Erstwilder Christmas Essentials Earrings 2023

I started collecting Erstwilder jewellery in 2017, and since then, I've bought at least one Christmas brooch from them each year. Except this one.

Sadly, for me, this year's Christmas collection is based on a popular Australian children's book series by May Gibbs that I had never heard of before Erstwilder. I've never seen books like Gumnut Babies or The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie here in England- did anyone here grow up reading them?- so the designs just don't mean anything to me. I was a little disappointed because I look forward to their Christmas collections every year, but I was also relieved not to have the temptation for once.

However, my bank balance didn't come away completely unscathed- I stocked up on festive earrings from the complimenting Essentials collection to mix and match with my existing Christmas brooches instead! Oops.

I picked up four pairs of drop earrings and one pair of studs, and even received the free gift with purchase brooch! I was so surprised as I really didn't spend that much, but who am I to question free jewellery?

This is what I bought:

Firstly, I got the baubles glitter drop earrings in green and red because I couldn't decide which I liked best, and at just £6.50 a pair, I couldn't find a reason not to. In my defence, they're differently shaped, and I have plenty of Christmas brooches they'll both go with. The green pair is made from a festive green, multi-coloured glitter resin with gold, red, green, and blue flecks, and the red are crimson-coloured with metallic scarlet glitter. They're so sparkly and festive without looking too tacky, and I think they'd be perfect for wearing to Christmas parties or for decorating the Christmas tree.

Speaking of Christmas trees, it wouldn't be Christmas without them, so buying the ripple resin Christmas tree drop earrings was a no-brainer. They're simple three-tier Christmas trees cut from the prettiest green ripple resin which catches beautifully in the light and gives a lime green shimmer. The only grumble is that the green resin is only on the front of the earrings and not on both sides- the backs are finished in plain white- which is a shame, since it'll show if they get twisted. I assume it's to bring out the colours of the resin more and not about keeping costs down, as the bauble earrings are double-sided.

I also picked up the red bow ripple resin studs and drop earrings because they were too cute to resist. They're both made from a gorgeous crimson-red ripple resin with a metallic scarlet sheen, and like the trees, they're layered on a plain white acrylic. The drop earrings are about twice the size of the studs, but both are big enough to make a statement out of any Christmas outfit- or any outfit, really. They'd be great for wearing all year round. Both styles also come in a red gingham finish. You can find the drop earrings here and the studs here in the UK.

And this is the free gift-with-purchase brooch, which is a little fairy with a pearlescent blue flower petal bonnet and hazel eyes sitting on a shimmery forest green leaf called Blue Petal Baby. It's really cute, but since I'm not familiar with the stories, I wasn't sure I'd ever wear it, so I sold it on to someone who would.

Erstwilder usually have a limited number of free gift-with-purchase brooches with each launch which you might be lucky enough to get when you buy two or most pieces from a main collection in the UK or when you spend $100 on their website. But you have to get in fast on launch day as they always go fast. This is the first time I've ever received one with an order of Essentials, though, and I don't think it's the norm, so I wouldn't expect to get one when buying a bunch of them.

Some of the earrings have already sold out, but there are other festive designs still available from Erstwilder, as well as Lottie and Lu, and Rockamilly in the UK. Snap them up while you can.

Do you enjoy wearing Christmas earrings or do you draw the line at Christmas jumpers?

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My Erstwilder Christmas Brooch Collection

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Erstwilder All Wrapped Up Christmas Brooches

Erstwilder Festive Splendour Christmas Brooches

Erstwilder Kitschy Christmas Brooches

Wednesday Wish List: Christmas Fashion

With Christmas officially on the way, it seemed like the perfect time to share a new Wednesday Wish List featuring some of the awesome festive fashion that has caught my eye recently.

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Oh So Flamingo's acrylic Christmas collection makes me want to go play out in the snow, and come back in to the warmth to drink a hot chocolate by the fire. We might not have any snow in England yet, but these pieces look perfect for accessorising Christmas and winter outfits to keep you looking cute and cosy in the cold. I particularly love the mitten designs.

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Tatty Devine has launched a large Christmas collection for 2020, featuring necklaces, brooches, and earrings with classic Christmas designs like Christmas crackers, robins, gingerbread houses, holly leaves, and more. These are just a few of my favourites, but there are loads more on their website. They're sadly a little out of my price range, but it doesn't hurt to dream.

