The Crafty Squirrel

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The Crafty Squirrel

Morgan Wills • The Crafty Squirrel
Vintage • Textiles • Handmade
Ballarat Studio Shop + 24/7 Online
Curated Craft Tours — Japan, France & Hobart

The Crafty Squirrel is the little corner shop and studio of designer/maker Morgan Wills.

05/06/2026

Happy Long Weekend! 🐿️💕

If you’re enjoying the long weekend in Ballarat, we’d love to see you.

We’re open tomorrow from 10am–4pm, so pop in and say hello if you’re out and about exploring.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend, whatever you have planned. ✨

04/06/2026

☔🐿️ The Crafty Squirrel doesn’t let a little Ballarat weather stop her!

Winter has officially arrived, and while it’s cold, wet and only 10 degrees outside, it’s the perfect excuse to stay cosy and get crafty.

The shop is bursting with kits, fabrics, buttons and lots of beautiful supplies to inspire your next project.

So grab your umbrella, brave the drizzle and come and visit us. We promise it’s much warmer inside than it is out there!

Winter is for making. ❤️

02/06/2026

🌸 Tokyo & Beyond – A Creative Escape to Japan | April 2027 🌸

Imagine wandering beneath cherry blossoms, admiring the beauty of Mount Fuji, discovering hidden craft treasures, meeting talented makers and enjoying creative experiences that most visitors to Japan never get to see.

Join me for a 10-night fully escorted journey through Tokyo and beyond, designed especially for women who love craft, creativity, culture and collecting beautiful memories.

Along the way we’ll enjoy a thoughtfully curated mix of accommodation, from a centrally located Tokyo hotel that puts the city’s best sights and shopping at your doorstep, to a relaxing getaway in a beautiful heritage hotel surrounded by stunning scenery.

One of the things that delighted me most about my recent Japan tour was that 11 of the 12 guests had already travelled to Japan before.

These weren’t first-time visitors. They chose to join us because they were looking for something beyond the usual tourist experience — hands-on workshops, studio visits, artisan encounters, textile treasures and the chance to share it all with a wonderful group of like-minded women.

Whether it’s your first visit to Japan or your fifth, I’d love you to join us.

🌸 8–18 April 2027👭 Maximum 12 guests💙 Fully escorted by Morgan Wills

Bookings are now open.

29/05/2026

✨ GIVEAWAY TIME! ✨

While I was in Japan, I was lucky enough to find one of the adorable miniature sewing machines from the second series of the Janome gachapon collection… and I couldn’t resist bringing one home to give away! 🧵💙

This tiny sewing machine is even cuter than the first series:
✨ The cotton reel comes on and off
✨ The needle winds up and down
✨ The dials spin
✨ The little handle pops up

And because every sewing machine needs fabric, I’m also including a little box of miniature fabric fat quarters! 🪡

To enter:
💙 Tell me what you really really want
💙 Make sure you’re following
💙 Open to Australian residents only.

I’ll choose one winner at random.

Good luck! 🐿️🇯🇵

Competition closes on Sunday 31 May at 8pm. Winner will be announced on our stories 🎉
This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by Instagram.

25/05/2026

Today is my final day in Japan before flying home tonight… and what a truly wonderful few weeks it has been 💙🇯🇵🐿️

This season we hosted not one but TWO Tokyo & Beyond tours — one in April and one in May — with 12 fantastic ladies on each tour. Together we’ve wandered through beautiful places, made things by hand, discovered tiny treasures, shared countless laughs and created some very special crafty memories along the way.

I’m also so grateful for the extra week of tour research afterwards, exploring new places and ideas for my long-awaited Kokeshi Tour which will finally happen in 2028 ✨

A huge thank you to my wonderful team here in Japan, to everyone who follows along from home and to all the lovely women who travel with me and trust me to share the Japan I love so much.

