Made With Love by Kat

I know it’s terribly middle class to idolise the Duchess of Cambridge’s sense of style (and that this post is several months overdue), but who doesn’t feel a twinge of envy when they see her in another fabulous Jenny Packham creation? You have to have a seriously good figure to pull of this colour and so many sequins, but for those feeling brave enough, I’ve tracked down two options from Packham’s diffusion line for Debenhams: Sequinned dress, £185 from No. 1 Jenny Packham at Debenhams   Sequinned dress, £150 from No. 1 Jenny Packham at Debenhams   If those are still out of your price range, this nude lace shift dress is a wearable and affordable option, from Next:  Apricot lace dress, £75 from Next

Grunge. It’s the nineties trend that just refuses to die – if you’re a fan of Dries Van Noten, at least. The Belgian designer filled his spring/summer show with plaid, bleached blonde hair with dark roots, black eyeliner and white framed sunglasses. It’s enough to make you dig out your copy of Bleach and start scouring eBay for vintage DMs. Of course, being Fashion-with-a-capital-F the plaid prints were teamed with chiffon maxi skirts and there were plenty of silks and metallics to give a luxe edge. Waists were nipped and femininity highlighted – don’t think you can just buy a huge granddad shirt from a charity shop and be on trend – not unless you team it with leather leggings, sky-high heels, a chiffon scarf and some seriously swish jewellery at least. The good news is that the High Street has embraced Van Noten’s vision with alacrity. If plaid’s not your thing, try denim or florals, with flat boots or spiky gladiator heels to add attitude. Pretty it up with lace or add a g...

When designer Kat Dibbits was designing her new collection she had one thing in mind – romance. Well with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, what else is a girl to be thinking about? Each piece is completely one of a kind and Kat says there is no better way to show your other half that you think she’s special than by buying a piece of jewellery that is as unique as she is. Secret Garden, £58 She said: “Each piece is a one-off – because of the vintage components I used I couldn’t recreate them if I tried. I have also tried to use more unusual stones in this collection – while there are the old favourites such as onyx, garnet and rock crystal I have also used lesser-known stones such as Peruvian opal and amazonite which should pique the interest of fashionistas.” Beautiful vintage brooches, earrings and other finds which could have been discarded have been given a new lease of life as necklaces, bracelets and earrings.  Key colours are the pale pinks, blues and ye...

I've finally managed to photograph all the new items I've made and started listing them. I particularly love this bracelet - I've had a lot of compliments when I've worn it to work. I'll be really sad when it finds a new home. I also love this delicate butterfly necklace - the filigree detail of the brooch I transformed is amazing. Check out my new items here , or by clicking the link at the top of the page. 

So as part of my plans to improve my jewellery line this year, I was thinking about “the Made With Love girl” – the idealised version of the girl who would wear my pieces. The "Made With Love" girl likes: Quirky parties in unusual venues Champagne cocktails Picnics Books Tea parties Other people’s weddings Film noir Spotting shooting stars To help me make the list, I created a Pinterest board and I liked it so much I made it public. You can see it here.

The hangover’s subsided, I’m back at my desk and I’m thinking about my 2013 fashion resolutions. My first resolution is to make use of what’s already in my wardrobes – they’re jam packed as it is. It turns out I’ve already subscribed to one of Spring’s trends – the belted floral dress – completely by accident thanks to the bargain £10 Oasis dress I picked up in the sales. It’s the right length, the right colour and the right floaty fabric – anyone would think I had an innate sense of style or something. I’m less convinced about the trend for collarless blouses – I’m still far too enamoured of the embellished collar I bought from some of our students at work to consider going completely collar free, but I do already have a few silky blouses with v necks that will cover that base. Perhaps I should finally invest in a leather pencil skirt, and so combine with what Marie Claire refers to as “the Helmut Newton effect”, which sounds so much more stylish than the “50 Shades” effect...

Well I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year. I promised myself I would take a proper break, but of course with so many items from my Folksy shop having been packed up and sent off to the Royal Exchange for their Valentine's Day selling exhibition it's looking a bit bare. I have some really exciting new designs to list - I've been working with some unusual chunky chains so they're unlike anything I've made before. I'm excited for you all to see them! I've also been doing some crazy shopping in the Christmas sales and I've got some new dresses which I'm really pleased with, not to mention a (much needed) new purse and some casual clothes. See... Tonight I'm planning on making some more jewellery so hopefully I should be able to get new items photographed and listed by this weekend. I hope you're going to like them!