Polka Spots and Freckle Dots: Erstwilder Christmas

Erstwilder An Australian Christmas Brooches and Earrings

Erstwilder Christmas Essentials Earrings 2023

Erstwilder Christmas Brooches I've Worn This Christmas

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been enjoying adding a little festive cheer to my outfits- and sometimes just my PJs- by accessorising with a different Christmas brooch almost every day.

When I've been able to document them, I've been sharing my brooch of the days over on my Insta Stories, and I thought it would be fun to document some of them here, too. There have been a couple of days when I haven't worn one and some days when I've reworn a favourite, and sometimes I forgot to take a photo, so there isn't one for every day of December- just the ones I've remembered to do. Also, please excuse the photo quality- they were taken on my phone.

So, here are nine of the Erstwilder Christmas brooches I've worn so far this month.

First up, we have a pretty pastel cuckoo clock brooch called Past Midnight. It was from the All Wrapped Up Collection 2019, and a recolouring from another Christmas collection a couple of years earlier. It's one of my favourite brooches ever, and gives off strong fairytale vibes.

The Season's Greetings snowglobe brooch is another old favourite from the All Wrapped Up collection, and another pretty pastel recolouring I love to rewear at this time of year.

Next up we have Mary's Bells, a pair of opalescent bells with a glittery aquamarine bow, from the Kitschy Christmas collection of 2017. This was actually one of the very first Erstwilder brooches I ever bought, and it's still going strong.

Mama Bear is technically not a Christmas brooch, but I think this pair of polar bears is perfect for this time of year, so I always wear it over the holidays. It's made from a mother-of-pearl like ripple resin that shimmers in shades of rose, pistachio, and forget-me-not blue, and it's so beautiful. It was from a Fan Favourites collection a couple of years ago, and a recolouring of a pair of grizzlies from the 2020 Woodlands range.

It wouldn't be Christmas without Santa, and he's already been showing his face- and his snazzy trousers- early this year. This one is Santa Clause from the Erstwilder x Pete Cromer Christmas collection from 2020, and I love the gorgeous red ripple resin he's made from.

I wore To Be Jolly, a Kitschy green and white Christmas tree, while I was decorating my own Christmas tree. I love how fun and sparkly it is. It was part of the Kitschy Christmas collection of 2017, and another of the very first Erstwilder brooches I bought. My Mum liked this one so much, I had to go back and buy one for her, too, to stop her from stealing mine.

I have a soft spot for the Pete Cromer collections (his designs are always amazing!), so Snuggy Snowman has already had a couple of outings this Christmas. He is the glitteriest, shimmeriest snowman ever, and looks amazing when the light hits all that glitter. I got him from the Pete Cromer Christmas collection of 2020 because extra joy was necessary that Christmas.

I wore Kiss Me Kindly this past weekend, just pinned to my pyjamas while wrapping presents and watching Christmas movies. It's a classic sprig of holly tied with a big sparkly bow, and was yet another piece from the Kitschy Christmas collection of yester year.

And finally, we have Stay Frosty, Snowman from last year's Modern Holiday range. I love how this dainty little snowman gives off retro vibes while the unusual Christmas colours of navy, fuchsia, aquamarine, and salmon give it a modern twist. They're not Christmas colours I usually go for, but t's such a cute brooch.

This is only half of my Erstwilder Christmas brooch collection, and I still have more to wear before the holidays are through.

If you want to see which brooches I'm wearing daily, you can follow along on my Insta Stories here. I'll do my best to round up the next batch on the blog later in the month, too.

Do you enjoy accessorising with Christmas-themed jewellery during the festive season?

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My Erstwilder Christmas Brooch Collection

Erstwilder An Australian Christmas Brooches and Earrings

My Erstwilder Christmas Brooch Collection

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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Erstwilder An Australian Christmas Brooches and Earrings

My Erstwilder Christmas Brooch Collection

My resin brooch collection has grown steadily over the last five years, but it wasn't until last week, when I was putting away my new Christmas brooches, that I realised just how many Christmas Erstwilder brooches I have.

