Handmade gifts & accessories

Handmade handbag heaven !

kittyandpolly — Tue, 11 May 2010 15:36:50 +0000

With the wedding season just around the corner, I thought I’d post a short update on some of the gorgeous clutches that have arrived into Kitty and Polly HQ. Our most recent additions are all satin clutches, perfect for adding a touch of glamour to your outfit and just the right size to hold all your essentials – not too small but not too bulky either.

Beautifully handmade and full of little details that you”ll love, here they are in all their glory !

1. Black satin clutch bag
Glamour galore with duchess satin and gorgeous silver flowers adorned with pearl beads

2. Red satin clutch bag
Handmade in striking red satin with fine bead detailing and cute bow

3. Navy satin clutch bag
My personal favourite as it’s the most beautiful shade of French navy…and suits the nautical look perfectly.

For more details on these and our other bags, pop over to our handmade handbags page and have a browse.

Please feel free to post your comments as we love to hear from you !

May Day weekend bliss !

kittyandpolly — Sun, 02 May 2010 20:48:35 +0000

Hope everyone is enjoying the May bank holiday weekend – the weekend is just so much better when it’s three days long !

We’ve been busy over the last two days so we’re hoping Monday will be a day just to chill out.

So far, the weekend has consisted of:-

1. Making endless cups of coffee for the gardener who has given our front garden a wonderful makeover (see pics 1 and 2)
2. Potting on our tomato seedlings in the hope we get lovely tomatoes at the end of it (see pic 3)
3. Reading The Virgin Gardener by Laetitia Marklouf – a beautifully photgraphed and charming book full of user friendly advice and tips about different aspects of gardening. Highly recommend as it’s great for amateur gardeners.
4. Listening to Sharon Jones new CD – I learned the Hard Way. Heard her on Radio 2 a few weeks’ back and just had to buy her CD … it’s pure vintage soul.
5. A small amount (not enough to be honest) of retail therapy at Avoca – full of Rice, Cath Kidston and Avoca loveliness.

So wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, hope you are enjoying the long weekend.

Handmade Jewellery with an Eco Twist

kittyandpolly — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:37:14 +0000

We’re always excited when we come across a new find and our new jewellery is no exception ! Made in beautiful North Wales, these handmade jewellery pieces are made using reclaimed vintage sweetie tins and tea caddies and set in sterling silver. Not only are the pieces very pretty with a lovely vintage feel but it’s such a creative use of discarded materials too. It just goes to show, that with a little imagination, you can create something stylish that doesn’t cost the earth (or your wallet!).

These pieces would make a lovely birthday gift for someone special, either on their own or as a set. You can get more details on our handmade jewellery by visiting the website. And don’t forget you can get 10% off each and every month by signing up to our newsletter. We hope you love the jewellery as much as we do.

Sunny days in the Mournes

kittyandpolly — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:50:00 +0000

Hubby and I escaped last weekend to the countryside, to a lovely little one bedroom cottage near Rostrevor nestled in the foothills of the Mourne Mountains. Luckily, we were blessed with lovely sunny weather all weekend so we spent most of the time walking Oscar, our basset hound or just chilling outside in the sun with a glass of wine or two. If you ever get the chance to visit Northern Ireland, we would definitely recommend this as a lovely place to stay as it’s a great base from which to explore the Mournes, Carlingford Lough and the County Down coast. Here’s just a few of the many pics we took over the two days :-

Saying hello to the neighbours !

Our cottage - Leckan Beg

One of the lovely views from the cottage

Beautiful blooms

Cute bunny rabbit which Oscar couldn't reach (thankfully!)

Oscar posing !

For more details, you can visit the Rostrevor Holidays website by clicking here

Gorgeous gifts inspired by nature

kittyandpolly — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:11:58 +0000

Well, Easter might be a tad on the cold side but I think we can say spring is here at last. Our daffodils are finally in bloom and everywhere nature is bursting back into life. After a long cold winter, it really is a joy (and a relief) to hear the birds sing and see all the plants start to bud . With that in mind, we’ve put together a little collage of all the lovely gifts at Kitty and Polly that are inspired by nature to get you in the spring mood. Amongst our favourites are our new ‘birdy’ jewellery pieces made from laser cut pieces of black acrylic – the ‘birds on a line’ necklace is especially cute. Hope everyone enjoyed or is still enjoying their Easter break.

