Chats, Treats, Tunes and Cheers Galore? PepTalks is Back!
- Words by Peppermint
If you’re going to be anywhere near Brisbane on 26 July 2025, we suggest you snag yourself a ticket to our much-loved (and award-winning) PepTalks event. Hosted at Morningside School of Arts, this Peppermint event is going to be big – we’re talking nine brilliant speakers (listed below) and a whole lot of kindred spirits from the me-made community. If you haven’t made it along before, here’s a snippet from last time to get you fired up!
Before we get down to the inspirational talks, we’ll be schmoozing with organic wines from Yalumba, solar-powered beer from Helios Brewery and prebiotic sodas from Remedy while snacking on gluten-free donuts from NoDo. The Me-Made Parade is back with some fun prizes up for grabs and we’ll also have some incredible lucky door prizes – including an original artwork by Lauren Rogers (the clever soul behind our latest cover), a merch pack of socks, pencils, patches from Kylie and The Machine, mending kits from Shayeket Productions, a Luxury Sleep Oil Serum Gift Set from The Sleep Boss and a picnic rug and cooler from The Somewhere Co. Plus, there’s a fabulous prize pack up for grabs from the Australian Makers Directory for one lucky creative: 1 x 12 month membership to the Australian Makers Directory, 1 x 12 month membership to the Make Good Things Happen podcast AND a 45 minute website critique from Angela and Renée at D’Alton Baker Productions, total value of $700!
Plus, your ticket will support not one but two good causes. First up is domestic violence advocacy group Dangerous Females, which receives $5 for every ticket sold. The group’s founder and managing director, Jes Hallagan, is a creative genius and she’ll be joining the lineup to share some insights from the important work that she does.
Our second beneficiary is our gorgeous venue, the Morningside School of Arts. This Art Deco community-owned hall is in need of restoration, and we’re proud to help out by hosting PepTalks there.
And did we mention the goodie bags? They are epic as always! Expect lovely things from our wonderful partners, including Kakadu Plum Co, Luk Beautifood, Weleda, Lauren Rogers, Sew To Grow, Woohoo Body, Love In A Bottle, Grants of Australia, Dr Bronner’s, Pablo & Rusty’s, bellyME, Make Good Things Happen and Australian Makers Directory. Hoorah!
It’s going to be a great night of community, connection and creativity. And we couldn’t pull it off without the support of our event partner, Australian Makers Directory, a free-to-join online directory that gives creatives a place to showcase their wares and connect with mindful shoppers. Founded by Angela D’Alton and Renée Baker, these two well-known legends have deep roots in the maker community and understand the challenges and opportunities faced by artisans. You might have spotted them in the latest issue! Angela and Renée came together with a shared vision: to create an accessible and inclusive platform that celebrates and supports the incredible talent of Australian makers in business. The directory was created as part of a movement away from the inconsistencies of the algorithms of social media. It’s about creatives coming together to make something different.
“Content creators are often prioritised over the creators of gorgeous, tangible things,” explains Renée. “The Australian Makers Directory offers a reliable and relevant place to be found. Makers can showcase their work in a space built just for them, designed to celebrate craftsmanship, foster connections, and attract the right kind of attention. Oh, and it’s free to join!” Huge thanks to Angela and Renée for supporting PepTalks and helping bring the Peppermint community together IRL!
DETAILS
• Morningside School of Arts Hall, 590 Wynnum Rd, Morningside QLD 4170
• 26 July 2025
• 6 – 9.30pm
• $92
And so, the speakers for PepTalks 2025 are… (drum roll)
LAUREN ROGERS
A proud Ngarabul woman and contemporary artist, Lauren celebrates stories of tradition, identity, connection and resilience through her vibrant art. Her unique, vibrant work blends traditional elements with modern techniques, inspired by the beauty of Country, especially native botanicals, and the cultural knowledge passed through generations. Lauren says that creating is how she honours her Ancestors, and share stories that carry meaning, memory and connection.
JES HALLAGAN
Jes is the co-founder and managing director at Dangerous Females and collaborates with artists to create the charity’s much coveted limited-edition tees. She works with charity partners to maximise the impact of fundraising and starts important conversations around domestic violence.
SALLY STEELE
Born in Glasgow, Sally is a creative strategist, advisor, mindset mentor, speaker and author. In February 2022, the world changed irrevocably for Sally and her two teenage daughters, when Jason, her beloved husband of 28 years, died unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm. Since being widowed, Sally speaks and writes of her eternal optimism and genuine appreciation for life in the face of the unimaginable, rediscovering creativity as a healing tool and focusing on living a heart and value-led life of joy, peace, connection, prosperity and purpose.
KATIE ROBERTS
An environmental scientist with a passion for sustainable fashion, Katie is a master of many things: she’s been a research officer, yoga teacher, park ranger and part of the fashion teaching team at UniSC. Katie talks about behavioural economics and how to remove barriers to make personal change.
ME-MADE CHAT
PLUS! We’ll have a special makers chat hosted by Peppermint sewing manager Laura Jackson. No-one gives a pep talk like our Laura (truly, she is the master). She’ll be discussing creative purpose, sustainability, courage and community with a panel of sewists, including…
SUE-CHING LASCELLES
A multidisciplinary artist, predominantly working in textiles and soft sculpture, Sue-Ching is known for her playful sense of style, her passion for sustainability, repurposing and upcycling (and her famous tea towel dress!). Her new book, Making Happy Things, is all about having fun, embracing the making process and creating unique, joyful garments that make you feel happy.
