PLOY Design
PLOYS are Creative Concepts in Disguise. PLOYS idea started from having discarded pooltoys and pool inflatables, that were either punctured or “just not played with anymore” on the side of the pool at home. They just couldn’t throw away all this plastic, knowing that PVC is one of the worst products to decompose; taking up to a 1000 years to disintegrate. Which in return also tells us that PVC is a sturdy and durable material to repurpose and transform into something unique and functional!
Wife & husband team Carin and Gerhard use PVC from pool inflatables, rubber boats, air mattresses, yet also broken umbrellas and shower curtains! Their biggest project was taking on the challenge of repurposing a Great Barrier Reef marine rescue Life Raft and a huge Blunch castle! You can check out their products and read their story on their website or Instagram.
Bush Blossoms
Fun and colourful resin earrings. Tamara created Bush Blossoms in 2018. She has always had a love for all things craft, and found herself making fabric studs for family and friends using left over fabric scraps. She believes we shouldn't have to break the bank to have nice earrings. At Bush Blossoms, they aim for high quality, but also affordable!
All earrings have hypoallergenic surgical steel posts, perfect for sensitive ears.
Bush Blossoms Natural Skincare is a skin loving range of soaps, moisturiser, and all things skincare. Hemp seed oil is the main focus in all of the skincare range, alongside Avocado Oil, Coconut Oil, and Shea Butter.
Black Cockatoo Textiles
Black Cockatoo Textiles is a result of much travel, and meeting creative people who are striving to keep their traditional crafts alive in a fast changing world. Buying directly from Artisans is one of the joys of founder Lyn Streader. She loves to support and buy directly from craftsmen and women as much as possible, always looking for great designs and quality workmanship.
The textiles sourced represent a long history of skills in block printing, hand weaving, natural dyes, appliqué cut work and embroidery. These are pieces made with pride and a shared inter-generational skill set that is at risk of disappearing as the lure of higher paid jobs is a necessity for many.
Check out the Black Cockatoo Textiles website, Facebook or Instagram.
Gidgee Smith Bags
Gidgee Smith Bags manufactures heavy duty pvc bags in a wide range of sizes, designs and colours for many different purposes, which are all available online on their website. They are situated in southwest Queensland where they operate our business by providing employment for country women and we have an extremely strong focus on community engagement.
While there are many imitators, they fail to provide the quality with which Gidgee make their bags, the attention to customer service and the 1-to-3 day turn around for online orders. With over a hundred online products, choose from a wide range of individual pieces or check out the promotional bags for the business and company sector. Clients can choose their own colour combinations and add personalised names or business logos embroidered on their selection of bags. This aspect of the business has developed and grown due to a need to diversify due to the ongoing drought and impact of Covid.
Gidgee Smith Bags is a proud Australian made product which is manufactured and dispatched from a small rural town where they provide employment and economical support to the community.
Lolli & Pop
Lolli & Pop creation born from the love of watercolour painting.
Lolli & Pop is a way of expressing their passion for creating art. Hand-painted watercolour designs printed vibrantly on canvas shoes & bags, each with a unique story to tell.
They proudly donate 5% profit from each pair of shoes sold to the Australian Wildlife conservancy, because giving back is what they do!
Visit their Website and Instagram for the original artworks and fabrics
Greenwood Designs
The Greenwood Designs is based in the country town of Molong in Central West NSW.
Greenwood Designs specialises in mixing bright, fun and functional accessories with a wearability and style. The creativity is in their blood and they have always loved expressing that side through various art and craft projects.
Their collection of handmade earrings, bangles and necklaces, as well as scarves and leather clutches has been tailored to offer pieces that bring sophistication to every outfit.
Get yourself the newest collection on their Instagram
Tjanpi Desert Weavers
A social enterprise of the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) Women’s Council, Tjanpi Desert Weavers work with women in the remote Central and Western deserts who earn an income from contemporary fibre art.
Purchase unique, stunning, baskets, beads, jewellery and sculpture. They also have a Weaving Kit with an accompanying video tutorial, so you too can make beautiful pieces of usable art.
Mora-Igra Umbrellas
A beautifully crafted handmade umbrella is an accessory like no other. Mora Igra Umbrellas were born in the heart of Europe at the beginning of the century. Their design, quality and beauty captured the world as they spread to Canada, Sweden and Australia.
Alicia Mora-Hyde was born on a farm in Chile, who emigrated to Australia as a very young woman. After landing a job as a nanny to two young boys whose father owned a successful umbrella factory, Alicia learnt every facet of the umbrella trade and believes she is the only woman in the world that can make an umbrella from start to finish.
Mora-Igra umbrellas are hand-crafted with individual selections of cloth, frame and handles available to the customer. Mora-Igra Umbrellas are only available at the factory in Brendale on the Northside of Brisbane and are truely a unique fashion accessory, hand-crafted to the customers request.
