Made With Love by Kat

I know it seems like miles away to most people, but for us Folksy sellers it feels like Christmas is just around the corner. Because I've been working on my shop so much I've also been making a mental note of items I might like to buy for other people as Christmas presents. There are so many amazing value pieces on Folksy I decided to make a new Pinterest board featuring Christmas gifts for women priced £15 and under . That might seem like a strict budget (and I'll be honest, I didn't add in the P&P), but actually there's an amazing variety of items on Folksy. One of my favourites, and a great example of product photography, is this felted acorn necklace: Acorn necklace by Dear George Designs

The Guardian says that one way to update your wardrobe for winter is to team a statement necklace with a plain sweater. Well aside from the fact that I’ve been doing this with my own jewellery for years, darling, they’ve got a very good point. A lot of people have said to me that they love my jewellery but “just don’t know when they would wear it” – to which my answer is, all the time! Team something really OTT, like my Dazzle necklace ( http://folksy.com/items/4011278-Dazzle-reworked-vintage-necklace ), with a sloppy grey sweater and leggings and you’ve got a look that will take you all through the shopping day, past afternoon coffee time and into G&T o’clock with no effort at all. If you're short of inspiration, here's some winning combos for you: Sweater by M & Co, Duchess necklace Made With Love necklace, sweater by La Redoute Sweater by Florence & Fred, Dazzle necklace   Blushing Roses necklace , sweater by La Redoute If ...

I’ve started curating a new Pinterest board of lovely Folksy finds for cold winter nights (I know, I know… it feels like summer out there, but just you wait!). There’s a sneak peek below and you can see the board in progress here: http://www.pinterest.com/katdibbits/brr-cosy-night-in-folksy-finds/ . I’d love to know what are your essential ingredients for a cosy night in?

Back in summer I asked people to share their shops so I could blog about my favourites. As always happens, life then got incredibly busy (it seemed like I was at a wedding every weekend!) and I didn’t find the time to do a post that would do them justice. But that doesn’t mean that I’ve forgotten! Here, and just in time for an Autumn pick-me-up (or some early Christmas shopping!) is one shop I particularly wanted to share - Cinnamon Jewellery. I love everything in this shop, which specialises in handmade silver, copper and enamel jewellery, but I think my current favourite is this gorgeous orange enamel necklace with a sweet heart cut-out: You can find this necklace and much more at www.cinnamonjewellery.folksy.com   Cinnamon is also a great example of the lovely new Folksy shop fronts, which I will hopefully be able to access later this month – just in time to really show off my gorgeous new photos from my photoshoot. My beautiful friend Ella has very kindly ag...

As part of my July Jewellery Jubilee, I have been running competitions to win pieces of jewellery, but I know a lot of people are interested in finding out more about turning their own treasures into wearables. I do offer a commission service (of course!), but for those who want to get down to a bit of DIY, I’d recommend French General’s book Treasured Notions. You can read a bit more about the book on the French General blog here – it’s worth checking out their other posts while you’re there, it’s a gorgeous blog and full of inspiration. I have a copy of the book (RRP £16.99) to give away to one lucky blog reader. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is post a link in the comments section to your favourite item in my shop . The competition runs until midnight on Sunday (July 28 th ), and the winner will be announced next Monday. 

I tweet about a lot of things – sometimes craft-related, sometimes horse-related and often somewhat foul-mouthed rants about the shocking state of the train service I get. I love Twitter (although not as much as I love Pinterest!) because it’s such a quick, easy and fun way to have conversations with people whose interests are similar to yours, but who you might not otherwise meet. This week, I’m giving away this pair of earrings for anyone who tweets about my blog and/or shop . Post the link to your tweet below before midnight on Sunday, and I’ll pick one randomly. I’ll announce the winner on Monday – along with details of another competition!