1. Birds on a line necklace £27
2. Rabbit necklace £35
3. Butterfly necklace £52
4. Bee pendant – £32
5. Birdy journals – £26
6. Seed cards – £4.95
7. Tweet cushion – £30
8. Greetings cards – £3

For more details on our new handmade jewellery, just pop over to Kitty and Polly

Gorgeous giveaway at Kitty and Polly

kittyandpolly — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:17:04 +0000

Well, spring is finally here and to celebrate we’re giving away a gorgeous journal, handmade and covered in an original vintage tea towel (as featured in a recent post.

All you have to do is pop over to Luphia Loves and leave a comment on the blog post which you can visit here.

GOOD LUCK !

Afternoon tea at The Merchant

kittyandpolly — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:06:11 +0000

Last Saturday I took mum for afternoon tea at The Merchant, a five star hotel located in the Cathedral Quarter of Belfast city centre. Originally the hotel was a bank but has been converted and beautifully restored into a wonderful venue for both tourists and locals alike. Being just before Mother’s Day, the hotel was very busy and full of ‘ladies at lunch’. Having said that, the service was excellent and from 12:30 to 2, we indulged ourselves in endless cups of tea, dainty sandwiches, homebaked scones with jam and clotted cream and delicious pastries. It was a lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon with mum and she really enjoyed herself. ps my mum is the Kitty of the group !

Here’s a few pics of the hotel. If you are ever in Belfast city, be sure to visit the hotel (even if it’s just for a nosy!)

Kitty eyes up the cream cakes !

Pictures 2 and 3, courtesy of The Merchant Hotel website www.themerchanthotel.com

Notebooks with a vintage twist

kittyandpolly — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:08:37 +0000

I do love a good notebook. I have a little stash of them by my desk, ready to be filled with to-do lists, ideas, scribbles and anything else I feel the need to write down (which is quite a lot !). So we were over the moon to take delivery of these lovely journals which are covered in genuine, vintage tea towels. The journals are completely handmade from start to finish by a very talented lady called Heather who is a bookbinder by trade. Amidst the vast collection of tea towels she has acquired over the years, we went for two themes : a bird theme and a coast/tourist theme and we think the end result is amazing. These journals have a lovely nostalgic feel to them and they’re quite chunky too so should last for some time. We think they’d be great as a diary of course but would also be very useful for noting down recipes and keeping gardening notes. And with their hanging loop on the spine, you can hang them just about anywhere. We think they make a truly original gift as each one is unique. Here’s a few of our favourites :-

They’re available now at www.kittyandpolly.co.uk price £26

As always, we’d love to hear what you think of our latest arrivals so please feel free to leave a comment !

Inspiring gift ideas for Mother’s Day

kittyandpolly — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:25:39 +0000

To all the wonderful, thoughtful, kind and caring mums, where would we be without you ? Here are some beautiful gifts that we hope will make your day. Little treats & pretty gifts to make you smile & feel special.

Happy Mother’s Day !

1. Dotty flower cake stand £35
2. LOVE tea cosy £20
3. Glasses case £14
4. Butterfly pendant £52
5. Mother’s Day card £3
6. Lovebod £12.50
7. Love heart bowl £25
8. Sweetheart collection box £23.50
9 Gold glitter lovebirds clutch £39

For these and other handmade gift ideas, visit us at www.kittyandpolly.co.uk

(From Polly to Kitty – Love you mum !)

Gazing at the sunset

kittyandpolly — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:03:13 +0000

Spent a few minutes late this afternoon watching the sun set. I was just coming back from the garden, turned round to pick up something and this is what I saw. Hope you like the pics and enjoy the rest of your weekend wherever you are.