Margie Frew has made a life’s habit of turning things fossicked and forgotten into works of art. A ‘lifelong beachcomber’, she’s worked with dried flowers, mosaic tiles and many other found objects. Now, she collects oyster and scallop shells from Scotland’s wild west coast, paints them with intricate designs, and sells them at Quirky Pixie Décor, one of Greenwich Market’s most colourful and creative stalls.

Margie uses painting and decoupage (assembling designs from maps, wrapping and other coloured paper) to cover the shells she collects with vivid, eye-catching designs. She then seals the designs with food-safe resin, allowing the upcycled shells to be used to hold coins, keys, jewellery and even food. Mostly, however, her customers love her creations purely for their artistic appeal.

Quirky Pixie’s supply of oyster shells comes from Scotland, specifically an oyster farm on the clear, cold waters of Loch Creran, north of Oban. Margie found herself up there frequently, looking after her father-in-law and cleaning shells in her spare time. When Margie first started, the oyster farm would not accept any money, so she donated to the RNLI, a charity close to both their hearts. Her business then grew so much, and she needed so many shells, that she is delighted to now be paying them for the unique large Scottish shells and she still continues to donate to the RNLI.

Margie, a native of Michigan, first turned her hand to artistic upcycling in New York City. She’d take the fallen petals of over bloomed flowers from florists around the city, dry them, then arrange them into wonderful patterns. These proved very popular with customers at a flea market at Sixth Avenue and 26^th Street, as did Margie’s mosaic vases and trays. However, she fell in love with a Scottish man, relocated to the UK, and embarked on careers in TV, digital media and marketing.

Habitually creative, Margie still kept up her artistic endeavours. Her work with shells emerged from the years of pandemic lockdown when her clients could no longer afford to engage her. During a trip to Michigan to keep her mother company, she bought her first bundle of scallop shells for $5. Next, she enlisted her nieces, both art majors, to help her decorate them. All three spent the week at ‘Grandma’s kitchen table’, whiling away the quarantine hours through creativity. After returning to the UK and being forced into lockdown once more, she kept perfecting her art, sending shells to family and friends as a means of staying in touch.

When things opened up again, post pandemic, Margie convinced an interior design shop in Chiswick to take a first consignment of decorated shells. Within a week nearly all 15 had sold, and the shopkeeper wanted more. Two more shops took consignments over Christmas 2021, and Quirky Pixie Décor was officially a going concern!

More shops in England and Scotland began selling Margie’s unique, hand-painted shells throughout 2022. Then, in November, she joined the creative trading family at Greenwich Market. While she also trades at pop-up markets and other outlets, especially around Christmas, it’s Greenwich that really claimed her affection. ‘It’s really community centred’, Margie enthuses. ‘There’s a lot of regular customers and a lot of Greenwich locals who really appreciate the Market. And the traders are very helpful and supportive of each other!’

Demand for Margie’s designs is growing. She’s delighted by the thought that more than 14,000 of her pieces now adorn houses across the world. Customers have sent her photos of her work, in situ, from as far afield as Thailand, Spain, Japan and Dubai. ‘I love the idea that something I’ve made brings joy. It gives me so much happiness’. You can find Margie and her stunning shells at the Market each Thursday and Saturday.