Table of contents for August 2015 in Ideas

hen my son, Anton, was a little boy, he decided whether he liked someone or not based on their answer to his question, ‘Are you family?’. If you were, you were immediately the recipient of a wide smile and his endless loyalty. If not, well, then you had to earn his smile. His fascination with family has never really gone away, and many Saturday mornings in our house are spent on genealogy.com, trying to find more ancestors. We know our story begins in Blois in the former French province of Orléanais. Forefather Gabriël le Roux and his brother Jean first travelled to Delft before sailing from Rotterdam to the Cape on the Voorschoten in 1687. Anton was still busy reading about the first family farm, La Concorde, situated in Paarl…

GAUTENG 31 July-2 August The South African Book Fair 2015 takes place at the Turbine Hall in Newtown, Johannesburg. There will be author interviews, readings, workshops and more. Go to southafricanbookfair.com. 6-10 August Decorex is on at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand. Craft Collective showcases local, handmade craft. At 100% Design you can see design for the residential, hospitality, office and product design industries. Go to thebereed.co.za/decorex/ or 100percentdesign.co.za. 29-30 August At Trouvé’s French Flair market in Bergbron, you’ll find gifts, décor and furniture. Go to facebook.com/TrouveZA or call 082 547 1294. KWAZULU-NATAL 1-2 August Attend the Queensburgh Orchid Club Annual Show from 10am to 4pm at Kloof Town Hall, Old Main Road. Entrance for adults is R10 and scholars R5. Refreshments will be available. Plants will be on…

SLIMLINE Team a pencil skirt with a long-sleeved T-shirt for a dressy but laid-back look. Top (R249) from Zara. Skirt (R250) from Truworths. Apron (R180) from Lida Vermeulen. Stockings (R89,95) from Woolworths. Shoes (R199) from Moda Scapa at Spree. CLASSIC CHECK Traditional gingham will add instant Italian flair to your outfit. Shirt (R549) from Mango. POP OF COLOUR Winter can be quite grey, so brighten it up with a pop of vibrant red. Jersey (R449) from Mango. Jeans (R559) from Zara. Boots (R699) from Call It Spring. FLORAL AND FORM FITTING Look for belted dresses to accentuate your waist. Dress (R1 299) from Trenery. Stockings (R199) from Country Road. Boots (R1 299) from Call It Spring.…

CREAMY CHEESE Try Parmalat’s deliciously creamy, thick low-fat cream cheese. It costs R29,99 and is available in three flavours: traditional, spring onion and salmon. Use the cheeses to create impressive snacks, meals or bakes. Available countrywide. SMART BITES Clicks has launched Smartbite Foods, a range of specially selected raw foods and grocery products for a healthy lifestyle. Options include gluten-free, banting-friendly, high fibre and sugar alternative products. Available in Clicks stores nationwide. MAKE A MULLED CIDER Warm yourself and your guests with this easy mulled cider. • 2-3 bottles of SavannaDry Premium Cider • 30ml castor sugar • 1 sliced orange • 1 cinnamon stick • 2 star anise • 3 clovesHeat together in a saucepan for 5 minutes. Serve warm. Savanna has an elegant new-look bottle. Available in bottle…

DIFFICULTY: medium (easier with some practice) TIME: 1½ hours You will need • 20cm cake • about 2,25kg butter icing (rather have too much than too little) • gel food colouring • spatula • ruler • large open star nozzle • piping bag for each colour Butter icing • 300g butter • 300g white baking margarine • 1,8kg icing sugar, sifted • milk Make the butter icing by beating the butter and margarine until light. Add the icing sugar in three parts, beating well after each addition. Add a little milk as necessary if the icing becomes too stiff. Divide and colour as follows: three parts light pink, one part medium pink, one part dark pink. Use the light pink icing between the layers and to coat the cake. Use…

Vinyl stickers have long been the answer to filling an empty spot on a wall. Designer Robin Sprong, known for his lovely wallpapers, is now also printing a range of tile stickers. In collaboration with Ideas, he printed our rose designs, which can be used in numerous ways around the house. We love the way the rose stickers look when combined with his graphic designs. Robin will be showing his wallpaper and modern tile designs at 100% Design South Africa as part of Decorex at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand from 6-10 August. The first 400 readers to visit his stand and show their copies of August Ideas will receive either a full colour rose vinyl sticker or a black-and-white print. You can order the rose designs from ideasmarket.co.za…

