Made With Love by Kat

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...

Fans of my jewellery and this blog may remember that a couple of years ago I was asked to design a collection for Manchester’s Royal Exchange theatre , to be sold in their gift shop in the run-up to Christmas. Well I’m thrilled to say that they have asked me to work with them again, this time to create a collection to be sold over Valentine’s Day. Naturally I’m thrilled, but I was very aware that I wanted to create pieces especially for them, and with the romance of Valentine’s Day in mind. I’ve started building a Pinterest board to help me research the collection. It contains images of my major, regular inspirations – including ballet dancers and classic 1940s and 50s styling. I have added some images from the recent film version of Anna Karenina, which has really caught my imagination, but I’m not sure yet if I will use them for this collection, or for a winter collection on my website . What I really wanted to avoid were the clichéd “Valentines” images – the occasional di...

...What's left is a fabulous Folksy feature! Yep, to celebrate the release of the new Sherlock Holmes movie (and the divine Robert Downey Jr) the Folksy folk have put together a Holmes/Victoriana feature... and I'm a featured seller! You can visit my shop by clicking here Of course it's not all about me. Here are my favourite of the featured items: This mini museum by comedaygoday is a bit macabre but I think that's why I love it. You can buy it by clicking here I love everything Talulahblue does, but this stole is particularly lush. You can buy it by clicking here Champignons is another shop where I could just buy everything. This reassuring raven is apparently inspired by a book called "The Buddha's law amongst the birds. You can buy it by clicking here

Flowers, chocolates, diamonds... They'd all be appreciated, but for a really special Valentine's Day gift why not look a little off the beaten track? To start with the more traditional gifts, there are plenty of finds on Folksy incorporating hearts. This cute felt brooch is an inexpensive gift, perfect if you are in the early stages of your relationship and want to show your affection without going over the top. In fact, at just £3, why wait until Valentine's Day? You can buy it here . For a more serious gift, jewellery is always the best option. This silver heart necklace by Ali Bali Jewellery is contemporary and stylish: Or for a more vintage style, this resin heart incorporating an original print of tree branches and a vintage button is the perfect gift. You can buy it here . Of course, my jewellery also incorporates real vintage bits and bobs. I suggest this Fly Away With Me necklace , which is made from pink freshwater pearls, a brass swallow from New York, a gorgeous...

Haven't blogged for ages - mostly because I've become a bit disheartened with the whole hand-made "community" - yes that's right, I'm still waiting for my refund from My Vintage Charms. However- I sold three necklaces over the weekend, which is always bound to boost a girl's ego, so I have listed a few more items on Folksy: Buy it here Buy it here Buy it here I am also compiling my favourite Valentine's picks (hopefully the boyfriend is an avid reader of this and will come looking for hints!) which I will post up over the next few days. Finding stuff for the girls is easy, but what about the boys? Does anyone have any suggestions?