Made With Love by Kat

According to this week's Sunday Times Style magazine, "vintage costume jewellery is hot this party season", and who am I to argue? Everyone loves a bit of vintage as it means you're less likely to see someone else wearing the same thing - and with one of my one-of-a-kind creations I can make that a guarantee. That's why I think it's a bit of a shame that there are so many high street shops now offering the sort of jewellery I and my fellow Folksy folk make. But remember - for every shop-bought "vintage inspired" bracelet or "fabric corsage" necklace bought for three quid from P*****k there are ten thousand more round the necks and wrists of other people. By buying handmade you are guaranteeing that you are wearing something which has had real love, thought and creativity poured into it. Each piece is unique - and personally that's the way I like it. Today, by the way, I am wearing this:

There are some fabulous blogs out there on th'internet - and I've been lucky enough to be featured on two of my favourites recently. Obviously I'm biased because they like my work, but aside, you really should add both of these to your reading list. Found on Folksy is a well established blog run by Glassprimitif and Aleximo Croissant , although how they find the time I don't know. They pick the best of everything from Folksy to showcase, and I was thrilled when I spotted my Pink Sunrise earrings on their latest post. And they're reduced! Newer to the blogging ranks, but just as hard working is EvieGeorge , who when she's not making her absolutely gorgeous gift tags runs Folksy Weddings . It's a one-stop guide for brides who want their special day to have that extra-beautiful handmade touch, and (hurray!) she has featured my Wonderland necklace . Thankyou!

Earrings make the perfect stocking filler for Christmas. A well thought out pair of earrings will show how much you care, and earrings can be worn with almost any outfit, whether it's a casual vest top and pair of jeans or a knock-em-dead little black dress. I've been giving earrings a lot of thought recently. I've got lots of little vintage finds which will make fabulous new pairs that I intend to do lots of work with this weekend. But for now, here are the most recent dangly additions to my shop . A New Leaf reworked vintage earrings This Side of Paradise reworked vintage earrings Forest reworked vintage earrings Nights at the Circus reworked vintage earrings I Saw Two Ships Go Sailing By reworked vintage earrings Nightshade reworked vintage earrings And bad news for anyone who had their eye on the reworked vintage bracelet and necklace (see my last post) - they both sold about an hour after I listed them. proof, then, that if you have your eye on something you should sn...

I've just done a lovely interview for UK Handmade's blog - you can read it here . I am also going to write a tutorial for the Christmas issue of their magazine. Initially I was going to do a step by step on reworking a brooch into something new, but as it's Christmas I'm thinking maybe I'll do a "how to" on making Christmas decorations out of vintage stuff instead - what do people think? What would you prefer? Or should I do something else altogether?

For those of you who I haven't crowed at about this yet, I am in this month's issue of Lancashire Life. The photo of me is a bit unfortunate though, as what was actually sunburn instead looks like I've got huge bags under my eyes. I much prefer this snap, from Camp Bestival last month. Yes, I am dressed as the Cheshire Cat, if the Cheshire Cat had to wear a cagoule and wellies... Anyhow, if you want to browse the new items I've listed to keep stock levels up (things have been flying out of the door thanks to Lancs Life), you can of course visit my shop here .

Owl On The Sill . A little over a month ago I bought a beautiful pair of earrings from this gorgeous, gorgeous shop. There's so much more that I want to buy, but it appears those mean mortgage people need paying, so no treats for me at the moment! But doesn't mean that you shouldn't though! Buy things for yourselves! Buy things for your friends! Buy things for me! (Email made_with_love@rocketmail.com for my postal address, all presents happily received.) Just look at all the gorgeous things you could buy: Fiery Blue Moon Earrings - £17 Scarlet pendant - £14 Such a gorgeous necklace! If anyone is wondering what I would like for Christmas or, y'know, as a token of affection, this would do very nicely. Bubblegum Chalcedony and Tourmaline Earrings - £16 I think maybe these are my favourites, although it's so hard to choose. Purple Petal Hobo Bag - £25 That's right, she makes bags too. This is sooooo sweet. p.s - I've been usy working on my website which is near...

I'm currently working on a "proper" collection. It will be around 12 pieces created along the theme of the ballet (something that is a constant fascination to me), particularly the Sugar Plum fairy. In fact, the collection is going to be called Sugar Plum. It will be available in about a week though my new website and my Folksy shop . In the meantime, just to whet your appetite, here are some pictures that I have been using as inspiration...

