SPOTLIGHT: Jewellery Collection - Ring Storage Update (Part 7)...

Happy New Year everyone! I've been revelling in a couple of weeks off work, my first significant holiday in 2 years, and while destressing, relaxing and re-establishing my (much needed) exercise routine have been my highest priorities, I've also been rethinking some of my jewellery storage options. I reckon that even if something works well, it can most likely be improved with a regular reassessment and further investment. My ring storage needed an overhaul if for no other reason than my collection was outgrowing its housing, so I was inspired to seek out a better way to store my bling...

Back in June 2016 (oh wow, I can't even say "last year" any more lol!), I'd found some plastic swivel containers (Part 2 HERE), and they worked pretty well up until recently when I ran out of room, plus it was becoming increasingly difficult to swing out the shelves without the whole thing toppling over. So off I trotted to KMart, and to my delight, spotted the below acrylic 3 drawer organisers for $9 a pop. The drawers slide in and out easily, and the bonus is that they're pre-lined with a protective gauze - score! So I bought 6 sets, which gave me enough room to spread out my collection, as well as allow for future expansion (whoops! - ha ha)...

As you know I organise just about everything in my wardrobe and makeup collection into colours of the rainbow - honestly, it's the only way I can manage to put my outfits together each day! And my rings are the same - I've sorted them into colour families if they contain stones, and then there's a drawer for gold, rose gold, silver, silver with diamantes etc. The boxes stack pretty well too, and I've placed a non-slip mat under each one so they don't move ♥...

Overall I'm delighted with how this new storage system is performing - next job to tackle is the rest of my jewellery collection, which has also almost outgrown its current home. Hmm, maybe I should just stop walking into Lovisa and Colette! ♥

Take care of you,

kats xxx

Bloggiversary Giveaway - Prouds Jewellery!...

My little blog has made yet another circuit of the sun, and this month will be its 4th anniversary! ♥ Time sure flies when you're having fun, and though I'm only managing one post a week at the moment, I'm forever hoping that my work commitments will allow that to change - I do SO love blogging, and sharing what I've discovered with you lovelies, plus the friendships I've made through it are so dear to my heart. So I'm kicking off the celebrations with the first of FOUR giveaways this month - woo hoo! Whenever possible they'll be open Internationally - thanks to this little blogging hobby of mine, quite a few of you dedicated followers and darling gal pals are outside of Australia, and I don't want you to miss out on a chance at the goodies. So let's get on with the show ♥...

The prize consists of...

• Sterling Silver Cubic Zirconia Heart Cluster Ring, Size O, boxed
• Sterling Silver Cubic Zirconia Heart Cluster Stud Earrings, boxed

I bought these from Prouds The Jewellers at a recent sale - they're so pretty and sparkly, I almost kept them for myself lol. Together they are valued at just under $100, and I'm absolutely certain whoever wins will fall in love with them.  Here's a closeup so you can see the detail ♥...

This giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY!

Here's how to enter...

1. Leave a blog post comment on this page as to why you'd like to win this cute bling set
2. Leave your email address inside the Rafflecopter so I can contact you if you win
3. Follow my blog one way or another from the many choices listed
4. Only one entry per person, please read the T's & C's inside the Rafflecopter

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This giveaway is now closed - check back later tonight to see who won

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The initial winner didn't respond to my emails to claim their prize, 

so I have drawn again, and 

random.org has chosen the beautiful Monique as the winner.  

Congratulations gorgeous! 

Monique please respond to the email I've sent you by

Thursday 21st September to claim your prize :-)

Edit: Monique has claimed her prize

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hope you'll join in the celebrations - best of luck lovelies!

Take care of you,
kats xxx

P.S. Adding this post to Ingrid's Monday Makeup Madness Link Up Party - some terrific reads every week from 6:30am Monday ♥...

SPOTLIGHT: Jewellery Collection Part 2 (Ring Storage)...

Who doesn't love long weekends hey? Nothing I enjoy more than three whole days to sort out my various bits and pieces. Rising at 4:30am on weekdays, I HAVE to be organised, and as far as fashion and accessories are concerned, I find colour categorisation works best for me. Whether it's my clothing, shoes, scarves, jewellery, makeup OR even my umbrellas, I group them all according to hues, and that's my secret for co-ordinating my outfits. Each day I choose a colour theme - I work out what I'm wearing the night before (my brain doesn't function till my second morning latte lol) and lay it all out in readiness for a quick pull-together in the wee hours. Storage is another challenge, and I go with practicality rather than glamour, so you won't see any fancy trinket boxes or expensive acrylic solutions in this series - what's inside the modest containers I choose is pretty and fun, and that's enough for me. Plus the less I spend on exxy boxes and ritzy ditzy display stands, the more I have for the bargain bling I'm so passionate about ♥...