Toinette Lindley’s country-style home in Hout Bay, Cape Town is without pretence and is overflowing with warmth and creativity – just like her. In every room of the house, beautiful objects are grouped together like miniature art installations. Gathered over many years, each carefully curated collection holds a special memory, from a sentimental painting (a wedding gift) to a small Venus de Milo she found in Italy. A self-confessed maximalist, Toinette is an insatiable collector of old and interesting things. ‘My natural inclination is to recycle things. I love things that are old and tell a story of a time gone by,’ she explains. This story element is also evident in her ceramic work. Whether it’s a functional serving platter, bowl or jug, or a quirky family heirloom, each piece…

o you want to make your favourite hobby even more enjoyable? Come and sew with friends, meet like-minded people and learn the ropes on the latest Bernina machines. We will be visiting Cullinan from Friday afternoon 14 August to Sunday afternoon 16 August. Bernina will have some of their latest machines and their knowledgeable team there, to make sure that even the greenest of us get to finish the projects. You will be able to choose your own favourite fabrics from the selection sponsored by Thimbles Quilt and Knit in Durbanville. Cullinan creativeJanHarm Vorster and Ideas Creative Editor Dala Watts will do a DIY and table-setting demonstration at his wedding venue JanHarmsgat se Agterplaas while Placecol’s Esna Colyn will share some clever skincare advice with you. Depending on whether you…

@home 1971 687 687 Abode 183 372 4651 Biggie Best 132 645 9773 Builders 1972 446 384 Call it Spring 132 662 2638-142 695 8542 Consol 1971 195 111 Country Road 1971 133 113 Exclusive Books 122 8:9 1111 In Good Company 18: 152 9:38 Lida Vermeulen wfsnfvmfomjebAhnbjm/dpn Mango 132 529 1:27 Monsoon 132 558 8829 MRP Home 1911 32 36 46 My Pretty Vintage 132 662 3353 Naartjie 122 895 5:34- 142 677 5555-132 794 8295 Naturally Solar 155 493 2::: Onsite Gallery 132 573 2468 Pedersen + Lennard 132 558 3131 Peter Osborn Furniture 132 645 3:15 Pick n Pay 1911 22 33 99 Quirky Me 193 528 2996 Say Something 193 938 9318 Spree 198 851 2121 Super Floral 122 724 5157- 132 621 886: The Space…

BOTTLE LIGHT DIFFICULTY: moderate TIME: three hours You will need • Bashew’s (or similar crate) filled with bottles • water-based varnish • 4mm glass • piece of pine wood 22mm thick • LED light source To make 1 Wash and clean the wooden crate and allow it to dry. Seal it with a water-based varnish. 2 The bottles can be used in their natural state or sand blasted. Clean them thoroughly with soapy water and a bottle brush. 3 Measure the inside dimensions of the crate and have a glass supplier cut a piece of 4mm glass to fit. 4 Cut two pine spacers about 240mm long by 30mm high and 22mm thick – these will act as spacers between the glass and the light source. 5 Buy a flat…

SET THE SCENE Set a weathered old wooden table and place the pizzas in the middle on baking paper or baking trays so that everyone can help themselves. Use unmatched wooden plates and vintage cutlery and keep the colour scheme simple. We used red as our main colour and brought in touches of turquoise and green. Complete the picture with exotic tomatoes in different colours , bread sticks and fresh herbs in the place of flowers. CLIPBORD PLACEMATS Type the words ‘Buon appetito!’ on your computer and print them out on A4 sheets of white paper (use the picture on page 32 as a guide). Clip the paper onto a clipboard to use as a placemat. FLAVOURED OLIVE OIL Treat your guests with these little gifts. Fill small bottles with…

