Potatoes for Progress
- Words by Peppermint
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. As founder and friend-of-Peppermint Ellie Beck explains: “We are in a town that is dwindling; where people easily drive up the coast for discount and major shops rather than shop local, ethical or handcrafted. Like other towns across Australia who have had to face renew and revive or die situations, Murwillumbah needs some fun, hands-on acts of creative artiness!” If you’re keen to be part of this support, Hey Maker! are having their first public event – a Potato Print Pop Up – this weekend, using locally-grown potatoes and recycled cardboard and display products. It’s free and all are welcome, so if you want to be champion of local art and design (and get more intimate with a potato than you probably have in a while), be sure to head along.
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We werenβt designed to carry this much emotional grief and world-wide trauma on an ongoing basis. Just know youβre not alone. Itβs ok to not be ok. π«Άπ»
Image from @PeopleIveLoved: βI am not sure my tiny brain was meant to understand this enormous grief.β
βWe love that we can bring a hint of imagination and whimsy into everyday life by making ordinary objects fun. Weβve learned to appreciate the little wins and to take a moment for each step we achieve.ββ
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Disillusioned by the realities of fast fashion, design grads Emily May and Sidonie Moore ditched clothing for a business that finds fun in the everyday. Enter @TheNonsenseMaker: a collection of unique homewares, fun wall art, greeting cards and more that breathe life into Emilyβs illustrations: βI love the idea of taking real-world objects and changing your perspective in a way that brings magic and whimsy into everyday life!ββ
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#PeppermintMagazine #TheNonsenseMaker #LocalMakers #SustainableCraft
Any New Yearβs resolutions on your list? We love this from @OtterBeeStitching - βbe brave enough to suck at something newβ.
Thereβs no points for perfection, but youβll get a trophy for trying. If nothing else this year, take the leap and try something new.
#OtterBeeStitching #Embroidery #BeBrave #TrySomethingNew #EmbroideryArt
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Gorgeous photos from @JolieFemmeStore - who make sweet garments from vintage bedsheets.
#PeppermintMagazine #SlowSunday #SwitchOff #Unplug #ReadAMagazine
A toast to the old you π₯
We wholeheartedly love this post from the brilliant @EmilyOnLife:
β2026: Reinvent, burn it down, let it go (whatever it is). Year of the Snake it up. Exercise your boundaries, exercise your body, take one teeny step every day towards a life that feels better to be in.
But donβt you dare shit on your old self while you do it.
Hold yourself with reverence and tenderness and respect, because you got you this far. You did your very best with the information and tools you had at the time. You scraped yourself together, you made it work, you survived what felt impossible to survive: again and again and again.
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