OUR mission statement

MADE ON THE LEFT was founded in 2008 by independent designers to support Western Australian creative talent. We hold bi-annual handmade craft markets to showcase local designers.

Being on the left hand side of Australia no longer

means you'll be at a disadvantage.

Our aim is to support all creative designers and events showcasing independent labels. MOTL is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organisation. You may wonder why we promote other markets besides MOTL; it’s because it’s not about us, its about you; the buyers and sellers of indie wares. Here at the blog, you’ll discover up to date information about our latest market, the low-down on some of Perth’s emerging talents, other opportunities for artists and designers and a little bit of fun stuff too. It’s all right here… welcome!

Monday, November 5

Woodland Wonderland Market

Our spring market was full of amazingly talented vendors that make our hearts swell with Western Australian Pride!
Thanks to everyone who braved the weather to come down to the State Theatre Centre and see the 70+ stallholders and also to all the generous people who donated to our raffle. You're the best!


Friday, October 26

Unveiling our spring market poster!


We're very excited to show you our spring market poster with woodland-themed artwork by our very own Ashleigh Whyte. We'd love you to join us at the State Theatre Centre on Sunday 4th November 11:00 – 5:00. There will be over 70 local stallholders and it will be a great chance to start on your Christmas shopping. Tell all your friends to come too!

Thursday, October 11

Etsy is coming to town!




Etsy Seminar
Join us for the joint EtsyAU, WA Street Team and Made on the Left seminar for creatives who are interested in selling and buying on Etsy hosted by Form.

Shop Critiques
Etsy are having a stall at the Made on the Left Christmas market. Don’t miss out on your chance to speak one-on-one with Etsy and find out how you can improve your Etsy shop.

Sunday, October 7

Mini market at North Fremantle Bowls Club stallholder callout



On Sunday 28 October, North Fremantle Bowls Club will be having an open day in conjunction with the Fremantle Festival. As well as family activities, bands and bare foot bowls, they are planning a mini market and are looking for stallholders. 

This one-day art and craft market is to be held in the main hall of the Club House. There will be a fee of $20 per art/craft market participant. Stallholders are to provide their own tables & tablecloths. For an application form and more information email Sherri at cactus61@iinet.net.au

Saturday, September 29

Urban Couture 2013 Expression of Interest


  • Urban Couture
    is a month long program of events that provide a platform for Western Australian fashion creatives and beyond. Urban Couture is about transforming unconventional spaces into popular fashion happenings. Now in its third year, Urban Couture is a key feature of the Joondalup Festival. 
  • The City is looking for fashion designers, textile artists, fashion photographers, runway models, hair and makeup stylists and backstage stylists to join forces in the 2013 event. The scope encompasses a month long program of satellite events with a finale over the Joondalup Festival weekend, 23 – 24 March 2013 Participants are invited to get involved in the following:

    • Aperture & Lace combined wearable art and fashion photography exhibition 
    • Pop up Runways transforming unconventional spaces into guerrilla catwalks
    • Restyle Marketplace chic open air shopping precinct featuring boutique designers
    If you are interested in being part of the event, please download the Urban Couture 2013 Expression of Interest Pack and follow the links to the online expression of interest forms.

    Expressions of interest including support materials must be received by 30 November 2012 and places are limited. For further information please contact the City on 9400 4926 or via email.


    Friday, September 21

    Stallholder Profile: Spotlight on "Little L"


    Made on the Left first came across Lauren Mills at the KickstART Youth Markets in April of this year. We were so impressed with her display, we awarded her Best Stall Display with the prize being a free spot at the July Made on the Left market. Here we get the scoop on Lauren, her inspirations, creative processes and market tips!  

    Lauren with her prize winning display at the KickstART Youth Markets

    Tell us a bit about yourself.
    My name is Lauren Mills; I am 23 years old and currently finishing my final year of Interior Design at university. I started up my small business Little L at the beginning of this year and have loved every moment of it since.


