Press release: Gatsby meets the English rose for Summer 2013

QUEEN of recessionista couture, Manchester-based jewellery designer Kat Dibbits takes broken jewellery, mysterious keys and unwearable bits and bobs and turns them into gorgeous new one-of-a-kind creations.

And her sparkling creations have a Great Gatsby-meets-English rose quality that makes them the perfect frosting for this summer’s eclectic trends.

Gucci pastels will be perfectly complemented by her pale pink statement bracelets, while gunmetal metallics would work well with the bolder colours seen at Moschino and sparkling floral pieces would look great with Dolce and Gabanna’s dramatic Riviera styles.

And of course, for anyone whose retro style references the classic shapes at Raf Simons’ collection for Dior, Kat’s jewellery is the ideal way to incorporate vintage finds with a contemporary twist.

In a nod to Gatsby, even discarded chandelier drops are turned into stunning pendants.

Kat set up her shop, Made With Love by Kat, online nearly five years ago (http://www.folksy.com/shops/madewithlove), and was soon surprised by how popular the pieces are.

She says: "I take old brooches, earrings and bracelets and rework them into new one-off pieces. It's gone from strength to strength - I think when people are feeling the pinch they start to look for something really special to spend their money on, rather than just splurging on the High Street. Knowing that you are never going to see anyone else wearing the same piece makes the cost worthwhile - and my jewellery costs a fraction of the price of the couture names."

To celebrate the summer, Kat will be launching a month’s worth of competitions and offers through her website, www.madewithlovebykat.co.uk, Facebook page (www.facebook.com/madewithlovebykat) and Twitter stream (www.twitter.com/katdibbits).

Notes to editors:

For more information, email made_with_love@rocketmail.com

High resolution images for press use can be downloaded from https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yoga87drc6pqvid/LoYk9WWuEn

Comments

Opinions needed

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):

Explosion in a jewellery box

It took me ages to find a pretty way to store the jewellery for my Folksy shop . I didn't want it to get muddled up with my own jewellery, but at the same time I didn't just want to stick it all in a box. I also wanted something that I could take with me to craft shows. At first I used a French shabby-chic style mini jewellery mannequin, but it soon got full! Then I found a gorgeous bird-themed jewellery stand. Unfortunately I've been so busy making lovely new items recently that tha's got a bit stuffed too! Oh dear... (Sorry about the picture quality, I had to take them on my mobile) I think it's probably time to buy another jewellery stand. I want one that will complement my existing ones but not exactly the same. Any suggestions will be happily welcomed. And how do you all store your stock? Is it tucked away under a bed or proudly on display to make the most of any visitors?

Win a bracelet!

It's competition time! Would you like to win a one of a kind bracelet made from a vintage brooch, chunky amazonite nuggets, rock crystal, pretty pink Peruvian opal and Swarovski crystals? One that fastens with a cute heart-shaped toggle clasp? I thought so! Just to whet your appetite a bit more, here's a couple of pictures: Because it's nearly Valentine's Day I thought I'd have a bit of a soppy theme. So, to win all you have to do is follow me on Twitter here (if you're not already a follower, if you are you can get retweeting right away) and RT any of my tweets that mention the words "Valentine's", "love", "romance" or "romantic". For each RT you will be entered into the draw (no more than one an hour, though!). For two bonus entries, just blog about Made With Love or this competition. The competition runs until midnight on February 9th and I will be announcing the winner then via this blog. Good luck!

Made With Love by Kat

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