Finders Keepers Wrap Up

Yes, it's long overdue, but here it is! My first Finders Keepers experience. Putting the final touches on my stall (the biggest I have ever had!) A big thanks goes to Tess for lending me her gorgeous floral tablecloths, and to Sue (Tom's mum) for giving me her brand-spanking new wooden dish rack for my postcard display.

Helper #1: Tom (my beloved!)
Carrier of heavy bags and boxes, director of taxi drivers and Sunday's super salesman.

Helper #2: Gina (my mum!)
Tidier of displays, a bringer of lunch and Saturday's super saleswoman.

I almost completely sold out of my plastic illustrated brooches on the first day of the markets!
At the moment I am trialling different ways to futher impove these brooches and come up with new designs, so you might not see them for some time. Hooray for cross-stitch! These are so much fun to make, and with a growing number of designs you can collect them! Designs so far include (but are not limited to): acorns, anchors, bunnies, coffee, cats, diamonds, hearts, moustaches, icecream, bows, alphabet, pears, spools of thread, pine trees...

In the lead up to Finders Keepers, I made 500 badges. Some were illustrated, some used my own photographs, some were made of origami paper and some were covered with fabric. Making badges is so satisfying for me. The instant gratification of pressing a few layers together to create a wearable object is rather magical. I think it's the kid within me.

By Sunday's end I completely sold out of my Vintage Valentine fridge magnets. I know Teneale from Wicked Child Designs snapped one up for herself!

Speaking of magnets, I have new designs to show you! These shadow magnets are quite sizeable, perfect for holding those hard-to-stick-down notices or even two smaller memos. I've illustrated five different silhouettes, which include a little girl, lamb, piglet, bunny and squirrel (my favourite!) These will be available in my Etsy and MadeIt stores very soon!
Did you know that I now have seven different tote bag designs? I almost can't believe it! So hands up if you like Mushrooms, Pigeons, Crafting, Dinosaurs, Silly Kids, Dala Horses, and Fancy Cats! My latest designs will be listed in my online stores this week, so keep your eyes peeled!

Gasp! What's this?! New products, yay!
My 'Word Up' Scrabble tile necklaces are an idea I have been sitting on for years, but have only just recently had the time and correct supplies to execute it. These necklaces are chunky, bold and fun. Each piece is coated in a clear, glossy resin and connected with a nickel-coloured chain and clasp. These particular necklaces are covered with varying fabrics on the reverse, however the next 'batch' will have something very different and slick. I can't wait to show you all!
As usual, I had my animal menagerie with me in the form of pendant necklaces galore! So many found new homes over the weekend, I hope you are all enjoying them!
There are now six postcard designs for you all to choose from and at $2 a pop they make great gifts and stocking stuffers. New designs include:

The Joy In Discovery
Owl Always Be Here For You
EnidWhat did you find at Finders Keepers?

I didn't have much time to leave my stall and wander around, but I think that's probably for the best, as the array of art, design and craft on offer would have sent me to heaven, and my wallet to the grave.

Some favourite stalls include:

Lauren Carney Art
Penelope and Pip
Frankie Magazine
Cat Rabbit
Delilah Devine
Paper Boat Press
Tree Party Design
REread Design
Miss Dish
Courtney Brims
Red Revival
Ra Ra Superstar
Leeloo

Enoggera Terrace Bazaar!

I didn't mention it on this blog because it was all rather last minute, but Pannikin took part as a stall holder last night (third time running) at the Enoggera Terrace Bazaar put on by Cheap Frills, a group composed of three really awesome girls: Aimee, Jessica and Sarah McVeigh.

The night runs from 6pm - 9pm and is all about finding those stand-out vintage numbers you simply just have to have. The range of vintage and retro clothing and accessores never disappoint, as they have all been selected by seasoned opshoppers, thifters and garage-sailers from all over Australia (and sometimes from across the other side of the world!)

Now seeing as you have collected your booty of clothing, shoes and bags, why stop there? Handmade jewellery and accessory stalls provide you with that quirky, arty touch to add to your ensemble.