I’ll be back in the shop this Thursday with LOTS of new goodies and plenty of stories to tell 😊

Next up for 2026 is our Hobart Retreat in September and Kyoto & Beyond in October… and looking ahead to 2027, we currently have one cancellation place available on our Snow Monkey Tour in January. ❄️🐒

And stay tuned… bookings for the April Cherry Blossom tour will be opening very soon 🌸

I truly feel so lucky to be able to keep sharing my love for Japan with all of you and I can’t wait for many more adventures together in the years to come.

22/05/2026

A few years ago I realised something about myself… I absolutely love taking photos of mailboxes from all around the world 😄📮

And today I visited one of my all-time favourites again — this incredible kokeshi post box in Naruko, Japan 💙🇯🇵

The last time I was here was back in 2019, so it felt extra special to return… especially because this trip I was lucky enough to find the tiny miniature gachapon version of the very same mailbox in Kanazawa 🥹✨

Honestly… the joy I felt holding the tiny version while standing next to the real thing 😂

I think maybe I just love quirky little everyday things that tell stories — beautiful signs, old shops, post boxes, tiny details most people walk past.

Anyway… apparently mailbox spotting is now one of my hobbies 😄📮🐿️

19/05/2026

Snapshots from the last couple of days exploring Aomori & Hirosaki 💙🇯🇵

I’ve been wandering through beautiful gardens filled with water lilies, discovering incredible art and textiles, tiny handmade treasures, cosy old buildings and beautiful kogin stitching.

It’s been wonderful visiting somewhere completely new — exploring, following curiosity and collecting inspiration for a brand new tour along the way.

Stay tuned 🐿️✨

17/05/2026

Yesterday was our final full day together in Japan… and it felt like the perfect ending to this beautiful adventure. 💙🇯🇵

We spent the morning wandering through a flea market set amongst peaceful temple grounds — blue skies above us, beautiful old textiles, handmade treasures, tiny details and unexpected finds.

One of the things I love most about these tours is watching a group of women arrive as strangers and leave as friends.

Suitcases are now being packed, new adventures are beginning and some are heading home — but what a truly wonderful Tokyo & Beyond tour this has been.

Thank you lovely ladies for all the laughs, kindness and beautiful memories along the way… and thank you to everyone here for following along with our adventures ✨

Next stop: Aomori for a little more tour research 🍎 And stay tuned… 8 to 18 April 2027 Tokyo & Beyond tour bookings will open once I’m back in Australia 💙🐿️

16/05/2026

A fun day on the Tokyo & Beyond tour where we spent the morning making the much-loved Kimekomi dolls — and honestly… they were all just too cute 💙✨

There was so much joy seeing everyone choose fabrics, colours and tiny little details to bring their dolls to life.

Afterwards we enjoyed a delicious lunch together followed by a wander through Nippori… fabric shopping, beautiful buttons and trims, and soaking up the atmosphere of one of Tokyo’s most inspiring crafty neighbourhoods 🧵🇯🇵

15/05/2026

One of the things I love most about our Tokyo & Beyond tours is that we don’t just stay in Tokyo… we also head off on a little adventure together ✨

After packing our overnight bags, our group spent four beautiful nights exploring Kanazawa and Takayama before arriving back in Tokyo today.

Takayama completely charmed us with its old streets, traditional wooden buildings, tiny shops, peaceful atmosphere and the feeling of stepping back in time. We wandered slowly, soaked up the ambience and enjoyed one of the most special calligraphy workshops — learning the art of beautiful brush lettering in such a calm and inspiring space.

There is something so lovely about these quieter moments away from the big city… good conversations, traditional crafts, beautiful scenery and discovering the small details that make Japan feel so magical 💙🇯🇵

Now back in Tokyo for the final part of our adventure… and yes, our suitcases are definitely getting fuller 😄🐿️

Address

Cnr Errard & Urquhart Streets
Ballarat, VIC
3350

Website

https://www.thecraftysquirrel.com.au/index.html

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