There was a time when Paula Risanto didn’t think she’d ever really ‘get’ sewing. She tried taking lessons when her daughter Giselle (6) was a baby, and for a long while there was a sewing machine collecting dust somewhere around the house. Then came months of dreary lockdown in 2020 and a new creative motivation.

There’s something called the Haus of Dizzy nod. When you’re wearing a piece by jewellery designer Kristy Dickinson, you get recognised by other members of her cabal. Actually, you get noticed by pretty much everybody. Enormous acrylic accessories promoting Aboriginality and inclusive values tend to make a statement – at the demonstration, at the club, on the red carpet, on the streets of Newtown or West End or Fitzroy.

They make shoes and beer and hats and albums and mugs. They use leather and yarn and clay and paint and metal. They live all across Australia – in cities and in country towns, and at least one sheep farm, too. Their heads are full of big ideas, and their hands are busy crafting something wonderful.

Who among us hasn't forgotten Auntie Sue's birthday brunch till the very last minute? Or blanked on the number of parties your kids seem to be attending every Saturday afternoon? We've all grabbed a slightly sad card at the servo, together with a chocolate bar that might have been sitting there too long, then tried to avoid eye contact when handing them over to our gift recipient.

In this series we’re exploring some of the challenges we all face every day through the lens of five different workers with tips to help you both live and work better. Explore our Live Better content for inspiration and tips on how you can work and live better. You could get a great deal on Corporate Health Cover through your work.

In a land with no comprehensive train network, Croatia is a nation of drivers. From post-independence motorways built after the 1990s, or the slightly more vintage state roads, you’ll find the Croatians love the tarmac. Not always subtle on the accelerator, the liberal use of the horn is used as much to greet other drivers as to signal a warning.

As tempting as this is, it’s also a crummy idea. Sometimes you’ve got to give your new kicks a bit of love before they can love you back. So if you want to cherish your new Doc friends forever and ever (which is pretty much how long they’ll last), wearing them in is the way to go. How to perform this foot-related marvel?

Every business experiences ‘that’ challenge– when crises strike, when radical change has to be made, when failure comes uncomfortably close. If you’re lucky, you get to learn from it, and use it as a catalyst for ongoing success. Here, a collection of 2019 Telstra Business Awards finalists from South Australia share their biggest challenges – from ghosting clients and empty pubs to customer education and the GFC.

Business is a constant learning curve – an ongoing challenge to review, adapt and grow. ‘That’ lesson learnt might be an error to retreat from, or a teachable moment that shows the way forward. Here, a collection of 2019 Telstra Business Awards finalists from Tasmania tell their stories of ‘That’ lesson learnt: from finding audiences and candidate testing to the finer points of gin appreciation.

Who have you been spending your lockdown with? I’ve been spending mine with spectacularly good-looking Koreans in spectacularly unlikely romantic scenarios. It all began with Crash Landing on You, a tale of love, friendship and beauty products that spans the divide between South and North Korea. It’s addictively off-the-wall, heartbreaking and hilarious – and since the show is only available in Korean audio with English subtitles, it demands your full attention.

Illustrator Penny Ferguson moved to the Dandenong Ranges with her partner because they thought it looked a bit like the town in Twin Peaks. Happily, Penny’s mountain life is less dramatic than your average David Lynch character, though her output shows a mind that loves oddities and the great outdoors.

I’ve lived with chronic fatigue syndrome for a decade now, which means I’m practically a Professional Tired Person. I work tired. I travel tired. I go on dates tired. I mop the bathroom tired. Medical science still hasn’t worked out why this is (there are several boring competing theories), but I know I’m not alone.

Whether you're lucky enough to have someone give you flowers, or you buy them as a treat for yourself (or maybe you're a talented person who grows your own in the garden), there's nothing like having fresh blooms around the place. Here are five ideas for decorating with cut flowers, plus some practical inspiration for keeping them fresh and happy as long as possible.