    What inspires you to create?
    The materials I use are my main inspiration. I love repurposing old materials and giving them a new life, for example: my stamp collection from my childhood has now turned into necklace pendants and brooches, old books from the top shelf of a second hand store are now a myriad of ornaments and artwork, paper dress patterns are now mini and large bouquets of flowers.
    Turning trash into treasure and just making beautiful things is what inspires me to keep on going.




    What materials do you use?
    As said above I like to reuse old items and repurpose used materials. Books, dress patterns, postage stamps, sheet music, lace, buttons, dominos and scrabble letters make up to main collection of my materials. I also use all recycled pieces of furniture for my market displays, all found at bulk rubbish collections or at second hand markets.


    Little L at the Made on the Left July 2012 market

    What steps do you take to prepare for a market?
    A lot of preparation goes into the week prior to a market, usually I clear out a space in the house like the living room or garage and layout my whole display with all my furniture and pieces so I can get it just right. I get my whole family involved getting feedback and help with planning so everything runs smoothly on the day.

    What’s your number one market tip?
    Be prepared! I always pack a toolbox with everything I might need from masking tape to blue tack to safety pins to my pliers. You never know what might happen. For outdoors markets tarps are always a good idea especially in winter, and for indoor markets materials to fix your signage and displays with are a must.

    Lauren's workspace

    What is your favourite part of the creative process?
    The best part of the creative process is that moment in the middle when you can finally see your ideas taking shape and coming to life. That point where whatever you’re working on starts to resemble the finished product you have pictured in your head. That’s such a rewarding moment to know you’ve overcome the difficulties of creating and things are finally turning out right!

    What’s been your most popular item or line to date?
    My most popular item has definitely been the handmade paper flowers from recycled dress patterns. They have consistently sold out and I can’t seem to make enough of them fast enough!

    What is the most exciting thing that has come out of selling your designs through markets?
    The interactions with all the other market organisers, stallholders and potential stockholders. The contacts and networking that can come from just one market is so inspirational it really keeps me eager to continue my hard work and keep pursuing this dream.


    What advice would you give someone who wants to sell their crafts?
    I think the best thing to do from the beginning is to research. Research the market, the product, the people you want to sell to and where you will be selling. The market scene in Perth is booming at the moment so now is definitely a good time to get involved, so have confidence in your products and take the chance. It’s a fantastic experience and the people in the Perth market scene are just lovely J

    What goals do you have in store for the future?
    Ideally I would like to open my own store selling refurbished furniture, and more of my handmade wares. I love what I am doing and love the creative process, but I also love the thought of the people of Perth wearing my wares and having them in their homes. For now I am just happy to get out there and keep holding stalls and enjoying every moment of it. 

    Thanks Lauren!
    xx MOTL Team

    Wednesday, September 5

    Not your typical walk in the woods...


    It’s show time again and applications for the November 4th 2012 Made on the Left market are now open. Our November market is going to be our biggest yet. Keep reading for a few teasers and application hints:
    • We have an amazing woodland theme which we’ll be using throughout the whole market in advertising, promotion and graphics.
    • This market will be held inside the State Theatre Centre in the Underground Theatre as well as outside in the Courtyard.
    • We’re doubling our advertising/pr budget so we can reach an even bigger audience and attract more customers to see and buy your amazing products.
    • The committee will again be voting for the best stall display and the winner will receive a free stall at the following market as well as input into where they’d like to be positioned and a blog post interview.
    • We have a new application form with new sections so you can really tell us about your products and why they are so special. One section allows you to list shops you feel your product is suited to who we’ll then personally invite to the market. There is also the ability to upload more pictures as they are so important in the application process.

