Innehållsförteckning för January 2017 från Ideas

I’ve always believed that if anything is certain in life it is that things change. In our world of magazines, the words, ‘I cope well with change’ ought to be written in huge letters at the top of our list of personality traits. Or perhaps even, ‘I welcome change with open arms.’ Because here things move fast. Within just 10 years we’ve had to learn to manage with fewer than a quarter of the staff members we had originally, we hold markets, shoot DIY videos, send out a weekly digital newsletter, stay in touch daily on social media and on top of all that last year we tackled our own television series, ’n Ster Vir My Bed. I’m not complaining, because it’s all exciting, stimulating and new, and most importantly,…

Villiers is a small town in the Free State, on the banks of the Vaal River, a short distance from the provincial border with Mpumalanga. Here, on the farm Oscardale, Magda Deysel lives in her wonderful prairie-style home with her husband, Frans. Their son Coenraad farms the nearby property where the little ‘red house’ has opened its doors to visitors. They’ve recently returned to the farm after living in Heidelberg in Gauteng for 25 years, where their son Francois still lives with his wife and children. Their third son, Emile, will soon be joining them on the farm. Magda has a great love for renovating and restoring homes. That’s why she bought the rectory in Heidelberg and turned it into a guesthouse. Within a few months of returning to Villiers,…

DIFFICULTY: the embroidery stitches are easy to do, but it is quite difficult to embroider inside the sneakers TIME: weekend project YOU WILL NEED ♥ plain white canvas sneakers ♥ embroidery pattern of your choice ♥ quilter’s pencil or fabric marker ♥ stranded embroidery thread in the colours of your choice ♥ embroidery needle with sharp point ♥ thimble (optional) ♥ matching coloured shoe laces TO EMBROIDER 1 Using a quilter’s pencil or fabric marker, draw the pattern of your choice onto the sneakers. Make sure it is the same on both sneakers and decide beforehand which colours and stitches you are going to use for your pattern. 2 Embroider the pattern using three strands of embroidery thread in the colours and stitches of your choice. For our sneakers we…

EASY BAKED FISH This is a wonderfully easy recipe that takes just minutes to prepare and cook and tastes delicious. The secret with fish is not to overcook it. It cooks very quickly and as soon as the flesh turns white and can flake apart easily, you know it is done. Serves: 4 Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes ♥ 15ml grated ginger♥ 2 cloves garlic, crushed♥ 1 fresh chilli, sliced♥ 10ml peanut or sunflower oil♥ 30ml soy sauce♥ 20ml fresh lemon or lime juice♥ 2ml brown sugar♥ 1 lemon grass stick, cut into pieces and bruised♥ 1 red and 1 yellow pepper, seeded and sliced♥ 250g button mushrooms, sliced♥ 800g hake fillet (or you can use any other type of fish fillet)♥ fresh coriander, to serve♥ cucumber…

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: one hour plus drying time YOU WILL NEED ♥ empty cereal box (make sure it’s the right size for your magazines)♥ quotes on pages 5 and 7♥ white spray paint♥ glue stick or spray glue♥ craft knife and cutting mat♥ metal ruler Work on a sheet of plastic or a black bag and spray the empty cereal box lightly with white spray paint. Leave it to dry then apply another light coat. Repeat the process until the colour is solid on all sides of the box. Copy the two quotes on pages 5 and 7 in the desired size onto plain white computer paper. Measure the front of the box and cut out the large ‘Today is the day’ quote according to the measurements. Also measure the…

TABLE LAMP A small spindle-style table leg makes the perfect base for a bedside lamp. DIFFICULTY: challenging TIME: one day YOU WILL NEED ♥ small table leg ♥ drill with extra-length wood drill bit ♥ drawing ink ♥ electric cord ♥ electric light fittings and plug TO MAKE 1 Drill a hole through the centre of the leg using a drill bit that is slightly wider than the electric cord you will be using (we used a 6mm bit). Cut a groove in the base wide enough for the cord to fit into snugly so the lamp is level when it stands. 2 Pour the ink into a container large enough to hold the leg and dilute the ink with water to the colour intensity of your choice. Dye the…

