Malvern - beautiful discoveries while racing the ticking toddler time bomb!

Last Sunday 30 May saw me attending my first Mathilda's Market with a friend. And this friend was quite short and very demanding. She was cranky one moment and the next minute, was beaming beatific smiles in the direction of stallholders and shoppers. Talk about high maintenance! Oh, and she tired easily, especially after being  being wheeled on her second lap around the Malvern Town Hall. Yes, it was my 15-month-old, and delightful as I think she is, next time I'll be flying solo!  

Despite the few hardships of attending Mathilda's Market while toddler-wrangling, there was so so much to enjoy about the day. It was just a joy to stroll into the Town Hall a little after after 9am and see the KidStyleFile stall right before us. It was their debut strutting their stuff at Mathilda's Market, and already the team were busy handing out stickers and chatting to passers-by about their most splendid website. (If you love Mathilda's Market and all things boutique and unique, be sure to check out KidStyleFile). It was a particular highlight for me to meet KSF's Angela - looking absolutely smashing in an Aunty Ollie frock (this one, to be precise!) Love your work, Ange!

Oh, by the way, there were too many wonderful stallholders to mention individually here, and it's safe to say that EVERY designer and creator at Mathilda's Market in Malvern did an absolutely divine job of making their stalls look oh-so-inviting. So forgive me for not mentioning you all - this is merely an overview of my morning at Mathilda's!

Knuffle Kid's winter range looked so stunning - especially those very smart Moonface Capes. Check out the Knuffle Kid gallery here. On we went to chat to Kate and Sarah from Woolly Wugs - all the way from S.A with their gorgeous handcrafted baby blankets and sleeping bags. I would have loved to have said hi to Michelle from Kid With Crayons, but I caught her at a rather busy time, surrounded by a throng of shoppers. But I'm a big admirer of the way Kids With Crayons turn children's artwork into beautiful keepsakes to display around the home - visit their corner of the online world here.

I snapped up some some food storage containers from Klickbox - a little lunchbox, plus a small container that's great for dried fruit, and  a cup, and I've used them non-stop all week. They were very reasonably priced - I'll most certainly be back for more! (Lids that attach to the actual lunchbox? Genius!)

Oishi-m are creating undeniably funky, fabulous pants for babies and infants that they descibe as being indestructible - and we all love that! I noticed many people milling around their space throughout the entire morning. I also loved the extensive range of environmentally-friendly and organic garments from Mulberry Tree Organic, and it was lovely to meet Nicky, the woman behind the brand (although Edie was starting to get super restless by this stage!)

My big purchase for the day was a very stylish mini couch from Teeny Me, which I ordered on the Sunday and had in the loungeroom by Tuesday - yay! This is the print I selected. It's a big hit with Edie's dad, who seems to love lolling around on it while I'm cooking dinner. Hmmmm ... !

And perhaps my favourite discovery for the day was MM is for me. What a great concept this is! Chief creator Ashleigh Hoyle designs personalised clothing, shoes and room decor with an educational touch - her products feature letters of the alphabet, teamed with an object that matches that letter. For example, when I arrived home I promptly hopped on to the MM is for me website to order Edie two pairs of 'E' slippers just like these, with an 'E' on one foot and an elephant on the other, and a hoodie emblazoned with a large 'E' printed with echidnas. Learning your alphabet has never been so much fun - or so personal!

Other highlights? I loved the coats designed by Moederkip, and very nearly went home with one. I saw a rack of LittleBrats dresses, went a little bit crazy and walked away clutching two of them - I bought this lime-fabric design, and I'm particularly fond of the babushka-themed-fabric print of the other frock.

It was lovely to see Amie from The Zipper Tree looking so glowing with pregnancy! As Edie was wearing her Zipper Tree denim pinafore, I stopped to show Amie how sweet her handiwork looked on my little offsider - but only briefly, as The Zipper Tree ladies were flat out with a zillion customers! Printspace also appeared to do a roaring trade all morning - I'll bet they needed a good kip when they arrived home! And how utterly lovely were the shoes and frocks from Little Chillies - so many beautiful dresses in heavenly colours that would be just perfect on little girls for those really special occasions. And for the home, who could go past the delectable paper art from Love Paper Scissors - an Echuca business who really know how to cut along the dotted lines!

Pip & Co. are new on the homewares scene, and have made a big splash with their very chic and striking wall silhouettes. Judging from their wall display at Mathilda's, they have a spectacluar range -something to suit every room of the house! 

By this time, Edie's mood had rapidly deteriorated, the apple I had given her had been flung on the floor in great disgust, and she was itching to be freed from the confines of her stroller, so I farewelled Mathilda's Market and trotted across the road to meet a friend for a somewhat chaotic brunch and chat. With my  spirited little person and her wonderfully busy 17-month-old daughter, the conversation was somewhat broken, but it was lovely to see her.

And it'll be lovely to see all the stallholders and shoppers again at the next Mathilda's Market in Melbourne - you'll find us at the Hawthorn Town Hall on Sunday 22 August. Two things are for certain - I will be there, and Edie will be at home with her dear ol' Dad!

Peta x
Mathilda's Market blogger

Photos courtesy of Tea & Jam Photography