Categories
Homewares

My new homewares shopping obsession: TK Maxx!

Sponsored TK Maxx

TK Maxx has arrived in Australia and I couldn’t be more excited! You see, I was a regular TK Maxx shopper for years in the UK and loved the thrill of finding a designer bargain. I love how stock changes all the time and you never know what you’re going to find. But that’s half the fun! I basically never bought jeans or sunnies anywhere else!

TK Maxx is huge in Europe and TJX Companies Inc have almost 4,000 stores worldwide. That’s a lot of global buying power! Now Australia has 38 stores since the brand came here in April, buying out Trade Secret (and since converting them) but also opening in four brand new locations. I got to check out the Top Ryde store last week (one of the new stores based on the European stores’ design and layout) and it was just like I remembered from home. As a bonus, the home section (they also sell fashion, toys, kid’s stuff and bath and beauty, luggage, footwear and accessories) was much bigger. Winning!

Check out these gorgeous decor items from about $20

While I was there to join other influencers for a fun gift wrapping workshop with Vivienne Anthon from The Daily Wrap, I must admit I was most excited to check out what was on the shelves, and from a gift shopping perspective, it was fantastic. (The odd gift to self is also allowed at this time of year though, right?!). If you haven’t bought your decorations yet, or you want to add to them, you will find some amazing baubles from Europe at a fraction of the price you’d expect to pay. There were so many beautiful glass ornaments but I dare not buy them with a boisterous toddler in the house. One day…

Just a few of the cushions I discovered!
Expert gift wrapper Vivienne and I

The TK Maxx model works as follows: a network of buyers negotiate deals to buy excess stock from manufacturers and department stores, among others, both overseas and here in Australia, and bring it to stores. Every store will have something different and once it’s gone, it’s gone. Thousands of new items arrive weekly. It only takes four hours for new arrivals to get from delivery to store to the shelves, so you could really visit morning and afternoon and find different treasures! Many of the products are designer labels and the prices are seriously discounted.

Another thing I love about TK Maxx is you’re more than likely to pick up something you can’t find in any other stores, and when it comes to gift giving, this is a great bonus. Who wants to get the same old same old candles (speaking of which, they have lots!)?

Other bloggers and I were given $100 to spend in store and the haul I picked up was crazy: various Christmas baubles, string lights, and two beautiful glass and brass boxes (hello, gifts to self!) for less than half what I’d expect to pay elsewhere. We were then given tips from Vivienne on how to disguise them under the Christmas tree.

I always have the best wrapping intentions but more often than not leave it last minute and end up with a supermarket wrap and sticky tape scenario! But top tip from Vivienne: use double-sided tape! It immediately looks 10 times better! I am inspired to do better this year (watch this space). TK Maxx also have an amazing selection of Christmas wrap and ribbon: again, if you want to be a little different, head here for your wrap as well as your gifts!

For obvious reasons, you can’t shop online, but you an find out more about TK Maxx and your nearest store here.

 

Categories
Expert Tips Styling

Easy but impressive Christmas gift wrapping tutorial

If you’re anything like me, you always start the Christmas season with the best intentions. You fantasise about getting your shopping done early, giving people the most unique and heartfelt gifts and wrapping them up with a nice little bow. But come Christmas Eve, that dream is a distant memory, and instead it becomes a mad dash to the finish line! And where do you cut corners? You get rid of that lovely wrapping!

But this year Typo want to change that. So they’re sharing this step by step guide to a Vintage Woodlands wrapping look with us and it is absolutely gorgeous. And, allegedly, hassle free!

Instructions:

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1. Choose your base paper (we love a good kraft paper base) and wrap your present using on-a-roll tape ensuring all edges are nicely creased.

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2. 
Using a contrasting paper, either another bold print or a complimentary solid colour (we’ve opted for classic kraft paper), cut a strip about half of the width of your present. Tuck the edges of the paper underneath (the best trick to hide your messy edges) and wrap around the centre of the present, taping it at the bottom of the present.

Place a doily smack bang in the middle for a bit of vintage love. Grab your trim of choice — we can’t overlook the jute twine for a more rustic look and to stay in a neutral colour scheme. Wrap it around the centre of your present three or four times, crossing it over itself each time. Fasten by tying a knot.

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3. 
Using one of Typo’s wooden ornaments, write a personalised message to your recipient and affix to the gift using the jute twine.

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4. 
That’s it! An amazingly simple yet standout gift to place under the tree!

Shop Typo cards and wrap online.

Categories
Interiors Addict

A seriously stylish Christmas workshop

If I were in Victoria, this is where I’d want to be a week today: the Greenhouse Interiors Christmas workshop!

inside out cover

Inside Out cover styled by Greenhouse’s Julia Green and photographed by Armelle Habib

Want to break free of the red and green tinsel? Then join Julia, Jacqui and the Greenhouse team next Saturday 30 November for a glass of bubbles (very important!) and a workshop which puts the style back into Christmas.

They’ll show you how to create decorations and show-stopping wrapping with a difference, plus how to lay a beautiful table and different ways to approach decorating a Christmas tree – all in a tinsel-free zone using the colourful signature Greenhouse is known for.