Heidi Seeker: Ice Cream Lip Gloss Necklace

Sarah from Temporary Secretary tweeted about this ice cream necklace on the right from Heidi Seeker and, unsurprisingly, I fell in love with it too.

You see, this is no normal necklace. With one smooth move, you can pull the bottom of the ice cream out and unveil the hidden lipgloss!

I do love me a multi-purpose product, and this one is just perfect for my poor chapped lips in the winter months. You can request the colour of the ice cream if the pink doesn't grab you

Love it too? You can grab this bargain for £4.

Make your own: Haptree Bead kit

I've always really liked the idea of making my own jewellery. I almost bought a magazine this week dedicated to doing exactly that, but sadly I don't have the artistic talents of the lovely designers I feature on here!

If I did want to give it a try though, I'd grab the Bead kit and Wristlet above (£11.50) from Haptree.The kit comes with various beads and some stretchy elastic to thread it on to, and it all comes in a cute pencil case.

Ideally suited to little ones as a stocking filler, although crafty adults might enjoy it too!

Angel Eden - Bee and Flower earrings

Bzzzzzzzzzz!
How charming are these bee and flower earrings for £26? They're from Angel Eden, and they're sterling silver. I had a good hunt on the whole site and there are so many dazzling silver items, like this garden shed necklace and these festive looking gingerbread earrings.

Anne from Angel Eden contacted me last week and I was happy to feature her products after a few of her items caught my eye. You can visit her shop here.

And the winner is....

Firstly, a big thank you to all of the hugely talented designers that donated pieces to the giveaway (and especially Conny for coming up with the idea in the first place!) They're all on twitter and you can follow them all for updates on what's new and any offers they're having. Below are the links to all their twitter profiles.

Love, Hearts and Crosses
Temporary Secretary
PennyDog
Funky Junk Jewellery
Lauras Jewellery
Miss Dollipops
Kooky Boutique

I genuinely do get more compliments on items I've bought from these girls, then anything I've bought from the high street, so it's well worth buying from them :)

Secondly, thank you all for entering! It's been really lovely reading what all your favourites are and it gives me a bit of a sneak peak of what I should feature in the future on Bling and Buy. Hopefully you've all got some ideas for Christmas presents for friends and family too.

Finally, the moment you've all been waiting for! The winner of the Bling and Buy competition is......*drumroll*

Kelly!(@kellyfairy)

Congratulations Kelly, please drop me an e-mail at emma.cossey@googlemail.com and I'll arrange for it all to be sent to you by courier!

Thank you again for all your entries. I was contacted by a few other designers who want to get involved in a giveaway too, so stay tuned in the coming weeks.... 

The competition is open!

Phew! Woke up this morning to discover it had crashed! Luckily all seems to be well again, so without further ado....

The competition is open!

You can see how to enter the competition here and this is the post to comment on! Can't wait to see what products you all rate. 

I'll be choosing the winner by randomiser and will announce it tomorrow.

 

Em xxx

The Bling and Buy Big Giveaway and a sneaky peak!

*Update, please be aware the giveaway is only available to UK residents, sorry!*

So, all week we've been teasing you all with what has been kindly donated to the Big Bling and Buy Giveaway, so how can you win this fab collection??

There are three ways you can enter:

1) In the comment section of the post I will put up at 9am tomorrow, let us know what your top three products across all the ranges are. Have a good look through their sites and let me know what your favourites are!
This is one entry

2) Retweet the following: "I want to win the big @blingandbuy giveaway! http://blingandbuy.blogspot.com/"
Please only do this once, and this will count towards one entry.

and

3) Blog about the competition and let us know in the comments section.
This will count as one entry

The competition will kick off from 9am UK time tomorrow, and will close at midnight. So that gives you a few hours now to choose your favourites!

We've got another little surprise for you too! Sarah from Temporary Secretary has kindly sent me a preview of some of her new items, and she's happy for me to share them with you as a Bling and Buy exclusive! Prices haven't been confirmed yet but they'll be up on the site next week, so you can have a good look then!

The owl necklaces are gorgeous and my sister has got her eye on the bow necklace :)

The Big Bling and Buy Giveaway Contributor 7: Temporary Secretary

Finally, we've got our seventh and final part of the giveaway! This one is a double whammy from Temporary Secretary who has donated this adorable set of owl earrings and a matching necklace on the right.

The owl necklace sits on a long silver plated chain, and the detail that goes into this piece is really intricate. A fab statement piece!