Check out their website here
Mainie Silk Scarves
Mainie is a growing collection of scarves, wraps, tops and ties that are beautifully handcrafted in 100% pure silk. Each exquisite piece has been lovingly designed to feature authentic Aboriginal artworks and Dreamtime stories reproduced in sundrenched colours painted by traditional women artists from the Central Desert and in bright luminous hues of the reef and rainforest by artists from Tropical North Queensland
The company is run by Charmaine Saunders or ‘Mainie’, a proud descendant of the Gunggari Aboriginal people from the Maranoa River region of south western Queensland with family ties to the Woorabinda and Cherbourg Aboriginal communities.
Charmaine’s love of Aboriginal fine arts is palpable, developed over many years of working in remote Aboriginal communities in Queensland and the Northern Territory.
The Bush Store
The Bush Store is an on-going progression from the ever-popular Bush Kids Facebook page, established in 2013 to encourage Australians to link themselves back into their bush heritage. They are proud to promote rural Australia to their fellow Australians and send the message of the power, strength and resilience of the Australian bush people, mostly against many odds and much adversity.
“We are a bush family who have our roots steeped in the agricultural history of Australia, who live and breathe rural life. Our identity has been forged in the bush way of life, and we are committed to passing the bush traditions onto the next generation of food and fibre producers.
“We also recognise that bush people do not promote themselves or indeed agriculture very well, so with that in mind we are hoping to add our contribution to this necessary market and help fly the flag for all Primary Producers that make up only 0.5 of the population but who contribute 93% to the food and fibre production in Australia.”
Dangerous Bloom
Handmade resin and botanical jewellery and homewares. Meanjin artist, Angela Peita, created this beautiful range of jewellery during lockdown, and was blown away by its popularity. She enjoys the process of collecting and pressing the delicate flowers, and creating the unique and one-off designs.
Island Arts Collective
A collective of works of art, journals, clothing, framed prints, weaving, homewares, linen clothing, and cards, made on Qundamooka country. Featured artists are Delvene Cockatoo-Collins, Paula Boosamra, Julie Sisco and Amber Vicum.
Beautiful works from Minjerribah, Quandamooka Country.
Check out the Island Arts Gallery Instagram here
Anais Studio Designs
Unique statement earrings inspired by beautiful places. Handmade with love by Melbourne-based Anais, these are exquisite addition to any outfit.
Check out her Instagram and Etsy store.
Exquisite Leather
Cherryl McIntyre is a leather artisan based in Brisbane, Australia whose passion for the craft has been an inspiration to many for over three decades.
A founding member of The Leathercrafters Association of Qld Inc and organiser for the International Leather Conferences “Dimensions in Leather”, her love of the craft started as a hobby 30 years ago.
Known for her exquisite attention to detail and vast experience in the craft, (not to mention her signature leather flowers) Cherryl is a full time tutor and is the Designer-Maker behind her own label ‘Exquisite Leather’ creating range of elegant handmade leather products.
The Exquisite Leather website has beautiful artisan objects and fashion for sale, as well as online tutorials and workshops where you can learn to make leather flowers and other decorative leather embellishments.
Bimbi Love
BIMBI LOVE is a creative concept store, showcasing a unique style and art across an array of forms...
Owned and operated by two sisters, members of the Kungalu and Birri Gubba peoples of Central Queensland. The word Bimbi is from the Birri Gubba dialect meaning good, so Bimbi Love means good love!
Based between Brisbane and Melbourne, offering a range of jewellery, accessories, print art, custom gifts and design services.
It is Bimbi Loves' aspiration to provide authentically made Aboriginal products, to encourage the economical development of Aboriginal owned and operated business.
Head to their website here
Magpie Goose
Magpie Goose was founded by Laura Egan and Maggie McGowan in 2016 after being exposed to the incredible textiles being produced by remote community art centres.
They both have a long history of working in solidarity with Aboriginal people and communities and have dedicated our professional careers to addressing social and economic inequality.
Magpie Goose was about creating a platform to showcase Aboriginal culture through wearable art. Magpie Goose taps into an expansive network of collaborators and suppliers, all who contribute their energy and talents into making the incredible clothing they produce.
On their website, you can read more about the Aboriginal artists, communities, models, photographers and artisans that they work with, including their social impact goals and successes.
This photo is reposted from their Instagram, featuring clothes from their first collection, with credit to Kalumburu Photography Collective and Freedom Garvey.
Woven Arts Gallery
Anaheke Metua is a much-admired fibre artist who was born and raised in Aotearoa, NZ descending from a wonderful mix of Maori / Cook Island, French, English, German ancestors. You can now purchase her incredible works online or from her gallery in Goompi (Dunwich), Minjerribah.
Light pendants, woven jewellery, gifts and boutique baskets are made with exquisite style. Custom orders are also available for commission.
Check out the gallery shop and her artist profile on Instagram @wovenartsgallery and @anaheke_metua_art