Squidoo

I've made a page - sorry, a 'lens' - on Squidoo.com. Have no idea how to use it yet. I'm going to add my squidoo link to my links list.

Nostalgia - Flower Fairies

Here's a blast of nostalgia - do you remember the flower fairies? I had all the books when I was little, and the apple blossom flower fairy doll. Actually, I think I might still have them up in the attic, somewhere :)

MySpace Layout - Artwork

I've been working on a new background for our MySpace profile today because I'm still not happy with the one we've got. I've started a new painting for the background, but I've haven't gone beyond the pencil and ink stage yet, because I didn't have the right colours. Or the right paper. It's been ages since I've done some art!

Leaflets

We had some leaflets done today - just in black & white, sadly, because colour is out of our budget. I designed the layout myself and they look ok. The colour version I printed out myself looks fabulous, though - I think I might print some colour copies out by hand (very time-consuming on my laserjet printer!) and put them in some shop windows.

Time of the Fairies

"Time of the Fairies" is a project by photographer Joseph Corsentino. He's created a new mythology of faeries, angels and vampires who are now hiding in the urban decay of the 21st century. You can see some of his fabulous artwork in this YouTube video:

Gemstone Folklore - Coral

Coral is usually a beautiful pinky-red colour and is formed, rather amazingly, from the skeletons of invertebrate marine creatures. It can, however, be seen in a variety of colours.

It was venerated world-wide as a strong amulet against evil spirits and sickness.

In ancient Rome, babies often wore coral around their necks as a charm.

In medieval Europe, it was believed to defend the wearer against deception, magic and witchcraft, and apothecaries would regularly ground it up for use as a cure-all.

However, brown coral is said to attract evil spirits.

Gemstone folklore - Turquoise

Turquoise is well-known for its beautiful bluey-green colour and once served as a unit of currency among some Native American groups.

In Tibet, it was thought to offer the wearer protection against the evil eye and was often used as an amulet to bring health, happiness and good fortune.

In Asia and parts of Europe, it was regarded as protection for riders from falling off their horses. It was also believed to help improve and maintain good relationships, so it was often given as a friendship or love token.

New Mannequins!

We've got some new mannequin/jewellery holders in stock now and they are absolutely gorgeous!!

First of all, we have some pastel cats - pink and lilac trinket box/jewellery holders. They are so CUTE!

Then, we have a beautiful Victorian lady jewellery holder with incredible detail - looks like a doll, except with no head obviously. Ok, that sounds gruesome - she's not gruesome, she's lovely - check out this picture of her just above.

And finally, we have a fairy ballerina which comes with a mirror and 'secret box' (that's a little drawer to put stuff in). She's quite bejewelled.

Freebies - New Promotion

I've changed my mind - I will update on new stock and promotions here, but I'll try to keep it brief.

We're giving away a free Chinese purse/pouch with each fairy mirror. They're very pretty, come in a range of colours and are big enough to fit the mirror into.

I've also added a slideshow to the home page.

Gemstone folklore - Amber

I'm cross-posting this old entry from my MySpace blog, which I think I'm just going to keep for updates on new stock.

Amber is fossilised tree resin which is usually yellow but can vary with different shades of brown and orange. It's most well-known for preserving a range of fossilised insects within it's golden wrappings.

Amber is mentioned in Ovid's Metamorphosis, regarding the fate of Meleager. According to Greek legend, Meleager was one of Jason's Argonauts whose life was bound up with a piece of wood that his mother had snatched from fire when he was born. He later killed his own brothers. His mother, in revenge, threw the brand of wood back onto the fire; Meleager died as it burned and as his sisters wept for him, their tears turned to amber.

Book Recommendations - Fantasy & Magical Realism

I'm going to write a little about some of my favourite books - some fantasy, mostly magical realism (I like having a foot in both worlds) - and review new books as I get through them.

I'm going to kick off the book recommendations with an oldie - in fact, technically it's a kids' novel.

The Children of Lir by Michael Scott

It's a brilliantly told version of the famous Irish legend of four children who fall prey to their wicked stepmother. She wants to kill them, but she can't because they are Tuantha De Dannan (Irish fairies) and practically immortal, so she does the next best thing and transforms them into swans - an enchantment that lasts 900 years.

It's very short, very readable and it was only £1.95 when I bought it back in the eighties.

Hi!

Hello - I'm Kate and this is my blog. I run an online store, Kate's Gifts, which is very new for me, a lot more work than I thought it would be but very fun. We're still trying to get noticed in the huge World Wide Web and still deciding on a vibe for the site. Really, our stock is a collection of things I just happen to like! Which might not actually make the best business sense, I suppose :)

As we stock fairy and jewellery gifts, this blog is going to have a fairy and jewellery theme, and I might also blog about some of the business and marketing aspects of online retail (once I figure out what those are!).