Black Friday 2021 / November 25, 2021 by Candice Tay

Pause. Read This First.

It’s here, the season of sales, giveaways, and more sales. It’s exciting but it can also be very overwhelming and easy to get sucked into all the deals. My goal here is always first to encourage you to style before shopping. So before you dive into the sales, take a peek at what you already own. Make a list of things you have been wanting or need, and while you shop, don’t get veer off your list! Black Friday and Cyber Monday often get a bad rep for being a time of overconsumption, which it definitely can be, but it’s also a great opportunity to support small businesses and invest in some good quality items at a lower price point.

So this year, I’ve listed the BFCM sales from a few of my favourite small businesses and brands. I’ve chosen the brands based on the products or pieces I use/wear the most. I’ve included products from a variety of categories ranging from ethical fashion, mama and baby essentials, to a few home goodies!

Tradlands — 11/25 - 11/28 (code bf30 for 30% off sitewide)

Tradlands has many options when it comes to timeless closet pieces. Tradlands is also a very size-inclusive brand, with sizing up to 5X. They are passionate about sustainability and also have a great pre-loved section on their site that allows you to sell and or shop pre-loved pieces.

Cottage Crewneck

Shelter Cardigan

Everlane — 11/25 - 11/29 (no code needed)

I find that Everlane is an excellent place to start for more affordable minimalist pieces. I like that their styles are very classic and simple, which make for great core closet pieces. Many of my closet staples that I wear frequently are from Everlane and have held up really well over time.

90s Cheeky Jean

Oversized Alpaca Crew

Day Glove

Kotn — 11/26 - 11/30 (code ‘candice10’ for 10% off), Canadian brand

Kotn always does something different on Black Friday and I’m here for it. For the 5th year in a row, 100% of proceeds from orders (up to $250, 000) will go to their initiative of funding the building of schools to encourage literacy and give back to the community in rural Egypt. Click here to learn more.

Turtleneck Sweater

Culotte Trouser

Sundays Furniture, 11/13 - 11/29 up to 20% off (discounts applied at checkout), Canadian brand

If you follow me over on Insta, you may have seen my recent collaboration with Sundays where they helped me out with completing the breakfast nook of my dreams! I love the simplistic designs and the quality of Sundays Furniture pieces. When we moved into our home, one of our first furniture purchases were the Take The Edge Off Counter Stools!

My Faves: Form Bench, Tuck In Dining Chair & Movie Night Sectional (if we had space for this haha)

dear frances — 25% off sitewide (bf25 auto-applied code)

My favourite boots are from Dear Frances and they are definitely investment pieces. If you’ve had your eye on a pair of shoes from Dear Frances, now is a great time to grab a pair at 25% off!

park boot

town boot

Solly Baby — 20% off from 11/23 - 11/28 (no code needed)

Solly Baby is a definite favourite of mine when it comes to baby essentials. The pieces are not just cute to look at but are super functional. All the materials used are the absolute softest which are so great on baby's skin. In addition to their sales this year, on Giving Tuesday, Solly Baby will be partnering with The Superhero Project to provide wraps to families in the NICU. For every wrap purchased, one will be donated to a NICU family. What an awesome initiative

swaddles

wraps

crib sheets

Storq - 20% off 11/26 - 11/29 (no code needed)

I love this small, woman-owned business so much. Storq pieces have been lifesavers for me during pregnancy and postpartum. They made me feel comfortable while my body was changing and growing and now during my breastfeeding journey, their nursing staples have been such a game-changer.

luxe jogger

soft touch nursing tank

Cozy Rib Nursing & Sleep Bra

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Fable — from 10% - 20% off 11/22 - 11/29 (no code needed), Canadian brand

I adore this ethically and sustainably crafted dinnerware from Fable, a Canadian-based brand from Vancouver. They have the most beautiful, handcrafted dishes and cutlery, perfect for all those holiday dinners coming up! They really elevate dinner parties and simple home-cooked meals enjoyed with loved ones. They also recently released a super sleek set of durable glassware pieces!

Shop in Canada. Shop in the US.

the mugs

flatware set

glassware set

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Harly Jae, 20% off in-stock items (discounts applied at checkout), Canadian brand

Harly Jae, an amazing slow fashion brand designed by Laila. I had the privilege of meeting her and visiting the Harly Jae studio during a trip to Vancouver a few years ago. Harly Jae’s pieces are vintage-inspired with a modern touch and are intentionally crafted to stand the test of time. I have a pair of wide-leg trousers from Harly Jae that are of superb quality and I really love that the brand is completely designed and MADE in Canada as well.

My Faves: House Blouse, Pierott Pants & Reversible Coat

Vetta Capsule — up to 50% off

I’ve been a fan of Vetta Capsule since the start of my exploration of sustainability and slow fashion. They were also one of the first brands that I ever worked with so this small brand is very dear to my heart. If you’re looking for versatile, ethically-made closet heroes, look no further. Vetta Capsule’s pieces are creatively designed to be worn multiple ways and are sure to become wardrobe staples.

cape jumpsuit

convertible chunky sweater

oversized sweater

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These are just a few of the brands and sales that I wanted to highlight this season and I’ve also listed some of my favourites from each brand. These are tried and true pieces that I personally own and a few are just ones that I love! I hope it helps you shop smart and intentionally during this time as I know it can be overwhelming. As always, thank you so much for supporting my content and shopping through some of my affiliate links. As a part-time digital creator, it really helps keep my blog and social platforms running and I’m so appreciative of you guys for sticking around with me!

