Back in September, Erstwilder launched their Woodlands collection; a massive thirty-four piece collection of brooches, necklaces, earrings, and scarves featuring designs inspired by the woodlands of North America.
I'm a huge animal lover and I've always had a soft spot for woodland animals, so I was naturally super excited when I heard Erstwilder were doing another woodland collection, and found myself coveting pretty much the entire collection. I could've happily bought every single piece if money grew on trees like in Animal Crossing. (How great would that be??) I think this might actually be my favourite Erstwilder collection ever!
The designs were all so amazing, it was so difficult to narrow down my favourites, and even harder to get my hands on them. The collection sold out even faster than the Care Bears collection, and even though I was up at 3:30am and 6am when various stockists launched in the UK, I didn't have any luck until the 7th or 8th stockist I tried around 6:30am in the morning. Everything kept selling out of my basket before I could finish paying. I eventually got some last minute luck with Lottie & Lu and miraculously came away with my four favourite pieces- the fox, squirrel, beaver, and toadstool brooches- along with a pair of tree stud earrings from Glitterally.
I sadly didn't get the free campsite brooch, and there were a few other pieces I missed out on that I had hoped to get, but I consider myself very lucky that I got my favourites. I know a lot of people missed out entirely since the collection was made in much smaller numbers than usual because of uncertainty of demand during the pandemic.
It turns out, Erstwilder completely underestimated Erstwildians and our love for their jewellery, even during hard times, as the demand was crazy despite the virus. And who can blame us? The collection is amazing, and it's the little things like treating yourself to a new brooch or necklace that makes Covid life that little more bearable.
Who'd like a closer look at what I bought?
The first piece I managed to get my hands on was a beaver brooch called Mr. Beaver's Bark. I was so excited to see a beaver brooch in the collection as they're one of my favourite North American animals, and just so dam cute. I think it may actually be my favourite piece from the collection.
Mr. Beaver is an adorable little guy standing up on his hind legs, looking like he's begging for a morsel of food. His body is made from a gorgeous golden-brown marbled resin, and his tail and feet from a black and grey textured resin. I love him! He's one of the cutest brooches ever, and has been getting so much wear this autumn so far.
Next up is the Mini Mulder brooch, another piece I knew I had to add to my collection. Foxes have been one of my favourite animals for as long as I can remember. Most little girls love dolphins or horses, but growing up, I always preferred foxes- even before my Animals of Farthing Wood obsession in the early nineties. So, I was naturally thrilled to see some red fox pieces in the Woodlands collection, and so happy when I finally snagged the Mini Mulder brooch after hours of trying. It's so beautiful.
Mini Mulder is a handsome red fox sitting proudly on its haunches, and has been made from matte, marbled, and iridescent resins in gorgeous shades of caramel, taupe, mahogany, and white. I love the wood-effect resins used for his face and tail; he's the prettiest fox ever, and the perfect finishing piece for autumnal outfits.
Another of my favourite British animals is the squirrel. It's been a long time since I last saw a red squirrel as they're so rare, but a pair of grey squirrels visit our garden every day. I think we have a dray in the tree at the bottom of our garden. I love watching them scurrying around, and can always tell when they're around as my dog, Rosie, goes ballistic whenever she sees one daring to invade her territory. She might hate them, but I've always thought squirrels were cute, so when I saw the squirrel brooch, Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed, I knew I would be adding it to my collection.
Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed is a beautiful red squirrel brooch, made from similar resins to Mini Mulder. She has a caramel-coloured marbled-resin body, a mahogany textured resin tail and ear, and an off white and silver stomach and accents. She's also holding a little gold and brown acorn in her little paws. She's the most perfect squirrel brooch I've ever seen, and a piece I know I'll keep wearing regularly for years to come.
The fourth and final brooch I bought was a red and white toadstool brooch called Well Spotted. I've always had a thing for red and white toadstools. There's something so enchanting and magical about them, like they've come straight out of a fairy-tale. I've never actually seen one in real life, but getting to wear toadstools as fashion is the next best thing. I'm actually amazed I managed to snag this brooch as all the toadstool pieces sold out in seconds. I didn't stand a chance with the matching collar clips I was hoping to buy, too. Sad face.
Erstwilder has released several toadstool designs in the past, but unlike the symmetrical designs from past collections, Well Spotted is an asymmetric toadstool, with a stunning textured ruby red cap, and white bubble and marbled resins for the spots and stem. It's such a lovely brooch, and I've been wearing it to death since it arrived. It looks so good with black and white polka dots.
I also bought a pair of the Essentials Textured Tree Studs to add to my ever-growing Erstwilder earring collection. These little evergreen trees are simple three-tier trees made from the prettiest emerald green marbled resins. I love that they aren't quite identical as each cut from the resin gives a unique finish. They're perfect for pairing with anything from the Woodlands collection as well as wearing alone, and I think they'll be ideal for Christmas outfits, too. I can't wait to wear them with my Christmas brooches this December.
And those are the pieces I collected from the Woodlands collection. I can confidently say they're some of my favourite pieces ever!
Unfortunately, the majority of the collection sold out in minutes, so if you're hoping to buy a piece for yourself, you're going to have a hard time tracking them down. There is the odd scarf, pair of earrings or mallard brooch available from Erstwilder and some of their stockists, but otherwise, try eBay or fan resale sites if you're looking for a particular piece.
Did you buy anything from Erstwilder's Woodlands collection?
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