DO YOU KNOW OF A LOVELY NEW SHOP OR BEAUTIFUL DÉCOR OR CRAFT RANGE THAT WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT? IF SO, EMAIL US AND WE WILL CONSIDER FEATURING IT ON THIS PAGE. ART CAFÉ C20 Galerie in Woodstock, Cape Town is a furniture shop and art gallery in one, and now also has a coffee shop, Posie’s. The owner, Emma de Crespigny, calls herself a dealer and collector, and she stocks an eclectic mixture of modern and vintage items. Go to c20galerie.co.za, or better yet, pop in at 103 Roodebloem Road and enjoy a cup of coffee while you decide what you want to buy! YOUR RUG, YOUR WAY At Mae Artisan Rugs in Cape Town you can sit with the owner, May Pakdoust, and her team and design your…

My hanger, your hanger Stamp special wooden hangers or other items, first making sure the wood is suited to what you want to do. If the item is varnished and you have to exert too much force to stamp it, you could spoil the appearance or even damage or break it. We rubbed a bit of brown paint over the letters afterwards to give them an ‘aged’ look. Wipe away any excess paint before leaving to dry completely, then seal with a clear varnish to complete. Place-card clay vases We made sleeves for cylindrical glasses from air-dry clay and decorated them to be used as vases. Stamping a name on each makes it ideal to use as a ‘place card’ if you’re hosting a special dinner. Use a rolling pin…

BALLERINA PHOTO WITH STRING ART DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: couple of hours, depending on how much detail you want You will need • photo printed on medium-weightcardboard • 6mm Supawood • panel pins (ours are 10mm) • embroidery thread in the colourof your choice • cold glue or modge podge • superglue • hammer and pliers To make 1 Choose a photo that has detail that you can decorate and print it onto the cardboard in the size that you prefer. Cut the Supawood to the same size. TIP You can also use pine or another type of wood, as long as it is not too soft. 2 Paint a coat of cold glue or modge podge over the Supawood and stick the photo onto it. Use your fingers to smooth…

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: half a day Drawn-thread tablecloth DIFFICULTY: challenging TIME: about one week You will need • 128 x 128cm fabric (see note) • pearl cotton no. 5 • embroidery needle • sharp-pointed embroidery scissors • dressmaker’s pen and ruler NOTE The final size of the tablecloth is 1,2 x 1,2m. The fabric chosen should be of a type that is loosely woven in a plain or two-thread basket weave. If a basket weave is chosen, the double strands of weft and warp threads are counted as a single thread. 1 Start by hemming the tablecloth. Press a 1cm wide hem to the back of the cloth along all four sides. Measure 6cm up from the hemmed edge and mark with a pin. Use the back end of a…

QUICK & EASY Frame our oterange crates on the wallnvert a crate into a wardrobeck crates for garden storageke a mince dishletter stampingdate your walls with stickersbroider a photo print TREAT OF THE MONTH corate a cake with rosetteske a sweet dessert pi{{ain us for our sewing weekendy our special craft edition TAKE YOUR TIME d crate drawers to a deskThrow a pi{{a partybroider a family tableclothstring artochet a special handbagrn to do drawn thread workSatin stitch monograms on linenearch your family treeke a family scrapbookideased@media24.com facebook.com/ideasmag…

• saltandwind.com Salt & Wind was created by Aida Mollenkamp, who wanted a place to share her passion for travel and her love for food, and the ways that the one inspires the other. It’s an online destination for food-focused travellers and globally-aware cooks. The contributors report from the road and cook up a storm – all in the name of trying, doing and seeing more. Whether you’re on the hunt for the best fish tacos in San Diego, searching for za’atar in Beirut, or craving that acai bowl you had in Brazil, Salt & Wind will get you there and get you cooking once you return home. • whatsgabycooking.com Gaby Dalkin is all about living the California Girl life – where it’s always sunny, where smart choices for lunch…

