By Jaclyn Carlson I never really understood the Sydney vs. Melbourne rivalry. Perhaps this is because I wasn’t born here and to me any city where you don’t have to shovel your car out from under a snow bank just to get to work seems like paradise; but I still don’t get it. Both cities have their strong points. Sydney is sunny and lush, with a beautiful harbour and pristine beaches while Melbourne oozes European charm with it’s cafes, laneways and dare I say it – culture.

After living here for the past four and a half years I fully admit to being a Sydney girl and love the fact that each and every day I’m still discovering new places in this vastly spread out city. Despite this admiration I have for Sydney, there has always been one small problem area for me, something that has nagged me since moving here and a constant source of envy – Melbourne blogs. Now I’m being a bit dramatic of course but every event I read about, class I wanted to take, new shop to open up, etc has always been based in Melbourne and written about by some really talented, clever (and Melbourne-based) blog. It wasn’t fair, I was jealous. So thanks to my jealously and of course the lovely Tess for allowing me to write this post, I'm thrilled that Sydney will finally get to have it’s voice on the CWC. Each month I’ll be bringing you bits of information, upcoming events, new shop openings and of course profiles on some Sydney centred talent. It will be like one big happy Sydney/Melbourne family!

I was completely overwhelmed at where to start, I mean Sydney is literally bursting with creativity at every corner so I’ve decided to profile a few talented ladies and upcoming events that have personally impressed me. I’ve found the people and places below inspiring and motivating – I hope you will too.

Follow Okay, I’m sure you’ve heard that the talented duo behind The Finders Keepers markets have opened up a store called Follow, but only in Sydney can you actually go and check out the amazing selection of independent and locally made products. Although based here, the lovely ladies at Follow have offered CWC readers a special offer on all orders made through the end of March. Simply enter the code CWC10 and receive 10% off online orders.

Veggie Patch Melbourne has had them for a while but now Sydney is getting to experience the culinary adventure on wheels – food trucks. I’d say we’re a bit excited to finally have a few trucks to call our own but I’m even more excited about the vegetarian truck – Veggie Patch. The Veggie Patch is a collaboration between vegetarian restaurant, Yulli’s, and the talented Georgie and Milenka from design studio TMOD. The girls are certainly busy so watch their Facebook page for new updates.

ABCD Meet-Up If you’re a blogger/designer/artist/crafter in the Sydney area then make sure to check out the next ABCD Meet-Up event happening in March. An inspiration-filled night complete with cocktails and organized by Steph Bond-Hutkin of Bondville, this is one event you’ll want to make sure to blog about.

Life Instyle If you have a love for creatively designed products and a knack for discovering the next big thing then you’ll want to visit the upcoming Life Instyle trade show running from 23-25 February at the Royal Hall of Industries, Sydney. It’s trade only so make sure you register and if you stop by make sure to say hello… I’ll be there all weekend.

Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Jaclyn Carlson is the author behind the Sydney-based blog, Little Paper Trees. When not documenting her expat adventures, she can be found working for one of Australia's top design & homewares trade shows. Passionate and prone to wasting hours on Pinterest, she has years of experience in marketing, advertising and PR and aims to put Sydney's creative women in the spotlight with her monthly column.

PS - you may remember Jaclyn posted her tips for Trade Show success last year... revisit them here!