It’s been a while since I had my heart broken
It's hard to believe that my first post about our new puppy, Fetch, is probably my last. No sugarcoating it here, this past few weeks have sucked. Big time. Skip this one if you're not in the mood, folks. I just wanted to make sure he was documented here, where all the things I love are...
Where to begin…
I've sat down to write this update post multiple times now. It's been a while, and there is a lot to catch up on. Stuff with me, the business, the house, finding my feet after the year that was 2020 and everything in between. But then the sheer volume overwhelms me, and I delete the draft and...
I stopped writing about confidence when anxiety took over
Writing a blog about confidence is pretty tough when you feel like a fraud. I should know; that's exactly how I felt. Looking back, I knew things were really out of control when I attended an event in Brisbane, pre-Covid. In a room full of people, most I'd known for years, I couldn't breathe....
New to me plus-size brands giving big summer energy
A beach baby since before birth, I'm team summer, even if it leaves me a frizzy, sweaty mess more often than not. Thankfully, after a little exploring online, some new to me plus-size brands with big summer energy popped into my feed. Everything you need for a Queensland summer, from swimwear...
What I learned when I gave up drinking
I'm serious when I tell you when I gave up drinking, I hadn't intended to. One day I was changing how I ate, looking to achieve a whole host of things, and I decided alcohol wouldn't fit in with those changes. So, I stopped drinking. Now, It's been three months since I gave up drinking, and I...
Make something, even if it sucks: Ask Suger
Considering I was in my office this morning before 6 am, you'd think I'd be ready to roll with this email early, right? Apparently not. I got caught up making a few changes to the blog branding I had a dream about last night. Saying it came to me in a dream seems a little out there, but that's...
How much I made on Fiverr in my first year
It all started with a simple question, can I earn money on Fiverr as a photographer? Keen to get into doing more product photography, I was looking for a way to find clients and generate more work for myself. A YouTube video about a freelance copywriter on CNBC's Millennial Money convinced me...
Feeling left behind in life: Ask Suger
A couple of weeks ago, I received an Ask Suger talking about the changes they had been going through in their life and how they felt behind everyone else they knew. And it wasn't that they were not getting what they wanted, feeling as if they were taking giant steps backwards. So, they wanted...
How did I disappear from my life?
Where did I go? That's the question I've been asking myself lately. How did I manage to disappear from my life? Somewhere around late 2020, I stopped documenting my life, being in pictures and outside of the weekly Suger News emails sharing. Where did I go? I don't know. All I know is I was...
Taking Shape x Elverina Johnson collection
Taking Shape is thrilled to reveal the first-ever First Nations designs by the highly regarded artist Elverina Johnson. A highly respected Gungganji Gurugulu woman from Yarrabah in Far North Queensland, Elverina is one of the Nation’s most recognisable and accomplished artists. Her belief is...
Puma x Modibodi
Modibodi has partnered up with PUMA to launch a range of leak-free period activewear and underwear*, created to help women stay comfortable and active during their period whilst making a positive environmental impact. Awesome news for my inbox this week, right? I love this range and was...
Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls reminded me why I started blogging
When I shared the Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls announcement post over the weekend, I was hoping for a little more opportunity to talk about this show, maybe even rave a little about it. I've seen it twice, some napping occurred the second time around, and I had so much fun watching...
A few of my favourite things…
A little while back, I thought it would be fun to do favourite things kind of post. Feature books and products, homewares to skincare—stuff I've seen on the interwebs in a roundup style post. But then, from memory, it was Afterpay Day. And the very idea of sending out a post flogging stuff,...
Where to Buy Wide Fit Boots for Plus-Size Women
Welcome to the next instalment of the Where to Buy posts. This week it is wide fit boots. Boots for the plus size, large legged amongst us. Some have extended shoe sizing. Others offer wide fitting calf and ankle boots. Earlier this week, it occurred to me that it was feeling like the cooler...
Do you still subscribe to magazines?
I've always loved the glossy pages of a magazine. Not literally, the glossy pages drive me nuts with fingerprints, but you know what I mean. Whether it was about fashion or home decor, far off adventures or food. A lot of why I wanted to be a writer when I was a child was because of magazines....
Rising water doesn’t differentiate {Gympie Floods 2022}
As some of you know, my home town is under flood as I write this. A major flood with a level that is predicted to continue rising. Expected to exceed the previous highest flood on record; February 1999 (21.94m). I've been awake since around 5 am reading the overnight updates of the water...
I know all about being fine
Starting the year out rushing to get back to work with emails flooding my inbox wasn't ideal. I was overwhelmed, and on the brink of panic most days, I got on with things. And when asked? Of course, I was fine. Tired, but fine. Busy, but fine. I know all about being fine. Being fine is such a...
Some things I want to say to you
While the blog has been a little quiet of late, life, and all that jazz, I've been thinking about you. About you and how life is treating you. Did you rally your best efforts for the first month? Or did you start a diet, a new job or did you quit an old one? What were your resolutions, what are your dreams for this year? How are...
Not enough coffee in the world…
Have you ever had a day when you realised that there is not enough coffee in the world for you to manage it. Your temper is short, and so is time. Deadlines are poking you softly in the side and you know they'll prod harder and harder as the day wears on. One of those days. With a fresh cup in front of me, black and strong and...
How to dress for Summer
Summer in Queensland is an interesting, tricky little thing. The further north you get the more humid it is. The further west the plain old hotter it gets. Then head down to the bottom corner, and you could be forgiven for thinking you were in Melbourne. Fours seasons in one day and all that. So how does this girl, a liver in...
My life was shaped by my love of reading
I've always been a reader. My father, a dedicated reader in his adult years after struggling through school with learning difficulties, hoped that his children would develop a love of books. Being the compliant eldest child, I took it on board because I thought I should. Then it stuck. And my life looks different because of my...
My top Instagram accounts to inspire you
Ahh Instagram, how I love thee. I could spend hours and hours just flicking through the bright, bold, beautiful images there. Sure I love to see your dinner and your holiday snaps, but it's the wow images I stay around for. The top Instagram accounts that inspire me. The sort of photos that you have to double tap immediately...
It’s the dark ages people
Move one is done and pretty much dusted. We are housed in my sister’s front room taking more than our fair share of space in the garage and kitchen. Moving was exhausting, isn’t it always? But the biggest challenge is breaking my addiction to all things wifi and 4G coverage. I tell you what, I thought it would be tricky but it’s...
Mynt1792 Hearts AU #myntheartsau
Brought to you by Mynt1792 In what is becoming our signature style Liv, Em and I got together last Sunday to grab some photos for Mynt1792. With a recently launched Australian website, the team approached me to put together some photos to showcase the range and let you all know that they were here, go forth and buy all the...
‘Tis the season for body shame
First comes Christmas, then comes New Year's Eve and then comes the season of body shame known as January/February. Festively plump from the seasons prior, and for me the six months prior to that, this year I was almost dragged into it. Almost. It's a tricky little thing that body shame; it always finds a new angle to commence an...
Our lives in boxes
I was dragged kicking and screaming, sometimes literally, into packing up the house while I was on holidays over the past two weeks. I huffed and puffed. I sooked. I wanted to be at the beach, not in the recesses of my house pulling things out of cupboards, sorting, and packing. The phrase I don't want to was whined through the...
Chambray Shirt: A love story!
This post contains claims of true love & eternal devotion for a gifted item. Chambray shirts, way essential. Trust me. Once you own one you live in them. Open as a sort of light jacket. Buttoned up. Tucked in. Hanging out. Over swimmers in summer. Under jackets in winter. The perfect chambray shirt should be a 'must find'...