Erstwilder My Little Pony Brooches

It's been over seven months since I last reviewed some Erstwilder brooches on the blog, and boy, have I got the best collection to come back with.

The My Little Pony collection!

Or at least, the three brooches I bought from it.

A couple of months ago, Erstwilder released the most amazing fully-licenced My Little Pony collection made up of brooches, necklaces, earrings, enamel pins, and key rings inspired by ten of the original My Little Ponys of the 1980s.

I loved My Little Ponys growing up and played with them often- I clearly remember having a yellow one with a bright blue mane called Tootsie- so I was so excited when Erstwilder first revealed this collection, especially knowing how fantastic their Care Bears collections had been. The only problem was, I could only afford one for myself at first, and since Tootsie wasn't in the collection and I can't remember which others I owned, deciding was a task and a half. It took me hours to narrow down my favourites! Sometimes I wish Erstwilder would make some ugly designs to make choosing easier.

In the end, my first choice from the collection was Minty- a mint green pony with three-leafed-clovers on her hip, a teal-green eye, and a glittery off-white mane and tail accessorised with a spearmint-blue ribbon. I'm a sucker for anything mint-green, so I just couldn't resist her- and who could blame me? She's so pretty! Just look at her! Plus she goes with my My Little Pony smock dress from Truffle Shuffle, so I can enjoy some matchy-matchiness. The first time I wore Minty out of the house, I even got complimented on her by two women while book shopping in Waterstones, so I think that proves she's a winner. Minty appears to be sold out everywhere now, but there is a matching enamel pin still available.

Starshine is a recent addition to my brooch collection, and the first piece I've ever bought directly from Erstwilder in Australia. It sold out from all the UK stockists before I could treat myself and when I was shopping for Care Bears for my sister's birthday, I couldn't resist adding it to my basket. (Apparently, I have no self-control). My order arrived within two weeks, and surprisingly, I didn't get any customs charges! (My sister's friend has in the past, though, so I'm not saying you won't, but on an order of three brooches to England, I didn't. I'm assuming she placed a larger order to have been hit with charges, but I don't know what the actual criteria is for charges on shipping jewellery from Australia to the UK). Whatever the reason, Starshine is such a fun, colourful piece, and with all those colours, it definitely makes my inner-child happy. She's a glossy, off-white pegasus pony, with a teal eye, and best of all, her mane and tail are a bold rainbow of glittery candyfloss pink, sunshine yellow, spring green, and turquoise blue, with a matching turquoise bow knotted in the flowing strands. The colours are so fun and cheerful, and it's impossible not to be happy while wearing it. If brooches aren't your thing or you just like to go with 'more is more', there's also a matching Starshine necklace, and earrings to choose from.

And last but not least we have Applejack- although, I didn't buy this one for myself, but as a birthday present for my older sister. It's a little too orange for my taste, but she's always loved crazy, bold colours, and it was her favourite My Little Pony growing up. Applejack is a glossy, deep-orange-coloured pony with red apples on her flank, and has a glittery daffodil-yellow mane and tail tied with a baby blue bow. As usual, no small detail has been missed, so she also has a green eye, and little white freckles on her cheek. She has such a nostalgic look, and with those bright colours, she's the perfect brooch for anyone who likes their jewellery to make a statement.

Each piece comes presented in a rainbow-striped My Little Pony gift box, which has to be one of their best gift box designs to date. They make the brooches lovely gifts for My Little Pony fans- especially for yourself!

Much of the collection sold out on release day, but there are still several pieces available directly from Erstwilder, and a few knocking about from their UK stockists. Snap them up while you still can!

Were you a My Little Pony fan growing up? Have you bought anything from the Erstwilder MLP collection?

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Erstwilder Care Bears Collection

As a child of the eighties and nineties, I naturally grew up obsessed with the Care Bears like most girls from my generation. I loved the cartoons and coveted the merchandise, but I wasn't lucky enough to have much of it in my life, like the soft toys I longed for, as they were always too expensive. It's okay, though; I had plenty of Sylvanian Families and Polly Pockets to fill the void.

