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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Sunday serving suggestion ☀️
Gorgeous photos from @JolieFemmeStore - who make sweet garments from vintage bedsheets.
#PeppermintMagazine #SlowSunday #SwitchOff #Unplug #ReadAMagazine
A toast to the old you 🥂
We wholeheartedly love this post from the brilliant @EmilyOnLife:
“2026: 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 don’t 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.
You are perpetually in the process of becoming, whether you can feel it or not, whether or not you add it to your 2026 to-do list.“
Some very wise words from @Damon.Gameau to take us into 2026 🙌🏼
⭐️ We made it!!! ⭐️
Happy New Year, friends. To those who smashed their goals and achieved their dreams, and to those who are crawling over the finish line hoping to never speak of this year again (and everyone else in between): we made it. However you got here is enough. Be proud.
It’s been a tough year for many of us in small business, so here’s to a better year in 2026. We’re forever grateful for all your support and are jumping for joy to still be here bringing you creativity, kindness and community.
We’re also excited to be leaping into the NY with our special release sewing pattern – the Waratah Wrap Dress!
How great are our fabulous models: @Melt.Stitches, @KatieMakesADress and @Tricky.Pockets - and also our incredible Sewing Manager @Laura_The_Maker! 🙌🏼
Ok 2026: let’s do this. 💪🏼
#PeppermintWaratahWrapDress #PeppermintPatterns #SewingPattern #MeMade #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
Putting together our annual Stitch Up brings on all the feels! We feel humbled that you’ve chosen to sew Peppermint patterns, we feel inspired by the versions you’ve created and we feel proud of you.
Where to begin?! As always, there has been a plethora of Peppermint patterns flooding our feeds this year, and we wish we could showcase more than just a handful of magnificent makes from you, our clever community. We encourage you to flip through the me-made items in your wardrobe or scroll through your grid and remind yourself of the beauty you’ve created with your own two hands (and maybe a seam ripper and some choice words). Congratulations to all of us for our creative achievements this year!
We’ve put together some (but absolutely not all) of our favourites from 2025 over on our website. We hope it inspires your next make!
🪡 Link in bio 🪡
Pictured: @FrocksAndFrouFrou @MazzlesMakes @KatieMakesADress @_Marueli_ @IUsedToBeACurtain @Nanalevine.Couture @PiperInFullColour @MadeByMeJessieB @SarahMalkawi @Made.By.Little.Mama
#PeppermintPatterns #SewingPatterns #MeMade #MeMadeEveryday
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For Perth photographer Amanda Battle, the deep blue has brought sisterhood and second chances. Growing up in Shoalwater Marine Park, the ocean was both her playground and sanctuary, and a balm for body and soul during challenging times. Born from her own healing journey, Amanda’s @WomenOfWaterProject, book and documentary showcases a community of women who found belonging and connection in shared experiences in the ocean.
“Every single woman arrived with her own story – grief, trauma, joy, resilience – and every single woman showed up exactly as they were in that moment. Photographing over 100 women in the ocean for the Women of Water book has been the most humbling privilege of my life.”
Discover Amanda’s work and story in ‘Saltwater salve’ in issue 64, at newsagents and stockists now!
#PeppermintMagazine #WomenOfWater #OceanTherapy #DeepBlue #OceanPhotography