Seventeen. I have seventeen Christmas Erstwilder brooches!

And that's not counting the wintry ones from other collections that also look a bit festive when worn with the right outfit.

I only started collecting in 2017.

I might be a little obsessed.

Am I worried? No; I love my little collection, and look forward to accessorising my outfits with different Christmas brooches and earrings each December. It adds some fun and joy to the Christmas count down, and a little personality to what I'm wearing. Plus, I get too hot to wear Christmas jumpers, so this is my way of getting in to the festive spirit with my outfits.

Anyway, now that I've found my missing Red Robbin brooch- it turns out he's been rockin' under my bedside cabinet for the last two years- and have my whole collection together again, I thought it would be fun to give you a peek at my Christmas Erstwilder brooch collection in all it's festive glory.

And here we are.

I have seventeen beautiful holiday brooches, with at least one brooch purchased from every Erstwilder Christmas range dating back to 2017. There are some in classic Christmas colours like red and green, some in pretty pastels, and some in bold, glittery shades of magenta and royal blue. And they're all so different. I have snowmen and Santas, Christmas trees and presents, and even more unusual designs, like partridges in pears and a kookaburra in a snow globe.

I love my entire collection of brooches, but I'd say my favourites would have to be the two snow globes and the robin. The snow globe brooches are just amazing designs, and I love how sparkly the robin is; it's like a pair of ruby red slippers. I also really love the cuckoo clock, and I'm loving my new True Love's Gift partridge in a pear brooch a lot right now, too.

I've worn quite a few of these brooches already this month- often just pinned to my PJs, as I've barely gotten dressed all month- and I'm trying to work my way through wearing all of them before Christmas is over.

Today, I'm wearing the pastel pink cuckoo clock, but tomorrow? Who knows?

Perhaps I'll remember to share it on Instagram, so you might find out.

Do you have a Christmas jewellery collection to rival mine? Which of these brooches is your favourite?

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Erstwilder An Australian Christmas Brooches and Earrings

Erstwilder An Australian Christmas Brooches and Earrings

Erstwilder Modern Holiday Christmas Jewellery

As an Erstwilder fan and self-confessed Christmas enthusiast, I look forward to Erstwilder's Christmas jewellery collections every year.

This year's range launched a few weeks ago, and I was so excited to discover that Erstwilder had gone with a mid-century-modern theme for Christmas 2022. I love the style of the era so much, and it's inspired some beautiful pieces that put last year's collection to shame (sorry, Pete Cromer). It's a big collection, too; made up of brooches, necklaces, earrings, scarves, enamel pins, and even tree ornaments, with festive designs like Christmas trees, Nutcrackers, angels, snowglobes, and even menorah and dreidel brooches for Hanukkah. It's all so festive, and I think the only way I could love the Modern Holiday collection more is if it were pastel-coloured instead of made of bold blues and jewel tones- but that's just me. I wish everything could be pastel-coloured.

I bought a few of the brooches, along with a matching pair of earrings, and something a little bit different from an older collection, so let's get a closer look at what I got.

Shall we start with one of the most unique brooches in the collection, and a classic Christmas carol?

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... a partridge in a pear... brooch. Except, I bought it in November, and gave it to myself because I'm bereft one true love. Oh well, at least a single girl can gift brooches to herself whether or not she finds love. It's a good thing, too, as I instantly fell in love with it the moment I saw it in the live reveal, and just had to have it.

The True Love's Gift brooch is so eye-catching and unique, and it makes a refreshing change to all the usual snowmen, reindeer, and gingerbread men designs that Christmas jewellery collections are usually saturated with. I've never seen another piece of jewellery quite like it. It features a colourful little partridge layered over a pear, and it's fabulous. The pear is made from a pretty yellow-green ripple resin, and topped with teal and seaglass coloured leaves, and the bird is made from a mixture of glitter, ripple, and plain resins in different shades of blue, silver, amber, and the most amazing glittery magenta. It's so sparkly- perfect for party season! I particularly love its scalloped feathers, and the way the layering of the resin gives it depth. It's a little masterpiece. It seems to be sold out everywhere in the UK now, but it's still available direct from Erstwilder in Australia.

