Jingle Those Bells: The Finders Keepers Markets Are Coming to Town!
- Words by Peppermint
Get those sensible walking shoes ready because The Finders Keepers spring/summer markets are making their merry way to Sydney and Melbourne. And look, as much as we’d like to bury our Christmas-cracker-paper-crowned head in the sand, that date in December is looming. Just think how much less stressful it would be if you nabbed all your presents in one market swoop?!
TOP PHOTO: SAMEE LAPHAM
LEFT: CLUMSY CLAY RIGHT: LEANNE ALLISON DESIGNS
First stop is Carlton, Naarm, where more than 260 makers will descend on the Royal Exhibition Building from October 10 to 12, 2025. If it’s dog mum hats, lorikeet earrings and naughty ceramics you’re after, the good folks at The Finders Keepers have you sorted (see the full stallholder line-up here).
Expect some 50+ first-time stallholders, plus a pop-up vase showcase Museum of Modern Craft (MoMC*), curated by furniture maker Dowel Jones and supported by Craft Victoria. Featuring work from more than 60 Australian craft practitioners, MoMC* will present a broad cross-section of artworks using the vase as a medium. Be sure to swing by the stall of Our Songlines, which will be in Melbourne as part of Finders’ Indigenous Program. Brand founder Kayla is big on mindful activities that encourage cultural learning – think weaving and ochre kits, books by Indigenous writers and self-care goodies (we love the Native Lavender Haze weaving kit).
LEFT: AUSTIN FLOWERS RIGHT: FLAVEDO
Next, it’s Sydney’s turn. From November 14 to 16, hundreds of makers, buyers and purveyors of fine foods will be at Carriageworks in Eveleigh for a celebration of kitchen condiment vases, plastic-free beauty and cardboard dinosaur costumes. We’re hoping to catch Meagan Gardiner, of Albany, Western Australia, who’ll be selling her intricate found-object artworks. Meagan says that her work “pays homage to the beauty of the world around us”. She’ll be in Sydney as part of Finders’ new Regional Program, which helps independent brands bring their wares to the big smoke.
And the Dining Room is back! Cure those market munchies with a hot meal and drink while listening to live music in the extended market room.
As always, both market events will have a low-sensory hour, plus food trucks, live music, crafty activities and all-round good vibes. Bring your shopping totes and get set for some mindful spending.
THIS ARTICLE WAS CREATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR GOOD FRIENDS AT THE FINDERS KEEPERS. MELBOURNE’S SPRING/SUMMER 2025 MARKET RUNS FROM 10 TO 12 OCTOBER AT THE ROYAL EXHIBITION BUILDING. THE SYDNEY EVENT RUNS FROM NOVEMBER 14 TO 16 AT CARRIAGEWORKS IN EVELEIGH.
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Look, I don’t want to make anyone panic but IT’S DECEMBER!!! If you’re planning to give homemade gifts, you’re going to have to act fast. …
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🌻 The Paddington 🌻
This is a much-loved staple, created for Issue 50 in 2021. We love seeing the #PeppermintPaddingtonTop continually popping up in our feeds!
How stunning is our model Elon MelaninGoddessEfon – she told us it was one of the first times she had been asked to come to a shoot with her natural hair. 🌻
We worked with South African patternmaker Sarah Steenkamp of @FrenchNavyNow_ to create this wardrobe essential – the perfect puff-sleeve blouse. Raglan sleeves make it the ultimate beginner sew, plus the gorgeous back buttons let you add your own personal twist.
Pattern via the link in bio! 🪡
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Fabric: @Spoonflower
Model: MelaninGoddessEfon
“In the 1940’s, Norwegians made and wore red pointed hats with a tassel as a form of visual protest against Nazi occupation of their country. Within two years, the Nazis made these protest hats illegal and punishable by law to wear, make, or distribute. As purveyors of traditional craft, we felt it appropriate to revisit this design.”
Crafters have often been at the heart of many protest movements, often serving as a powerful means of political expression. @NeedleAndSkein, a yarn store in Minnesota, are helping to mobilise the craftivists of the world with a ‘Melt The Ice’ knitting pattern created by @Yarn_Cult (with a crochet pattern too), as a way of peaceful protest.