It's been a long time since my childhood, but like a lot of people, I've always kept a nostalgic fondness for The Care Bears, and the eighties and nineties eras, so, you can imagine how excited I was when I discovered that my favourite Aussie jewellery brand, Erstwilder, were launching a Care Bears collection back in July.

Erstwilder released a huge collection of pastel perfect Care Bears brooches, necklaces, earrings, enamel pins, and scarves, which sold out so fast it was like trying to buy concert tickets for the gig of the year. Everything kept selling out of my cart before I could finish checking out- from multiple stockists, seconds after they went on sale at 3:30am! I eventually found some luck with Thunder Egg, and managed to snag two of the brooches and the two scarves I had my heart set on, but I wasn't able to get all of the pieces I wanted. I did try again when a couple of other stockists launched at 6am, since I was getting up to try to get a couple of brooches for my sister, but luck wasn't on my side. Grumpy Bear wasn't destined to be mine. Luckily, I got one of the brooches my sister wanted (the Lotsaheart elephant), and snagged her a Care Bear brooch (Love-A-Lot)- even if it wasn't the one she'd hoped for. Thankfully, she was happy to get any design at all.

While the jewellery and scarves sold out in minutes, some of the enamel pins remained a little longer, and I was able to go back for a couple of the enamel pins the next day after deciding I couldn't live without them.

Everything arrived really quickly, and I love everything I chose. It's taken me a while to photograph everything, but I thought it was about time I showed you what I bought.

Let's start with the brooches...

My first pick was the Good Luck Bear brooch, which I'm amazed I managed to get my hands of as he was one of the most popular designs. Good Luck Bear is a soft lime-green in colour, with a forest green four-leafed clover on his stomach, and forest green detailing. It's quite a delicate design, with most of the bear made up of just two layers of resin, (the nose and right arm add a third layer), but as with all of Erstwilder's brooches, it's strong and sturdy, and excellent quality. I love this sweet brooch, and think it will be ideal for wearing on St. Patrick's Day, and any day that calls for a little extra luck.

The second piece I chose was the Wish Bear Brooch, an adorable bear that looks like he's giggling shyly. Wish Bear is a gorgeous turquoise-blue in colour, with teal detailing, white accents, and a yellow and orange shooting star on his stomach. I love the colours and the design so much. Have you ever seen a cuter brooch? If I had three wishes, I'd wish for three more just like him.

If the brooches weren't perfect enough already, they come presented in special blue heart-shaped Care Bears boxes featuring pastel rainbows and the original Care Bears logo, which are almost as cute as the brooches themselves. They look so pretty on display on my dressing table.

I was a little disappointed not to get my hands on one of the pastel pink brooches, so I went back and bought a couple of the enamel pins to fill the pink Care Bear void in my life. I couldn't choose between Cheer Bear and Love-A-Lot (how do you choose between rainbows and love hearts??), so I bought them both. I regret nothing. They're the cutest pins ever, and will look awesome pinned to a denim jacket or pinafore dress. 

They're both about an inch in height and are made from strong but lightweight metal with enamel fill, with cute bubblegum-pink heart-shaped rubber backings. They also come presented on a sky and rainbow print circular backing card, making them lovely little gifts. I think they'd make great stocking fillers for Christmas- or sweet little presents to cheer up a friend during lockdown. There are still a few designs available from Erstwilder and Lottie and Lu in the UK.

Erstwilder also launched Care Bear neck scarves and hair scarves in four designs, and I miraculously managed to get the two neck scarves I wanted. I actually got the last Care-A-Lot Castle Neck Scarf from Thunder Egg, so luck was clearly on my side that day.

As well as the Care-A-Lot Castle Neck Scarf, I also bought the Care Bears Large Neck Scarf, both of which feature amazing eighties Care Bear designs. The scarves are made from lightweight chiffon, but they're super soft, and surprisingly warm. These were my first Erstwilder scarves, and I'm really impressed with the quality.