If you exhausted all your moolah on clothes but still have a few pretty pennies left over you could still pick yourself up a nice set of vintage-inspired postcards, magnets and bags from A Beautiful Calamity. My friend/housemate Tess runs this label and I was lucky enough to be able to share a stall with her on the night. (Very handy when you can take turns minding the stall while the other shops their little heart out!) Did you come along to the Bazaar? What did you find?

I picked up this hideous (read: marvellous) green/brown highwaisted pencil skirt which makes me think of my absolute favourite film, Ghost World. The only other item I bought was a gorgeous cream frock with red buttons, a small red diamond print and pleats galore. It was made in West Germany and makes me want to go eat burgers (the vegetarian kind!) and shakes (on soy milk - lest I get tummy aches!)

Sunday Suitcase Rummage in September!

Yesterday was the first Sunday of the month and that means the Suitcase Rummage was on!
There's something about these markets that makes it that teeny bit different to other markets. It's not crazy strict with rules, it's laidback in terms of stall set-up and the vibe is great! A huge thanks to Danielle and Isabel for starting these markets.
Even though the market technically starts at midday, shoppers started arriving as early as 11am/11:30 am! This is why I turn up super early so I can have as much time as possible to set up. Lucky I didn't have any bus hassles today!

As I didn't get to spend my prettie pennies at the BiDM the previous day, I was more than happy to pick up a few items that caught my eye. I finally found myself a nice pair of brand new black flat shoes at the Polly Gone stall to replace my other numerous pairs of black flats that have started to get a bit worn out.

I also bought a super sweet fabric goat brooch from Simmone at the Little Orchard stall and some sailor kitty iron on patches from Jimmy (which I will use to decorate a white dress which looks like a nurses uniform but is actually an old school uniform I picked up from an opshop). Another favourite purchase was a gorgeous cream coloured vintage hat from Rock City. It has black and navy netting and a cream bow; the seller told me it was originally her Great Great Grandmothers! I was awestruck!
I also scored my third pair of tortishell sunglasses and this incredibly kitsch framed cat cross-stitch from the lovely lasses behind Ahoy! Dear Sailor. Isn't is great?! When I move house I plan to completely deck out my hallway with these! (They also swapped me two other framed cross-stitcherys for an illustrated skull brooch - I TOLD you they were lovely!)

What did you find at the Suitcase Rummage? I'd love to hear all about it!

BrisStyle Indie Market Wrap Up!

Hallo!
I was so keen to blog about the BrisStyle Indie Designers Market as soon as I arrived home Saturday afternoon, but by the time I got to my 'little nest' all I could think about was a ginormous feast followed by a nice big sleep.

So here I am, Monday morning, blogging my heart out about not one but two markets from the weekend! Market number two was Suitcase Rummage on Sunday, and boy am I glad the rainy weather didn't scare away the rummagers!

But first, let me tell you about Saturday's adventures.

6am saw me waiting with my two trollies for the 300 bus to Hamilton, where the BiDM was located. By 7am I was panicking because none of these buses went by - I checked the timetable and silly me forgot it was Saturday! The next bus came at 8am. What a wait! Listening to the Melvins at max volume on my phone helped calm me down.

I arrived at around 8:20am, frazzled and shaky - setting up a market stall quickly is a wee bit hard for an almost-perfectionist. Especially when you have 300+ badges plus other items to organise into specific spots. I was lucky to have the helping hand of one of the ladies set up next to me (I have forgotten your name, but thank-you ever so much for helping me with the tablecloth, bunting and balloons!)

But all was well as I finished putting up the finishing touches on my stall, all by 9am!
From there it was such an enjoyable day. I was a wee bit worried that the weather would scare away a lot of market goers, but it seems not many were put off by a spot of drizzly rain or wind. My heart goes out to those who were set up outside and had to keep chasing fly-away stock and displays.

I met such a wonderful group of people and had a marvellous time. One lady was particularly impressed by Pip, my display doll. A little research that evening (with a few ideas to origins and names from Helen Berthold) reveals that little Pip is actually a Patch doll from the 1960's! She was the little sister to the popular Sindy dolls from the same decade and man they are the cutest things. I wish I had ALL of their clothes! I found Pip in an opshop in West End - she stuck out like a sore thumb amongst all the other toys so I took her home for the small price of $2.
At some point during the day, I managed to find a spare minute to skip over to Enticing Icing to buy the biggest (and possibly the most delicious) chocolate chip cookie I have ever seen. It was the size of a pancake!