The proceeds from the $5 pattern will go to local immigrant aid organisations – or you can donate without buying the pattern.
Raise those needles, folks – art and craft can change the world. 🧶
Link in bio for the pattern.
Images: @Gather_Fiber @NeedleAndSkein @a2ina2 @KyraGiggles Sandi.204 @WhatTracyMakes AllieKnitsAway Auntabwi2
#MeltTheIce #Craftivism #Knitting #CraftForChange
TWO WEEKS TO GO! 🤩
"The most important shift is moving from volume-led buying to value-led curation – choosing fewer, better products with strong ethics, considered production and meaningful stories. Retailers have real influence here: what you buy signals what you stand for. At Life Instyle, this means using the event to discover and invest in small-scale, planet-considerate brands that align with your values and your customer’s conscience. Consumers don’t need more things; they need better things, and retailers play a key role in selecting, contextualising, and championing why those products matter."
Only two more weeks until @Life_Instyle – Australia`s leading boutique retail trade show. If you own a store, don`t miss this event! Connect with designers, source exquisite – and mindful – products, and see firsthand why this is Australia’s go-to trade show for creatives and retailers alike. And it`s free! ✨️
Life Instyle – Sydney/Eora Country
14-17 February 2026
ICC, Darling Harbour
Photos: @Samsette
#LifeInstyle #SustainableShopping #SustainableShop #RetailTradeEvent
Calling all sewists! 📞
Have you made the Peppermint Waratah Wrap Dress yet? Call *1800 I NEED THIS NOW to get making!
This gorgeous green number was modelled (and made) by the fabulous Lisa of @Tricky.Pockets 🙌🏼
If you need a nudge, @ePrintOnline are offering Peppermint sewists a huge 🌟 30% off ALL A0 printing 🌟 when you purchase the Special Release Waratah Wrap Dress pattern – how generous is that?!
Head to the link in bio now 📞
*Not a real number in case that wasn`t clear 😂
#PeppermintWaratahWrapDress #PeppermintPatterns #SewingPattern #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
8 Things to Know About January 26 - from @ClothingTheGaps:
Before you celebrate, take the time to learn the truth. January 26 is not a day of unity it’s a Day of Mourning and Survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
It marks the beginning of invasion, dispossession, and ongoing colonial violence. It’s time for truth-telling, not whitewashed history.
Stand in solidarity. Learn. Reflect. Act.
✊🏽 Blog written by Yorta Yorta woman Taneshia Atkinson.
🔗 Link in bio of @ClothingTheGaps to read the full blog
#ChangeTheDate #InvasionDay #SurvivalDay #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe #ClothingTheGaps
As the world careens towards AI seeping into our feeds, finds and even friend-zones, it`s becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
We just wanted to say that here at Peppermint, we are choosing to not print or publish AI-generated art, photos, words, videos or content.
Merriam-Webster’s human editors chose `slop` as the 2025 Word of the Year – they define it as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” The problem is, as AI increases in quality, it`s becoming more and more difficult to ascertain what`s real and what`s not.
Let`s be clear here, AI absolutely has its place in science, in climate modelling, in medical breakthroughs, in many places... but not in replacing the work of artists, writers and creatives.
Can we guarantee that everything we publish is AI-free? Honestly, not really. We know we are not using it to create content, but we are also relying on the artists, makers and contributors we work with, as well as our advertisers, to supply imagery, artwork or words created by humans. AI features are also creeping into programs and apps too, making it difficult to navigate. But we will do our best to avoid it and make a stand for the artists and creatives who have had their work stolen and used to train AI machines, and those who are now losing work as they are replaced by this energy-sapping, environment-destroying magic wand.
Could using it help our productivity and bottom line? Sure. And as a small business in a difficult landscape, that`s a hard one to turn down. We know other publishers who use AI to write stories, create recipes, produce photo shoots... but this one is important to us.
`Touch grass` was also a Merriam-Webster Word of the Year. We`ll happily stick with that as a theme, thanks very much. 🌿