The silver plated earrings feature a dangly owl with sparkly eyes happily perched on a branch.


So that's all our 7 contributions, with 12 jewellery donations in one big prize. I'll be popping in a box of chocolates from Chocoholics too, so it will be the ultimate girlie prize!
Details will be coming up later today on how you can enter tomorrow, and an extra special little surprise from Temporary Secretary!

You can recap on the other prizes here:

Love, Hearts and Crosses - Cherry earrings, rocking horse necklace and Amour Necklace
Penny Dog - Candy necklace
Funky Junk Jewellery - Stud earrings
LaurasJewellery: Carousel necklace
Miss Dollipops - Love Necklace, Headband, and ring
Kooky Boutique - rainbow earrings

The Big Bling and Buy Giveaway Contributor 6: Kooky Boutique

Our penultimate donation for the Big Bling and Buy giveaway is this retro-cute pair of earrings from the talented Leslieanne from Kooky Boutique. Adorable, no? The baby pink hearts feature a whimsical rainbow, and each heart hangs on a fish hook earring. They arrived in the post today and they really are tiny, perfect for day to day wearing!

You can find Kooky Boutique on Etsy, Folksy and Artfire. You can also follow her on Twitter and her blog for more information on her latest products.

The Big Bling and Buy Giveaway Contributor 5: Miss Dollypops

You know what's awesome and also rubbish about this giveaway? I've seen the gorgeous donations first hand and am getting really excited about doing the competition on Friday, but I don't get to see the lucky winners reaction when they win and open up all their goodies!

Anyway I digress. Miss Dollypops goodies arrived in the post yesterday, and you are in for a treat! Or 3 treats to be exact. Three pretty bags arrived containing the following:

A love necklace, with a sparkly heart and LOVE charm.

A funky headband, perfect for adding a finishing touch to an outfit. You can see the image above of it on the model, and below, of the band in more detail.

There's also a ring, which Miss Dollypops created at the last minute especially for Bling and Buy! It's all wrapped it up, so I'm going to leave that as a special surprise for the winner!

So we've still got 2 contributions to go, and we're already up to NINE prizes! See, told you it was an awesome prize :)

The Big Bling and Buy Giveaway contributor 4: Lauras Jewellery

Remember the Available/Taken necklace we featured a while back? That popular necklace was from Laura of Lauras Jewellery, and she's kindly offered to donate the delicate Carousel necklace on the right.

As you can see, the necklace consists of a carousel of 4 horses and a moveable roof on a long 18" gold plated chain.

Go check out her site, it's full of kitsch goodies!

Also, don't forget the competition kicks off on Friday! It will take place between 9am and 9pm, and I'll be telling you all more details on Thursday afternoon/evening. It'll involve you having a good look around all of our contributor's sites...

The Big Bling and Buy Giveaway contributor 3: Funky Junk Jewellery

Day 2 of the Big Bling and Buy giveaway reveal is all about Funky Junk Jewellery! I recently featured Lindsay's Tattoo Love Ring, (which went to a very good home, the finger of an engaged friend of Lindsay's!)

Lindsay creates a wide range of jewellery, with the Roller Derby and Anyone for Tea selections sitting at the forefront. She's kindly offered these turqoise studs on the right for the giveaway. I was lucky enough to test the red ones a little while back and they really are lovely, very cute and delicate! They come mounted on a FJJ business card so you can hand it out when people ask where they're from (trust me, they will!)

The Big Bling and Buy Giveaway contributor 2: Penny Dog

I featured this gorgeous ring from Kerry's Penny Dog range a few weeks ago, and I adore her creative products that have a charitable edge by supporting the Retired Greyhound Trust.

Kerry happily offered to contribute to the big giveaway, and I was delighted to receive this retro necklace on the right in the post this morning. Recognise the design? It actually comes from a packet of Popping Candy, that 80's treat that fizzes away on your tongue. Yum! The necklace comes on a long silver chain, with an added Penny Dog charm at the clasp. Kerry has kindly popped the necklace in a gorgeous embossed gift box, so you can keep it for yourself or ribbon it up for a lucky friend!

The Big Bling and Buy Giveaway contributor 1: Love, Hearts and Crosses!

What better way to kick off the week leading up to the Big Bling and Buy Giveaway on Friday, then by looking at the gorgeous items donated by Conny from Love, Hearts and Crosses, who came up with the whole idea in the first place! Not only is Conny full of brilliant ideas (just look at her site and her Twitter) but she has generously given three items for the big prize!

