Home Secret haul, and the lucky winners!

After another looooong work week (yes, I know five days is not actually longer than five days, but BOY it can sometimes feel like it), I finally got to have a couple of days off on Sunday and Monday.

As I said in a text to a friend at 6pm Saturday, 'I'm leaving work now, and heading home to PARTAY! And by party, I mean snuggle a bottle of wine on the sofa in my flannelette pyjamas.' I didn't end up snuggling a bottle of wine, my delightful husband was home, so I snuggled him instead. But yes, there was flannelette.

I have a bit of a Monday routine now, and it almost always involves my bestie and his mum Peta (that should probably be my bestie Peta and her baby... but I love them equally). We usually enjoy a coffee together, then hit a shop or two to cruise around and check out what's new, snap a few selfies, then are home early afternoon to do some laundry and run some errands, and yesterday was no different.

Peta had visited Home Secret last Thursday for their Grand Opening (and blogged it here - she's still got Home Secret gift vouchers up for grabs, go check it out!), but kindly joined me for another trawl through their beautiful big store, and even picked up a few things she'd missed on Thursday!

I know people look at us funny when we both decide to sit down on the floor in a store and play with baby Ned, but they're just jealous. 

After cutting half a lap through the store, my hands were full of awesome things I'd picked up from the shelves, so I ran back to the entrance and grabbed a trolley.

(Hot Home Secret tip #1: use a trolley)

I thought I should probably slow it down and not just get caught up in the OMG there's a ceramic gorilla and I want this Le Creuset roasting dish in my life NOW, so I pulled up my calculator app and added up what I'd chosen so far.

$66. Really? I'd been throwing big-brand kitchenwares and homewares in this trolley without a care, and I was only at $66? Time to let loose and REALLY get carried away.

This trolley (full of quiche pans, enamel and ceramic Le Creuset roasting dishes, a tray and a bunch of other miscellaneous awesome things) was $66. Seriously.

(Amended: Just checked RRP of these items, and found they came to a whopping $224 in other stores. Score.)

We finished our trip through Home Secret then moved into the other section of this superstore - Trade Secret. I can't even tell you how funny some of the photos are that I took of Peta trying on clothes over her tank top and baggy pants. I just can't even.

(Hot Home Secret tip #2: use the changerooms)

Sophie Conran for Portmeirion jumbo teacup and saucer

After looking through both Home Secret and Trade Secret, we were both still fixated on this Sophie Conran for Portmeirion upsized teacup and saucer. I don't really drink tea any more (and BB would most likely move out if I moved any more teacups or mugs into our kitchen) but I fell in love with it. Hard. There is a whole lot of regret right now that I didn't buy that teacup.

(Hot Home Secret tip #3: impulse buy, because the prices are too good to resist)

Whilst I know I'll shop at Home Secret regularly for stuff for our beautiful new home, and especially manchester and kitchenware, I really think Home Secret has one special new purpose... the wedding gift shop. Forget your over-priced David Jones registries, head to Home Secret for current season (I checked!) Vera Wang crockery, Alex Liddy glassware, Marie Claire photo frames, Esprit towels and so much more. And don't get me started on the sweet children's stuff that are perfect for newborn gifts or christenings - classic Peter Rabbit china and Royal Albert tea sets? I could die from the cuteness.

Yeah, you could say that I was pretty thrilled with my purchases! I honestly just couldn't believe that you can actually get that much stuff (and quality stuff too!) for such amazing prices. Peta has long been a fan of Trade Secret and their awesome discounts, but I'm only a recent convert, and this was my first giant shop there. 

Bargains galore!

See that little fellow in the bottom left-hand corner? I love him so.

(And I think he kinda feels the same.)

This was my first big shopping spree in my new car, and I think the bootspace handled it admirably.

Unpacking the car at home is one of my least favourite jobs (which is why my old car had seventeen pairs of shoes and a picnic basket rolling around in it), but getting all these goodies out to play with was so much fun!

My Home Secret and Trade Secret haul - a grand total of $104.80.

Here, I'll break it down for you, so you can also share in the amazement that all this can be purchased for just over $100.

• bamboo tray, so that BB and I can recreate our favourite Eddie Izzard/Lego scene, of course
• Le Creuset roasting dish 
• Pyrex quiche pan
• Wiltshire enamel baking dish
• 2 x Pyrex mise-en-place bowls
• 2 x espresso cups
• 2 x takeaway mugs  for my parents
• stand for our Nespresso pods
• 2 boxes of Nespresso-compatible pods (tea and coffee)
• Indian cookbook for my dad (who has become the most popular person on my Instagram feed) 
• packs of JellyBelly jellybeans for my mum
• a ceramic budgie who I've named George
• a beautiful jumpsuit (also my first jumpsuit - I'm scared) to wear on our Pacific cruise in May
• and a gorgeous necklace and bracelet

I've popped all the kitchenware away in the cupboards, and hung the pretty jumpsuit and accessories in my wardrobe, and the only thing left to do was find a home for gorgeous George. 

New favourite corner of our home

I think he looks pretty perfect next to my bromeliad (still haven't killed it!) and the sweet pineapple print that my beautiful friend Claire sent to me from Mid Century Child, don't you?

I have drawn the winners of the Home Secret Gift Voucher Giveaway, and the lucky winners are shown below. Congratulations to Peta K, Brooke R, Carmel M and Denica B! I have emailed, so keep an eye out and respond with your postal address ASAP so I can pop these in the mail to you!

Thanks so much to Home Secret for sharing these gift vouchers with me to give away, and for providing me with a voucher of my own so I could enjoy a great day out shopping in their beautiful new store! As I've mentioned before, I was gifted these gift vouchers, and a voucher of my own, but I do love the good folk at Trade Secret and Home Secret so much that I'd happily spread the word for nothing!