Cool cosies by Jacksknits

I started this post on 7th May, a week ago, so I think it's probably about time I got round to finishing it...


I have a bad habit that really annoys my boyfriend of making pots/cups of tea and then forgetting about them so they sit and go cold. I then heat them up in the microwave despite the fact I think this makes the tea taste horrible and then leave them to go cold again.

So I've been thinking for a while that maybe I should invest in a nice tea cosy to keep my teapot warm, thus solving one part of my problem!

Jacks Knits sells the most amazing and unique tea cosies I have ever seen. How cool is this stripey back and yellow creation with little knitted bumble bees!



If something sweet is a little more to your taste, how about the 2 cosies below-one with yummy donuts and the other in the style of a shocking pink cupcake.
The perfect tasty accompaniment to your tea break if you're resisting the real thing.






The great thing about these designs over traditional tea cosies is that they are like a little jacket so you don't have to take it off to pour your tea.

All of Jacky's teacosies are £7.00 each and she is more than happy to take on custom orders if you have an idea in mind for your own teacosy.


I highly recommend that you check out her Flickr album as she has some amazing items on there.
How sweet are these little hatching chicks...



...and this sandwich and salad platter looks really realistic. How cute are the little cherry tomatoes!

Ji Ji Kiki jewellery winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered the competition to win a piece of Ji Ji Kiki jewellery.
I have put all (308 in total!) entries into the hat and the winner is....




Well done! If you email me on emma@jijikiki.com with your address I can get the necklace and some other goodies in the post for you :)


I'm really sorry to everyone who didn't win. I will be running more competitions soon to win prizes kindly donated by other very talented artists and designers, so make sure you check back soon and enter!

Also, if you are not already a Ji Ji Kiki fan on then go over and become a fan as you'll get a 10% discount to use on the site!


Make sure you are also signed up to the newsletter to be entered into our monthly draw to win £20 to spend on the site.

I am adding lots of gorgeous new vintage jewellery pieces to the site this week, and Lacey the Octopus will be back in stock too. Yay!

Rubi Rocket

I thought that today I would cover an Australian site for my Antipodean readers.

Rubi Rocket is an online shop who's influences range from 80s childhood, tattoos, rock n' roll and pin up girls through to cult icons.

Their main line is laser cut jewellery, but they also sell hair clips, t-shirts (guys only) and kitsch and retro and coasters.

The prices are pretty reasonable too-is little black and white panda is really sweet and is only $25 AU (about £12).



I really like this Tiki inspired hibiscus flower necklace ($34 AU) available in a choice of red or yellow. It's just so summery and makes me wish I was sat on a tropical beach with a cold cocktail.



My boyfriend and I are obsessed with Mario Karts Wii at the moment, so I couldn't resist adding this Donkey Kong style gorilla necklace as well, which is also available with a mirror finish! From $22 AU



Continuing with the retro game theme: Pac Man coasters! Set of 4 with three ghosts and Pac Man himself. From $36 AU.



There is loads more cool and kitschy stuff on the site, so go check it out! As items are sent international as parcels postage is just over $10 AU, about £5, which is pretty good considering you would pay that for delivery from most shops based in your own country!

Plus, if you sign up to their newsletter, you'll receive exclusive discounts, product updates and sale info.

Lolo's

Today's featured shop is Lolo's, selling a beautiful mix of handmade purses, bags, jewellery and scarves.

Lolo uses a mix of sewing, knitting and beading to create her gorgeous, usually one-off creations, which range from clutch bags and neck warmers to fabric brooches and beaded necklaces.


I love this pretty blue flower clutch bag. It is a one off piece and on sale for just $22!



The picture below is an example of one of her hand sewn brooches, created using layers of fabrics with a button and seed bead centre. Purple fabric circle brooch, $10.00.





As well as sewing Lolo also makes knitted creations such as this skinny pink scarf which is perfect for this time of year!
Small enough to pop it in your bag so if the weather changes and it gets cold and blustery like it is today, you still have something cosy and stylish to keep you warm :)



My favourite piece of jewellery in the shop has to be 'The Black Sea' necklace made from black seed beads and striking turquoise Czech glass beads. It is elegant yet eye-catching and I think it would look fantastic with a simple black or ivory cocktail dress to really make it stand out and do it justice.



Lolo is currently offering free shipping on some of her items, though sadly within the USA only.

