be fierce

Go now, and live.

Experience. Dream. Risk. Close your eyes and jump. Enjoy the freefall. Choose exhilaration over comfort. Choose magic over predictability. Choose potential over safety. Wake up to the magic of everyday life. Make friends with your intuition. Trust your gut. Discover the beauty of uncertainty. Know yourself fully before you make promises to another. Make millions of mistakes so that you will know how to choose what you really need. Know when to hold on and when to let go. Love hard and often and without reservation. Seek knowledge. Open yourself up to possibility. Keep your heart open, your head high and your spirit free. Embrace your darkness along with your light. Be wrong every once in a while, and don't be afraid to admit it. Awaken to the brilliance in ordinary moments. Tell the truth about yourself no matter what the cost. Own your reality without apology. See goodness in the world. Be Bold. Be Fierce. Be Grateful. Be Wild, Crazy and Gloriously Free. Be you.

Go now, and live.

-Jeanette LeBlanc

Little Boat | Set Sail Party• MAD MEN THEMED

To celebrate the opening of Little Boat,Sara hosted a Mad Men themed party. The night was deliriously fun,everybody was so lovely & we downed copious amounts of espresso martinis.white wine & cheeses.

I also stalked the folk with my camera...

Flourless Organic Dark Chocolate + Orange Cake

This cake is so beyond delicious! Its also gluten free.When making mine I used a lined springform pan & served it with Natural Greek Yoghurt instead of cream.

Ingredients•

2 oranges [Valencia or Navel,I used Navel as the skin is softer]

200g organic dark chocolate,chopped

100g unsalted butter,chopped

8 free-range eggs

1 1/3 cups [300g] caster sugar

3 cups [300g] almond meal

Double cream,to serve [I used Greek Yoghurt instead]

Icing sugar,to serve



Step 1•
Place the oranges [whole,skin on] in a saucepan. Cover with water and a lid. Bring to the boil. Reduce to a low heat. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove the oranges and set aside to cool. Roughly chop and place in a food processor. Process until a coarse paste forms.

Step 2•
Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring often until smooth. Set aside to cool. (Alternatively melt in a microwave-proof bowl in the microwave on Medium/50% power, stirring every 30 seconds, for 2 minutes.)

Step 3•
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 22cm cake pan with non-stick baking paper. Use an electric beater to beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until well combined.

Step 4•
Fold in the almond meal, orange paste and chocolate mixture until well combined. Pour into the cake pan. Bake for 1 hour 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan. Dust with icing sugar and serve with cream.

mind + body

Over the past 4 years I've been focused on my mental + spiritual wellbeing.It's been a very challenging journey for me that has seen me in some pretty horrible places.I'm personally in a much more positive place now & even though I know this is something I will forever constantly be aware of,it isn't something that bothers me so much anymore.All the things I have absorbed from Dialectical Behavioral Therapy,cognitive therapy,books,strangers,friends,family,
professionals I am constantly processing everyday to make my life the best life I can live & worth living.

Because my mental health is a little more stable now I'm starting to focus on my physical health which I've neglected over the past few years.I've gained around 20kg's in the past 4 years due to bad eating habits + lack of physical exercise + mental issues + medications + being diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome & it bothers me.I'm not as healthy & it bothers me more than the actual weight.My size does bother me as it's the largest I've ever been,but it's more my physical health that I worry about especially since I am turning 30 at the end of this year & it does get harder as we get older to maintain our physical health.But just like my mental health,I can't bash myself up for this,it's a process & one that I need to focus on & be kind to myself just like working through issues with the mind.

One of the first things I have changed so far is my eating.I'm trying to eat more natural,less processed.Just little changes so far like Organic Full-Cream milk & butter & other dairy.I've been learning that dairy labelled with 'diet'.'lite'.'low fat' etc. may just be those things,but the fat is replaced with a huge amount of sugar which is a lot more harmful than fat.This tiny change in my eating has already proved to be working & I'm really excited about that.I've also started to make eating more of an event,rather than just something you have to do as part of your day which usually ends up in shoveling some type of food in your mouth that you're not really mindful of.

Food is beautiful! And to share delicious food with the company of those we love,whether it be one person or a whole group is a special part of our day.The one thing I miss most about eating in the Philippines is how it's so communal,everybody eats together,laughing,talking,relishing in the food & company.Over here we're accustomed to just rushing & trying to get things done that eating is just another thing that gets ticked off the list.So I've been making meals that I can share with another or others,or even if I am by myself,I put the effort into make something wholesome & yummy & really be mindful of what I'm eating,take my time & enjoy eating so I am satisfied.


This is only a tiny step towards my physical health,but I already feel good about it.Bren & I try to do something outdoors & active together over the weekend,whether it be bushwalking,beach wandering,swimming,surfing etc. as we both love the outdoors & doing activities like that is something that we can share as well as keep our hearts pumping.

I'm not on a mad quest to be a size 8,but I do want to be healthy again & whether that takes me another 6 months or another 4 years,it doesn't bother me,as long as I am moving forward & not backward into unhappy,unhealthy body.

steve,i love you.

Last Sunday I purchased myself a palm sander which I've now affectionately called Steve.

I love Steve.

Steve has opened up my world to infinite woodworking possibilities.My cheese board making has become even more fun because of Steve.

Today I made 2 more cheese boards & hopefully tomorrow I'll make 2 more in between the 10thousand other things I need to do.

Thanks Steve,you're ace.

little room

I read this article with Jenny Kee a little while back in Frankie magazine,but because I live in disconnected chaos I have no idea where my copy of the magazine is. There's a paragraph in the interview that I adore & it really reinforced what I've been trying to work + live by for a long time. The following is the exert from the interview with Jenny Kee & written by Benjamin Law.

'...If you’re on a creative path, go for it. Don’t try and build an empire. Do things with integrity, in a small, meaningful way. If you’re really creative, create little businesses, so there’s lovely choice with original talents. One can make a living doing that.'

River Oak

The curse of being creative is that even if you're physically ill with the flu,your mind is still alive with ideas.

I crawled out of bed Sunday morning to try & make Mum's Day a little lovely for mother dearest,but after half a day out in the elements & snotting through a box of tissues I had to go home & rest. I hate being sick. I hate being sick,feeling like crap & simultaneously being excited about a new project I want to start.

Armed with a new box of tissues,filled to the eyeballs with cold+flu tablets,rugged up like a paranoid Eskimo, I made my way to my studio to get stuck into making these little cheeseboards I've been wanting to make for a while now.

I got my hands on a beautiful piece of River Oak & thought it would be perfect to create these little cheesy delights.Um,my poor jigsaw blade just snapped,but this is the result so far! It's all trial & error,but I'm happy.

Drop by later when I've finished making these little fellas. Hopefully I'll still have fingers intact & am not in hospital with pneumonia.