The Care-A-Lot Castle scarf is a gorgeous azure blue with a colourful Care Bears print that'll take you straight back to the eighties. (Or give you a taste of the era if you weren't actually born then!) It has a recurring pattern of colourful Care Bears perched on fluffy white clouds in the sky, with rainbows, yellow stars, castles, and love hearts added in for good measure in true Care Bears style. There's Sleepy Time Bear taking a nap on a cloud, Tenderheart Bear painting rainbow hearts, Good Luck Bear with a bucket of stars, Cheer Bear floating down with a rainbow umbrella and Friend Bear waving up at her. The design is amazing, and makes me so nostalgic for my childhood.

The Care Bears scarf is a very pale lemon yellow in colour and features six of everyone's favourite Care Bears (Cheer Bear, Funshine Bear, Good Luck Bear, Grumpy Bear, Tenderheart Bear, and Wish Bear) sitting on clouds and catching stars from the star print background. Some of the bears have nets and umbrellas, others are holding stars in their paws. My little sister said it looks like a curtain from a children's hospital in the eighties, which made me laugh, but she's right- it kinda does! In a totally good way, of course. It features original designs from an eighties children's movie, after all, so of course it's going to be fun and colourful and a little bit tacky. That's what any Care Bears fan is looking for in a Care Bears design, right?

It's still too hot to wear scarves in England, but I'm looking forward to the weather cooling down as we go in to Autumn so I can start wearing them.

I'm so happy with all of my Erstwilder x Care Bears purchases, and love having some Care Bear pieces in my life. I adore all of the designs and the quality of the products is fantastic, as always. 

If you're hoping to get your hands on jewellery or scarves from this collection, I'm afraid you're going to have a hard time tracking them down as they're sold out from Erstwilder and their stockists around the world. You could try hunting them down on fan resale sites and eBay. There are still some enamel pins and essential earrings available, though, which you can find through Erstwilder here and some of their stockists around the world here.

Erstwilder have hinted that they may do a second Care Bears collection in the future, so if you have missed out on your favourite Care Bear pieces, keep an eye on  their Instagram posts for updates. You never know; sooner or later, you might get another chance to snag your favourites, or add a couple of new pieces to your collection. Here's hoping!

Did you buy anything from the Erstwilder x Care Bears collection? 

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The Famous Five Clothbound Hardcovers by Enid Blyton

I've always been an avid reader, but growing up in the eighties and nineties, I devoured books like there was no tomorrow. (That was before gadgets, social media and the Internet came on the scene, and began competing for my time and attention, along with the realities of adult life). If I wasn't playing outside or having fun with my Polly Pockets and Sylvanian Families, I could usually be found with my nose buried in a book, or visiting the local library with my Mum and checking out the maximum number of books they allowed. I couldn't get enough of them. 

In my childhood days, I read everything from The Animals of Farthing Wood to Goodnight Mister Tom, and of course, anything by Beatrix Potter, Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton.

I always had a particular fondness for Enid Blyton's books, and read every one I could get my hands on. My favourites were The Magic Faraway Tree, The Secret Seven, and The Famous Five books. (And in that order). I loved her good old-fashioned children's adventure stories, usually featuring groups of children exploring magical worlds, going on adventures, and solving mysteries together without their parents around to spoil their fun. Isn't that every child's dream? I wanted to turn my Dad's shed in to a secret club house like in The Secret Seven, and go off in a gypsy caravan like The Famous Five. I can't imagine why my parents never let me.

Then I grew up and out grew my childhood interests. I distanced myself from my childhood possessions in favour of boybands, make up, and teen magazines, as pre-teen girls often do, and my books and toys no doubt got handed down to my younger sister or given away to other kids we knew.

The only book from my childhood that I still have today is Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian, and I've long since regretted not keeping hold of the rest, especially the Enid Blytons. 

So, you can imagine how excited I was when I discovered that Hodder and Stroughton had released beautiful cloth-bound, hardback editions of the first three Famous Five books to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the series last year. I knew I had to get my hands on them, so I snapped up all three books from Amazon earlier this year, and I've been meaning to write about them ever since.



These three special editions include the first three books in the Famous Five series, Five on a Treasure Island, Five Go Adventuring Together, and Five Run Away Together, which in my opinion, are three classics that every child should read before they grow up. In fact, I think every adult who didn't grow up on them should read them, too.