The We Love Folksy.com Flickr group is a great showcase for all the wonderful talent that can be found on Folksy. Here are some recent favourites: This pretty necklace reminds me of an ice cream sundae. It is available from Chiyobex . I love this cheeky squirrel necklace by Aleximo This pretty necklace is made by casting a vintage button in clay by the incredibly talented Nifty Thrifty This vintage-looking soap by Soapy Chica would look lovely in my new bathroom. I originally found a duck-egg blue version in the Flickr group pool, but this pink would look even better.

The sun is out, everyone's feeling romantic and you too can buy wedding jewellery as featured in County Weddings . Yes, that's right, the lovely people at the posh wedding magazine have featured me on all their websites . Hurrah! Champagne all round! You can read the article here

Budget? What budget? Here's how to make your craft stall (see my last post) for less than a fiver*. To make the display board You will need: Foam filled board, available from most craft shops. Although for some reason we just had some at home under the bed. Vintage style fabric - I bought mine for 70p out of the offcuts bin at Nortex Mill on Chorley Old Road in Bolton A tinfoil roll middle (the bit that looks like a giant loo roll) A heavy recipe book stand, preferable iron. These are actually quite expensive, but if you can't borrow one you can justify it to yourself because it'll look lovely in your kitchen. A roll of gaffer tape Glue or double sided sticky tape Feathers and paper butterflies to decorate - make your own or cheat by buying them from a craft shop, look in the "make your own cards section" To make: Cut the foam filled board into the desired shape. I rounded off the corners, but a big rectangle will be easiest. Place it on top of your fabric (iron t...

Well the craft market at the Midsummer Festival this weekend didn't go brilliantly for me thanks to the rain, but lots of people did take business cards so hopefully they will go home and order online from the cosiness of their houses. But look how pretty my stall looked! And all made on a budget of about 50p, proving that you don't need to spend a fortune on display things: Of course, the highlight for me was lovely Thomas, the Clydesdale horse who had his shoes remade (they were huge! ) and gave small children rides up and down Churchgate. He was adorable.

I'm feeling quite giddy today. First off I've dicovered two new blogs that I absolutely adore. The first is the adventured of Widget the sock bunny, chronicled daily at Widget's Year - Diary of a Sock Bunny But what's this - no updates for the past few days?! C'mon Widget, I NEED to know what you've been up to! Incidentally you can buy Widget and his pals from The Warren @ Folksy The second discovery is the Domestic Sluttery blog. As a soon-to-be homeowner, I like their style when they say: "Domestic Sluttery is a new way of life. Written by women who cook, decorate and design (usually with a glass of wine close to hand) without giving up our lives. "We want to make your home your own, without doing very much at all." Hell yeah - pretty house, minimum effort? Sounds good to me! I'm also very excited because I'm going to see the stage show of Quadrophenia with my adorable boyfriend tonight, it's my birthday on Thursday and the Churchga...

It's the Lancashire Life interview this afternoon - hopefully after years of interviewing people hopefully I shouldn't be too bashful and inarticulate when it comes to talking about myself. I was practicing this morning in the shower, and if they ask about my influences I shall talk about the faded glamour of F. Scott Fitzgerald novels, the pictures I get from galleries and theatres in my job - at the moment I'm particularly influenced by the ballet - and pirates. Grown up whimsy, in a nutshell. If they ask about anything else... I'll have to wing it. Fingers crossed! In the meantime, I thought I'd share this with you: It's called Wonderland and it's available at http://www.folksy.com/shops/madewithlove

Time for the June giveaway! Anyone who makes a purchase throughout June will be entered into a draw to win a lovely set of three luxury handmade feather and button gift tags (pictured in the last post below). See them here.

Three weeks since my last post! It's not laziness I promise - like a real grownup I've been househunting! I've found the most gorgeous little place in Horwich and hopefully I'll be in within a few weeks. However, like most people, I'm scraping around for pennies so I'm looking for thrify hints and tips on how to decorate my house and garden - recycling ideas, dirt cheap suppliers in the North West, that sort of thing. C'mon people, don't let me down, put your ideas in the comment box below... On a different note, it's only a few weeks now until Bolton's Midsummer Market on June 2oth and 21st, so anyone who will be passing the Bolton area should pop down to Churchgate, have a chat and maybe even treat yourselves. I'll give a 10% discount to anyone who mentions that they read this blog x