Well that was fun! And exhausting!

Thanks to everyone that came along to the Alphington Open Studios opening on Friday night, our Christmas Makers Market on Saturday, and/or popped in to the Open Studios salon show at ACC right across the weekend. We had great weather and it was just fabulous to see such a cross-section of our community enjoying our facilities.

I will quickly add some pictures below … and include some more next week, with some detailed thankyous etc. then.

But don’t forget the studios are all open this coming weekend as well! Saturday and Sunday 11am-6pm. You can collect a map from ACC this week (or when our salon show opens again on Saturday morning). Isn’t it just great to collectively celebrate our lovely, creative, arty community … it warms the cockles of the heart!

We’ve got a big weekend coming up at ACC with the Christmas Makers Market on Saturday from 10am-1pm, and the Alphington Open Studios event also on.

If you’d like to pop past on Friday night between 5-7pm you can help us celebrate the opening of the salon exhibition at ACC that is part of the Alphington Open Studios weekends. Our salon exhibition includes works from all the artists with their studios open over the next two weekends plus works by other local artists. It should give you a lovely snapshot of what’s on offer … Share a drink with us, admire the art, collect a map (if you haven’t got one in your letterbox already) and then plan to take a neighbourhood walk and visit local artists in their studios over the next two weekends. Find out more here.

Then come back on Saturday morning for our Christmas Makers Market. We have 25 stallholders who have been busy making lovely things. This is a great opportunity for you to buy local and support your neighbours creative endeavours this year for Christmas presents.

We hope you can make it!

We’re looking forward to holding our Christmas 🎄 makers market this year. Save the date, Saturday 27 November - you’re guaranteed to feel great 😊 when you have your Christmas shopping done ✔️ before the start of December. And … it’s just lovely to support local makers and micro-businesses … especially after this tough year!

Speaking of which, if you are a local maker and you’d like a stall you can book one here.

Hi friends, did you know that we have a mini op shop here at ACC?

It is in the shelves inside the doorway if you enter from the front garden, and it is open any time we are. There’s a payment jar there. And if you don’t have cash you can pay by EFTPOS at the office.

As a guide everything is typically $1-$2 however it works on an honesty system - pay what you think it is worth.

We have lots of lovely things in the op shop at the minute, including some good books and quality clothes. You should take a look next time you are passing by!

Hi Leanne here.

Do you follow the local restaurant Facebook group Northcote, Thornbury and Fairfield Takeaway?

If so you will know that lots of local restaurants had already stocked up on food for one of their busiest days of the year (Valentine’s Day) and have now had to cancel the bookings at the last minute.

So, if like me, you have a valentine (or 1 adult valentine + 3 valentine children as the case may be) in your house, and are feeling a bit lazy on the home cooking front, this weekend is the ideal time to grab some fancier restaurant takeaway and support the businesses that would usually be full.

And, don’t forget the florists. I saw the Bivianos florists working hard Friday morning, and can imagine how disappointed they will be feeling this weekend … (I am assuming they are still open?).

Anyway, we may be stuck at home … but we can still be romantic right? Right. For sure.

Fancy food from Estelle on High Street … one of the local restaurants going back to takeaway this weekend. Make the most of this non-cooking excuse, get out your fancy tableware … and maybe rope your kids into serving (unlikely at my house, they’ll just want to eat for sure, but I can live in hope for a second or two).