Ideasの September 2016 の目次

Sunshine for me has always gone hand in hand with laughter and happiness , renewed energy, long days and cocktails. Even though I was very much a winter person in my youth , over the years the sun has increasingly lured me outdoors to a beautifully set table , a towel , book and sunshade beside the swimming pool , late afternoons in the garden and yes - to ice-cold cocktails brimming with mint and lemon and delectable pieces of fresh fruit. Cocktails remind me of holidays , spending time with old friends , and heaps of celebrations and special occasions and achievements. Every time the mint in my postage-stamp garden threatens to take over , my son says the plant knows summer is on the way and the family…

From the time we first met Cornel, nothing about this vibrant woman was dull or drab. Her work was fresh and colourful, her bright dresses reflected her personality and every room in her house had its own colour and distinctive character. ‘After the restfulness of December in my neutral beach house, I simply had an overwhelming need to bring that same peacefulness into this house. Not only did all the brightness and patterns have to go from the walls and furniture, I also threw them out of my wardrobe. I have a real need for a quieter life and colour is such a big part of that,’ she says. Her departure point was to paint every wall, cornice and ceiling in the same light grey – Plascon’s Light Stone NEU…

MENU COSMOPOLITAN BEETROOT CURED IN VODKA WITH GOAT’S CHEESE & CRANBERRIES PIÑA COLADA CHICKEN POACHED IN COCONUT AND RUM WITH PINEAPPLE AND SWEET POTATO PURÉE MINT JULEP WHISKEY MARINATED FISH SERVED WITH MINT COUSCOUS SALAD KIR ROYALE SPARKLING WINE AND CASSIS PANNA COTTA SET THE SCENE Celebrate a special occasion with a glitzy, glamorous cocktail party. We chose a sophisticated colour palette of white, silver and gold. Serve elegant canapés and fill a drinks trolley with cocktail ingredients and stylish glasses so the guests can mix their own drinks as they socialise. COSMOPOLITAN Mix together 45ml vodka, 15ml triple sec or Cointreau, 45ml cranberry juice and 15ml freshly squeezed lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled martini glass and serve with…

DECORATED BOTTLES Use dried flowers to decorate glass bottles in various ways. Insert a flower into a bottle or bottle neck, use spray glue to glue a dried flower to the front of a bottle, or glue a flower head to the lid. FLORAL JEWELLERY Make your own jewellery by casting dried flowers in resin. Mix together equal quantities of resin and hardener in a plastic container with a tongue depressor. Stir for two minutes, decant into another container and mix for another minute. Stand the ring blank on a level surface and secure it with masking tape or Prestik. (Find ring blanks at most craft stores or bead suppliers.) Use tweezers to put a dried flower into the base then pour the resin mixture carefully over the flower. Leave…

WIGWAM DIFFICULTY: fairly easy TIME: one day YOU WILL NEED • 4 pine slats of 4cm x 4cm x 2,4m • 7,5m muslin • 2m cotton or polycotton fabric • matching machine thread • twine • drill • drill bit, slightly bigger than thickness of twine • approximately 2,7m lace with a decorative edge, the width of your choice • 3m patterned woven ribbon (optional) • 1m plain woven ribbon TO MAKE  1 Measure and cut 4 panels of 1,75m each from the muslin. Fold one panel lengthwise in half, measure widthwise 75cm from the fold along the bottom edge and mark the position. Draw a diagonal line from the 75cm marking to the top at the fold to form a triangle. Cut out the folded triangle along the line,…

YOU WILL NEED old branched tree stump sander with 180-grit sandpaper 5cm paintbrush three shades of light-grey paint small nail hammer pencil jigsaw piece of board blowtorch, if needed screwdriver DID YOU KNOW? Ombré comes from the French ‘ombrer’, meaning ‘to shade’. FOR THE BASE 1 Sand the tree stump to smooth any unevenness, then wipe it clean with a soft cloth or brush; if it was not previously a table base, saw the ends of the legs so they are level with each other. 2 Paint the top section of the tree stump as far as the middle with the lightest shade of grey and leave to dry. Touch up the paint with a second coat and leave to dry. Paint from the bottom up towards the middle with…

The creative genius who is behind a beautiful product is often both the strength and the weakness of that product. As artisans and crafters, we are wholeheartedly and personally invested in our product, which makes it hard to understand why things don’t always go according to plan: why a product is not selling as much as we think it should or why seats are not being filled. We feel that we know what’s best for our business and we can become quite defensive when suggestions for changes are made. We also tend to be involved in every aspect of our product including marketing, packaging design, pricing and sales. The fact is that while we may be brilliant at creating the product, we may not be quite so good at the…

Q How do I choose the correct crochet yarn? A Crochet yarn is available a wide range of weights, which refers to the thickness of the yarn rather than the actual weight on the scale. The thinnest yarn is called lace weight and it can be used with a 2mm or thinner crochet hook. The next thickness is superfine, then sport weight, then DK or double knitting. After that comes medium weight and so it goes on until jumbo. The yarn thickness is usually given on the label – read it carefully. The one snag is that the knitting yarn companies describe their products differently on their labels. For example, one company’s superfine category can be another one’s sport category. The best way to ensure the correct result is to…

