Sale Watch: French Connection

French Connection has always been a retail leader when it comes to must-have dresses and beautifully sculptured shoes, but I rarely hear anyone speak of their jewellery range. Which is a shame, because they've had some eye-catching chunky pieces and some seventies-inspired gold pieces in the last few seasons.

A few of the pieces have made it into the end of season sale, and I've highlighted a few of the key pieces below.


Mixed Ring, £5.75 (reduced from £15)



Stone Bangle, £5.75 (reduced from £15)


Beaded Bracelet, £5.75 (reduced from £15)

Have you ever bought any jewellery from French Connection?

Untamed Menagerie's Handmade silhouette jewellery

I have a big, fat crush.

Usually, I only feature one or two pieces from a designer on Bling and Buy. But I really, really struggled to choose one favourite piece from Etsy seller Untamed Menagerie. The collection is created by mother and daughter team Penny and Nikki, and they focus on nature and vintage-inspired whimsical themes. Their imagination shines through in their handmade, beautifully cut pieces.

Here are a few of my favourite items.

Couture, $26

Let Them Eat Cake bangle, $35

Nectar, $60

Butterfly Effect, $14

So, what do you think of the range?

'Drink Me' Disney Necklace

Alice in Wonderland fans! I know you're out there.Who can blame you? The age-old story of tea parties, mad old men in humongous hats and food and drink that makes you shrink pretty much sums up the perfect fairy tale. Not to mention the perfect literary material for jewellery and accessory creators alike.

The clever bods at Disney have created this 'Drink Me' necklace with a tiny bottle charm. It's a cute alternative to the usual watch necklaces and white rabbit charms, and is part of the official Alice in Wonderland range. It's yours for £25 from House of Fraser.

Make your own: 5 resources for DIY jewellery

Writing about all the jewellery designers out there in the webworld can inspire you to get a bit crafty and create your own pieces. I've tried a couple of times, but I have an uncanny ability to glue/staple/clip my fingers together, rather than the actual beads and findings.

If you've got a craftier side and fancy giving jewellery making a bash, you might want to try the following places for some inspiration.
 

Folksy seller Forget-me-not-gifts has some delicious looking sweetie charms, including the polo, love heart and marshmallow fimo charms above. Each of the charms has a hole for attaching to a charm bracelet or neckace. This collection is £7.99 for 25 charms.

The Bead Shop is based in Manchester (and online), and stocks everything you'll need like beads, tools, jewellery making kits, chains and findings. The jewellery making starter kit above is only £19.99, and should be enough to get you started.

If you fancy adding a unique personalised touch to your pieces, you might want to consider getting your own tags created to pop on the clasp of your pieces. Folksy designer She Draws can design and create your very own tag, so your friends can easily tell others who created their admired piece of bling. The service costs £15 for 50 tags/buttons.

For free tutorials on how to make jewellery, head to Folksy's Make page for step by step guides on how to make pieces like the butterfly ring above, or VideoJug for a huge number of videos on how to make various types.

If you'd prefer to go to a class to learn first-hand how to create your own bling, then you have a wealth of classes to choose from. The Make Lounge has a wire wrapped jewellery class for £45, which lasts 3 hours. Having done a cupcake decorating course at the centre, I can highly recommend the friendly and helpful teachers (plus the free wine and biscuits is always a plus!)

So, tempted to pick up some beads and get creating? Or have you got any other useful resources? Let us know in the comments!

Pssst! Don't forget Bling and Buy favourites Sophie and Toffee, who have an overwhelming collection of Cabochons, pearls and beads for crafting.

Folksy Find: Ship Picture frame with Fish and Chips Detail

This may just be the most British piece of jewellery we've ever featured on Bling and Buy.

At first glance, I thought Folksy designer Cream Tea Jewellery had simply decided to use this picture frame as a quirky way to showcase the tiddly fish and chips brooch. On closer inspection, it became apparant that the frame WAS the brooch!