So this is my current collection of finger adornments, all safely stored away from dust, and sorted into the colours of the rainbow, plus black, white, plain silver and gold. I should add that this isn't necessarily my long-term solution, but it will do for the time being, plus it's reasonably portable if I need to shift things around in my room. I bought these acrylic 3-tier swivel boxes from Target last year for around $10 each. I lined them with some non-slip bubbly plastic shelf liner which I picked up at a Hot Dollar store for less than $5. To make the inserts the right size, I used the base of the unit as a template, drew around it with a pen, and then cut inside the line and snipped out a piece to fit either side of the spindle. In hindsight, a more rubbery or sticky kind of material would have worked better to cushion the pieces, but I chose what I did because it was transparent...

As mentioned in last week's post, there's no diamonds, rubies, sapphires or gold in this lot - the robbers cleaned me out long ago! Actually my "gold" collection changes every few months or so because the finish wears off, and I just toss them out when they start to look scruffy. As you can see I have quite a few rings made of acrylic & enamel - they're probably the most practical of all because they're virtually indestructible lol. And if I find something that really suits, I have a tendency to buy several in different colour variations - I do that with shoes and clothing too. I guess it's a case of "if the shoe fits, wear it"...

So how do you store your bling?

Take care of you,
kats xxx

P.S. I'm linking to Ingrid's awesomely interesting Monday Makeup Madness Link Up Party ♥♥♥

SPOTLIGHT: Jewellery Collection Part 1 (Lovisa haul)...

High time I started a series on jewellery hey, especially given it's yet another of my obsessions that's almost surpassed my makeup & perfume passions ♥ Over the months I've been uploading some of my bling rings, and pics of what I wear each day in my EOTD posts, but there seems to be quite a bit of interest (well on Instagram at least) in my overall collection, so I thought I'd put together some examples of  what I have, and how I gradually build my kit of bits and bobs. Just for the record, I have very few pieces of "real" jewellery (i.e. gold, diamonds etc.) - most of the good stuff I had was stolen (including family heirlooms and items of major sentimental value) when my home was burgled many years ago. I've never really recovered from the loss, but I'm endeavouring to heal the scars by gathering together exceptionally pretty (and inexpensive) costume jewellery, and I buy most of it on sale from Lovisa. So here's my latest haul from their current "up to 70% off" extravaganza...

The original price of all of the above items came to $192.88, but I only had to part with $63.00. The beauty of buying repeatedly from the same store is that I end up with items that match, and you know how important that is to me lol! I regularly fall in love with things I see on their racks, but I bide my time until they have a sale, and then I pounce. Sometimes not all pieces of a set are on special at the same time, and that's why I keep going back - eventually, everything gets reduced MASSIVELY in price, so I hold my breath and wait ♥ Below I've selected a few of the above new goodies, and arranged them with the ones I've previously scored so you can see what I'm trying to achieve...

The cognac coloured stretchy glass bead bracelet ($4 instead of $14.99) was to match the necklace from a previous sale, and the Swarovski earrings and ring I picked up not that long ago at a heavily reduced price - so this glam little set was put together from four separate Lovisa sales ♥...

And this green/bronze bead necklace (yes I have a "thing" for glass beads ♥) was to go with the bracelets from an earlier bargain hunt. This was a bonus because at the time I bought the bracelets, I didn't know the necklace was also available, but I loved the colour so much I bought them anyway - it's an unusual shade of green, and goes with quite a few of the tops I have, including some of the more olivey hues. The necklace is a super long one so I can also wrap it around my neck a few times for a different look. Price was $12 instead of $22.99...

Spotted these shell earrings and remembered a necklace/bracelet set I'd snapped up from Millers earlier this year - I reckon they were meant to be together, and especially with a price tag of $4 ♥...

The plaited glass pearl bead necklace and drop earrings were too good to pass up, although I hummed and haahed for quite a while - the necklace is normally $29.99 but had a $10 sticker, and the earrings were $4. They are set in gold, but it's a very pale gold, so I can get away with wearing these with silver settings as well. I already had the Lovisa bracelet and ring from Goldmark in my box of treasures - they're both a little creamy compared to the pure white new arrivals (which is why I was humming and haahing), but not a problem, given they are not next to each other when worn...