Hungarian meatballs Serves: 4-6Preparation time: 40 minutes,plus refrigeration timeCooking time: 30 minutes • 40ml butter • half an onion, finely chopped • 500g lean beef mince • 125ml fresh white breadcrumbs • 1 large egg, lightly beaten • 1ml caraway seeds • sunflower oil, for frying • 10ml flour • 250ml prepared vegetableor beef stock • 1 can tomato purée • 10ml Hungarian sweet paprika • 125ml sour cream • mashed potato or pasta, to serve • chopped flat leaf parsley, to garnish 1 Heat half the butter and sauté the onions. Remove from the pan. 2 Add to the mince. Stir in the breadcrumbs, egg and caraway seeds. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roll into small balls. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer. 3 Heat…

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: three days Family tablecloth You will need • white linen tablecloth • stranded embroidery threads ina variety of colours • embroidery needle • dressmaker’s pencil or pen To make 1 Ask members of your family to draw illustrations or write messages, notes on their favourite foods and books, quotes, family sayings and names directly onto the tablecloth with a dressmaker’s pencil or pen – this way the family shares in the fun together. 2 Embroider over the outlines of the messages using three strands of embroidery thread. You can use any outline stitch to cover the lines. Chain stitch, back stitch and running stitch were used in this tablecloth, with French knots and cross-stitches to embellish some of the designs. 3 Make sure all the threads are…

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: hour or two, depending on the project You will need • item made of soft metal ora sheet of craft metal • letter stamps • brass hammer • steel stamping block • masking tape • thin black marker and soft cloth(optional; see step 5-6) Place the metal item or sheet of craft metal on the steel stamping block and use strips of masking tape to hold it in place while you work. Use another strip of masking tape to mark the position of each letter, to make it easier to work in a straight line. Start with the letter at the centre of your word. Place the stamp on the metal and move it until you feel the edge of the letter touching the masking tape to…

DEFFICULTY: easy TIME: one week You will need • diagram on page 70 • Vinnis Colours Nikkim 100%cotton yarn (50g balls) – 1 balleach in Purple Pink (525) andSteele Grey (501) and 2 balls inAluminium (502) • 3mm crochet hook • 25cm white 100% cotton fabric • 50cm matching cotton fabricfor lining • iron-on interfacing • matching machine thread • 1 pair of bamboo handles with16cm base • pink chalk paint and brush(optional) Size The bag section measures 30 x 35cm. To make 1 Have 12 photos of 8 x 8cm each printed onto the white cotton fabric and cut out. 2 Fold in 1cm wide hems all around each photo to give you squares that measure 6 x 6cm. 3 Cut 12 squares of 5,5 x 5,5cm from the…

FAMILY TREES Have you ever wondered where your family came from? Genealogy, or the study of family history, is a booming hobby among people of all ages. A family history or family tree is a record of a family and of the lives of family members. It is usually written as a book, but a family history can take many forms, including a record of one or more than one generation, a collection of family traditions and their origins, time capsules, recipe collections or heritage albums. (More than a scrapbook, a heritage album is a record of the life of a family and includes photos, documents and more.) Nowadays, you can also create a digital family tree online with the help of websites such as geni.com. Why research s your…

WRITE TO US & WIN! Send your letter by email to ideased@media24.com with ‘Ideas/You said it’ in the subject line, or by fax to 021 408 3046. Remember to include your address and telephone number. The writer of this month’s winning letter will receive an Ideas stationery hamper to the value of R800. The hamper contains a variety of notebooks, envelopes, gift tags and greeting cards. All the stationery was designed by local artists and printed in South Africa. • If you are interested in buying items from the Ideas stationery range, contact Marweya.smal@media24.com. WINTER PRINCESS PARTY INSPIRATION There’s nothing like a pretty party to get me all excited, and the winter princess party featured in your July 2015 issue was no different. The parties are always the first thing…

The readers enjoyed a delicious champagne breakfast and then took part in a fun-filled workshop where the Ideas creative team showed them how to design an emblem and make their own lino stamp, and they also learned how to fold and finish flowers for a gorgeous bouquet. Each reader left with a DIY workshop kit and a fabulous goodie bag (thanks to Granny Goose, Graham Beck Wines, SENSAI, Delicious chocolates from Clicks and Ribs Printing and Embroidery). • If you can’t find our Wedding Ideas or Trou Idees special edition at your local store, order your copy from Lucille van der Berg by sending an email to Lucille.vanderberg@media24.com.…