Do you feel like getting away for a weekend of sewing, socialising and learning the ropes on the latest Bernina machines? The Ideas team will be waiting for you at Simondium’s Country Lodge near Paarl, where we will all be booking in for a weekend of creativity from Friday afternoon 23 September to Sunday afternoon 25 September. And by the end of the weekend you will have two completed stitchcraft projects to take home with you: a gypsy curtain and a cute caravan pincushion. The Ideas team will do a creative demonstration and, true to the area, we will also have a wine tasting with local producers. We can only accommodate 30 people in our group, so don’t wait too long before you book. For just R2 300 (sharing), or…

tiffinbitesized.com.au Fiona Ryan writes about food, travel and what she enjoys (and doesn’t). Her job as a project manager funds her travels and gives her the chance to spend ‘stupid sums of money’ on meals and cooking equipment. Her husband is her travelling companion. On her travels, she always makes time to visit local markets and specialty shops, and to hunt out dishes and treats that have been recommended to her. ‘I don’t mind a massage or a cocktail on the beach either.’ nomnompaleo.com Michelle Tam majored in Nutrition and Food Science and in spite of following a low-fat diet developed a ‘muffin top’. Her husband converted to the Paleo lifestyle first and after a while she decided to give it a try. ‘I cut out all grains, legumes, sugar,…

Where to find the dough Most supermarkets sell ready-made bread dough. Have a look in the fridge section where products like garlic bread and tortillas are kept or ask at the bakery counter. If there is none on the shelf, the bakery assistant will weigh out a kilogram of ready-made dough for you. Make sure you get it home as soon as possible and store it in the fridge until you are ready to use it because the dough will start to rise as soon as it warms up. Deep-dish salami pizza Makes: 2 Preparation time: 45 minutes, plus rising time Baking time: 30 minutes Oven temperature: 200o C • 1kg ready-made bread dough • about 500ml grated mozzarella • 12 slices salami or spicy salami • fresh basil leaves,…

DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: two hours • recipes on facing page • 20cm cake plate • 30cm cake board • small off-set spatula • large spatula or bench scraper • spoon • sweets and other treats to decorate Cut each cake horizontally into two layers. Use a little icing to stick the first layer to the cake plate. Sandwich the cakes together with a layer of icing, making sure they are level as you go. Place the cake on the larger cake board to make icing it easier. Spread a thin layer of icing over the whole cake. This is called the crumb coat as it catches any loose crumbs. Refrigerate for 30 minutes then cover with another liberal layer of icing, using a large spatula or bench scraper to ensure…

PRINTS Prints in all sizes work perfectly for a fresh, free-spirited look. TEXTURE Dresses with tone-on-tone textures add interest to any spring wardrobe. LACE A delicate touch of lace brings a bit of romance to your outfit. MAXI DRESS A long floaty printed dress is ideal for those not-so-warm days.…

DIFFICULTY: very easy TIME: 15 minutes per square SIZE 1 square = 8 x 8cm after blocking Finished blanket = 152 x 104cm For a larger or smaller blanket, work more or fewer squares, taking into account there are 19 squares to the length and 13 squares to the width. Thus you can add or subtract full rows of 13 squares for a longer or shorter blanket, or more or fewer squares all the way up for a wider or narrower blanket. YOU WILL NEED • cotton DK or DK knitting yarn in the colours of your choice • 4mm crochet hook • tapestry needle NOTE Use a standing stitch instead of ch 3 for the first stitch to avoid the chain that forms a ‘seam’. To work the stitch,…

Make your own ‘house diary’ and fill it with notes on your paint colours, the sizes of the windows and even the types of light bulbs in each room. There’s nothing worse than standing in the paint shop and not being able to remember what colour you painted your bathroom; or browsing the nursery for new plants and not knowing the name of the rose that grows so well in your garden. This little book is the ultimate one-stop shop for your home - think of it as your house’s biography. MEASURING WINDOWS FOR CURTAINS: Curtain width measurements depend on the length of your curtain track or rod, but measuring the length or ‘drop’ is determined by where you’d like your drapes to end - sill length, floor length, or…

I am seated comfortably with my eyes closed, a blanket over my legs and electrodes on my head. All I have to do is not think of much and if a thought does come into my mind, I must allow it to drift off like a cloud. No, I'm not meditating, I'm busy training my brain. Ironically it was mindfulness meditation that helped me realise that all of us can influence our own brains. We can learn not to let our thoughts run amok, and if they do then we can take charge of what we think. We all know how it feels to be anxious – there’s a knot in your stomach, you feel slightly nauseous and often you have a headache to boot – all while a movie…

