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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“My piece of advice for makers and designers? Run your own race… make sure your key decisions stay anchored in your brand’s core beliefs.”
- Bec Bligh
Quick show of hands: who’s opened a water bottle expecting a refreshing sip… and instead been greeted by the unmistakable whiff of uh-oh?
Because for something that follows us everywhere (desk, car, hikes, yoga…), the humble drink bottle is strangely prone to becoming a science experiment. Hard-to-clean corners and gaskets. Mystery smells. Bec Bligh and her husband Tim know it well. A six-month sailing trip along the Queensland coast left them with a lifetime of memories and one stubborn annoyance: mouldy water bottles they couldn’t properly clean.
So they did something about it.
Enter @EverVessel. Thoughtfully designed borosilicate glass and stainless steel bottles that keep things beautifully simple: durable materials, wide openings, easy-to-clean parts and none of the techy gimmicks that tend to age badly. Turns out simplicity, done well, is pretty powerful stuff. (Their many design awards agree!)
And lately they’ve added a little extra delight: the Artist Series, where creatives like Paola Castro, Ben Miners and Martin Thompson transform these everyday companions into tiny travelling artworks. There are more colabs in the works, too: hydration, but make it joyful! 🎨💧
We chatted with Bec about the sailing trip that started it all, the philosophy behind Ever Vessel, and why the most sustainable product is often just the one you keep using.
Tap the link in our bio to read the full conversation. 🚰
#EverVessel #ReusableWaterBottle
Pull up a chair… there’s room at this table!
For the first time, Feast for Freedom is bringing people together for a spectacular long-table dinner as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.
A Longer Table is exactly what it sounds like: one beautiful shared table inside the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1), piled with generous dishes inspired by this year’s hero cooks, Noha and Nige.
From 6 to 9pm on Wednesday, 25 March, this is what you can expect:
🍽 A three-course shared feast
🍷 Matched drinks
🎶 Live entertainment
✨ A room full of good humans
Your ticket doesn’t just buy you a delicious dinner. It supports the ASRC’s vital work and helps create a fairer future for people seeking asylum.
Seats are limited, and long tables have a way of filling up quickly – head to @MelbFoodAndWine’s website to book now: feastforfreedom.org.au/mfwf
#FeastForFreedom #MelbourneFoodAndWineFestival #LongTableDinner #FoodForChange
Sew versatile! 🪡
Another great make from Lisa from @SunnySewsEveryday:
My #PeppermintWaratahWrapDress is finished and I’m so proud of it. It has been designed not to flap open and flash your pants in the wind, so I feel confident it will be a great wheelchair or standing dress in English weather.
#PeppermintPatterns #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
Frame your face with the Peppermint Bucket Hat!
Stay safe and stylish in the sun with your very own self-sewn and self-drafted wide-brimmed bucket hat. This beginner-friendly sew is perfect for a sunny day. Get out your pencils – this pattern is created using equations and maths!
This DIY project was featured in Issue 53 and now you can access it for the lovely low price of only $5.
Sun-safe chic is always in style. ☀️
Find it via the link in our bio!
Photos: @KelleySheenan
#PeppermintPatterns #PeppermintBucketHat #BucketHat #BucketHatPattern #DIY
✨ INSTANT CLASSIC ✨
The Peppermint Myrtle Shift Dress is a beginner-friendly make with a few special details based on the ever-stylish shift shape – the perfect dress you need in your wardrobe right now!
Myrtle cuts above the knee with options to customise the length. Don’t think she’s reserved for hot weather either: try a heavier-weight fabric to turn your Myrtle into a pinafore-style garment for layering.
For our fabrics we chose two from our lovely sewing partner @Karmme_Apparel – the bold Rottnest Stripes in a lightweight, soft-drape cotton, and the quality linen in the handpainted Mexico Collection.
Get making the Myrtle – the only question is, can you stop at just one?
Link in bio 🪡
Fabric: @Karmme_Apparel
Sewist: @Laura_The_Maker
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Models: @SerahSews and @Pins_And_Tonic
Location: @ShareTheDignityAustralia
#PeppermintMyrtleShiftDress #PeppermintPatterns
It’s time to Feast!
Some recipes travel a long way before they land on your table to delight your taste buds. This year’s Feast for Freedom invites us to gather our friends, cook something delectable and raise funds for the incredible work of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1) while we’re at it.
The 2026 Feast features recipes shared by two remarkable cooks: Noha, who brought the flavours of Palestine with her when she arrived in Australia, and Nige, a Sri-Lankan Tamil cook whose journey with food began in the most unexpected of places.
You can host your own Feast up until 30 April – simply register online and get planning! Host a dinner, organise a workplace lunch, or gather your community… However you do it, the idea is simple: cook, connect and celebrate the cultures and stories that shape Australia.
Want to find out more? Head to the link in bio to meet Noha and Nige, learn more about their stories, and discover a delicious recipe to try.
#FeastForFreedom #PeppermintMagazine #FoodForGood #ASRC