    APPLICATION HINTS
    1. Send in the best pictures you have, not only do we want to see what you make but we’re also looking for pictures which show: previous market displays, your branding/tags/packaging, how the product is used/worn/displayed and personal shots of you with your product or in your workroom (this is important later for when we’re seeking promotion ideas and images to send to publications).
    2. We’re looking for applicants who fit the market theme and/or our target market and we are always looking for new undiscovered designers who make amazing products who want to get them out into the market scene. Our market customers are incredibly varied, ranging from the young to the young at heart and it is our goal that every one of them find something they love at each market.
    3. Please don't send images that are too big (over 2MB) or too small (under 50KB) and make sure they are in focus and not too dark.
    4. Read the FAQ section on the application page for more on the day information.
    We’re so excited about the upcoming market and hope you are too. Pass this webpage address on to anyone you know who might be interested, even if they’ve never done a market before. Big designer markets like Made on the Left can be scary but our philosophy is “bite off more than you can chew”. Join us in one of the most exciting markets in Western Australia and show Perth just how talented we are.

    Applications are open until 14th September 2012. Click here to apply.

    The Artful Business Conference


    Are you a micro business owner, entrepreneur, artist, writer, designer?
    Are you incredibly creative and desperate to make a successful business out of your passion, or grow your already booming business?

    Spend the 5th & 6th September learning, connecting and sharing experiences to take that next step in your business.

    The Artful Business Conference is bringing together six superstar speakers to offer you skills and tools to build your business - Russell Allert (Baked Social Media), Jess Van Den (Epheriell, *bespoke* zine), Lisa Walsh (The Market Mill, Cookie Dough Biscuits), Megan Auman (Designing an MBA), Tara Gentile (Scoutie Girl), Jennifer Lee (coach, author, and artist).

    They will cover topics such as social media, branding, pricing, profit and more. They will discuss, in detail, ways to get comfortable with making money from your art, what creative types need to have in their business plan and even how to set up your online shop.

    The conference is being held in Brisbane but you can buy a virtual pass and watch it all live online!

    See the program, buy tickets or visit the website for more information.

    Tuesday, September 4

    ECU weekly markets

    As part of making ECU an even more vibrant place to study and work there will now be weekly market stalls on the Joondalup campus every Monday during semester between 10:00am-2:00pm. There is a new area specifically created for the markets next to a busy walkwayStall holders are invited to hire out some FREE space! If you are interested or would like more information contact k.proos@ecu.edu.au

    Monday, September 3



    Let Them Eat Zines is the Perth Zine Collective’s very first zine fair. It will be held at Paper Mountain (267 William St, Northbridge) on Saturday 24th November, 10am - 6pm. It will feature stalls, competitions, sideshows & live music.
    If you are a zine maker, you can apply for your very own stall here before Sunday 30th September. You may also sell other wares (e.g. crafts, artwork) as long as 51% of your table comprises zines.

    Wednesday, August 15

    Made on the Left July Market


    It was our first market at our new location at the State Theatre Centre and it was even better than we'd hoped! To see more photos from the day, visit our Facebook page. Thank you to everyone who came and to all our talented stallholders!
    We'll be back at the theatre again on the 4th November for our Christmas market and hope to see you there too.

    Monday, August 6


    This e-book sounds like interesting reading for market stallholders. It's by Jodie Maloni of The Habby Goddess and Cintia Gonzalez-Pell of My Poppet.

    "The Craft of Markets - How to achieve market stall success, An Australian perspective" is aimed at those who are just starting out in markets or even just considering running a market stall and covers topics such as Picking the right market for you, Market applications, Products, Pricing, Merchandising, Logistics, contains a handy printable Essentials checklist and a Resources guide with links to packaging and display item stockists and more. There are also extra handy hints from some market organisers.
    Comes in a PDF format that you can load on your iPad or mobile device, read on your computer or even print out. Available here or here.

    Pop-up Gallery



    A free exhibition space for all visual artists to display their work for the month of August. It's in the old Xile shop, right next to Saba at Shop 20, The Colonnade Subiaco, 388 Hay St, Subiaco.

    Submissions started coming in on the weekend and the second bump in will be from 12pm - 4pm Sat 11th & Sun 12th August.

    All types of work welcome - photography, graphic design, paintings, charcoal, anything you can hang, plus sculptures for the floor area. It must be suitable for public viewing. No size restrictions!

