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Finders Keepers Independent Design and Art Markets

Crochet, lamps and crockery. The Finders Keepers Independent Design and Art Markets sounds like a party for the geriatrics, but, in reality, it’s a place where all the cool cats of Sydney (and everywhere else) are this weekend. This little indie mish-mash of fresh young things is one of Sydney’s biggest design markets. Perspex lamps bespoke by lanky geeks sit on one stand, while corrugated cardboard bowls grace the stall of the next.

All around are newspaper whales, leaping from the sea and onto a bed of the finest fairy-like rings and neck adornments, all welded by the gruffest silversmith in the land. The vibe is throbbing, the people are animated and their designs are what they are excited about. If you love design or you simply need to get a great birthday present, this is the best way to support the small fry and to look cool while doing it. Score!

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Looking for the perfect gift? Check out the goodies in the Lost At E Minor online store or for a curated range, try this selection of cool presents.

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Sydney’s Laneways: By George! project

The Laneways: By George! project runs in Sydney until January and has seen eight laneways along inner-city George Street transformed with ‘creative, innovative and inspiring high quality temporary artworks, encouraging people to explore these forgotten spaces in the heart of the City. Some of the lanes include a canopy of birdcages and forgotten birdsongs, a prosthetic skin with heartbeat, a pop up kitchen and nightclub, a seven metre bar highlighting climate change and a magical infinite’ forest’ [above]. Sounds like a very clever use of an otherwise indistinct strip of Sydney.

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Shona Wilson’s Macroscopic Vision

Sydney’s King Street Gallery is currently home to Macroscope, a collection of exquisitely crafted mixed media sculptures by Australian artist Shona Wilson. Her artworks are intricate weavings of found elements such as twigs, leaves, seeds, fish scales, insect body parts, feathers, crab claws, and seaweed. Read more

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Peppermint Magazine

When we feel bad about buying Made in China, we buy it anyway. When the kids at Peppermint Mag feel the guilt, they buy American Apparel. These cats have shown that it’s easy to be cute and stylish while being environmentally conscious. Enviro-friendly is no longer the domain of long-haired hippies and tie-dyed shirts. Welcome to the era of reuse, recycle and the revision of our tomorrow, one little pom pom hat at a time.

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Oscar Diaz Ink Calendar

Oscar Diaz’s Ink Calendar has taken the month by storm — one ink blot at a time. After its initial display at the Diseño con alma de agua (Design of Water with a Soul) exhibition at Madrid’s Círculo de Bellas Artes, the Ink Calendar’s unusual technique of using capillary action to ‘stain’ each day of the month has reignited the design world’s senses. That humidity may render the ‘calendar’ inaccurate, but this should be ignored since it’s brilliant and utterly beautiful.

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Sydney’s Pocket Bar

The allusions are endless. Sydney’s Pocket Bar is tiny, bursting at the seams with people wanting to get at the never-ending supply of stuff (namely the tasty nibbles and a raft of fine vino) and we’re pretty sure that they would have an offering of rubber bands and string if you asked politely. While these are indeed defining attributes in any establishment, we feel that what really makes this inner city Sydney café bar more than just another inner city Sydney café bar is the fact that it offers savoury crepes after 6, wine by the half bottle and National Geographic magazines. Now that’s my idea of heaven. [photo via Anik In The Pacific]

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