The next piece I chose is something a little more traditional- the Bright Spirits brooch. It wouldn't be Christmas without lighting some candles on dark December nights to make the house feel cosy, but if you don't like playing with fire, this beautiful candle brooch is definitely a safer alternative. Bright Spirits is a set of three church candles of different heights grouped together behind a wreath of holly. The larger two candles are made from crimson and raspberry pink ripple resins, and the smaller is a glittery royal blue. Each one is topped with silvery-white ripple resin dripping wax, and have flames of pale yellow and sparkling blood orange. Beneath the candles, are holly leaves of azure and pale seaglass, with beautiful crimson berries, all made from the most mesmerising ripple resins. It's a stunning brooch, and the depth created by the way the holly has been layered is amazing.

My favourite of the three brooches I purchased has got to be the snowman brooch, Stay Frosty, Snowman. Just look how cute this little guy is! I tried to stop myself from buying him as I already have an Erstwilder snowman brooch in my collection, but I couldn't resist him in all his sweet, glittery glory. Stay Frosty is a silvery-white, two-tier, ripple resin snowman edged with a trim of mint and hot pink circles, and capped with the coolest glittery pink bobble hat. Like all the best snowmen, he's mismatched his accessories with a sparkly royal blue scarf patterned with pink, blue and white shapes, and his sparkly carrot nose and rosy cheeks complete his festive ensemble perfectly. I love him, and I have a feeling I'll be wearing him a lot this December.

After buying the brooches, I realised I didn't really have any earrings that would pair nicely with them, so I treated myself to a pair of the pink-glitter Christmas tree stud earrings from the inexpensive Essentials collection. They're a simple pair of triangular Christmas tree studs made from the most incredible glittery magenta resin, and they go perfectly with the snowman and partridge brooches, as well as many other pieces in the Modern Holiday collection. They're so fun and sparkly, and a bargain at around £5.50-6.00, depending on the stockist. If you prefer something a little more traditional, these earrings also come in green, and there are drop earrings in both colours, and other designs to choose from, too.

The final festive thing I have to show you is something a little bit different. It's not for us humans, but for the four-legged fur-babies in our lives- The Bite Before Christmas Pet Charm! I'd had my eye on Erstwilder's pet tags for my dog, Rosie, since they were released last Christmas, but couldn't justify the price at the time. I recently saw that some of them had gone on sale through the stockist Lottie & Lu, from £16.95 to just £8, so I knew I had to get her one, and snapped one up while I was buying the earrings. I'm so glad I did because it's gorgeous, and Rosie looks so cute wearing it on her collar. The gingerbread design is based on an old Erstwilder Christmas brooch, and it's beautifully coloured in festive red and green which stands out perfectly against her black and white fur. It's made from thick, good-quality, golden enamel with a spiral keyring for attaching to your pet's collar- or your keys, if you don't have a pet- and it's feels strong and well-made, so it shouldn't break from every day wear and tear. There's plenty of room on the back for engraving, too, although, I've yet to get Rosie's done. There are lots of other festive and non-festive pet tags still available from Erstwilder and Lottie & Lu, and they'd make lovely little Christmas presents for your cat or dog, and for friends who love their fur-babies.

There are still lots of designs from the Modern Holiday collection available to buy from Erstwilder and their stockists, so it's not too late to treat yourself to a little something. It's only fair to match each present you buy with one for yourself, right?

Have you bought anything from the Modern Holiday collection? Which piece is your favourite?

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Erstwilder An Australian Christmas Brooches and Earrings

I know this will come as a shock, but I look forward to Erstwilder's Christmas collection every year, and I'm always excited to see what theme and style they choose to go with. This year has been no exception, as I realised as I eagerly stalked their socials for spoilers the moment Halloween was over.

