Lilly & Louise has a new website!

Friends, we've been working away in our little studio and we're excited to finally announce the launch of our NEW WEBSITE, BLOG, and SHOP! Yes, Lilly & Louise is all grown up! Our new website showcases the latest and greatest paper goodness to come out of the Lilly & Louise studio. We hope you'll click by and check our new look and our new work.

our new website and blog

We'll no longer be blogging from blogger, so if you receive posts via rss feed, please update your rss feeds and links here. If you're a loyal email subscriber, your email should be carried over to our new blog.
www.lillyandlouise.com 

www.lillyandlouise.com/category/blog



let's be friends

Follow us on Facebook for weekly L&L musings:
www.facebook.com/lillyandlouise



share our good news

Tell your friends, your mom, or your neighbor. 



We thank you so much for your support as Lilly & Louise has developed through the years.

Read more...

Back Yard Bar Mitzvah

Last Fall we were excited to work on our very first Bar Mitzvah invitation. To break the mold of typical and formal bar mitzvah invitations, we designed a fun, folding invitation with at tear-off RSVP postcard. We capitalized on Bodhi's desire for a black and purple invitation by using white ink for the text and a bold purple belly band. To make his bar mitzvah invitation even more personal, we created a custom graphic that featured all of his favorite things. This graphic was used on the envelopes, escort cards and table numbers throughout the event.

photos: Beaux Arts Photographie • styling: Kelly Oshiro

Read more...

When Life Gives You Lemons...Make Lemon Coconut Sugar Cookies

That lemon mint cake reignited my affinity for lemony treats, and our lemon tree is just as fruitful as ever, so I've been scouring books and blogs for new lemon recipes. I stumbled upon this one a couple of weeks ago and happened to have all ingredients on hand. It's a fresh take on the classic sugar cookie and sure to please....Have any fun lemon recipes to share? Do share in the comment section.

Lemon-Coconut Sugar Cookies 
(yields about 3 dozen cookies)
 
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Zest of 2 large lemons
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
4 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Rolling Ingredients
1/2 cup granulated sugar for rolling cookies
Zest of one lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, coconut and salt; Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the lemon zest and sugar. Using your fingertips, run the zest into the sugar until the sugar becomes moist and aromatic. Set the bowl aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter just until smooth. Add the lemon sugar mixture and beat until creamy.
5. Add the egg and lemon juice. Mix to combine.
6. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture. Beat only until the streaks of white have disappeared. Turn off the mixer and, using a rubber spatula, give the dough a few more turns.
7. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the rolling ingredients.
8. In a large, shallow bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Using the same technique that you used for the dough, rub the zest into the sugar.
9. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and, using a rounded tablespoon per cookie, roll the dough into balls. Roll each ball into the lemon sugar mixture to coat.
10. Leaving about 2-inches between each one, place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets.
11. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to turn brown. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to rest on the sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Read more...

Lilly & Louise has a Shop!

After a not-so-brief vacation from the online marketplace for handmade items, Etsy, we're excited to announce that we've taken some time to clean up, reorganize, and relaunch our Etsy Shop. In the Lilly & Louise shop we sell greeting cards made from hand-cut and hand-painted paper (all hand-cut and hand-painted and handmade by yours truly). We have cards for newly weds, new parents, birthday boys and girls...and just for fun. So the next time you're looking for a unique card for that special someone, remember our shop!

Read more...

When Life Gives You Lemons...Make Lemon Mint Cake

Friends, it's high time for a lemon recipe, isn't it? It's been far too long. Truth be told, it's been far too long since I've baked! We've been working diligently here in the studio on freshening up our website (launching soon!) and this lemony goodness was a good excuse to take a break, open some wine, and sit on the patio with friends. It's a great summer treat because it has an angel food cake-like texture and the lemon syrup gives a nice zing. It received thumbs up all around.

Cake:
3 eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 cup sugar, divided
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 mint sprigs, leaves chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup all-purpose flour

Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Directions
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.

For the cake: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Add 1/2 cup sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.

In a separate large bowl, beat the vegetable oil, the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and salt. Add the egg yolks 1 at a time. Add the chopped mint, lemon juice and lemon zest. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Set aside.

Slowly add 1/2 of the egg white mixture into the oil mixture. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold in the remaining egg white mixture. Spread the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a cutting board and allow to cool before slicing.

For the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, lemon juice, and lemon zest over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool, about 20 minutes.


To serve, spoon some of the syrup onto each small plate or shallow bowl and lay a slice of cake on top. Drizzle the cake with additional syrup and garnish with a small sprig of mint

Read more...