    Work will be affixed using either blu tac on the walls or pins on the partitions. Please put your name and contact details with your work just in case someone wants to know more about you.

    There will be a little area for people to sit and hang out and performances by a talented artist or group every day that it is open after the initial bump in.
    See the
    Facebook event for more information.

    Wednesday, August 1

    Creative Short Courses at Central

    There are over 35 exciting workshops in art, fashion, jewellery, textiles & design technology starting August, 2012. Places are limited and on a first in first serve basis, full payment required to confirm place. Enrolments are closing soon so apply now!


    Courses include:
    Urban Art - Use a brush/roller to create street art graffiti-style images. Larger pieces and stencils will be used and applied with a sponge/roller.


    Tattoo Design & Illustration - Learn how to design tattoo illustrations, that are thoughtful and look amazing with the curves and shape of the body.


    Repairing Furniture: what's old is new again - Gain the skills and knowledge to save and give new life to furniture which has been damaged or is getting a little wobbly.

    Bag It: Designer Printed Bags Sew a bag and screen print it with a design of your own.

    Corsetry Design & Production - Learn how to construct a boned and underwired corset.

    For more information about the courses, visit the website and d
    ownload the schedule and enrolment form and scan and reply to enquiry.art@central.wa.edu.au or fax to 9427 1973










    Saturday, July 28

    Market day!

    Come down to the State Theatre Centre of WA (corner Roe St & William St, Northbridge) Sunday 29th July, 10am - 4pm. 66 amazing Western Australian designers plus entertainment. It's going to be a great day!



    Algerika Design & Illustration
    Anna Hadwin Crochet Toys
    A story of
    Beau Est Mien 
    Because I am a Girl
    BHO
    Butterbomb
    Buttonologie
    caldi
    charlie and james
    Cristobel
    Debbie Kelly Millinery
    diddums designs
    Dizzy Daisy
    Dreamskin Minerals
    Eden Dreams
    eeva margita
    Ella & Lily
    empire of delight
    Enid Twiglet
    Fluid Ink
    Genevieve
    Granny Funk Crochet
    Jezenya
    Joallie Petit
    Joila Designs
    L'Amour des lapins
    Little Cloud Factory
    Little L
    Little Mo and Friends
    Martha and Lilly
    Micalu Tangled Fork Designs
    Major Mitchell Designs
    Mollydag Made
    MollyDotBook
    Monster & Robot Industries
    moss & twigg
    Natasha Muhl
    Neddynibbles
    Novella-Ria
    Osmosis
    Paper Plane
    Plumfish
    Pop Goes the Weasel
    Poppy & Bea
    Potter Gold Pty Ltd
    Psyn
    Quirkybitz
    Raffaella Basini Creations
    Samantha Hughes Designs
    Sarmarie Designs
    Shaggy Mafia
    Simonette
    Small Things
    Starling Bath Body Home
    stepmum's
    Susan Moss Art and Photography
    Sylvia Shrewsbury/Mathew Dickson
    swalrus productions
    Swoon Jewels
    Tall Rabbit
    Tea Party at Lucy's 
    Vintage Inspired Jewellery 
    violetclothing
    White Square
    Yuniko Studio


    Friday, July 27

    Great Market Stall Design

    I was lucky enough to be in Melbourne for the recent Markit @ Fed Square and was astounded at the amazing and creative stall displays (not to mention the wonderful products)! Here are some of the best.
    Note the use of colour, unusual and unique props, custom built displays, having height in the display, simplicity of materials, and most importantly having a stall design that works with your products. 

