What are the opening hours?

Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 4pm

The Crafty Squirrel

Home
Australia
Ballarat, VIC
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.

21/08/2026

You never quite know what you’ll find at The Crafty Squirrel… and I think that’s part of the fun!

Most of our stock comes from Japan and France, with a little bit of Germany thrown in, along with vintage finds and handmade goodies.

One of the things I love most about travelling is finding treasures to bring home for the shop. Everywhere I go, I’m always on the lookout for things that are a little different — things I haven’t seen everywhere else and that I think you’ll love too.

Over the years this has become such a big part of what The Crafty Squirrel is. The shop is really a collection of things I’ve found, loved and wanted to share with you.

There’s always something new arriving and you really never know what you’re going to find when you come in.

I think that’s what makes The Crafty Squirrel so much fun and a little bit special. 🐿️❤️

The shop is open Thursday, Friday & Saturday when I’m home, and you can always find a selection of our treasures in the online shop too. If you’re travelling from further afield to visit us, it’s always worth checking our Google opening hours before you set off — I keep them up to date so you can be sure I’ll be here when you arrive.

11/08/2026

You might remember that earlier this year I travelled north in Japan to do some more research for my Kokeshi-themed tour — the first one will run from 25 Oct to 5 Nov 2028 (get in touch if you’d like to join the waitlist!).

One of the absolute highlights was visiting a lovely Kokeshi-making family, where mum, dad and son were all involved in the craft. I came away completely inspired and started wondering… what might my own little wooden doll look like?

Of course, it was always going to involve a little Crafty Squirrel whimsy! 🍄

Combining my love of woodland whimsy and all things toadstool, my love of Kokeshi, and, of course, my lifelong love of sewing and stitching, I came up with the idea of a toadstool-inspired wooden darning doll.

I drew up my design and asked our friends Rie and the team at Woodrock Turning, who have brought a number of our exclusive designs to life over the years — including our acorn tape measures and acorn stitch markers — whether they could turn my idea into reality.

And this is the very first one! ❤️🍄

I think she is pretty adorable, and I’m so thrilled to see something that began as an idea during my travels in Japan become a real little object that combines so many of the things I love.

And even better… we’re hoping to have some available in the shop soon! 💚🐿️🍄

01/08/2026

Do you love little things as much as I do? Trinkets forever?! 😍❤️🐿️🌈

30/07/2026

When you own a building like ours, built around 1885, there’s always another job waiting. This time it was one of the biggest—the main shop window, whose timber frame had reached the point where it needed replacing.

Last Saturday, after closing the shop, I packed up almost everything. On Sunday I finished the job, moving half the shop into my lounge room and covering everything with dust sheets to protect it during the work.

Our rainbow-coloured glass had been set into old metal louvres that have become a signature of The Crafty Squirrel. Unfortunately, the louvres were too deteriorated to be reinstated. Rather than lose this special feature, I carefully removed the glass and sent each piece to a local leadlighter, who transformed them into beautiful leadlight windows. I’m so pleased this little piece of The Crafty Squirrel’s history has been preserved in a new form.

I’m incredibly grateful to the team of trades and specialists who made it all happen—it’s been a long time in the planning. Along with the new windows, we’ve added fresh signwriting, and the painters are nearly finished (just the outside frame remains), but I’m calling it done.

I can’t quite explain how much work went into this, or how hard everyone pushed to go from trading last Saturday to reopening at 10am this morning. It’s been an enormous week, but we made it.

I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved, and the shop is sparkling with its refresh. Thank you to everyone who helped bring it all together. ❤️

15/07/2026

✨ What an unforgettable day! ✨

Today we had the absolute privilege of welcoming Rika & Rie from NONA (.jp) in Tokyo to Ballarat for our Temari Ball Workshop at the Rare Trades Centre ().

Watching everyone discover the beauty of this traditional Japanese art form was such a joy. From learning how to make the temari balls to placing each stitch to create intricate patterns, every participant created something truly unique while learning directly from two incredibly talented artisans.

The room was filled with concentration, laughter, encouragement and plenty of aha! moments as the beautiful designs slowly emerged.

One of the highlights of the day was the beautiful collection of plant-dyed threads, yarns and carefully curated haberdashery that Rika and Rie brought all the way from Japan. Everyone loved browsing their treasures and had the opportunity to purchase some truly special supplies to continue their temari journey at home.

A huge thank you to Rika and Rie for so generously sharing their knowledge, patience and passion with us. It was a wonderful cultural exchange and a day that I know everyone will remember for a long time.

Thank you also to everyone who joined us, embraced the challenge and made the day so special. And thank you to the Rare Trades Centre for being such a fantastic venue and helping us create this memorable experience.

