Made With Love by Kat

So yes, I've been away. I made a conscious decision to spend less time doing business stuff and more doing simple things that satisfy my soul. Sales at my Folksy shop have remained pretty spteady, but in the meantime I've been having thoroughly good fun being domestivated. This is what I've been up to...

I've been featured in a lovely Folksy Friday feature over at the Sketch Stitch blog . See!:

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'm so thrilled - my work has been accepted by the website Not Mass Produced . The apply quite a rigorous selection process, so I'm really chuffed they decided that my work was good enough. They've also been featured in some fantastic places, including: Cooking and cocktails blog Domestic Sluttery . The Times Online's alternative Valnetine's Day gift guide . The Telegraph . and The Independent . You can view my items at Not Mass Produced here .

Ther best thing about being a journalist is receiving the look books at the start pf every season. The ones I've received recently have been pretty uninspiring, but as ever the continually underrated high street darlings Dorothy perkins have once again come up with an adorable new collection. This fabulously kooky jacket and short combo is well on the edgy side of this season't pretty nude trend. Ralph Lauren's catwalk was awash with denim in homage to dustbowl America - a fitting inspiration in these tough times. For those who can't afford Lauren's prices I love this oversized denim shirt. I wish I had long, long legs to be able to wear these brogues. Sigh. I've been buying a lot of Twenties-style dresses lately. But you can't have too many! And of course, every summer outfit needs a pair of fabulous sunglasses!

As a crafter/designer, I know there can be nothing more thrilling (and potentially profitable) than seeing your name in print. As a full-time journalist, I know there is nothing more likely to go straight in the trash folder than a bad press release. So. How do you maximise your chances of your local newspaper, glossy mag or specialist crafting magazine taking notice of you? I can't guarantee that these tips will get you press coverage, but they will certainly help. 1. Get the right person. Buy a copy of the publication or visit their website and find who the best person to contact is. Any email that starts "I'm not sure if you're the right person..." goes straight in my trash folder - it suggests that the sender has no respect for my time, which is over-full as it is, without wasting my time reading things that aren't relevent to me. If in doubt, ring and find out. While you're at it, find out what their deadlines are - and stick to them. 2. Get to the po...

So after slight diversions for Valentine's chocolate souffle making, I managed to list everyone who had entered my win a bracelet competition... First I wanted to say that I was overwhelmend by how many people entered the competition. I know there were a few people who RTd lots of times and I was really sad that they couldn't all win. However, the final winner was... Yep, that's @trinket_box. If she could send me her details to made_with_love@rocketmail.com by Friday that would be fab. Huge commiserations to everyone who didn't win. As a consolation prize I am offering a 25% discount off anything in my Folksy shop . Just email me for the discount code so I can check you off against my list of entrants.