The bronze metal "door-knocker" earrings were a $4 gamble that paid off - the necklace was from yet another previous Lovisa sale haul, and I couldn't believe my luck when I spotted the bracelet during a fleeting visit to the store last weekend. While the earrings don't have diamantes like the other two, the base metal is the same colour and ridgy texture, so I'm glad I took the chance that they'd co-ordinate. This set looks particularly striking when worn with cream, white or khaki green...

Fell head over heels for these cute earrings - they were tagged as "semi-precious" but I have my doubts that they're actually turquoise. Still I was attracted to the blue/green/wood/diamante combo, and felt the shape would give this set a bit of a lift with a modern touch ♥ ($4 down from $12.99). BTW I found the sterling silver bangle in a Vinnies store years ago for 5 bucks, and the pendant was a gift my from Dad (it's my birthstone)...

And last but by no means least, adoring bling as I do, I couldn't resist this Swarovski ROCK (an absolute bargain at $8!) - it wasn't to complete any particular set, but it was such a stunner, well I had to have it, and it's the perfect fit for the ring finger on my right hand. Might just be my ultimate bling-ring!

I take my hat off to anyone who photographs sparkly stones successfully - over 100 shots to get these ones, and they still don't do it justice. Looks like glass here, but the facets are beautifully reflective, and it's around 6 carats of in-your-face bedazzlement...

There all sorts of different styles, shapes, materials, textures and colours in my collection - you can count on me for variety, I truly believe it's the spice of life. Part 2 coming soon ♥

Take care of  you,
kats xxx

P.S. Linking this to the always fabulous Ingrid's Monday Makeup Madness Link Up Party ♥♥♥

SPOTLIGHT: Autumn Bling!...

Time to reveal more of my bling discoveries! My mission? To find some new colours, and particularly ones to co-ordinate with my Autumn/Winter outfits. Degree of difficulty? Blimey, I'm giving it a nine out of ten on the exasperation scale. Didn't realise it would be so hard to find anything other than purples, blues, clear and red, but patience (and vigilence) is its own reward, and I scored these three pretty little darlings in the space of a few months. All within my $50 budget too, although I did make a concession in regards to the setting of one ring, but more on that later...

So here's the first - quite a realistic representation of a peridot, and the perfect hue to tone with my olivey wardrobe contents. Olive green seems to be quite big this season - lots of tops, pants and jackets in the stores, but I'm finding it a challenge to track down any jewellery in this autumnal hue. I guess the clothing people aren't talking to the accessory companies! Anyways, I found this at Prouds during their sale a few months back, from memory it was almost half price ♥...

And this little treasure is my latest acquisition - last weekend actually. A stunning cognac Swarovski crystal, and the photo does it very little justice. In some lights it's palest citrine, and in others it's a rich brown with flashes of golden fire (as in the pic). Lovisa has quite an extensive range of Swarovski crystal jewellery, which is where I found this for $25. Only one catch, it's not set in Sterling Silver. But...I fell in love with the way the light bounces of every glistening facet so I bought it anyway, and will be especially mindful to remove it when washing my hands so the silvery plating lasts as long as possible. This ring is especially dear to me already because it's smaller than any of my others, and fits on the ring finger of my right hand - it's nice to have a change of dolled-up digit ♥

And finally, my teal extravaganza. Could not believe my eyes when I spotted this in Prouds - you know I ADORE teal, and it's as if it was made for me! The original price was somewhat outside my range, but once the 60% came off, it was a done deal, and I even got five cents change lol. This is quite a knuckle duster - like my other multi-coloured Swarovski rings (here), it's a dome shape, but larger and more solid, and all the stones are the same glorious deep teal. It sparkles in a different way too as the crystals are a mix of tiny and large size (nothing in between), and the entire surface is covered, whereas the others have gaps between the stones. Out of all my rings, she is "my precious" ♥

Well it's pretty obvious that bling rings are an ongoing and escalating passion of mine, so you can rest assured there'll be more sparklers to show you in the months ahead. Wishing you a wonderful Autumn ♥♥♥

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTM: "Your Favourite January EOTD" Valentine's Giveaway...

As promised I'm getting in nice and early this month, and with Valentine's Day just around the corner, what better excuse than to give away something a bit more glamorous than usual ♥ How about this fantabulous sparkling bling-ring - isn't she gorgeous?

Up for grabs are:

• 1 x Sterling Silver Crystal Dome Ring pictured above (from Prouds The Jewellers) - I've measured it carefully and believe it's a size "O"
• 1 x Natio Gift set comprising a Mineral Pressed Powder Bronzer (Sunswept), Powder Brush & a ritzy ditzy silver Clutch Bag

All brand spanking new, recently purchased by me, and the total value is just over $90...