First up are these cheerful red cherry earrings in the image above. Perfect to add a zing of colour to an outfit, they really do look good enough to eat!















This vintage style rocking horse necklaces comes complete with blue gingham bow and black beaded necklace. Adorable, no?

Finally Conny has donated this Amour necklace, a popular product from her I love Paris range.

So that's the first three items are the giveaway, keep an eye on the blog though as there are plenty more to come! You can follow us on twitter too here for updates.

Zentosa: Gorgeous jewellery with extra bling

Big, chunky and detailed cocktail rings are top of my wish list at the moment, which might be something to do with the fact that I recently kicked the nail biting habit and my hands are now bling ready.

Pretty high up on that list of rings with the want factor is this gorgeous ladybird flower butterfly crystal cocktail ring from Zentosa. I adore the giant central gem, the detailed little butterfly and ladybird, and the variety of pretty pink flowers surrounding it. It's really reasonable too at £18, the price of a couple of decent cocktails!

It's well worth having a good browse of the Zentosa website, full of blingy and unique pieces for any occasion.

Bling and Buy's Giant Giveaway!

A little while ago, when I first started this blog, the lovely Conny from Loves, Hearts and Crosses suggested I organise a giant giveaway on the site. I thought it was a fantastic idea, and clearly so did a few others as we now have 7 generous jewellery designers donating! Joining Conny's lovely contributions are pieces from:

Temporary Secretary
Funky Junk Jewellery
Penny Dog
Miss Dollypops
Kooky Boutique
Laura's Jewellery

I'll be telling you more about each donation every day next week, with the big giveaway happening on the Friday. In the meantime, have a good browse of all their sites, they're all very talented and I'm sure you can find a few ideas for Christmas presents :) Plus the competition will include having to find something on their sites so you'll be getting a head start!

I'm also going to pop some chocolates in from Chocolates for Chocoholics so it will be the ultimate girly package!

Red L:ips: Bling vs Budget friendly

See this little sparkler on the right? It's been in my ASOS basket 5 times today. I love it, but I can't quite justify forking out £55 for it (or even lower with the discount code asosgrazia for 25% off). It's the Lulu Guinness Red Encrusted Lip Ring and is the closest I'll ever get to this clutch. I love it, equally as much as I love the silver version too.



Luckily though, Love, Hearts and Crosses have an extremely cute alternative that my bank manager will *love*. These 'Kiss me Quick' earrings on the left are only £5, and are far more wearable than their blingy alternative. Plus they're a fifth of the price! Bargain.

9ct White Gold Pink Cubic Zirconia Heart Ring

I've realised that I've filled this blog with lots of cute jewellery, but not so much of the bling. Which considering the blog is called 'Bling and Buy', is a bit daft. So here's a blinding bit of bling which doesn't cost a ridiculous amount. The 9ct White Gold Pink Cubic Zirconia Heart Ring from H Samuels is a happy, shiny little piece of bling. I want to wear it whilst drinking posh cocktails and attempting to look fabulous.

It's £29.99, about the cost of a bunch of flowers. Just in case your boyfriend was running out of ideas... :)

Very Vintage™ Designs: Walkin' In A Winter Wonderland Teeny Tiny Snowflake Studs

Last night, I pulled on a pair of extra thick socks, some fleecy pjs, and popped an extra blanket on the bed. Why, you ask? Because summer is finally over and I can indulge my inner child with thoughts of morning frosts and winter snow. Plus I live in a really old farmhouse with rubbish central heating...

Anyway, the reason I'm telling you all of this is because I came across these snowflakes for £3 on folksy and fell a little bit in love. They're by Very Vintage™ Designs, who has a really cute range of stuff including these "Kiss Me" Bobby pins for £3.25.

All of the range is available gift wrapped in a little bag, so it's a treat for yourself or a loved one this Christmas!

Max's World: Green Knitter's Brooch

Recently, I've been meeting a lot of people who are really into knitting and stitching, and it's got me kinda interested. It's so big now that there's even groups for people to get together and knit together, known as Stitch and Bitch. I'm tempted to get involved but fear my chubby fingers might prevents me creating some of the amazing creations they showcase.