It's almost sad packing up after a BrisStyle market - you have so much fun during the day you wish you could hang out and talk with everyone for the rest of the afternoon, but come 2pm I had become super worn-out and all I could think about was a big nap after I hauled my gear back home.

So a big thanks to everyone who came along to the BrisStyle Indie Designers Market and braved the iffy weather. Also, thanks to those designers who stopped by my stall to have a chat; you really made my day.

Here are a few more piccies from the day:

Join The Party At The BrisStyle Indie Designers Market!

Well, it's another super busy week here at Pannikin headquarters!

This week I am gearing up for a big day out at the BrisStyle Indie Designers Market, which is being held on Saturday 4th September from 9am til 2pm at St. Augustine's Church Hall, Racecourse Rd, Hamilton.

I'm super excited for this one, as my stall will be PARTY THEMED! Yessiree, I am planning on taking you back in time to your 2nd grade birthday party with a stall decked out with colourful bunting and balloons galore!

NEW illustrated badges celebrating the festive party theme will also be on offer - think kitties with party hats, popcorn, cake, lollies, games and more!

Of course, no party is complete without candy, so drop by and help yourself to some yummies from the big lolly jar to keep you going throughout the day. Oh, and you can't leave without your purchased packed up safely in one of my printed party favour bags!

*Party hats optional but encouraged!

See you on Saturday, lovelies! x

Valley Laneway Markets: Pannikin's Return!

I returned to California Lane on Sunday 29th August to hold another stall at the Valley Laneway Markets, and even though it was a much slower day, I still had a lovely time chilling out with Tom and getting to know my stall-neighbours.

(On my left side was Rachael, who makes pretty earrings, clips and headbands from lace, ribbon, buttons and beads. On my right side, the super sweet Bianca, who not only has incredible art skills but also an enviable bunch of suitcases, filled to the brim with vintage and retro clothes, shoes and records for you to sift through. I bought the coolest turban from her - it makes me feel like some kind of crazy mix of 70's flowerpower-gypsy-housewife!

(PS. The blouse is from another wonderful lass by the name of Kiara Notaras, who makes the sweetest purses from repurposed material and shared a stall at the VLM with her fiance, artist Angus Wheelan (who paints, creates mixed media artworks and is equally wonderful). You can catch the pair selling fun things at Suitcase Rummage, Sunday 5th September.

During the lead-up to the market, I managed to find time to sew up 10 brand-spanking new clip-on bowties! These are made from a variety of thrifted fabrics taken from vintage dresses, linen, ties, pillowcases and my personal stash of Japanese quilting fabric and other fun remnants.
My outfit that day included a bowtie I had created for myself from a length of wide, pink velvet ribbon. Since I have started making these, I have amassed a collection of more than 10 handmade bowties to add to my stash of 6+ thrifted ones.
On Wednesday I dedicated my time (roughly 7 hours from start to finish, no stopping!) creating a mix of 35 hand-illustrated plastic brooches and, drumroll please...rings!

I am particularly fond of the cute teeth and moody cloud rings. Oh and the mini teacup rings for the little ladies. And for the 'tuff kids', the skull brooch (which is similar in design to my 'Dinner Date with Death' postcard illustration.
I aim to create a few new embroidered badges for my next market - are there any special requests? I will do my very best to accomodate them!

Be sure to pick up some flyers from my stall, as well as business cards so we can keep in touch! The VLM flyer has a very handy and simple to understand map of the 3 different laneways you can visit, and the pink BrisStyle flyer has every market date for the rest of the year!

Oh, and don't forgot to sign up to the Pannikin newsletter interest form! I'll be sending off newsletters very soon, when I catch up with a few things that are on my to-do list. Until then, please keep your eye on the Pannikin blog, facebook and twitter for updates!

The stall, all set up and complete with bunting and the ever-so-helpful companion, Tom!

Thanks to everyone who came along on the day, you are what make these markets happen.