The Silver LiningCupping with Mano a Mano
Posted on August 4, 2014
Join Seb from Mano a Mano for a morning session of cupping, a simple and almost ritualistic way of tasting and enjoying coffee. Seb is intensely knowledgeable and passionate about the origins of all the beans he sources, right down to the very names of the farmers that grow and harvest them.
Each cup of beans is ground, smelled, brewed, and smelled again. And finally you get to taste. The beans are sourced from all over the world, including Colombia, Kenya and Ethiopia, and all have deliciously individual characteristics, aromas and taste.
Mano a Mano means “hand to hand”. It reminds me of all the human steps that are required to ultimately bring me my perfect cuppa. Planted, picked (as bright red cherries!), dried, exported, tasted, roasted, ground.
Brewed.
Mano a Mano public cuppings are held on Saturday mornings at Gordon St Garage and are FREE (Seriously! What can you get for free these days!?!).
Get your tickets here. Order beans online here.
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An afternoon with Michelle Lau
Posted on July 29, 2014
Blogging is a truly rewarding creative experience that often draws on both imagery and text to draw in readers, and can reach and be read by people all over the world. It is unique in that it is an outlet for personal expression and blog topics can range from food to fashion to politics to religion to deeply personal stories, there are few limits. As you can tell, we really dig it.
Last Saturday, Perth-based blogging maven, Michelle Lau, ran a small-group workshop during which she shared her experience and expertise in The Art of Blogging. Michelle hails from much-loved lifestyle blog, A Minute Away From Snowing. She also has the coveted job of blogging for vogue.com.au and is the social media curator for The King Street Precinct. In terms of mastery of the blogosphere and social media clout, I’m pretty sure Michelle’s your gal.
The workshop was held in the uber-hip uber-delicious Raw Kitchen in Fremantle and was organised by none other than the dynamic stylist, Stacey Clark, as part of The Creatives initiative which she is spearheading. The Creatives is a network for people in the creative industry in Perth and so far a number of wildly successful workshops such as hand lettering and leatherwork have been run in various roaming locations around the city. There is promise of seasonal dinners as well, and I personally can’t wait for these!
We had the honour and pleasure of attending as the day’s photographers and to take portraits of the workshop’s participants for use on their own blogs! Everyone was so willing and brought their own personalities to the shoot, it was such an enjoyable experience for the two of us. We’ve not had many chances to take portraits of people other than ourselves and having the chance to play with different lighting, different backdrops and different faces was a true pleasure.
To find out more about Michelle’s upcoming workshops and for other workshop inquiries by The Creatives go here or contact Stacey at stacey@staceyclarkstylist.com.
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Baby it’s cold outside
Posted on July 21, 2014
Wearing – Ryder dress, thrifted coat, Pigeonhole scarf, Muji tights, Madewell boots (similar), Elk earrings, Naomi Murrell rose gold and resin ring, Alister Yiap hexagon gem ring
Chilly mornings call for big ol’ coats and chunky scarves wrapped a minimum of three times round one’s neck.
I’m contemplating making one of these but might just be a lazybones and buy one instead.
I wish I could be as cool as her.
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Cranmore Home Winter Workshop
Posted on July 4, 2014
There are very few things that will get me out of bed willingly before sunrise. There are even less things that will convince me to leave the warm embrace of my friendly doona on a 2 degree morning. And yet, on a morning that fulfilled both of those usually dealbreaking criteria, I spritely hopped out of bed and out the door with Jinn on one arm and a hot thermos of coffee under the other. The promise of a day filled with hands on creativity and a chance to meet some of the most inspiring craftspeople in Western Australia filled us with barely containable excitement (and uncharacteristic morning cheer).
We set off up the road, admiring the sunrise through the foggy hills until we reached Cranmore Home, the picturesquely sprawling family homestead of Tracy Lefroy, the host and mastermind behind the Winter Workshop. After some time meeting, mingling, and obligatory caffeination, the workshops were underway! The workshops on offer were:
Ink Drawing
Laura Wortlock of Once Was Lost Studio
Textile Block Printing
Emma Grace Hawtrey of Woodpiles & Wishbones
Home Apothecary
Katrina Snowden of Peaches & Clean
Reclaimed Timber
Spencer and Marie-Clare of Maeker Studio
Floral Art
Rebecca Const of Fox and Rabbit
Tin Flower Making
Natalie Tonkin of Natalie Tonkin Design
Styling and Composition
Meghan Plowman
The workshops gave each of us the opportunity to learn from a local expert and were highly participative! During Rebecca’s floral art class, we traipsed around Tracy’s vast property foraging (read: pillaging) for beautiful foliage and wildflowers, incorporating them into our very own floral masterpiece which we got to take home. Mine is still going strong! All this physical and brain activity was sustained by a regular flow of hot drinks and a sumptuous long (loooooong) table lunch set under the branches of some pepper berry trees and catered for by the culinarily-gifted Jodie Fairclough from To The Woods Cafe and Ferngrove Wines.
What an undeniable success the entire day was! We joked over lunch that it really should be a two day long Cranmore Winter Camp, but we weren’t really joking…I really didn’t want the day to end. We brought home my very own portfolio of ink drawings and a personally arranged vase of some of my favourite flowers, a new Tasmanian oak laboriously shaped, sanded and waxed by Jinn, and a screen-printed tea towel that he literally made with his own blood and sweat (left index finger vs lino cutter). But more than that, we came away having had the chance to meet and connect with a bunch of really great folk who have a heart for championing the local artisan and a huge appreciation of how much work goes into what they do.
