Made With Love by Kat

After several weeks of planning, my month-long July Jewellery Jubilee is here! All this month I will be running competitions, holding special promotions and encouraging you all to get excited about Made With Love reworked vintage jewellery . To celebrate the start of festivities, I’ve got two fab offers for you: All this week (until midnight on Sunday) I will be offering free UK postage and packaging, PLUS a 10% discount on all orders placed in my shop . All you have to do is message me after you’ve made your purchase and I will refund your P&P and discount via Paypal. I am also giving away this gorgeous pair of earrings (pictured below), made from tiny reworked gold and faux pearl earrings, and decorated with delicate chips of rose quartz, citrine and topaz and elegant 24 carat goldfilled chain. They’re so perfect for summer – I’d love to see them with a chiffon dress, or even just adding a romantic touch to a white t-shirt and jeans. To win, share this page via social me...

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 ne...

Coral might not look like a neutral - but team it with turquoise, navy, sand, gold, chocolate... That's a pretty versatile colour if you ask me. And now the thermometer has gone beyond brisk and into the realms of downright chilly it makes sense to invest in a stylish sweater that you can pull on with trousers, leggings and skirts. Proenza Schoeler knitwear (left) is the stuff of legend, but at £405 this jumper is likely to leave you unable to pay your heating bills. Head instead to super-coll label Uniqlo (right), who have a v-neck number in exactly the same hue for a gobsmacking £19.90. Yes, you read that right. That leaves you plenty of change to treat yourself to these little beauties: Djinn reworked vintage earrings, £15 from Made With Love by Kat

I know I spend a lot of time trying to make you all buy things from my Folksy shop but I’m aware that perhaps some of you are thinking “I could do that”. Well yes you can! And to help you out, here’s a quick tutorial for an easy way to rework an old bead necklace into something fabulous. You will need: A pearl necklace about 25 inches long Four lengths of chain, ranging from 14 to 16 inches long A pair of clip on earrings Jump rings Two lengths of grosgrain ribbon, about 28 inches each Scissors Bent nosed pliers TIP – This is a good way to use old, broken necklace chains. Mix with new chain bought from a craft shop if you don’t have enough. Fold the pearl necklace in half. If there is a clasp, use this as one end. Open a jump ring and place around the string at one of the folded ends. Thread the ends of all four pieces of chain through the jump ring... ...and close. Repeat on the other side. You should now have the main body of your necklace. Using jump...

For months I have been thinking about revamping the pictures in my Folksy shop – I like them but I have been using the same background for so long and I wanted a fresh start. However, while the weather has been grey and rainy it has been pretty difficult to get inspiration. Happily last week the sun was shining as golden as the British Olympic team’s medals and a glance out of the window showed me that I had everything I needed for a photoshoot right in my own back yard. The salix that stands in the corner of my garden made the perfect prop – not only could I hang earrings from its branches, I could also nestle rings in amongst the trees. A stand for plant pots that has become slightly rusty over the winter provided texture and interest for several photos, as did a worn ivory metal planter and an aluminium bucket. The stone edging to the bed provided another background for smaller items, but I was having difficulty finding somewhere to hand heavier necklaces – until my eye lit on...

A cute little book page brooch like this gives a literary edge to any outfit - and is really easy to make. You will need: An old book page, thick card, varnish, craft glue, a brooch pin, superglue. Step one: Draw a circle around something the right size onto a piece of thick card and the book page - I used a corkscrew! Cut out carefully. Step two: Using the craft glue, stick the circles together. Make sure the glue goes right to the edge, but that it is not too wet or it will show through. Wipe away any excess before sticking together. Leave to dry. Step three: Once the glue has dried, apply several layers of varnish to both sides and the edge. You will need to do this over a period of time, allowing each layer to set. Step four: Once the varnish is dry, carefully glue a brooch pin to the back with the superglue. And voila! As easy as that!

There are so many talented people on Folksy it can sometimes seem like you don't know where to start looking. In the first of a series of blog posts, I'll introduce you to a few - and with Christmas fast approaching, don't forget to shop handmade for the holidays as our American pals would have it! Today, meet Maram, a trained silversmith who creates gorgeously elegant jewellery. Name? Mairi Armes aka maramjewellery Where are you from? Originally Glasgow, now living just outside Edinburgh, in the shadow of The Forth Bridge. Purple bows necklace When did you start crafting? Umm, always! Can always remember being arty, trying to knit,sew and so on. Discovered jewellery making at school for a fashion show, never stopped since then! What made you open your Folksy shop? Everyone asking when I was going to start selling my work combined with a touch of free time when my youngest went to school. What materials do you work with? Silver mainly, and a lot of beads Shell blue...

Still looking for your something old? Jewellery designer Kat Dibbits has just launched her winter collection, and as each one-of-a-kind piece uses reworked vintage jewellery it could be the perfect finishing touch to your bridal outfit. Made With Love jewellery features vintage finds lovingly teamed with semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals, freshwater pearls, ribbon and beautiful chains. each piece is unique and connot be recreated. The label is the brainchild of Lancashire-based arts journalist Kat Dibbits who draws much of her inspiration from the theatre productions and gallery exhibitions she covers. “All day I see such pretty images sent to my desk - from ballet dancers at The Lowry to the elegant glamour of the Halle orchestra, and it is impossible not to want to create something that is inspired by that,” she said. Made With Love jewellery can be bought from http://www.madewithlove.folksy.com. Stock is continually being updated so keep checking the website - and if you see ...