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Lady Vintage has some incredible Christmas print dresses this year, and they're currently still on offer in their Black Friday sales! I'm dying to get my hands on the Baubled Hepburn (#1), and the red All Wrapped Up Lyra (#3) dresses, but alas, I'm poor, and still need to finish my Christmas shopping. *Cries internally.*

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Lady Vintage also has a range of Christmas face coverings to help you stay safe from Covid this Christmas, while still looking fabulously festive. The best part is, they're on promotion right now with 50% off, so it's the perfect time to stock up on face masks for all those festive outfits! 

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Hell Bunny has some stunning pieces in this year's Christmas collection, and I'm particularly smitten with these gorgeous forest green pieces. The candy cane print Beth pieces, and Thea dress are all to die for, and the perfect mix of festive and glamourous. Who says Christmas outfits have to be tacky?

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La Vidriola always has such fun and colourful Christmas designs, and this year has been no exception. They've released heaps of amazing new pieces in festive colours, from poinsettias and puppies, to trifles and gingerbread men. These are a handful of the pieces which have caught my eye, but there are many more to choose from on their website.

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And last but by no means least, I Love Crafty has what might just be the cutest Christmas selection I have ever seen. Their laser-cut perspex necklaces, earrings, and brooches feature designs like Christmas kittens, gingerbread houses, and snow cats, and they're bloomin' adorable. I especially love the amazing Snow Globe Necklace (#4).

If you'd like to check out more festive fashion that has caught my eye this Christmas, check out my Christmas style board on Pinterest. You can also find all previous Wednesday Wish List posts here.

Have any pieces caught your eye this week?

IWOOT Christmas Jumpers*

*[AD- Review. This post features products that were sent to me in exchange for a review. As always, all words, opinions, and photos are my own].

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without wearing a fun Christmas jumper at every opportunity. We wear them to the Christmas lights switch on, curled up watching Christmas movies on the sofa, for decorating the tree, and of course, to embrace the festive spirit at the office Christmas party and on Christmas Day itself. They're now as much a part of Christmas as Christmas trees and mince pies, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I don't know about you, but I love a good Christmas jumper, and own several I like to wear year after year to enjoy the festivities. Even so, I can never resist window shopping for new designs each Christmas to see what I can add to the collection, and when IWOOT got in touch and invited me to review a couple of Christmas jumpers for them, I naturally jumped at the chance.

IWOOT invited me to choose two jumpers to review from their extensive selection of Christmas jumpers, which was no easy task as they have hundreds of amazing designs to choose from this Christmas. Their designs cover everything from cult films like Harry Potter and Star Wars, to retro computer game characters and consoles like Super Mario and Nintendo; Christmas films like Home Alone, Elf, and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation to Marvel and DC Comics' superheros, and cute festive motifs. No matter your tastes or interests, there's something for everybody, and you can even kit out the whole family as they do Christmas jumpers for men, women, and children!

I eventually narrowed down my favourites and chose two Christmas jumpers that I think you're going to love as much as I do. I was hoping to model them for you to show you how they fit, but I'm still recovering from a neck injury, so I've had to go with a few flatlays instead. Sorry guys.

My first choice was the Muppets Pattern Christmas Sweatshirt* in grey, which I think I was drawn to as The Muppets Christmas Carol has been one of my favourite Christmas films since 1993, when my Nana gave us a copy of the film on video for Christmas. It's been a staple part of my Christmases for nearly thirty years now, so it wouldn't be Christmas without watching it at least half a dozen times each December. It's a classic! I don't think I've ever seen a Muppets Christmas jumper before, though, so I was excited to see this design, and knew it was the one for me.

This officially licensed Disney sweatshirt features a white Christmas print with festive images like snowflakes, presents, Christmas trees, and Santa in his reindeer-led sleigh, and the colourful faces of everyone's favourite Muppets mixed in for good measure. There's Miss Piggy, Animal, Fozzi Bear, and Gonzo, plus Kermit in a Santa hat, and even a couple of baubles designed to look like Dr. Bunsen Honeydew. The design is so cute, and perfect for any Muppets fan- including my Mum, who has already attempted to steal it from me!

The sweatshirt is a lovely light grey and as it's made from 95% cotton and has a fleecy lining, it's super soft, and so warm and cosy to wear. It's a medium-thick sweatshirt, but not to thick, so it's the ideal Christmas jumper for keeping warm in without overheating. If grey isn't your thing, the sweatshirt also comes in black, and both colours are available for men and children, as well as women. The women's jumper comes in sizes XS to 5XL, which the size guide says translates to a UK 24. Knowing sweatshirts like these often come up a little on the small side and hoping for an over-sized fit, I decided to size up, and requested a 5XL, hoping it wouldn't be too big. I'm glad I did, as this sweatshirt is definitely at least a size smaller than advertised, and while it still has a relaxed, roomy fit on me, it's not over-sized and doesn't have a lot of room to spare around the hips. I think the size down would've been too snug for comfort, so I'd recommend sizing up at least once, if possible, especially if you prefer a slouchier fit.