VEGETABLES: asparagus, artichokes, beetroot, broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, leeks, garlic, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, peas, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, rhubarb, Swiss chard, squash, spring onions, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turnips, waterblommetjies. FRUIT: avocados, bananas, Cape gooseberries, grapefruit, guava, kiwi, lemons, limes, mulberries, naartjies, oranges, pawpaw, pineapple. HERBS: bay leaves, dandelion, calendula, fennel, garlic chives, lavender, lemon grass, mint, nasturtiums, nettle, parsley, perennial basil, rosemary, sage, thyme, rocket, winter savory, sorrel. FLOWERS AVAILABLE IN SEPTEMBER alstroemeria, anemone, anthuriums, Asiatic lilies, carnations, celosia, chincherinchees, confetti, cornflowers, chrysanthemums, delphiniums, everlastings, freesias, gerbera, germini, golden rod, heliconia, hypericum, iris, kangaroo paw, larkspur, lisianthus, orange balls, orchids, oriental lilies, roses, snapdragons, some fynbos, heather and ericas, some proteas and pincushions, statice, stocks, tuberose, tulips.…

ART MEETS design Mariska Botha makes these eclectic earrings – she laser cuts them from wood then hand paints and stains them. • For more information, email her at wooden.envy@gmail.com or find her at facebook.com/wooden.envy. Cocktail hour This gorgeous rose-gold-plated stainless steel cocktail shaker will add a touch of glamour to any drinks party. The three-piece set is available from @home stores countrywide and sells for R699. Make a citrus twist for your cocktail by using a zesting tool or channel knife to cut a thin piece of zest from a lemon or orange. Twist it around a chopstick or kebab skewer. Leave for a few minutes then remove the stick. CROCHET TOYS Sue Bellwood is the creator of these little woolly friends. She makes a range of luxury…

Serves: 8-10 Preparation time: 40 minutes, plus rising time Baking time: 45 minutes Oven temperature: 190o C • 1kg ready-made bread dough • 30ml olive oil • 125g streaky bacon, chopped • 2 leeks, sliced • 6 cloves garlic, crushed • 1 egg, lightly beaten with 10ml water • 30ml chopped fresh parsley • 250ml grated Cheddar Put the dough into a large bowl. Cover it with a damp cloth and set aside to rise until doubled in size. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Add the bacon and fry for three minutes, then add the leeks and garlic and fry until soft. Divide the dough in half. Roll one half of the dough into a circle, about 22cm in diameter. Put it onto a baking tray that…

Serves: 16-20 Preparation time: 30 minutes Baking time: 45 minutes Oven temperature: 160o C CHOCOLATE MUD CAKE WITH CARAMEL ICING • 350g soft butter • 375ml Huletts Treacle Sugar • 750ml Huletts White Sugar • 6 large eggs • 15ml vanilla essence • 100g cocoa powder • 20ml bicarbonate of soda • 1 125ml cake flour, sifted • 500ml sour cream • 550ml hot water ICING • 350g soft butter • 1 tin of caramel • 1kg Huletts Icing Sugar, sifted GANACHE • 300g dark chocolate, chopped • 150ml fresh cream NOTE This cake is best baked a day or two before you are planning to ice and serve it. 1 Beat the butter, treacle sugar and white sugar together until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating…

THE SUN IS THE NUMBER ONE CULPRIT WHEN IT COMES TO SKIN AGEING, RIGHT? Wrong. The attackers that cause premature ageing, fine lines, wrinkles, skin sagging, dryness, coarse texture and age spots are competing to see which one can do the most damage. The new words on everyone’s lips are atmospheric ageing. This means a walk down the street, an afternoon in the park or an outing to the mall can be just as damaging to your skin as unprotected sun exposure. New research shows smoke, soot, smog, air pollution and so-called ozone pollution break down the skin’s natural barrier function and protective mechanisms, allowing free radicals to do their damage. The ‘environment’ includes everything that isn’t genetic – diet, air, water, ultraviolet radiation, stress, disease and so on. Studies…

Early on a Saturday, The Country Butcher is already buzzing with people who’ve come in search of a cup of morning coffee. Many of them are reading the paper while they wait for their meat orders to be packed, they’re foraging around the deli for sweet somethings or they’ve come to do their daily shopping for farm-fresh eggs, milk and freshly baked bread. Gwynnedd Laubscher was never much of a meat eater – much less a butcher. When her husband, Jacobus, wanted to open a butchery, she agreed on condition that it would be beautiful. That’s what piqued our interest here at Ideas and made us want to meet this reader, because we also love pretty things. The appeal of The Country Butcher goes way beyond its looks. It is…

• Collect our monthly printable paper parcels and make sure you have special designs on hand for all your needs. • BUY SEPTEMBER NOW! • Each monthly parcel costs R15. • If you missed January to August you can still order them. • If you subscribe for the year at R120, you will receive January to September and the rest will arrive monthly until December 2016. • BUY OUR QUOTES IN ONE PARCEL FOR R15! GO TO ideasmarket.co.za to click through to our online shop.…