I love fireworks. I don't know if I've ever mentioned this to you guys, I probably have, I mention it to everyone. I love them so much I cry if I don't get to see some around Bonfire Night. Luckily this year I did, in the glamorous surroundings of Radcliffe Cricket Club. They were great, though, see: That was actually my second firework experience of the weekend. The first was a bit of a damp squib thanks to the weather, but at least I spent it with the lovely boy eating hog butties and drinking mulled wine. Anyhow, watching the video back made me think about how I want to make some firework-inspired jewellery. Not just in the colours, although that's a no brainer - they're gorgeous - but also in the shapes I use. Where to start? have any of you seen any lovely firework-inspired jewellery? Share it below if you have, I'll make a blog post about the best ones.

Easter time is drawing ever-nearer and I'm feeling extra generous. I've been making a gorgeous new newsletter, and to launch it, I'm offering people who sign up the chance to win this necklace: It's made from a vintage scarf clip teamed with a cute pink Swarovski crystal and an amazing slab of faceted lemon quartz. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is to sign up to the newsletter by clicking this link: Sign up for the newsletter For Email Newsletters you can trust Everyone who receives the newsletter will also get a 10% discount and free P&P throughout April, even if they don't win the draw. This is with a new mailing company, so even if you signed up for my old newsletter you need to resubscribe in order to get the discount and be in with a chance of winning!

Ohhhhhhhhhhh it's too difficult a choice to make. I like the mobile functionality of WordPress, but when it comes to blogging on an actual computer I far prefer Blogger. What's a girl to do? Any advice would be very gratefully received. In the meantime, as I may have mentioned once or twice, I have been working on lots of new items. Some of them are in my Folksy shop now, and I'll be taking more photographs tonight so there'll be lots more over the next few days. Just to whet your appetite, here's a wee collage I made of some things that have been inspiring me... Clockwise from bottom left: Image by Heather James from her recent exhibition at Cornerhouse Manchester, an image from the ballet exhibition at The Lowry, Salford Quays, which finished last week, The King's Speech, Black Swan And here's a sneak peek of one of my new items which isn't on the website yet - I will be listing it tonight:

So yes, I haven't blogged for a while. This is becoming a regular occurrence. I may have mentioned my horse, Meg, in previous posts, well I have spent most of the summer in and out of the horse hospital (the horspital?) with her trying to get her leg fixed. Sadly it can't be done and she has had to be retired - although she doesn't mind so much, now she gets to eat grass and roll in the mud all day. However, that's not the end of my competitive dressage career - as there is a new horse on the way! She's called Chirma Van Weltevreden and we have imported her from Holland, the Land of Dressage. Here's some pictures: Obviously now I have two ponies to pay for I need to make some extra pennies, so I'm offering readers of my blog 10% off in my Folksy shop all this week (until November 12th). Refunds will be issued by Paypal once the item has been bought - just message me on Folksy to let me know you're a blog reader! I also do have some new stock waiting to ...

I know, I know, it's been a long time. It's not you, it's me. I admit it, I've been seeing other blogs. But now I'm back and I hope you'll forgive me... To make it up to you, I've picked out some scrumptious summer items to share. Ruby Spirit's Summer Pudding bracelet looks good enough to eat: This gorgeous bag from Mad Rose Designs would be the perfect accessory for a pretty dress: iLEAiYE's lightweight mohair and acrilic shrug is the perfect cover-up for warm spring evenings: This gorgeous print from Photography by Brideen evokes romantic summer days: And of course no blog posting would be complete without a little bit of self-promotion. These are from my Folksy shop :

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...

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!

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?

This month's Vogue magazine tells me that sorbet colours are going to be HUGE next season - particularly under John Galliano at Christian Dior. I was thrilled, obviously. Not only is Galliano a huge idol of mine but I have been working on lovely new items in shades of lavender, lilac, lemon, jade and pastel pink. My new favourites are these new Sparkling Sorbet earrings made from reworked vintage diamante earrings teamed with pale yellow jade and pretty pink rose quartz: You can buy them here Also new is a twist on the lace bracelets I've previously featured on this blog which sold less than a day after I'd listed them. Using the same lace, this time I've given it a sherbert twist with lavender and mint fabric and lace rosettes and a sparkling vintage earring. I've called it "Ruffled" and as lace is also a huge new trend I think it ticks all the boxes! You can buy it here

...and I haven't made anywhere near enough stock! The Royal exchange have requested more earrings, and I know the Wench and Trinkets needs more too, but I've been busy trying to get my Folksy shop back up to reasonable levels. Phew! I have managed to get some new pieces in my shop, and make sure you keep checking as I have more to list as soon as I get a minute - but with items selling sometimes just hours after they're listed you'd better be quick if there's something you've got your eye on! Here's a quick peek at three of the new necklaces... The Paradise Garden reworked vintage necklace A Garland of Dewdrops reworked vintage necklace Antoinette reworked vintage necklace