The second Christmas jumper that I selected was the Friends Happy Holidays Women's Christmas Sweatshirt*, a thick white sweatshirt with a colourful illustration of Ross Geller dressed up as the Holiday Armadillo on a bright blue background across the chest. 

When I first laid eyes on this sweatshirt, I may have gotten a little overexcited, and knew this Christmas jumper had to come home with me. You just can't have Christmas without The Holiday Armadillo, your part Jewish friend for all the southern states, aaaand MEXICO! (And all the counties of the UK and Ireland, too, of course)! The episode is a Christmas classic and one I still enjoy watching every year because it's hilarious, and never fails to make me laugh.

In all the years since that episode was released, I have never seen a Holiday Armadillo Christmas jumper before, so this officially licensed Friends sweatshirt is so unique, and one you're unlikely to find every other person wearing at the office Christmas party... at least this year because everyone is going to want one when they see you wearing it! Luckily, the sweatshirt caters to both men and women in sizes XS to 5XL, so most people can join in the fun with you!

Like the Muppets sweatshirt, the Happy Holidays design is small sized, and I'd recommend sizing up at least once- if not twice- for a more comfortable fit. It's snug on the hips on me, even though I sized up from my usual size to a 5XL, and quite fitted everywhere else, too. Not quite the over-sized fit I was hoping for, although, it's still loose enough to wear comfortably. It's not quite as soft as the Muppets sweatshirt, either, but as it's made from 80% cotton, it's still soft and snugly and it's fleecy lining will keep you snug as a bug (or should that be an armadillo??) while you're Christmas shopping or strolling around the Christmas markets.

Both jumpers retail for a very reasonable £24.99 each, and they're currently on promotion for just £14.99, so now is the time to treat yourself to a new Christmas jumper for the holidays, and grab yourself a bargain.

If The Muppets or Friends aren't your thing, IWOOT have almost two thousand other Christmas jumper designs to choose from, featuring all kinds of popular movies, TV shows, cartoon characters, and more, and you can find their full range of Christmas jumpers here.

IWOOT have also kindly provided me with a discount code to share with you, so be sure to enter code XMASLOUISE at checkout to save yourself 30% off their range of Christmas jumpers!

What would feature on your perfect Christmas jumper?

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Erstwilder Kitschy Christmas Brooches

Wednesday Wish List

Here are some of the fashionable things I've been going crazy for this week...

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I'm in love with Deer Arrow's new Christmas brooches which went on sale this morning, especially the Karl the Kookaburra and Kirby the Koala brooches. How adorable are they?! It's fun to see some Christmas designs from the Southern Hemisphere that aren't your usual Christmas trees, robins, and snowmen. I wish I could afford to treat myself to them, but alas, I still have a ton of presents to buy and that has to take priority. Sob!

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Lady Vintage have just released their Christmas collection for preorder, and these are a few that have caught my eye. I'm particularly crazy about the Gingerbread and Christmas Trees Lyra dresses, and know I'd wear them to death during the festive season if I could only afford them. 

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Erstwilder launched their very first enamel pin collection this week- many based on existing brooch designs- and the designs are all super cute. There are fifteen pins to choose from plus a few sets of three, and I'm personally loving these nine colourful designs- especially the sunflower, pineapple, bee, and sparrow. You can shop direct from Erstwilder here, or find a list of stockists for them around the world here.

Can't Clutch This Christmas Tree Clutch

How adorable is this Christmas tree clutch from Can't Clutch This, the accessory shop from the people behind the craft blog, Studio DIY?! I would happily wear this with all of my Christmas outfits every December!

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And last but not least, Kimchi and Coconut have the cutest collection of acrylic Christmas brooches and necklaces this year. The foxes in the snow pieces are so beautiful, and the pavlova brooch is just amazing! Everyone needs a pavlova brooch in their life!

If you'd like to see more of the fashion pieces on my wishlist, check out my style wish list boards on Pinterest. If you're looking for festive fashion inspiration, I have a board dedicated to Christmas clothes and accessories that catch my eye here. You can also find all previous Wednesday Wish List posts here.

Any favourites this week.