KATIE WEYCHARDT
Katie is the talented and creative sewist behind the account @KatieMakesADress. You may have recently peeped her many versions of the cult-followed Roberts Wood Drafter’s Grid dresses (the first version of which she famously created out of tea towels and almost broke the internet) not to mention her triumphant range of dresses, hand-embroidered boilersuits, shorts, bras and swimwear makes. With a passion for the bright, the patterned, and the bespoke, Katie is more than a little bit inspiring.
ALICE VEIVERS
Alice is the founder of Alice Nightingale, a Brisbane-based label that uses secondhand, vintage and mindfully produced fabrics to create clothing that outlasts the cycles of fast fashion. Alice completed her diploma of fashion design and technology with a goal to create quality clothing in small quantities. Her designs are inspired by vintage trends and local flora and fauna.
JANE MILBURN
Jane established her purpose-driven business, Textile Beat, to promote natural fibres, upcycling and a creative approach to the way we dress. She is a sustainability consultant and the author of Slow Clothing: Finding Meaning in What We Wear.
And of course… our now-famous singalong!
If you came to the last PepTalks event, you’ll know how much of a hit the singalong at the end was. Hillary, the multi-talented founder of Cork And Chroma, is back to round out the night with a tune… nothing beats a good community karaoke to dust off the cobwebs and feel some connection!
PepTalks 2025 is a night made for gathering together – add three or more tickets to your cart and use the code PEPPALS20 for 20% off the total price!
Coming solo? Our events are made for finding your people, so don’t be afraid to grab your ticket now!
Please note this is an 18+ event.
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
Brighten up your inbox with our not-too-frequent emails featuring Peppermint-related news, events, competitions and more!
explore
More articles
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…. Which means we are officially entering party season. Work parties, friend-dos, family get-togethers and then we’re straight…
Hang out with us on Instagram
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. 🌿
If your fingers are twitching for some crafting, take a peep at this massive list of marvellous makes that can be whipped up in a flash, put together by our Sewing Manager Laura. Ok yes, it was originally a roundup we created for easy Christmas gifts, but now it can be your blueprint for easy craft wins to go on your 2026 making must-do list!
If money and time are slim for you right now – as they are for many of us – these 22 projects will help you avoid the chaos and consumerism of the malls, scratch that creative itch and produce a fun me-made make that won’t break the bank.
Link in bio! 🪡🎨✂️
#PeppermintMagazine #MeMadeGifts #DIYs #EasyWins
"I, like so many of my fellow sewists, live a life of endless lists of ‘to-sew’ patterns, fabrics and garments. My stitchy to-do list is longer than my arm and it ain’t getting any shorter. There are just so many wonderful surface pattern designers, indie pattern-makers and small businesses who I want to support, that I am simply never short of inspiration for garments I’d like to sew. But you know what just does not seem to make its way to the top of the list? Pyjamas. Jimmy-jams, PJs, jarmies. They just don’t rate highly enough for me to commit time and fabric to them. I mean, barely anyone even gets to see them. The ratio of bang vs buck is low on the ‘thanks-I-made-it-ometer’."
You’ve probably heard it from your Nan: always wear nice undies, because you never know what might happen! (And who might catch a glimpse.) But just in case the unexpected happens while you’re slumming it at home in your washed out tracky dacks, Peppermint sewing manager Laura Jackson’s adding pretty PJs to her list of preferred ‘ghost outfits’… Because shuffling off this mortal coil can be perfectly stylish, too.
Read more of `Haunt Couture: Why Laura Jackson Decided To Up Her Pyjama Game` at the link in our bio!
Words and photos: @Laura_The_Maker 💤
#PJPatterns #MeMadePJs #Pyjamas #GhostOutfit
STAY SOFT ☁️
We love when some of our friends collide! And this collab between @SueChingLascelles and the legends at @DangerousFemales is a goodie.
From Sue-Ching:
New year, new mantra babes, because we tried being tough and it was exhausting. So now we’re going to lead with kindness and compassion and see what happens. We have nothing to lose! So let’s stay soft this year. Love ourselves and each other.
New limited edition tee designed by me for @DangerousFemales. 100% of the profits go to supporting DV services. Available NOW and did I mention limited edition? Such a cutie reminder for the year we’re going to have. The year we deserve to have.
BIG LOVE ya big SOFTIES 🤍
Sue-Ching x
Photos by @AMRPhotographer_
#DangerousFemales #DVAwareness #StaySoft
Furred, feathered, fishy, scaled… The pets we choose are as diverse as our personalities. (And apparently, quite often we resemble each other.) But they all deserve to be cared for in ways guaranteed to keep them safe, healthy, and happy. Basically, to be loved – something most of us pet lovers go to great (often expensive) lengths to achieve! (Looking at you, ginger furball, claiming my just-washed bathrobe as today’s fave bed…)
But if you’re concerned about the environment, you might experience cognitive dissonance about the impact your favourite fluffy’s having on the planet. Our pets’ needs are complicated: food, toys, bedding, accessories, and… wait for it… poo patrol paraphernalia. Turns out pets have quite the carbon paw print! So, what to do?
Start by picking more sustainable pet products and eco-friendly pet accessories, and thinking outside of the (litter) box about waste disposal. We’ve gone digging to find some (by no means all!) of the brands that keep both pet welfare and planet front of mind.
Read more at the link in our bio!
🐶🐱🐍🐹🐤
#SustainablePets #AnimalPawPrint #CarbonFootprint #EcoPets