Featuring a swashbuckling ship, the frame is just 2.5 by 3 inches, and the fish and chips charm is fixed to the outer frame. I have no idea what you'd wear it with, but I'm pretty sure it would be a unique icebreaker wherever you go.

Fancy a bit of British charm? The brooch is £13.50.

Five kitsch mobile charms

Nothing like a bit of bling bling to go with your ring ring-tone, eh?

OK, appalling rhyming aside, mobile charms have fallen under the radar a bit at Bling and Buy. I've always feared that adding a charm to my mobile will only encourage it to form an unbreakable knot with my car keys and my earphones when I attempt to rescue it from my handbag.

However, I definitely think there's a place for a bit of phone accessorising (namely, a handbag far more organised than my own). Which is why I've rounded up five of the cutest mobile charms for your browsing pleasure.


Assorted Dog Keyring & Mobile Phone Charm, M&S, £7.50

 

Sushi Charms, set of 3, Folksy seller MrJin's Shady Business, £3

 

Hello Kitty Charm, Cherished Gems, £1.95

Assorted Donut Charms, Emariecreations, $7

Happy Cloud Mini Charm, Etsy designer Thatbearisknitting, $3.50

Seen any more good charms? Let us know in the comments.

Cath Kidston Sailing gift box set

One of our Facebook fans, Sarah, requested to see a few more jewellery sets on the blog for gifts (for others or, even better, yourself). This Cath Kidston Sailing gift box set is so ridiculously on trend, that I'd consider myself rude not to check it out.

Nautical (think blue and white striped outfits, sailor inspired accessories and a little bit of French chic) is everywhere at the moment, so this necklace is the perfect accompaniment. The teeny little yacht earrings compliment the chunkier charms of the longer necklace.

Are you a fan of the nautical trend?

Five exotic feather headbands

I'm a little obsessed with headgear at the moment after featuring (and subsequently buying) this Peacock Feather Bow Headband from Cherry & Joy. Judging from the feedback on our Facebook fanpage, you lot have an affection for giving your hair the accessory treatment too.

Feather headbands are definitely having a fashion moment, and they're suitable for weddings, days at the racing or just a spot of retail therapy.

Here are a few of my current favourites:

2adorn Exclusive to ASOS Peacock, from £74

Feather Applique Hairband, Urban Outfitters, £8 
Brown Feather Headban, Miss Selfridge, £8
 

NOELLE feather headband, Etsy seller LiveInStyle, $17

Adella blue beige and caramel fascinator, Etsy seller Pegasusmaiden, $14

Seen any more to add to the list? What do you think of the feathered headband trend?

Polka Dot Hairslides from Poppy Sparkles

You asked for more hair accessories, so we found some!

These polka dot hairslides are really simple, but that's what appeals to me. Strong enough to pop your hair up in a chic little up do, or simply to pin aside a stubborn fringe, these clips are certainly multi-purpose.

They're from Folksy designer Poppy Sparkles, and they're a bargainous £2. They're also available in a few different designs, so you could have a different one for each day of the week.

If you're on the lookout for some headbands, keep an eye on the site this afternoon....

The winner of the facebook giveaway is...

Over the last couple of days, we've been running a giveaway over on our facebook page for a goodie bag of bling. To enter, all our fans had to do was invite their friends and let us know what they'd like to see on the site.

All of the suggestions are brilliant, and I'll certainly be putting a few of them into action. Suggestions included:

• More giveaways, discounts and competitions (keep an eye on the site in May!)
• More hair accessories (Look out for an Ascot special soon)
• Jewellery trends, catwalk to high street
• Gift buying guides
• Featured ranges for younger children and teens
• Mobile charms, mobile accessories and customisation bling 

The winner of the giveaway, chosen at random is....

CLAIRE SMITH!

Congratulations Claire! If you can e-mail your address to emma.cossey@googlemail.com, letting me know if you have pierced ears, and I'll get your goody bag over to you!