Apologies to my international lovelies - this giveaway is open to Australian Residents only!

To enter you must nominate which of the January EOTD's is your favourite from the eight pictured below, let me know in the comments section why you like it the most, then follow the Rafflecopter entry instructions below. Please note: if you don't leave a comment on this page, you will NOT be included in the draw...

When you enter, please make sure you read the Terms and Conditions inside. Leaving a comment on this page, providing your email address inside the Rafflecopter, AND following my blog one way or another from the many choices listed, are MANDATORY for entry.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This giveaway is now closed - check back later tonight to see who won!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yay! Random.org has chosen the beautiful Emily D. as the winner! 

Congratulations Emily ♥

Please respond to the email I've sent you by 

Midnight Wednesday 16th February to claim your prize :-)

Edit: Emily has claimed her prize ♥

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Best of luck to all who enter!

Take care of you,
kats xxx

SPOTLIGHT: Pink & Lilac Bling!...

Time to reveal some more of my bling ring collection - I've done a count and yes, I have more purple rings than any other ♥ While I most certainly have a passion for this particular hue, it must be popular with the community in general as there seems to be more variety to choose from in the stores, and I'm sure glad of that! And of course I have to have ALL the different shade variations to match my outfits now don't I? These were all purchased at Goldmark, and all within my budget max (actually all three were under $35)

Love the straightforward simplicity of this one - just one big stone that's way pretty enough on its own. It sits high and mighty, but both the band and setting are solid and sturdy, so I'm not concerned about knocking it. The colour of the stone in this pic is a pretty good match - in some lights it looks lilac purple, in others, blue purple, which is another reason why I love it so much ♥...

I looked at this pink lovely every time I went into the shop over a period of six months, and ummed and ahhed because I don't wear a lot of what I call Barbie pink, and the lights in the store made the colour of the stone look just that - incredibly fake. But I succumbed in the end, and delighted I did because in most other lighting conditions, it's this gorgeous magenta-ish hue. Definitely princess worthy, but I'd say other customers felt the same way about it as it needed a darn good clean when I got it home, so I suspect it had been in the display for quite some time. Always delighted to help out and give a sparkler a good home ♥...

This triple banded sweetie was one of the first rings I bought when I started my bling acquisition journey, getting on to 3 years ago. I'd been going through some challenges, and this was my reward to myself for making it out the other side without losing the plot, so there's quite a bit of sentiment attached to it ♥ Still sparkles like new, it's a perfect fit, and being flush, I don't have to take it off when wearing gloves in winter. I still see this particular setting from time to time in Goldmark, with pink, aqua or clear stones, but I reckon I scored the pick of the bunch...

Still on the hunt for yellow or orange stones -  might have to take the plunge and extend my search to the online world...

Take care of you,
kats xxx

SPOTLIGHT: Colourful Bling!...

Having just about exhausted Goldmark's stock of bling rings, I had to go further afield - struck gold (well gems at least lol) at Prouds where I found all these beauties, and all within my $50 limit. Took a bit of fossicking I can tell you, and several months of regular window shopping, scanning of their catalogues etc., but I'm thrilled to bits with what I found ♥

This "ruby" was most definitely the bargain of the bunch at $25. It's such a pretty pear shape, exceptionally feminine, and with the surrounding sparklers flashing so brilliantly, I'm chuffed to at last have something semi-real that I can wear with my red clobber...

Out of all my colourful bling rings, this would have to be my favourite - has every quality I want in a dress ring. Elegant styling, exquisite colour, not too flashy so that it looks fake, and fits my finger perfectly. I bought this at the same time as the ruby - it wasn't actually on special, but I fell instantly in love, and it just scraped in under budget (by 5 cents!). Absolutely adore this little honey ♥

And here's the closest thing to a Princess Di replica that I own - hard to believe but I've spent months trying to capture the stunning blue lights within the stone, and even this photo doesn't do it justice. I swear taking pictures of sparkly jewellery is 100 times more difficult than eye makeup or a flatlay! She's a beauty though. Oddly enough I went into Goldmark looking to see if they had anything blue - the ever so helpful shop assistant said she had nothing in stock, but directed me across the mall to Prouds as she'd seen one in the window. What a sweetheart ♥

Still a couple more to left in the vault to reveal, and I'm in the market for both a yellow and an orange stone ring to complete my rainbow bling collection - wish me luck!

Take care of  you,
kats xxx

SPOTLIGHT: Purple Bling!

