For those of you curious, I thought I might share what I decided to buy from the Black Friday sales this year. I always like to utilise this pre-Christmas sale as a chance to get a head start on gifting so I can make my dollar stretch a little further, perhaps pick out the odd piece for the home, and I’ll usually also treat myself to a couple things that are sitting on my wishlist. The caveat being, that I don’t think they’ll go on sale for Boxing Day, or actually still be available by the time they roll around.
Wearing Witchery wrap top (old); Aje shorts; Mejuri pearl bracelet; Missoma chain bracelet; Muru Jewellery necklace; Linjer ring; Sportscraft straw bag (old)
I mentioned this over on Instagram, but it’s a point worth reinforcing here again; if you don’t need something, it’s not the colour or size you want, or you can’t afford it, then don’t buy it. It’s that simple. This time of year can be particularly overwhelming with the number of sales on, so making the decision not to purchase something can maybe feel like you’re missing out. Let me promise you this – you aren’t. And besides, the end of year sales are literally less than a month away, and the discounts are always better.
That said, if you are wanting to know what deals are currently on offer, I have put together a guide for Cyber Week and Black Friday which you can check out here.
My simple tips? Shop smart, stick to a list, and set a budget.
Anyways, let’s get into the items that I ended up buying…
FASHION & STYLE
Missoma Mini Pave Spike Charm Earrings | I’ve made it something of a tradition to buy a new piece of jewellery from the Missoma Black Friday sale every year. It’s always tough to choose exactly what to get, but this year I decided to go for a pair of earrings. I love that these are relatively understated and timeless in their design. But then they have that glitzy factor with the sparkles on the spike charm.
Aje Liberation Shorts | Top of my wishlist for the Black Friday sales was a nice pair of shorts. Something that wasn’t denim, and that I’d feel comfortable in. I’d bookmarked this polka dotted pair from Aje a couple months back, and spotted that not only were they discounted, but had an additional 20% off. It seemed like a no brainer. The colour might not be the best choice with a baby on solids… but polka dots is one of my favourite prints, and I figured they’d pair well with the rest of my closet.
Aje Oneness Top | I actually ended up making a second purchase from Aje; a white wrap front top with voluminous sleeves. Last year I bought a similar top from Witchery, which has been one of my favourite pieces to wear this year. Knowing how much I’ve worn the Witchery version, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have the same kind of style in white, too.
FOR BABY
Magnetic Fishing Toy Set | Clearly doing a little bit of Christmas planning for our son here… I’d been looking for a great wooden magnetic fishing toy set; I figured that it would be good for gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination. I absolutely loved this one that I found at Anthropologie, and the 30% discount was a bonus!
Liewood Inflatable Pool | A bit of an impulse buy as we’re planning to get a larger dip pool, but after I got a glimpse of this weekend’s temps, I promptly added this to cart. For anyone curious? It’s 38 and 40 deg C this weekend in Sydney. At any rate, I figured this would definitely get a lot of use over the summer. It’s quite compact so I can set it up indoors, or alternatively in a shady spot on the deck. I opted for the sunny yellow stripe, but there’s loads of cute colours.
Areaware Croc Pile Game | This toy is going to be a little too advanced for our son – for a while – but no harm in planning ahead. I thought it was really cute, and again a great way for him to practice his dexterity and coordination.
The Animals Observatory UFO Sweater | If you didn’t know I was a planner… well, then this is probably a big hint. Luke and I have been watching a lot of X-Files, and when I saw this sweater, I thought it would be perfect for our son. It just makes me think…. “spooky”. I got it in the 2Y size, so depending on how generously it’s cut, we might be able to get a few years out of it!
Design Letters Drinking Glass & Straw Set | The final thing I picked up for our son was a clear melamine letter cup and straw set from Design Letters. We have one of the opaque letter cups with “spout” which is super cute, however the melamine is opaque so you can’t see how much liquid is in there. Also the tipping can be tricky for little bubs. We have a different water bottle which is great for out and about, so I thought this might be a nice cup to have at home for meal time.
FOR THE HOME
Addition Studio Travertine Tray | We’re planning to do some renovations in the new year, and I’m hoping to use the opportunity to finally “finish” our home. Up until this point, it hasn’t really been much of a priority for me, so there’s few pictures up, and not one space (aside from the nursery) has been properly “dressed”. We’ll be opting for a lot of natural elements, and I wanted to incorporate some stone into it. This round tray I thought would be the perfect addition to sit on top of the coffee table we have our eyes on.
Insight Mug in “sapphire” and “white” | Another one of those items I seem to purchase every year is a mug or two. Almost always from Anthropologie too, as they have such fun designs. These felt a little spiritual which I liked, and the ‘eye’ design reminded me a lot of the Greek evil eye.
Floral Diffuser Oil | One of the things that I bought to have in the birthing suite when I was pregnant was a diffuser. And it’s gone on to be an atmospheric element in our home that I really enjoy. I thought it might be nice to buy a different scented oil, and went for a woodsy option.
Marble Vanity Organizer | I tend to use the same handful of lipsticks over and over, and thought this was a cute little display trinket. Love the marble and gold accents. Definitely going to take pride of place in my vanity area!
WHAT I LEFT IN MY CART
& Other Stories pearl bracelet & pearl necklace | I was this close to purchasing this irregular shaped pearl bracelet, and matching pearl necklace from & Other Stories, but when I got to checkout, something stopped me. I’m not sure if it was the price, or the fact that I don’t really need a lot more jewellery. But I promptly had second thoughts. I’d had both items bookmarked for quite a while, though any doubts are enough for me to move on from a piece.
Assembly Label linen shorts | As I mentioned earlier, the main item I hoped to purchase over the sale weekend was a pair of shorts. And actually, the ones I thought I’d end up getting was this linen pair from Assembly Label. While I still have my eye on these, I couldn’t help but wonder whether they had more of a pyjama/loungewear vibe. Going to “sleep” on it a little longer.
Monica Vinader riva wave medium hoop earrings | Clearly I was on a little bit of a jewellery buzz, as I also had my eye on these sparkly hoops from Monica Vinader. In the end I felt they were a little too similar to the Missoma ones I’d already purchased. That said, I’ll be keeping an eye out to see what makes it into their Boxing Day sales, as MV is a brand I’ve always wanted to try.
Tony Bianco black leather mules | A simple mule is a bit of a classic, and it’s again something I’ve felt was missing from my wardrobe. I only recently spotted this cute basic pair from Tony Bianco, and given they’re currently 20% off, I was sorely tempted to just go ahead and buy them. I like that the strap across the foot isn’t too wide, and the rounded oval heel is a nice touch. But, instead of going with an impulse buy, I figured I can just wait. If I’m lucky they’ll still be around during the Boxing Day sales, and I can make my mind up then.
