.  But they are also statement pieces for those who are passionate about interior design: unique miniature chairs with maximum impact that look stylish and original.  We think that our chairs will provide a talking point for guests and look great in any room; not just in a nursery or child’s bedroom.”

The chairs are each named after a Derbyshire stately home (there is also a daybed; the Chatsworth.)   They are available from www.little-chairs.com

Woodstock dress (l) and Carnaby Street dress (r) in Teal Indian Flower