The books are stunning little hard backs with clothbound covers in muted colours that create a real nostalgic aesthetic that makes them look like they've been pulled off the shelf of a 1940s child's bedroom. They each have patterned front and back covers relating to the story, and if that wasn't wonderful enough, the prints, lettering, and spines have been embellished with a beautiful metallic foil that creates a mesmerising shine. The only problem is, you'll be so distracted with playing with the covers, you'll forget to start reading the stories!

The first book in the series, Five on a Treasure Island, has a sky blue cover featuring a navy-blue ship print with a metallic blue sheen.

Five Go Adventuring Together is yellow-green in colour, and has a forest green anchor print with a metallic teal shine.

And the third book, Five Run Away Together, is brick red with a gorgeous metallic rose-gold Spitfire print on the front and back, which has such a nostalgic feel to it.

The books are also illustrated, with black and white sketch style illustrations taking up half to two-thirds of a page every few pages, which is a sweet touch, and sure to interest young readers. I think they may be the same illustrations that were in the Famous Five books I grew up on in the nineties.

All three books are absolutely beautiful. I can never resist a book with a pretty cover, and love a good cloth-bound, and these are three of the prettiest children's books I've ever seen. (And I used to work in a vintage-style toy shop with no shortage of beautiful classics). I only wish they'd release the entire Famous Five series in this style. I don't know if they plan to, but I hope they do bring them out at some point because I'd love the whole collection in this style- especially Five Go Off in a Caravan, which was always my favourite of The Famous Five stories.

I haven't found the time to sit down and enjoy these books yet, but I'm looking forward to taking that trip down memory lane soon. I'm hoping to fit them in before Autumn is through. They'd be perfect for reading curled up under a blanket on a dreary rainy day.

Here's the synopsis for each book:

Five On A Treasure Island: "When four children and their dog, Timmy, set out to explore Kirrin Island, they make a thrilling discovery that leads them deep in to the dungeons of a castle. The adventure of a lifetime awaits..."

Five Go Adventuring Again: "When The Famous Five find a map leading to a secret passageway, they can't wait to follow it, but when uncle Quentin's vital scientific papers go missing, a real-life treasure hunt begins. Could the hidden passage hold the key to finding the thief?"

Five Run Away Together: "When The Famous Five are camping on Kirrin Island they discover a mysterious trunk. Then they hear a terrified scream in the middle of the night. Could the two be linked? The children are determined to investigate."

These beautiful books have an RRP of £10.99, and should be available from all good book stores. I purchased my copies on Amazon, and you can find Five on a Treasure Island here, Five Go Adventuring Again here, and Five Run Away Together here.

Did you grow up reading The Famous Five or other Enid Blyton stories? Which was your favourite?

A Blast From The Past

Back in the nineties every tween/teen girl I knew used Boots' Natural Collection toiletries religiously. I bet if you grew up in Britain in the nineties that you did, too. 

I was no exception. I used their body sprays and shower gels, body creams and bath confetti. You name it, I used it. I loved using all of their scents, but my favourite was definitely the Oceanus range. The products were green and white, and I was convinced they did in fact smell like the ocean. They probably didn't.

Last time I went in to my small local Boots, I searched to see if they still stocked any of the products I remembered because I wanted to add some nostalgia to my older Sister's Christmas beauty box. There wasn't a trace of them in store. The ideas soon slipped my mind, but last night, both bored and curious, I hopped over to Boots online for a browse. And what did I find? 

That they do still make Natural Collection toiletries!

I think I actually let out a squeal of excitement when I saw them!

They still do a full range of the strawberry products, but the other scents weren't around back in the day. They do however have a scent called Sapphire and Sea Minerals, and I'm curious to whether this might be Oceanus renamed. I shall have to try something sooner or later and find out. 

The product I was most excited to see was the Wild Strawberry Body Cream; I just can't believe they still make them. I had so much love for those little tubs when I was in my early teens, and I remember my Sister using them, too. I wanted to buy one for her but it was out of stock, but I did end up buying a few of the other strawberry products to give her for Christmas as they were her favourites. (I did technically have her Christmas box finished, so I'll have to redistribute a few things). FYI: there's a 3 for 2 offer running on these items right now.

Did you use Natural Collection in the nineties?

What beauty products remind you of growing up?