I feel incredibly grateful that The Crafty Squirrel can bring extraordinary opportunities like this to our community, connecting Ballarat with the rich traditions of Japanese craft.

💛 Arigatou gozaimasu, Rika & Rie. We can’t wait to welcome you back to Ballarat one day! 💙🐿️🇯🇵

13/07/2026

Just a little heads-up for this week. 🌈

We’ll be open Thursday 16 & Friday 17 July (10am–5pm), then taking a short break on Saturday 18 July.

We’ll be back to our usual Thursday–Saturday hours from Thursday 23 July.

If you’ve been meaning to pop in for supplies, a project treat or just a browse, we’d love to see you this week. 💙🐿️✂️

06/07/2026

Thanks Everyone for all the support over the last 15 years!

FOR 15 years, Morgan Wills has been living her crafty corner store life. The maker and owner-operator of The Crafty Squirrel celebrated her business’ anniversary at the weekend. Wills opened the Ballarat Central shop at Urquhart and Errard streets in 2011 and, pointing to a vintage nightlight shaped like a squirrel, explained the origins of the shop’s name. “When I was trying to think of a name for the shop, I didn’t want to call it my own name,” she said.“ I thought, ‘What can I call it? I’m crafty. I like making things. I’m like a squirrel. I collect and gather.’ So, The Crafty Squirrel.” Such qualities have been with Wills since a young age. “From when I was a young child, as soon as I learned how to use scissors, I wanted to cut and make things,” she said. “It’s my whole life. I’ve been making things. And then at school, all the art subjects… I just always have been a maker.” Wills, her husband and two children moved from Melbourne 16 years ago after finding a store where she could sell her work. “We’ve had ups and downs, and we’ve lived through COVID, and we have managed to keep going through everything. I feel really blessed and very supported by the community around me,” she said.
The business has since grown into running craft tours in Hobart, Japan and France, allowing Wills to travel throughout the year. “The fact that I can incorporate travelling in my business model is really great,” she said. The social aspect of her shop, which attracts both tourists as well as residents, is one of her highlights. One customer brought Wills flowers for her business achievement. “To me, that feels like that’s not a normal shop,” she said. “People meet each other here, they catch up, they might see a friend they haven’t seen in forever who happens to be here at the same time. You know, it’s all of that. ”Wills said she was thankful to her customers and everyone who had supported her.

July 5, 2026 BY Chris O'Leary for The Ballarat Times

01/07/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate 15 years of The Crafty Squirrel last weekend! 💛🌈
It was such a wonderful few days, and I’m so grateful for all of your support, kind words, purchases and birthday wishes. Celebrating this milestone with our amazing community made it even more special.
I’ve spent this week unpacking and adding lots of gorgeous new arrivals to both the shop and our online store, so if you’re feeling crafty these school holidays (or just looking for a cosy winter project!), there’s plenty to inspire you.
✨ Brand new felt craft, crochet and knitting kits ✨ A restock of some of our favourite French Djeco goodies, including the beautiful Tinyly range ✨ And… the new limited edition Summer Vacation Sonny Angels have arrived and will be in store tomorrow! ☀️👼
We’re open Thursday and Friday from 10am–5pm and Saturday from 10am–4pm this week, so pop in and say hello or browse our online store anytime.
Thank you again for supporting my little business over the past 15 years. Here’s to many more years of creativity together! 🧶💕🐿️

25/06/2026

🎉 Come and help us celebrate 15 years! 🐿️💕

Over the next three days we’re celebrating 15 wonderful years of The Crafty Squirrel, and we’d love you to join us!

To mark this special milestone, we’re celebrating with:

🎈 20% OFF storewide (in store & online)
🎂 Birthday cake & cupcakes
🎁 Limited-edition goodie bags (while stocks last)

What started as a little shop has grown into so much more than I ever imagined. It’s become a place to create, learn, laugh, make lifelong friendships, and share a love of beautiful things from around the world.

To everyone who has shopped with us, joined a workshop, travelled with us, or supported our small business over the years – thank you. Your encouragement, friendship and loyalty have made these 15 years possible. ❤️

Celebration Opening Hours
🕙 Thursday & Friday: 10.00 am – 5.00 pm
🕙 Saturday: 10.00 am – 4.00 pm

If you’re in Ballarat, we’d love to see you. Pop in for a slice of cake, browse the shop, enjoy the birthday celebrations, and help us celebrate 15 wonderful years.

Thank you for being part of our story. We can’t wait to celebrate with you! ❤️🐿️🎂🎉🌈

Address

Cnr Errard & Urquhart Streets
Ballarat, VIC
3350

Opening Hours

Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm

Website

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

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Crafty Squirrel posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to The Crafty Squirrel:

Want your business to be the top-listed Interior Service in Ballarat?