A bucketload of congratulations and kudos to the big-hearted and broad-smiled Tracy Lefroy, and of course her indefatigable behind-the-scenes designer, Rebecca Walsh Johnson (edited!). And for all the endless Instagrammable moments, massive applause goes to Meghan Plowman and Bec Tougas for impeccably styling the event. Shout out to Maya from House Nerd – so good to meet you!
Tracy Lefroy / Cranmore Home / Online store / tracylefroy@cranmore.com.au
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They are a-falling
Posted on June 4, 2014
Wearing – Gorman dress and cardigan, Elk earrings, Muji socks, Madewell boots (similar), vintage handbag
Welcome winter!
Make way for crisp nights that make the tip of your nose cold.
The crunch of dry leaves underfoot.
Snuggling under the doona on a rainy Saturday morning not to resurface for many a deliciously warm moment.
An open fire.
An excuse to wear a ridiculous beanie with an even more ridiculously large pompom.
Wrapping cold fingers around a massive mug of my finest English Breakfast tea.
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White Elephant beach cafe
Posted on March 17, 2014
It’s amazing how much you notice the weather change during the drive down south. We embarked from Perth on a 39 degree Celsius day and I’d packed four sundresses, a pair of shorts and a bikini. Thank goodness I threw in a cardie at the last minute! Searingly bright blue skies were replaced by muted grey clouds, and unforgiving rays of sun made way for a nippy breeze that surely raised goosebumps!
Breakfast at The White Elephant was tasty and unfussy. A lovely view of the waves constantly lapping against Gnarabup beach was the perfect accompaniment to my bacon and eggs on toast. The coffee too was just right. As their sign recommends, if you look out onto the ocean and look left you will notice a formation of rocks that resembles an elephant’s head side on with just a tiny stretch of the imagination!
Alas, the water was way too icy to take a dip. But fret not, we’ll definitely return to this spot on a future road trip.
White Elephant beach cafe / Gnarabup Rd, Gnarabup WA / Mon-Sat 7:30am – late / Sun 7:30am-10pm
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Boranup Forest
Posted on March 10, 2014
Located just south of Margaret River township, take a detour off Caves Road onto Boranup Drive to find yourself amongst these mighty karri trees. It is the perfect place to breathe in the fresh, crisp, eucalypt-scented air unique to our gorgeous and blessed country. Interestingly, rather than being peacefully quiet the place is bustling with the sounds and calls of birds and insects accompanied by the constant swishing of slender branches high up above.
If you’ve been lucky enough to take a trip even further south to Pemberton or Walpole to experience the gigantic and awe-inspiring karri forests down that way you may wonder why this community of trees is almost dwarfed in comparison! Boranup Forest was completely logged around 100 years ago and these trees are the regrowth! Another fact that makes this lively reserve unique is its proximity to the coast. This is the farthest west that karri trees grow and hence our closest location to admire and soak in this atmosphere.
Lucky us 🙂
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Shake it off
Posted on March 3, 2014
Wearing – Comptoir des Cotonniers dress (similar), Senso shoes, Pigeonhole hat
A trip to Margaret River was just what the doctor ordered. Pure sunshine on my face and a healthy breeze whipping through my hair. Sometimes we just need times of solace, to introspect, to heal and tend to our own hearts. This is a simple outfit, a few of my favourite things, fuss-free and comfortable.
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Yelverton Protea Farm
Posted on February 28, 2014
Wandering around this native flora wonderland, I dimwittedly asked, “So are you guys new?”.
Nope.
The Yelverton Protea Farm has been around, flourishing and providing your local florists with the most perfect and unique of blooms for over twenty years. The hordes of us who have made that road trip to Margaret River have unknowingly driven past this farm which is nestled between Busselton and Cowaramup on Bussell Highway. If you’re heading south and find yourself driving down roads populated by brightly painted cow statues, you’ve gone too far.
We couldn’t resist taking home a couple of King Protea and Red Carnival seedlings, in the hope that these gorgeous natives will someday yield beautiful flowers in my own backyard.
This charming venue is also available for weddings and events so do come and see for yourself!
Yelverton Protea Farm / Open 7 days a week / 7211 Bussell Hwy, North Jindong
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Beloved
Posted on February 19, 2014
Attending a wedding of someone precious to you is always an absolute delight. I particularly love to study the faces of family members, almost living vicariously and feeling lifted by the emotions so clearly written in their expressions.
Noted here. A mother’s tender but intensely proud and protective stance, beaming with happiness over her daughter, the bride. The bride, a grown woman but forever a daughter, bowed in love and ultimate respect.
The hands and richly embroidered garments of three women. Mother-in-law, bride and her mother. White, universally symbolic of pureness of heart and devotion. Hands dipped and decorated to reflect the deep religious and cultural traditions that ceremonialise this marriage. They are dyed with the runes of blessings.
A groom, finally allowed to see his beloved on this special day. He bends down to kiss her gently on the forehead, face cupped exquisitely in his hands.
Excitement barely contained behind her veil.
The Silver Lining 