Peppermint's Deputy Editor and Senior Writer since Issue 2, Tess Curran loves pretty photos, good coffee, vintage ceramics, art deco mirrors, old books, nice people and good punctuation.
What are you doing this long weekend? In the sugar-coma haze which will inevitably descend, I think we’ll all be craving a bit of a freshen up, and what better way to do it than by a detox! Don’t worry, we don’t mean any sort of ‘put down the chocolate and drink only lemon water’ type detox – we’re talking instead about cutting the bad habits and waste from our lives and giving them a healthy and sustainable makeover. This clever little video by Green Villages Sydney will get you started, with ideas on self-sufficiency and strengthening your local community to boot! See their other clips here if you haven’t already, including how to detox your home and revamp the way you eat. After Easter, you’ll certainly be thanking them for it!
Maybe she’s born with it? Sure, if her mother owned a pink plastic car and was married to a man named Ken. These days you can barely walk half a block without confronting hoards of overblown, airbrushed faces staring you down from billboards, newsstands and TV screens. Kim Kardashian has a new bikini body? No she doesn’t. Kim Kardashian has good lighting and a very savvy photo editor. At Peppermint, we couldn’t care less about keeping up with Kim and her clan of Kardashians. Read the rest of this entry »
The Easter Bunny’s coming!! – but sometimes that little Easter Bunny doesn’t always think through the full social and ethical implications of the eggs in his little basket. Luckily for him (or her?), organisations like Oxfam are here to help, reminding us that as delicious as chocolate might look and taste, the same luxury doesn’t necessarily translate to the standards for workers in cocoa fields around the world. Read the rest of this entry »
Many children (and adults!) will be getting wild on sugar this weekend, but it doesn’t have to be this way. There are far nicer – and healthier – things you can treat yourself to this Easter break beyond only those engulfed in alfoil, and thanks to gorgeous new cookbook Wild Sugar we’re already getting plenty of inspiration. Authored by talented local foodies Lyndel Miller and Skye Craig (who you may remember for her beautiful raw desserts featured in Peppermint last year), Wild Sugar is the new must have for the deliciously-inclined, featuring an array of Skye’s famous raw and fruit-based desserts alongside more traditional cakes, slices and other sweet treats – including plenty of healthy and creative options for kid’s parties. Read the rest of this entry »
If you love your laptop then you’ll love this: Peppermint is now paperless! As part of the world’s largest online newsstand Zinio, you’ll be able to access each new minty issue on any compatible phone or computer anywhere in the world (no Apple-only bias here!). Issue 12 and 13 are ready to go, with online subscriptions also available for only $28 per year – meaning new issues will arrive direct to your inbox at the start of each season and, just like a physical copy, are yours to view and access anytime. But speaking of physical copies, do not fret – our pretty printed Peppermints aren’t going anywhere; this new edition is just the digital cherry-on-top.
There was once a time when all of life’s moral advice came via the art of animation. (I think this time was around 1989, when Care Bears dominated the airwaves and all our problems could be solved via our furry friends in the clouds). Though that time has passed, there is new animated hope on the horizon thanks to Green Villages Sydney. We’re loving their clever Seed to Plate and Chemical Free Home animations, demonstrating the ecological impacts of (and solutions to!) hefty food miles and household waste in just one-and-a-half short, sweet minutes each. Speaking of impacts on the planet, don’t forget – WWF’s Earth Hour is tomorrow! Get those candles ready and check out Green Villages’ advice on how to take your contribution Beyond The Hour here .
Sugar and spice and all things nice, that’s what Fabled and True is made of. Sewn locally in Brisbane from recycled and vintage fabrics, designer Jaye Wolfe’s delicate new collection is the kind of guilt-free gorgeous that makes us all warm and fuzzy inside. Perfect for enjoying those last sunshiney moments of Autumn and backyard picnics with friends. Adore. Read the rest of this entry »
Over the last few years, knitter extraordinaire Loani Prior has changed the world. Not only has she transformed the humble, once-daggy tea cosy into a covetable objet d’art via her two best-selling titles, Wild Tea Cosies and Really Wild Tea Cosies (and the countless fan projects and exhibitions that have followed), but she has literally seen tea cosies take on powers far greater than keeping that pot of English Breakfast warm. In her third title, How Tea Cosies Changed the World, she explores how her “little idea” has manifested in life-changing ways, from CWA groups raising thousands of dollars for cancer charity to the women’s prison counsellor who took the therapeutic benefits of knitting to an inmates’ Knit and Natter group – with endless positive results. Read the rest of this entry »
Where there’s a will, there’s a way… Particularly in the small Northern NSW town of Murwillumbah, where a small team of creatives are working hard to revive and regenerate the town’s struggling arts and retail scene. With some 30 shops out of only around 70 in the whole town having closed their doors recently, The Hey Maker! collective are busy encouraging people from near and far to visit their historic town, as well as getting those who live in the region to shop locally and support the remaining retailers. Read the rest of this entry »
Have you ever wanted to paint a giant elephant and have your work displayed for two months at prominent locations across Melbourne’s CBD? Incredibly, Zoos Victoria is making this possible with their Mali in the City public art project, letting loose 50 artist-decorated elephants across Melbourne during August and September as part of their 150th birthday celebrations. (Animal rights activists need not be concerned – these are sculpted fibreglass elephants: possibly as beautiful as the real deal, but definitely not nearly as alive). The call is now on for creatives to register their interest and submit their Mali-decorating ideas by Friday, April 6th. Applicants need not be from Melbourne only, and need not be ‘traditional’ artists either: anyone from any creative field is welcome, so if you’ve got an interesting concept, bring it! Successful applicants will be commissioned from May onwards, with the Mali display culminating in a final birthday parade and auction at Melbourne Zoo during October to raise money for their Wildlife and Community Conservation programs.
The Easter Bunny’s coming!! – but sometimes that little Easter Bunny doesn’t always think through the full social and ethical implications of the eggs in his little basket. Luckily for him (or her?), organisations like 