I didn't have to wait long to find out, and I was excited when they began dropping spoilers for An Australian Christmas last month. I love Australian culture, and have always wondered how the Aussies do Christmas in the summer, without some of the things we associate with Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere, like frost, snow, and mistletoe. (Even if that's often just in movies and on Christmas cards in the UK). It's hard to picture Christmas in a hot climate.

Sure, a jewellery collection can't truly show us how a whole country celebrates Christmas, but Erstwilder definitely give us a feel for An Australian Christmas with their new collection.

Forget shrimp on the barbie and surfer dudes in Santa hats and Speedos, An Australian Christmas is not your stereotypical affair. (Well, apart from the Australian animals wearing Santa hats). It's a beautiful nature-inspired range featuring lots of animals and greens, reds, and blues. There are Tasmanian devils and kangaroos, wreaths made from Australian foliage and berry-laden pavlovas, plus a few universal designs like Christmas trees and puddings added in for good measure. It's a beautiful collection, and you don't have to be Australian to appreciate it.

There are a lot of great designs in the new collection, but if I had to pick a favourite- which naturally, I did- it would have to be the stunning kookaburra snowglobe brooch, Seasonal Merriment. It's one of the most beautiful pieces of jewellery I've ever seen. Everything about it is perfect, from the resins used, to the charming little kookaburra sitting on the branch of an old gum tree in it's centre. (Merry merry king of the bush is he). I love the marbled pearlescent and wood effect resins used to make the snowglobe, and the glittery mint-green background freckled with white snow finishes it off beautifully. We all need a little glitter in our lives at Christmas time. I've only had it a few weeks, but I can already say it's one of my favourite brooches ever, and I'm going to be wearing it to death this Christmas. And every Christmas. And also not at Christmas. Ah, I love it!

You couldn't have an Australian-themed collection without some koala designs, and Erstwilder spoiled us for choice with several koala pieces, including brooches, cardi clips, earrings, a necklace, and even a Christmas decoration. I already have a couple of Erstwilder koala brooches, so this time I didn't go for a brooch; I bought my first non-Essentials pair of Erstwilder earrings! (The better quality, detailed, and more expensive ones they make). I thought the Koala Claus earrings were the cutest of all the options, and I wasn't wrong. I mean, just look at them! They're little grey koala faces with pink ears, and marbled red and pearlescent white Santa hats on their little heads. They're so cute, and are a fun alternative to novelty Christmas tree or bauble earrings. You can be sure I'll be rocking them with most of my outfits this Christmas.

I also bought a couple of pairs of the Christmas Essentials earrings to wear with my Christmas brooches, as I didn't have any decent festive earrings in my collection. They released a great selection of stud and drop earrings in a variety of festive colours and designs this year, and I chose the green ripple resin drop trees, and gold glittery tree studs.

The studs are simple three-tiered trees made from one layer of glittery yellow-gold resin, and are subtle enough for every day wear in December.

The drop earrings are also three-tiered trees, but with tree cutouts in the centre, and are made from a gorgeous moss-green ripple resin. They're great statement earrings to wear with a Christmas dress, top, or jumper for night or day, and I think they look tasteful instead of tacky, like most Christmas earrings tend to be. The best thing is, they're nice and light-weight, so they don't hurt your ears when you've been wearing them a while. Not bad for around £5.50 a pair!

Most of these designs, and many others from An Australian Christmas are still available from Erstwilder and their stockists around the world, so there's still time to pick up the perfect finishing touch for your Christmas outfits. I'd still particularly love to get my hands on the King of Christmas brooch, A Splendid Christmas, and The Good Pud Neck Scarf.

Have you bought anything from Erstwilder's Christmas collection?

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Erstwilder x Pete Cromer Brooches

Erstwilder x Pete Cromer 2020 Christmas Brooches

Last December, Erstwilder collaborated with the Australian artist Pete Cromer, and released one of their most popular jewellery collections to date. (I was lucky enough to collect six pieces, which I reviewed here). Everything sold out in record time, and the beautiful designs left Erstwildians begging for an encore- myself included.

