Well today I braved the markets here in Perth...with the 3 monkeys...MAD?...quite possibly but actually except for a little 5 minute post cupcake madness they were as good as gold :)
Actually I must admit that Mr 3 was out cold for most of our market adventure...2 hours of beach play whilst his sister surf life saved was the perfect thing to do before! ;)
Market Girl was fun...really lovely fun...not so busy it was hard with a dual pram and not so quiet that the stallholders looked bored...a great selection of clothing, toys, art and more...the only thing I would have liked to see more of was artisan food and drink from local producers (thats the English country girl in me :)
The girls loved the free craft activities and the little stores of items that every little girl would dream of...and when he awoke my son was most thrilled with the cinnamon swirls and toy animals he could ride :)
I always think Markets are interesting especially in the Online Marketplace/Facebook times...where there is here in Australia a plethora of handmade designers, artists and more... all vying for online likers and sales and where a good photo can sell an average item and an average photo can leave an exceptional design on the shelf so to speak :) Markets enable me as a customer to see truly the delight of a piece, the cleverness of it, how it feels, the quality and the love and care of the person who has made it or the love a person has for the product they are selling...as a retailer...markets open my eyes to how wonderful the community is but also give me confidence that I too could do this.
I am writing this post to share some of my most favourite experiences of the day from Market Girl and some true delights not just the designs but also the people I met...the stand outs...with 3 monkeys as you can imagine I didnt get to all the stalls ;) but those mentioned are the ones that really for me made mine and the monkeys day!
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| Diddums Designs gorgeous Nautical style dungaree dress |
Diddums Designs...I first met Victoria in a lift...funny but true...back in July when I nervously trundled my designs and set up to the Made On the Left markets in William St...unfortunately as I manned the stall alone I didnt get to really look at her designs there...but her kind manner and the quality of what I did see...made her stall one I was very excited to get to see today...and WOW! I think...point in case made here about exceptional work and design and creativity sometimes not always grabbing you from the screen...seriously this lady has style and her designs are unique, exquisite ,creative,stunning, stylish, witty...I literally was head over heels in love...I cannot wait to shop Diddums online and hopefully at more markets soon!
Lalaland an eclectic selection of stunning dresses and more, in such vibrant colours and beautiful fabrics and then the zip purses and other accessories were simply gorgeous! My Miss 5 has already asked if Father Christmas knows where to get the simply best cupcake purse ;) She can be found locally at
Fremantle Markets on the weekends...so I think Santa's little helper will have to have a monkey free visit in a couple of weeks...or I will have one dissappointed girl!
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| selection of Emma's wares from her Facebook page |
My Little Hands a beautiful selection of handmade bedding, sleepwear and clothing, Emma was so friendly and her little apple skirts well...simply scrumptious!
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| Milly and Mummy's Stall at Market Girl |
Milly and Mummy are relatively new to the scene...and Bec admitted she had been very nervous before going to market...I honestly cannot see why as her designs, the vibrancy, and the use of fabrics was delightful... she showed me a beautiful cushion she had made for her daughter...all I can say is watch Becs store closely online and keep an eye out for her at markets as her work is definately a must have :)
We are lucky enough to be friends personally with the wonderful artist behind
Funkydory- another british bird ;) ...her robot and bird clocks are individually made by hand with exquisite and funky details...something very special for any little boy or girl or infact anyone! My Miss 5 literally squealed with delight when she heard we were going to see Jacq at the market...and told me that she knew exactly that she wanted a clock and she knew she couldnt have one today but could she pick one out and let Jacq know how beautiful it was :) even before we got into the market...she had clambered down the steps and ran across to Funkydory's stall to do just that!
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| Funky Dory Cuckoo Clock with wings |
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| Amanda from Designer Mumma at Market Girl |
Designer Mumma is also a personal friend, but bias aside her dresses and sets were stand out...different, funky and definately more than just a pretty piece of clothing for a girl or a cool set for a boy...I was lucky enough to hear customers talking to her and walk away saying how beautiful/wonderful her work was...she also happened to be wearing a rather stylish dress ;) I wonder who made that for her!?!
I have to admit that Market Girl fell on my totally 'no $' week so I wasnt able to buy much bar food to bribe the monkeys...but...I did purchase one item that really just jumped out at me...evoking fond memories of child hood and creating...FIMO! Hats off to the lovely Jo from
Kit-n-kaboodle who had a table set up where children could create and take home a little FIMO design to bake and treasure (a big winnner with mine!) and then the love of this fabulous product shone through in her wonderful manner and enthusiasm :) I cannot wait to sit down with them and create a Jingle Bells scene hours of fun and years to treasure their creations for just $25 :)
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| My daughters favourite stall 'Poppy and Bea' |
A big thank you to the lovely lady at
Poppy and Bea...she patiently played fishes with my girls and let my daughter pick up her items in delight...and when I can...I will be going online to buy some gorgeous clips and hair bands and more very soon! I also loved the way that my youngest interacted with her...showing her all we had bought or had in our pram and the kindness she showed by listening and ooooing and arring in the right spots ;) MAGIC
Other stalls which looked wonderful but I just didnt get to stop and look at were
Mary and Ivor,
Owl and The Elephant,
Little Red Child,
Pebble Lane Studio just to name a few...and a big thanks to the lovely Kali at
Zooba...seriously if I didnt have to everything x 3 I would have grabbed one of the funky ride on animals just for your beautiful kindness :)
I hope everyone had as lovely a day as we did :) and that for those who couldn't make it this little post maybe gives you a taste of some of the best in the WEST <3 and dont forget to head to
Designer Mumma and
Monkeys Over The Moon on Facebook on Weds 23rd November at 5pm WST for our post Market sale !