    Little Lamb

    Lavallier

    Rabbit & the Duck


    Herbert & Friends

    Pigeonhole

    Corky Saint Clair

    Ask Alice

    The Gently Unfurling Sneak
    Write to me stationery


    Pleaty Bunny

    Jen Booth

    So Little Time

    LabThreeOFive


    bRainbow

    Stämpel Studio

    Limedrop



    Sandra Bowkett

    Twisted Terrariums

    I design things

    And O Design

    Bonnie Poplar

    A Skulk of Foxes



    Monday, July 9

    Canning Bridge Arts Markets




    Canning Bridge Arts Markets are held on the first Sunday of every month 9 am to 2 pm at Kishorn Road between Moreau Mews and First Avenue in Applecross. The next market is on Sunday 5th August and will feature musical performances, singers, actors, strolling minstrels, bush poets, as well as Australian-made art-and-craft stalls selling locally designed jewelry, sculpture, furniture, housewares, pet supplies and decoration.

    For more information and stallholder applications, see the website http://www.canningbridgemarkets.org.au/

    Friday, July 6

    Paperhouses Exhibition




    Designer and Made on the Left stallholder Magali Dincher is having an exhibition of new 3D Limited Edition Collagraphs and Linocuts prints and you are all invited!


    PAPERHOUSES
    21 July - 29 July  10am - 3pm
 
    Opening night Fri 20th July 6pm – 8.30pm
    Earlywork Gallery - 330 South Terrace, South Fremantle


    For more info, visit www.beauestmien.com.au
    RSVP on the Facebook Page


    Contact: info@beauestmien.com.au

    Wednesday, July 4

    Call for artists




    All WA artists are invited to participate in this year's WA Visual Art Expo on 21st October at Winthrop & Hackett Halls and surrounding gardens, UWA.  It is a great opportunity for artists to get direct feedback from the public on your work; network with art industry professionals i.e. gallery representatives, framers, art supply outlets as well as other artists; be exposed to different techniques, framing methods and workshops.


    If you are willing to demonstrate your art on the day, let the organisers know so they can place you in a visible location. You will also be mentioned in all future promotions for the Expo - a great boost and marketing tool for the exhibiting artist!


    Places are limited so submit your applications ASAP. Go to http://www.fabartevents.com.au/application-form.html for the application form. Stall costs start at $180.  

    Monday, June 25

    Craft-O-Saurus!




    The Western Australian Museum is hosting a craft day on Sunday 1 July and encouraging Perth sew-ers to come along and make toy dinosaurs.

    It’s a free event and hand sewing is encouraged – so no machines please!  But knitting, crocheting, hand sewing etc. are all good. Craft kits will be available to purchase for those who don’t have supplies.

    You can register for the free event at http://museum.wa.gov.au/whats-on/craft-o-saurus

    Monday, June 18

    Made on the Left Winter Market Poster!

    With acceptance letters going out this week, it's time to unveil the poster design for our Winter market...


    Ta da!


    Artwork by Lorelee Gobetti.

    Help Tell the World About Etsy



    Want to be part of sharing the Etsy story?

    Take a picture of yourself or someone you know holding an Etsy item in front of a local landmark and post it to Instagram with the hashtag #EtsyEverywhere or our new Flickr pool by June 18, 2012 (US TIME) for a chance to be included in a new video project.

    To find out more about the project click here.

    Help us show the world our wonderful Etsy community — a incredible network of creative small businesses and passionate shoppers.


    Tuesday, June 12

    Wireless Hill Centenary Event call for stallholders



    The City of Melville is still seeking stall holders for the Wireless Hill Centenary Event. Artist and community group stalls are welcome to apply.

    The Wireless Hill Centenary is a significant historical event celebrating 100 years of wireless telecommunications. The Wireless Hill station was the first station opened in Australia and is now the only surviving station of its kind. Activities on the day of the Centenary event will include music, displays of telecommunications memorabilia, vintage car displays, children’s tradional games and craft activities, animal farmyard and pony rides, bush poets, indigenous activities and much more.

    The details are:

    EVENT: 2012 Wireless Hill Centenary
    DATE: Sunday, 30th September, 2012
    VENUE: Wireless Hill Park, Telefunken Drive, Ardross
    EVENT TIME: 12.00noon to 5.00pm
    STALL COST: Free

    If you're interested in applying or would like further information, please contact Kate Schilling at the City of Melville for the application form.