For those that can actually knit/stitch, you might like this knitter's brooch from Folksy designer Max's World. The brooch is only £6.50 and comes in a variety of colours, as well as options including earrings and necklaces. The brooch features a tiny pair of knitting needles and ball of wool. Adorable, no?

Whimsical Treasures: Alice. A petite gold chair necklace.

Delicate and whimsical necklaces are popping up all over the place at the moment, yet another thing we should thank the rather gorgeous Johnny Depp for. Well, Johnny Depp and the cast of Alice in Wonderland, the new version which is set to be released in cinemas in March 2010. Looks like the cupcake trend might be on the way out *sob* and anything magical, very British, vintage looking teapots, and basically Alice in Wonderland themed are on their way in.

So I was delighted to see this miniature gold chair necklace from Etsy seller Whimsical Treasures. Priced at $21, the tiny golden 3D chair charm hangs from a gold chain. I'm pretty sure wearing it would make me feel like Alice after knocking back some Drink Me potion.

PunkyJane: Facebook necklace for yummy mummies

My Etsy newsletter popped up in my inbox yesterday and alerted me to the seller PunkyJane, who features a range of silver jewellery with personalised messages.

Amongst the sweet engraved necklaces for mums, dads and entire families was this facebook necklace that made me giggle for quite a while. I know a few yummy mummies who will appreciate the sentiment as much as they love a quick break on Farmville.

The necklace is $30 and available on a couple of different length chains.

Make your own: Toffee House

I've been thinking a lot about what to buy people for Christmas that's different from the usual gift vouchers and gift sets, particularly as my budget this year is a lot less than last year. So I'm thinking it's all about coming up with ideas that are creative and fun. Obviously there are quite a few picks that I've featured on Bling and Buy that I've got earmarked for friends and family, but there are a couple of younger family members who I have something different in mind for.

So I've been browsing Etsy store Toffee House for some ideas. Toffee House is run by Ayu and Seng, and they sell really cute cabochons and supplies that look good enough to eat. You can make some really lovely little brooches or necklaces or earrings with them, or give them to a friend to create their own individual design. I have dreams of filling a giant cookie jar with all of these goodies to hand out to visitors or just keep to myself! They're $12 for 20 of these tasty little tokens, and I can't wait for mine to arrive in the post!

Alix Swan: ‘Story Badge Set’ The Frog Prince

I discovered Alix Swan's store on Folksy a couple of days ago and became enamoured with her beautiful fairytale stories and gifts. Her range includes miniature zig zag books and little accessories to act out the stories to a little one. The product I really fell in love with though was this little set of badges that tell the story of 'The Frog Prince', one of my favourite childhood stories. Each badge tells a different section of the story, and there are a quite a few whimsical stories available.

You can buy the set for £15 and decorate your cosy winter coat with a happy ending!

Bbel: Fox Stole Silver Necklace

This stole silver necklace from Folksy seller Bbel is more than a little foxy. Priced at £56, it not only has the really unique design of a fox's head and stole, but it's easy to wear too.

The necklace itself wraps once around your neck, rather than connecting at the back, so you can adjust the height the charms sit at. I'd love to wear this backwards with a low backed dress for a different look.

The range is created by designer Bethan Carr, who has created a gorgeous range of silver necklaces, bracelets, brooches and earrings. She also does custom orders if you wanted something completely individual.

Sun Studio: Brown Blossom Necklace

Sometimes, pure simplicity is all you need for an outfit. Whether it's an outfit that already featured a lot of detail, or you just want something chic and minimalistic, having a necklace in your collection that's simple yet elegant is a must.

Which is what drew me to this Brown Blossom Necklace. Designed by the London based Sun Studio, the necklace features a double chain detail and brown 'knot' detail which Sun Studio use on a lot of their Blossom designs. I love the design and the delicate details, and I adore the price, as it only costs £9.50

You can visit Sun Studio's website here, and their Folksy store here

PennyDog Jewellery: Cake Sprinkles Ring

Eagle eyed followers of our twitter feed may already recognise PennyDog as one of the lovely designers donating a piece to the Big Bling and Buy Giveaway.

So I expect you'll want to know a bit more about what PennyDog does! PennyDog is actually a range of jewellery products designed by Kerry Wilkinson. A fan of resin jewellery, Kerry produces a varied range of rings, necklaces, bracelets and more which use this creative method.

My personal favourite, after much deliberation, is this Cake Sprinkles resin bubble ring. Priced at £12 the ring is filled with, as the name would suggest, lots of little cake sprinkles.Yum! You can buy from her folksy store or her own website, and follow her on twitter here.