I never imagined that Erstwilder would actually team up with Cromer again so soon, or that their second collaboration would include this year's Christmas collection, as well as a redesigned range of Australian animal designs. I was so excited when I heard the news and saw the spoilers that it felt like all my Christmases had come at once.

The new collection included eighteen brooches, two necklaces, five pairs of earrings, and three sets of collar clips, plus a range of Essentials earrings in complimenting resins.

Luckily, for my bank balance, the collection included several designs that were only slightly different from the originals I purchased last year, or I could've gone crazy with this collection. While I wanted all the new variations, I managed to restrain myself and only bought four brooches- the snowman, robin, Santa, and koala- although, I put Santa on lay-buy for a month, so I won't be able to show him to you until closer to Christmas.

I am, however, here to show you the other three brooches I recently acquired. I know some of you will love them as much as I do.

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without some snowmen, so let's start with the sparkliest snowman brooch in town, Snuggy Snowman. Snuggy Snowman was the first piece that caught my eye in the previews on Instagram, and one of the pieces I was most determined to add to my collection- partly because there was a snowman-shaped hole in my brooch collection, but mostly because it was one of the cutest snowmen brooches I'd ever seen.

Snuggy is a perfectly-formed three-tier snowman, made from glittery white resin snowballs that shimmer like a frozen diamond mine when the light hits them. The resin is so sparkly that I can't help playing with it, and showing everyone how much it sparkles! Naturally, a good snowman is all about the finishing touches, and Snuggy has been brought to life with a carrot nose and four coal buttons, and finished with a red and blue scarf, and a dapper black and red top hot using a mix of marbled and bubble resins. He's the perfect Christmas brooch, and has been getting so much wear already this month.

Next up is probably my favourite piece from the Christmas collection this year- a glittery red robin brooch creatively named 'Red Robbin.' Red Robbin is a festive little guy all dressed up for Christmas with a glittery ruby red breast to rival Dorothy's slippers. He's so sparkly! (I'm such a magpie!) The rest of his plump little body is made from a beautiful marbled white, and caramel-coloured wood-effect resins, with a tear-drop shaped duck-egg blue, black, and ruby red wing. He's so beautiful, and easily one of my favourite brooches ever. I've always loved robins, and this is the perfect robin brooch I never knew I needed. I wore him over the weekend, and he'll definitely be on circulation until at least the New Year for many Christmases to come.

Moving away from Christmas and on to Australian animals, I was so excited to see some koala designs in this collection, as I missed out on last year's koala brooch, and have been sad about it ever since. Erstwilder and Pete Cromer spoiled us for choice this year with koala earrings, a koala necklace, and two Kuddly Koala brooches- including a new mini brooch, as well as the standard size we're more familiar with. The mini brooch was cuter than a bush full of koalas munching on eucalyptus, but I made a snap decision and went with the standard Kuddly Koala brooch because sometimes you just have to super size.

Unlike last year's sleeping Kindhearted Koala, this year's koala is bright eyed and bushy-tailed, watching intently as it sits clinging to an invisible tree. He's made from a beautiful grey marbled resin, and decorated with shapes in shades of white, teal, emerald green, lime, pink, black and grey in Cromer's distinct style. I particularly love the teardrop detailing on his left ear, and his cute little claws. It's a truly beautiful brooch, and I love it even more than last year's koala, so I'm pleased I waited, and so happy to finally have a koala in my brooch zoo. I know I'll be wearing this little guy to death from now on.

The majority of the Erstwilder x Pete Cromer collection sold out in minutes, so unfortunately, I haven't been able to find most of these brooches for sale anywhere. I'd recommend trying Erstwilder fan resale sites and eBay if you want to try to track one down. There are a few pieces from the collection still available from Erstwilder, Pete Cromer, and some of their stockists, though, so be sure to check them out. The collection is amazing!

Keep an eye out for a review of the Erstwilder x Pete Cromer Santa brooch in a couple of weeks.

Did you buy anything from the Erstwilder x Pete Cromer collection?

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