Being a purple fanatic, I'm forever checking out what's available bling-wise, and here are a few more little treasures I've picked up from Goldmark over the last 6 months. From memory, these were all under $30, and therefore 100% guilt-free lol. This first one is such a pretty colour - actually, to be honest, I don't have it any more! A week after I bought it I wore it when visiting my parents, and my Mum loved it so much (and I mean REALLY loved it), and it looked gorgeous on her hand, so I figured it was meant for her. She's mad keen on purple too (I wonder if colour-love is hereditary?) and it matches a few of her outfits perfectly. A couple more and she'll be a bling-babe too ♥

Not the best photo of purchase #2 (it's so much prettier in real life) - this was my replacement for the one that's now on Mama's finger. It's way more of a pinky-violet hue, but I tend to wear this shade more often than true purple, so it all worked out just right. Nowhere near as blingy as #1, but I love the square shape, it looks almost quietly elegant on my hand, and it does have a couple of subtle sparklers either side of the main stone. The raised setting has a delicate filigree design on two sides, and it only set me back $19.95 ♥

And here is my most recent addition - this gem is fit for a princess! Sadly my camera isn't able to capture the beauty of it's cut, colour and gleam - half-way between purple and violet, it seems to suit my skintone the best of all, and the surrounding diamantes catch the light brilliantly. There's more silver in the setting too so it's heavier - built to last I'd say. This is my current fave, and the one I wear most often...

I have a few more up my sleeve (or rather in my jewel box) so there'll be more bling posts up soon ♥

Take care of you,
kats xxx

SPOTLIGHT: Neutral Bling!

More from my bling wardrobe ♥ Despite being white/colourless, they have a very important place in my collection - it's quite a challenge to find affordable blingy rings in all the colours of the rainbow, and these "neutrals" are exceptionally versatile in that they go with just about anything, and look ritzy-ditzy when I'm wearing black, white or grey. This first one is my latest acquisition, from Angus & Coote. It was WAY over my budget, but just happened to be in the window with a half-price ticket attached ($49.95) - score! My camera doesn't do it justice at all - it's the most flashy ring I've ever owned, and just this side of OTT lol...

This little gem is from Goldmark - it was in the front display for 3 weeks looking lonely and unloved, and for $19.95, I figured it was meant for me. The triangular shape makes a refreshing change from the traditional round or square, and it's interesting how different it looks when I wear it with the point facing down...

And lastly here's a freshwater pearl, also from Goldmark - doesn't technically qualify as bling, but it does have some pretty sparklers either side. My Mum gave me her pearl ring almost 30 years ago, but it was stolen when I was burgled shortly afterwards, and as I wasn't insured, I didn't ever replace it. Understandably I've wanted another one ever since, and while this isn't anywhere near as stunning as Mama's Mikimoto, and there's no sentiment attached of course, but it does have the most beautiful lustre, and it's a perfect sphere. Reduced from $69 down to $29, well now, how could I resist?

I do so love rings, and never EVER leave the house with naked fingers (or bare ear lobes for that matter). The best thing about bling is that it's wearable with party outfits, office clobber AND jeans - there simply aren't any rules ♥

And remember to visit Ingrid's Monday Makeup Madness Link Up Party - not to be missed if you're looking for some terrific bloggers to follow ♥

Take care of you,

kats xxx

SPOTLIGHT: Multicoloured Bling!

A quickie post to share another of my passions - bling-rings! And the sparklier the better ha ha. I used to buy cheapie ones from places like Lovisa or Colette, but found the gold or silver finish always came off after a few wears and they looked tatty, so these days I only go for Sterling Silver settings - my budget unfortunately doesn't stretch to anything gold. I also have a self-imposed limit of $50 per item so that I can maintain my makeup addiction (whoops!), but fortunately there are a few stores where I can indulge my love of finger ornaments, and stay within my budget. All the rings below were purchased from Goldmark sales over the last 12 months, and all were under $40...

I'm crazy in love with them - the stones are Swarovski crystals, they're so colourful and bright, and you know how I love to match my outfits ♥ I keep hoping they'll release a purple or emerald green variety (hint hint Goldmark!). They glimmer and gleam like mad, and so far none of the stones have fallen out - mind you I always remove them when washing my hands, so that helps keep them intact...

The RRP of these is $69.95, and the trick with Goldmark is to regularly check their displays - there's usually one corner of the front window where they put their "specials", and I just wait till they appear there on sale, and then pounce!

Sizes are limited, and I'm lucky all these fit on my middle finger, but sometimes they have a few to choose from. My local store always puts them into a pretty purple velvet pouch too - such a girlie treat, and makes me feel like a princess ♥

Happy Spring everyone!

Take care of you,

kats xxx