Happy Black Friday, Shoppers!

Happy Black Friday to all you shopaholics out there!!
Even though this is an American event, retailers across Canada have jumped on this gold-mine tradition and are offering their own sales to encourage shoppers to stay north of the border.
Tonight I will be working my part time retail job, and am anxious to see how busy we get. I know we already had a door crasher event that ended at 2pm, so I probably won’t get a huge rush, but it should still be steady.

From now until Christmas, expect the malls to be jammed solid with frantic shoppers.
Since I didn’t really have a chance to go out and shop, I decided to reward myself with a little pre-Christmas gift from Pandora – the exclusive 2012 Black Friday Charm!!
I heard about this charm a few months ago, it was a big secret on what the charm was going to look like this year. Each year Pandora releases an exclusive Black Friday charm that are only distributed in limited quantities in the USA.

I was disappointed thinking that if I wanted the secret charm, I would have to go to the states to pick it up, and who knows if it would still be available! So this morning I called the Pandora shop by my work to see if they carried the exclusive Black Friday charm and to my surprise they did! I told them I would be over on lunch to pick it up.

When I got to Pandora, the store was busy as usual. And low and behold was the display case of the Black Friday charm. The charm itself is adorable. It actually looks similar to the gift charm (which I already have from my birthday gift from my cousins). But it is a bit bigger and is lined with red and gold trim and has a tiny Pandora gift tag on top. It is very nice and well worth the $65 price tag.
When it was finally my turn with the sales lady, she said she only had one charm in the box left and that it was mine! Hurrah! She mentioned that the store only received 55 of these charms in total, and more than half are already gone! I felt very lucky to have a fresh one in the box and not having to take one off the display case.

I think it is the most beautiful piece and I am so happy I have it as part of my collection. Merry Early Christmas to me!!

Pandora Charm Addict

It's no secret that I am a Pandora fanatic! It all started in May when I went to buy a charm as a gift for my cousin's confirmation. While I knew what Pandora was all about, I always steered clear because I thought it was a gimmicky and juvenile cult to be part of. Charm bracelets, at 26? Really? But no, in that moment while looking at all the charms neatly organized in their tiny sections in the shiny glass cases, I became a victim!

Now you may not be a fan of Pandora, or not really care at all about it, but I just want to highlight some of the cool reasons to be a collector.

The best thing about Pandora is that there really is something there for everyone. Every unique charm tells a little bit about the wearer of the bracelet. I look at the bracelet as a puzzle, and the charms are the pieces that represent you and what you like.

The first charm I bought was the house charm. ($30). I found it fitting since I had just bought my house and was getting settled in, so I thought that would be a good starting piece. The house charm is one of the least expensive charms Pandora sells. Most of their charms are very affordable, which is why I think they are so popular. If you go to Tiffany's, their charms are $200 and up, making it impossible for the average woman to afford a charm bracelet there.



 

The second charm I purchased was the ballet slippers charm. It was really cute and had a pink stone on it. Dance has always been a big part of my life, so I thought that was a fitting piece to get.

I am not a representative for Pandora (although the way I talk about them, people think I should be) but I do really love their charms. They often have neat promotions, like last month if you spent $100, you got a free sterling silver bracelet ($75 value). And this month, since it is Breast Cancer Awareness month, if you spend $100 or more, you get a free pink leather bracelet. I am going to the states this weekend, and with their promo, you only have to spend $85, so I will definately be taking advantage of that.

 

The new fall collection is out and I want to get the new crown charm. It is really cute, and since I am pretty much a princess, I think that should be part of my collection. I will also buy the Jack-O-Lantern since Halloween is coming up and it is my favourite holday afterall!

The most recent charm I purchased came all the way from England and is only exclusive to England! It's the Royal Wedding Charm. Eric's mom picked it up for me while visiting there last week. It's really pretty and heart shaped with the sapphire stone on it to represent Kate's engagement ring. And Catherine and William's initials engraved on the back. This is a rare charm because only so many were made. I am lucky to have one of them. There are lots of rare/unique/hard to find charms out there. I am determined to get as many as I can, including the dice charm, which is only available in Las Vegas!

 

 

Do you collect Pandora? What are your favourite charms?