The best thing of all about buying from PennyDog Jewellery? £1 of every item sold goes to the retired greyhound trust. So you can prettify your jewellery collection whilst giving something back!

Josephines: Pink Birdcage Necklace

How pretty is this pink birdcage necklace on the right? There are lots of birdcage necklaces around at the moment, a side effect of the popularity of vintage at the moment, but I love the details on this one. The gingham bow, brass bow and acrylic rose & stem cabochons add a different spin to the look. The necklace also comes in a white version.

This delicate vintage piece is from Josephines, who has a Folksy shop full of vintage goodies, and it's £19. Buy it and float around like a 40's screen siren.

LaurasJewellery: Available/Taken Necklace

Imagine the scenario. You fancy a night out with the girls, but you're not so keen on getting hit on by random guys who just don't get the message. What's a girl to do? Take a big stick out with her to keep them at bay?

How about grabbing this gorgeous little necklace, which does the talking for you? Created by LauraJewellery, who has an Etsy store and a Folksy store, the necklace features a tiny lock and the word 'Taken'. The necklace is £7, and has another added benefit. Turn the necklace over, and the other side displays the word 'Available'. The perfect necklace for that friend of yours who changes their facebook relationship status as often as their clothes :)

The Etsy store also features some kitch items, including this Red Heart Necklace, and this Martini Menu Necklace. You can follow LaurasJewellery on Twitter here.

Nelli D: Kissing boy and girl

Folksy, the UK craft site similar to Etsy, is turning up all kinds of talented jewellery designers at the moment. A recent visit to the site showcased the work of Nelli D, an artist who seems to specialise in resin based designs. The "Kissing Boy and Girl" necklace on the right is a highlight of the range. Featuring a little girl and boy holding hands, this kitsch necklace is only £12.

Browse the rest of the range and you'll find rings, necklaces and brooches, all easily within budget. I've got my eye on a couple of the necklaces for Christmas, and it's worth noting that (like a lot of the jewellery designers featured) a bespoke design service is available.

p.s, if anyone wants to buy me this brooch, I'll love you forever!

Dollipops: "You Make My Heart Sing"

Plonk a romantic item in front of me, and I pretty much melt into a puddle. I love the idea of a product that is made with love, for love.

OK enough of the mush, here's what's got me thinking about love:

This necklace is from Dollipops (who you can also find on Twitter) who has a great selection of necklaces, brooches, rings and headbands. Dollipops is another Folksy resident. I love the engraved design, the whimsical wording, and the red lips (which will always catch my eye thanks to that Lulu Guinness Bag)

Fancy a piece of Dollipops work? Grab it now for only £4.99.

FinestImaginary: Pink Teapot Heart Necklace

Tea lovers, listen up: This necklace is calling out to you! Designed by Folksy resident Finest Imaginary, the pink teapot heart necklace is an original design made from 3mm acrylic on an 18 inch silver chain. The teapot design features a cut out heart detail, and will only cost you £4.99.

The teapot also comes in white or black if the pink is too girly for you, and it's worth checking out the site for a few other tongue in cheek designs.

Finest Imaginary is on twitter too! Follow them here.

LucyQ Silver Jigsaw Bangle

It's close enough to December 25th to start dropping hints about what we'd like under the Christmas tree right? Yes?

Excellent, this LucyQ Silver Jigsaw Bangle is top of my list. How pretty and shiny is this stunning bracelet? It's from Pretty and Witty, who also feature other selections from the LucyQ range including the silver button bangle. I've fallen head over heels for the jigsaw bangle though, I think it appeals to the games geek in me :)

Best start being on my best behaviour now though, it's not cheap at £140.

She Draws: Vintage Phone Charm Necklace

She Draws recently added me on my personal twitter account (@emma_cossey) and I quickly fell in love with her quirky artistic designs. The designs have a sort of old school british look to them, and designer Laura isn't just limited to jewellery as she has a fabulous range of cards, kitchen linen, and custom tags.

It was difficult to choose one pick, and I'd encourage you to have a good look at her Folksy store. My personal favourite is this Vintage Phone Charm Necklace for £14. The design is printed onto plastic and coated with a glossy resin. It hangs on an 18 inch necklace, and the design is cleverly hung to give an animated impression.

You can follow She Draws on Twitter and you might want to check out her blog as she has a brilliant competition going on at the moment...