Meet The Crafters: Mecino

The first maker featured in this Meet The Crafters series is lovely Michelle from Mecino.

Tell us about what you sell ...
I sell a range of handmade vintage and contemporary jewellery. I use brass, copper, silver, Swarovski crystals, glass and pearls. I love unique charms that are a little quirky and fun. I love people discovering new little charms at my market stalls and making them smile through my jewellery :)


What inspires you?
Fairy Tales, childhood memories, romance and a whimsical world.

What's your favourite medium to work in?
Pearls, crystals, cameos and lockets.

What would you be lost without ....
My husband, who always encourages me, my family, my little dogs and my creativity.


What's your fave crafty read?
Frankie magazine and DUST.

Your proudest crafty moment?
When I received my copy of Melbourne Bride Magazine, to find my necklace made the cover, and other pieces were featured within the magazine.


Are you working on something new for this market?
Yes, I am currently designing a new range made up of freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystals, finished with pretty French charms. This is a new range and will be available at markets in early 2010.


What's your favourite street, suburb or city for crafty delights?
I would have to say Brunswick, Northcote, Thornbury, Preston - mainly the inner northern suburbs. I always come across really crafty people when out and about and stores that support handmade products and local crafters.

Where else can people shop for your goodies?
www.mecino.com.au

Come one, come all!

The calendar informs us it's only two weeks until the next Northside Makers Market - hope you've enjoyed your break because it's market season again!


As always we've created an event listing on Facebook so you can easily invite all your friends and help promote Northside Makers Market around teh interwebz. Click here and start sending out those invitations!

If you can help by putting up a Northside Makers Market poster in your workplace, school, childcare centre or nearest poster-covered powerpole send us an email at northsidemakers [at] gmail.com and we'll send some out to you! We also have A6 flyers available which are just right for leaving on the counter at your favourite cafe (get the manager's permission first!).

Northside Makers Market is operated by volunteers - help us make your market great.

Craft Hope

In amongst all the posts for Valentines Day crafts, I stumbled across this one ...

Craft Hope is an initiative of a number of crafty women who wanted to make a difference. Sale from their etsy shop are rapidly approaching $10,000 and proceeds go towards the Doctors without Borders. If you are feeling helpless like I am, perhaps this is something you can do.

All proceeds of the Craft Hope Etsy shop will benefit Doctors Without Borders in Haiti. All items have been generously donated by the crafting community. If you'd like to donate an item please visit the Craft Hope website (www.crafthope.com).

We are humbled, overwhelmed, and grateful for everyone who has supported this shop. We will continue to accept donations through Wednesday 1/20. After that point we will take a short break to be able to get systems in order to go forward. You can read more on the Craft Hope website. The shop will remain open.

Find all of the information you need at these links:

• Craft Hope for Haiti etsy shop
• Craft Hopes main site (to donate an item)
• Doctors without Borders

Coffee, Craft and Community

What a start to the year it has been! Many people who do regular markets see January as "my crafty time", a chance to make for themselves after the madness of Christmas. While you've been enjoying creating pretty little things, the Northside Makers Committee have met and nutted out a few things for the first quarter of the year.


As most of you know, we have a market scheduled for 6th February, so we are busy going through applications and there are lots of them. If you have applied but not heard, do not fear, our online widgets have your details and we are hoping to have most of the applicants processed by the end of next week.

But we thought we would kick off the start of the year with another of our Coffee and Craft events at CERES. Good fair trade coffee and yummy gluten free cakes ... The weather man says that the weather is going to be fine, with a few light showers. We'll get a table under cover and enjoy the non-45 degree days! Bring along a hand-crafting project to work on as we gossip, sip and sup. If you don't have a project you're welcome to come along anyway!

Event: Coffee and Craft
When: Sunday 17th January, 2010
Where: CERES Environment Park, at the Cafe
Cnr Roberts and Stewart Streets, Brunswick East, Victoria, 3057 (Enter from Blyth street near Merri Creek)
Time: 1pm to 3pm

Other events we have planned for the first months of 2010 are:

6th February: Northside Makers Market, 9.30am - 2.30pm
17th February: Cider and Craft @ Northcote Social, 7.30pm - 9.30pm
6th March: Screen Printing workshop, all day
13th March: Northside Makers Market, 10:30am - 3:30pm
3rd April: Daylesford Daytrip, all day

More information will be released closer to the events. Keep your eye out for booking details for the screenprinting and daytrip events because participant numbers are limited! If you have ideas for events, or you would like to host a workshop, drop us a line at northsidemakers [at] gmail [dot] com or come along this Sunday for a coffee and share your ideas.

Northside Makers is a not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers.
All offers of assistance and ideas are welcomed with open arms. Be involved, make a difference.

Threads of Connection

2010 is the Embroiderers Guild of Victoria's 50th anniversary year. They have a special exhibition scheduled at the Shrine of Rememberance.

The following is taken from their web site:

THREADS OF CONNECTION :
A SPECIAL EXHIBITION AT THE SHRINE

Birdwood Avenue
South Yarra, VIC
(Melway ref: 2F J12)
(03) 9661 8100
Email - reception@shrine.org.au
Friday January 29 - Sunday May 9
10-5 daily (closed Good Friday)

The exhibition shows articles of textiles and embroidery worked in connection with any armed conflict in which Australia has been involved.

Items may have been worked to alleviate boredom, as patriotic home crafts, as a war necessity (such as socks or uniform), as part of rehabilitation, or as a keepsake or love token.

These talks are free but interested people should book:

• Friday 29 January, 12:30pm
  Threads of connection: wartime embroidery
  Presenter: Jane Peek, Curator, The Australian War Memorial


• Tuesday 23 February, 2pm
  Textile conservation workshop
  Presenter: Bronwyn Cosgrove, Textile Conservator, NGV

New Tricks

Want to learn a new skill in 2010? DoMore.com.au has a wealth of short courses around Australia not only in arts and crafts, but also food, languages, recreation and more. Here's a quick link to their selection of crafty courses around Melbourne.

If that's whetted your appetite, take a look at courses available through some of your local neighbourhood houses and community centres:

Thornbury Women's Neighbourhood House

Holden Street Neighbourhood House North Fitzroy

Preston Neighbourhood House

Jika Jika Community Centre Northcote

Brunswick Neighbourhood House

Fawkner Community House

Nicholson Street Community House East Coburg

Sussex Neighbourhood House Coburg North

Image by Ballymena U3A

6th February Market Applications open!

Crafty peeps, start your engines!

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Applications are now open for the 6th February Northside Makers Market

Just click on the link above to use our funky online application form.

Things to note:

• The process is not first in best dressed, but rather local artisans, members, community centers and first time stallholders get first consideration. In the interests of representing Melbourne's northern suburbs we've defined 'north' as the cities of Yarra, Darebin and Moreland.

• Remembering how hot the start of February was last year the running times for this market have been changed to 9:30am to 2:30pm. This allows shoppers to visit the market before the day gets too hot and means those with outdoor stalls won't be roasting on High St all afternoon. The different time will be listed on the February market poster, our advertisements and all online promotions.

• Please be mindful of your 2 x 2mtr space restrictions with indoor and outdoor stalls. Don't be offended if we ask you to take down a rack or stand because it impinges on other stalls.


• Outdoor stall applicants need to be prepared for four seasons in one day! As the market will be going ahead, come rain hail or shine........

Also please do not forget to email through images of your products to northsidemakers [at] gmail.com. Images need to be under 500kb each. If you have had a stall with us before, no need to email pictures again unless your product range has changed.

We look forward to seeing all the fabulous new things you've made over Christmas and the new year and having another fantastic market day for all.........