P.S. Some sales have not started yet so I will be back to update those details once everything is live!

This post is not sponsored but may contain some gifted items and affiliate links. If you decide to shop through the links above, I may make a small commission that helps support this blog and other social platforms. I only share products and brands I love and support. All opinions are my own.

Thank you for supporting Candice Tay!

Minimalist Neutral Nursery / August 10, 2021 by Candice Tay

We are nearing the end of my pregnancy, currently writing this at 37 weeks — EEK! There are so many emotions, but excitement is definitely at the centre. I thought it’d be a good time to finally reveal our minimalist, neutral nursery. If you’re a parent out there, you probably learned early on just how expensive baby things are. My husband and I definitely had some major sticker shock when we initially began purchasing things for our baby. You’ll notice a lot of IKEA, some DIYs, and Facebook Marketplace. We received a lot of things secondhand from friends and family and for higher ticket items, we were able to score some great deals on Marketplace.

Room Updates

We recently moved into this home so this room had been designated storage for a long time. When we found out that we were expecting, it just made sense that this room would be the nursery. Although we love a good DIY, we are not the most experienced, so we juggled between creating a board and batten wall and doing this two-toned paint wall. We eventually settled on this two-toned wall because we thought it would be simpler to execute, yet still give us that clean, modern aesthetic we were hoping for. We just knew we needed to get rid of the creamy builder’s paint. Though not perfect, we’re really pleased with how the walls turned out!

We swapped out the classic cake light for the MOJNA, a cute recycled plastic pendant from IKEA which really adds a nice moodiness to the room. Changing out light fixtures makes the biggest difference in a room! We also put in a standing lamp that was kindly gifted to me by Gantri (“CMTAY20” for $20 off), a company that makes 3D-printed lights out of sustainable materials. I think this will be perfect for those late night feeds.

Large Furniture Pieces

For the larger furniture pieces, like the crib, changing table, and rocking chair, we debated a long time to find the right pieces for this room. In the end, we stuck with the classic wooden IKEA SNIGLAR crib and the TARVA 6-drawer chest which doubles as a changing table. We were stuck in lockdown for the majority of months that we spent putting this room together, so I decided to do a little DIY upgrade on the dresser. I used some leftover paint that my sister had lying around and gave this dresser a nice facelift. I liked the look of the natural wooden tones, so I left the legs and knobs plain. The rocking chair was the last piece that we put into the room because we weren’t sure if we were going to need it. To be honest, we still don’t know as we get a lot of mixed opinions on rocking chairs, but we scored this West Elm rocker for $200 bucks on Facebook Marketplace!

On the Walls

I’ve had these State Goods prints lying around the home for a while, and finally found the perfect place to put them up! I love how muted the colours are and that they don’t outwardly scream “baby nursery”. I think the clear acrylic shelves added the perfect finishing touch to this room for practical storage for books and other cute stuffies.

The finishing touches

On the front of the crib, I sewed this fabric crib caddy with excess material I had at home. The cutest Cuddle + Kind dolls sit inside baby’s crib, along with a neutral-toned cribsheet from Solly Baby, and a Snuggle Me Organic Lounger that my sister and brother-in-law gifted to us.

Let me know your thoughts on this nursery. We tried to keep everything as minimal and neutral as possible! I’m really happy with how everything turned out and now we wait for bub’s arrival! If you'd like to see the raw, behind-the-scenes progress of how we brought this room to life, check out the nursery vlog below.

Thank you for supporting Candice Tay!

Simple Maternity Capsule Wardrobe / June 22, 2021 by Candice Tay

It’s been a while since I’ve been on the blog! Thank you for sticking around.

I’m currently just over 30 weeks pregnant and I wanted to share how my simple maternity capsule wardrobe has been holding up for the past month. I curated this capsule back at the beginning of May. If you haven't watched that video yet, I would love for you to check it out on my YouTube channel. I’ll leave a link below!

This capsule is full of oversized dresses, comfortable jumpsuits, and billowy tops, almost all of which previously existed in my wardrobe. I’ve been really impressed with how versatile this capsule has been in adapting and changing with my growing body. I have grown out of some pieces at this point in my pregnancy, but the majority of this capsule is still going strong. I love all the fun colours and oversized silhouettes of a lot of the pieces.

A few thoughts

what I’m doing with pieces I’ve grown out of

For the pieces that don’t fit at the moment, I’ve passed them onto family and friends to wear for this season and once I can fit into them again, I can enjoy them! I love that the pieces are still getting worn even when it’s not worn by me.

maternity-specific pieces

Investing in a pair of maternity pants has been super key for me this season because although I had a lot of dresses and jumpsuits that fit, I really miss my high-waisted denim and black trousers. Those were key staples that I lived in before pregnancy. Simply having a pair of black joggers has allowed me to feel a lot more like myself even though my body has been going through a lot of changes.

versatility

I’m honestly really impressed with how versatile this small capsule has been so far. I even completed a #5x5ByFriends capsule wardrobe challenge with five of the pieces. It just takes a bit of creativity to get the most out of pieces that you already own, which is what I love the most about capsule wardrobes and shopping from your own closet. Because wearing what you have is always the most sustainable option!