Made With Love by Kat

Ther best thing about being a journalist is receiving the look books at the start pf every season. The ones I've received recently have been pretty uninspiring, but as ever the continually underrated high street darlings Dorothy perkins have once again come up with an adorable new collection. This fabulously kooky jacket and short combo is well on the edgy side of this season't pretty nude trend. Ralph Lauren's catwalk was awash with denim in homage to dustbowl America - a fitting inspiration in these tough times. For those who can't afford Lauren's prices I love this oversized denim shirt. I wish I had long, long legs to be able to wear these brogues. Sigh. I've been buying a lot of Twenties-style dresses lately. But you can't have too many! And of course, every summer outfit needs a pair of fabulous sunglasses!

As a crafter/designer, I know there can be nothing more thrilling (and potentially profitable) than seeing your name in print. As a full-time journalist, I know there is nothing more likely to go straight in the trash folder than a bad press release. So. How do you maximise your chances of your local newspaper, glossy mag or specialist crafting magazine taking notice of you? I can't guarantee that these tips will get you press coverage, but they will certainly help. 1. Get the right person. Buy a copy of the publication or visit their website and find who the best person to contact is. Any email that starts "I'm not sure if you're the right person..." goes straight in my trash folder - it suggests that the sender has no respect for my time, which is over-full as it is, without wasting my time reading things that aren't relevent to me. If in doubt, ring and find out. While you're at it, find out what their deadlines are - and stick to them. 2. Get to the po...

So after slight diversions for Valentine's chocolate souffle making, I managed to list everyone who had entered my win a bracelet competition... First I wanted to say that I was overwhelmend by how many people entered the competition. I know there were a few people who RTd lots of times and I was really sad that they couldn't all win. However, the final winner was... Yep, that's @trinket_box. If she could send me her details to made_with_love@rocketmail.com by Friday that would be fab. Huge commiserations to everyone who didn't win. As a consolation prize I am offering a 25% discount off anything in my Folksy shop . Just email me for the discount code so I can check you off against my list of entrants.

I have a beautiful, really delicate vintage filigree brooch in the shape of a butterfly. The trouble is, I can't decide whether to make it into a necklace or a bracelet. What do you guys think? (Sorry about the blurry photo - that's what happend when I only have my phone, not the proper camera):

Here's a cheeky sneaky peek of a new necklace I haven't listed in my Folksy shop yet. It's made from a gorgeous turquoisey-blue vintage brooch teamed with rock crystal, labradorite and amazonite, along with one of the last of my tiny brass swallow charms (if anyone knows where I can restock on these for a reasonable price, can you let me know please? My old supplier has vanished). It is as yet nameless, all suggestions are very welcome: And here is a little look at a work still in progress. The brooch is one I found in a vintage shop in Harrogate (see my last post for more Yorkshire adventures). I'm going to team it with rock crystal, garnet, amethyst and gold filled wire, but beyond that I haven't really decided yet. I tend to work by making piles of things, messing about with them and waiting for inspiration to strike.

Adorable Boyfriend and I went to Harrogate yesterday and today. We were going to go to Betty's for cake and tea, but the American tourists were queuing round the corner so they could tell their friends they'd done something really English. Luckily we found somewhere just as gorgeous - but much less well-known. Cupcakes by Charley make amazing glittery, yummy cupcakes in fabulous colours and flavours. I had a "Charley's Angel" - vanilla with pink glitter, while Adorable Boyfriend (his proper name's Steven, incidentally and he's modelling his gorgeous new haircut that it took me months of whingeing for him to get below)had a chocolate Crunchie confection. Her website's not ready yet, but you can see her Facebook page with lots of lovely pictures here .

I've been featured in some really exciting places recently, and I thought I should share! First up is Nifty Knits' fabulous blog . Nifty as you might know is the genius behind the knitted meerkats that have become something of a cult phenomenon. The Star Trek meerkats in particular have been featured all over the world and she also has X Men ones, and a cute Valentine's range. As if that's not enough, her blog is also full of brilliant advice for anyone selling on Folksy or Etsy. Thanks Nifty! Second up is the brilliant blog, Found on Folksy . It's the second time they've featured me in the last few weeks and I'm chuffed to bits to have made it onto their pick of the luxury items. Thanks guys! Finally, I'm in another magazine! Yep, my stuff is featured in this month's Making Jewellery: Thanks to everyone who has supported me recently, and of course if you'd like to take a look at my lovely new stock, all you have to do is click here to visit my...