If you would like to see more of her work, visit her Flickr account (which has this really colourful and summery bag)


and check out her blog to see all of her latest creations, including some really pretty rings and pin cushions.

Scribble Art

I am featuring another lovely Folksy seller today, and something a little different.

Scribble Art specialises in creating original art for children’s rooms, but I'm a bit of a big kid myself so would definitely have some of these creations hanging on my wall.

Each of the canvases are hand-finished and produced as signed limited editions of 250.
You can also have a child's name added to make them completely unique.

'Dizzy the Dinosaur'




Each of the pieces are embellished with glitter, jewels and metallic paint so they take on a magical appearance. The canvas on the right remind of the scene in the Disney version of 'The Sword in the Stone' when Merlin and Arthur turn into fish!

They measure 30 x 30cms (approx 12 x 12") and are hand-stretched over a 3.7 cm deep frame-all ready to hang!

'Undersea'




Scribble Art also creates lovely framed prints onto which can be added 4 items (baby's name/date of birth/weight/place of birth etc).

These can be made in a choice of 5 colours and the image is printed onto high quality textured watercolour paper.
They are supplied in a hand made, glazed wooden frame and a gift label attached to the back allows you to write your own personal message.

'Woolly Sheep'


The canvases are priced at £35.00 each and the framed prints are £20.00. The perfect gift that will be treasured!

Competition time!

I've been thinking that it's nice to read about and look at the lovely things I feature, but I thought it would be lovely to run competitions to win some of these beautiful pieces.

So...I have decided to hold (ir)regular competitions. Yay!


I have some gorgeous pieces up for grabs over the next few months, but thought I would start by running a competition to win a piece of jewellery from my website, Ji Ji Kiki.


I sell my own handmade kitsch and vintage jewellery alongside pretty things for you and your home including bags, bath and beauty products and kitsch and retro homewares.


All of have to do to enter is go to my site and pick the piece of jewellery that you would like to win and put a comment here. Simples! I will also send the lucky winner some extra surprises :)


I have noticed that a lot of blog running competitions/giveaways give multiple entries depending on how much 'effort' you want to put it ;)


I thought this was a nice idea, so I am offering extra entries of your name in the proverbial hat if you...

- Subscribe to or follow this blog (3 entries)
- Blog about this giveaway (5 entries)
- Sign up to receive the Ji Ji Kiki newsletter (5 entries - I also run monthly draws to win £20 to spend on the site for newsletter subscribers!)
- Tweet about this giveaway (2 entries)

If you Tweet/blog about the comp, please put a link with your comment (blog) or username (Twitter) otherwise I won't know about it!


The competition is open to everyone worldwide and the closing date is Friday 8th May (next week). The winner will be announced on Saturday 9th May, so check back then to see if you've won!

Good luck everybody. x




P.S
As someone has kindly just pointed out, I should also really be promoting Ji Ji Kiki's Facebook page here as well! Hopefully the image/text link will work, otherwise search for 'Ji Ji Kiki'. I have just put up an exclusive discount, so make sure you check it out and become a fan to receive other exclusive goodies :)

In memory of a gerbil

Today's post is not a very happy one as my little black and white gerbil, Jake, died today. I've had him about 3 1/2 years, which apparently is pretty good going for a gerb.
He had a very happy life and was a bit of a character so we will miss his noisy paper/card munching (as demonstrated!)


So I thought I would feature a handmade gerbil related find, and have just come across this black and white silhouette pendant from Noisy Bird Studio



The store is run by a husband and wife team and they have some really pretty pieces for sale.

Hedgehog in the flowers pendant



As well as a large range of pendants they also create pocket mirrors such as this 'Bird in swirly tree' design. They are a great price at just $5.50. Who said looking good (or at least checking you do) had to be expensive?





Robot pal pocket mirror


Each item from Noisy Bird comes in a gift bag, so is perfect to give as a present. They can also create custom pieces for you.


I also have to mention a website I came across last night called Tween Bots


Creator Kacie explains on the website...

'Tweenbots are human-dependent robots that navigate the city (of NY) with the help of pedestrians they encounter. Rolling at a constant speed, in a straight line, Tweenbots have a destination displayed on a flag, and rely on people they meet to read this flag and to aim them in the right direction to reach their goal.'

There is a brilliant video on the site of one of the little robots trying to get from one side of Washington Park to the other with the help of human intervention. It's amazing to see how many people want to stop and help this happy looking inanimate object on his mission.