once upon a time there were two brown owls

my name is kim, and i... am a marketaholic.

i can't get enough. if it's handmade and on a trestle table, i need to see it. and probably touch it, and coo over it, and add it to my 'i'm pretty sure i need that to live' list.

i'm sure that markets are the natural habitat for many a brown owl, raise your wing if you too thrive on that mix of inspiration and intimidation only to be found amongst the stalls of melbourne's finest crafters...

well then gather 'round, my dear strigiformes, so i can tell you about my saturday adventure with my lovely friend aisha (winner of 2009 'brown owl with the best finnish accent').

stop 1: sister's market, 233 sydney rd, brunswick. www.sistersmarket.com.au

(lampshades in foreground are from 'hibernate design').

shout outs to mixtape for letting me in on this little gem. set in the charming brunswick town hall, this market is run on a saturday every 2 months. 13th june is the next date for your diaries ladies, and be sure to take a peek. you might have guessed from the name, there is quite a girly vibe so it's a great one to take your mum/sister (der)/nanna to. if you have a member of the male species in tow, maybe scroll down to stop 3 for a better option (and by the way, where did you find one that is interested in craft markets? nice one!).

There is also lots on offer to spruce up your little'uns. thanks to aisha for the reminder that it would be unethical to bear children with the sole intention of dressing them in market clothing.

After a quick whip around (secondary to poor parking decision), i picked up an incredible pair of earrings from 'this is' for $15. It might be hard to see in the photo (i love my mac, but close-ups don't appear to be her strength), they are little teensy tiny origami cranes! after close inspection, i'm assuming that they are paper dipped in some kind of plastic to make them a bit rubbery and stop them from getting squashed. awesome. aisha got some brooches that looked like little teensy tiny envelopes from 'madz has runaway', and so it was clear that the more miniature something was, the more we fell in love with it. if that wasn't enough to smile about, the sister's market also supports beyondblue- the national depression initiative. grin.

After a hurried re-parking maneuver, it was on to...

stop 2: episode (recycled clothing), 175-179 sydney rd, brunswick.

ok, so it's not technically craft, but i know all of you trendy owls will dig it so it's worth a mention. also on sydney rd brunswick, this shop is like a big 'ol pool of vintage goodness just begging you to dive in. there are endless racks to trawl through, so make sure you have some time up your sleeve. i had my heart set on a long brown patterned skirt from germany, but since i am yet to convince centrelink to introduce a vintage clothing allowance, i had to be content with holding it up to myself and doing a few 'fraulein maria' twirls. the prices aren't in the op-shop range, but they aren't snobby boutique style either, they find a happy medium and it's still a fair bit less than you might pay for a new item of clothing. with bonus coolness and recyclyness.

stop 3: rose st market, fitzroy. www.rosestmarket.com.au

this half indoor, half outdoor market is on every saturday and like i mentioned earlier, has a bit more on offer for the testosteroned ones in your life. it's well worth a look, with quite a few stalls that i haven't seen at any other market. i picked up a bookmark made from the spine of a pre-loved book for $3 from 'rebound books'. i couldn't resist after my housemate had complained that morning about her "disgusting habit" of using receipts as bookmarks.... ew?

anyway, problem solved.

i was a little chuffed after one of the stallholders (selling jewellery made from second-hand cutlery) complimented me on my new paper crane earrings.

Another great thing about this market is that it's only a stone's throw from brunswick st, so if you get a little peckish (as we owl's often do) you could head somewhere like...

stop 4: bimbo deluxe, 376 brunswick st, fitzroy. www.bimbodeluxe.com.au

again, not craft, because the pizza here is ART. this is old news for melbournites, but if you are new in town add it to your 'induction to melbs' criteria. if you have an indecisive companion like my dear aisha, possibly get yourself a copy of the menu early for pre-selection purposes. there are too many good choices! aisha had a salmon one (note the wink of approval) and i went with a dessert pizza -Belgian dark chocolate and marscapone- to satisfy my demanding sweet tooth and partly out of curiosity...

also get a seat upstairs in the courtyard if you can, and marvel at the beautiful people under the enormous metal lanterns.

that's all for now brown owls, it's time to uncross my eyes from staring at this screen...

looking forward to seeing you all at a meet soon (when i manage to RSVP on time) and sharing some more of my crafty adventures and distaste for capital letters on the blog.

kim

xx