‘Hygge is about giving your responsible, stressed-out achiever adult a break.’Meik Wiking Move over, Abba, Lego and Ikea. The latest buzzword from Scandinavia is ‘hygge’, a Danish lifestyle trend that is all about creating intimacy and cosiness at any given moment, and appreciating the simple joys of life – curling up with a book in a sunny spot in the garden, meeting a friend for cake and coffee, doing some baking, or listening to raindrops on the roof. In his best seller The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well, Meik Wiking writes that hygge is postponed during the year so people can indulge in it over the festive season. ‘Knowing that friends and family have worked hard in order to get together and not focus on…

CREATIVE WORD OF THE MONTH MARBLED PAPER Paper with a marbled effect is achieved by creating a marble design with ink on a water surface and then transferring it to paper. Fill a large, flat container with water and drip in a few drops of insoluble ink (or nail polish). You can use one or more colours, as you prefer. Draw a toothpick back and forth through the ink to make the marble design then place the paper onto the water for a few seconds to ‘marble’ it. Cork or screwcap? Q What is the difference between wines with a cork and those with a screwcap? A According to the experts at Wellington Wines, people often ask if a cork or screwcap is an indication of the quality of the…

FOR OUR WINNER! The writer of this month’s winning letter will receive a leather wrap bracelet with sterling silver charms from Endless Jewelry to the value of R1 500. This Danish brand, which fuses fashion with fine jewellery, is now available in South Africa. Endless Jewelry is designed to be fun, festive and elegant. For more information, go to endlessjewelry.co.za or facebook.com/EndlessJewelrySA/. SPECIAL MEMORY What a treat to read the article ‘Beach retreat’ in the November issue! I was instantly transported back more than 50 years to a special day that I, as a 15-year-old, spent with my dad. I was recovering from an operation when Dad had to go from Cape Town to Hermanus on business. I went along for the day. I remember nothing of the drive, or…

WESTERN CAPE 6-7 January The L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate takes place at Kenilworth Racecourse, Cape Town. Dress in your finest blue and white outfit and enter the best-dressed or best-hat competition. Enjoy wine, culinary treats and an after-party. Buy tickets at Computicket or go to lqp.co.za for more information. 10, 17, 20, 31 January Start the new year creatively by signing up for a cooking course at Ginger & Lime in Fresnaye. The courses offered include Mediterranean, seasonal summer, easy entertaining and Thai. They cost R650 and recipes and drinks are included. For more information, go to gingerandlime.co.za. 12-13 January Learn to bake bread with Chef Pieter de Jager at Leopard’s Leap in Franschhoek. Try your hand at rye, ciabatta, baguette, bagels, brioche, focaccia and naan. The course costs R695 per…

chocolateforbasil.com ‘If the title of Jerrelle Guy’s blog is enough to make your mouth water, then the food pics will send your appetite into overdrive,’ writes The Improper Bostonian. Jerrelle’s partner, Eric Harrison, is a vegetarian. Jerrelle uses the blog to document her culinary adventures and food like sweet potato samoosas and raw lemon meringue pie with turmeric. ‘Add in her photography and you have the perfect ingredients for the mouthwatering recipes that fill up her blog and newsletter.’ theshabbycreekcottage.com Gina Luker is usually found with a drill in one hand and a cocktail in the other while blogging along the way. She’s addicted to coffee, polka dots, rock stars, Instagram and everything aqua. She and her husband have been remodelling her childhood home since 2009. They do the work…

With the assistance of a clever cell communicator, a hard-working bio-identical helper and a powerful antioxidant you can give your skin a big boost on the road to anti-ageing. see to it that your skin gets a daily dose of this powerful trio. One way of doing it would be layering serums with hyaluronic acid (HA) and vitamin C in the mornings, and retinol in the evenings, followed by your regular day or night cream. HYALURONIC ACID: THE BIO-IDENTICAL HELPER WHAT DOES IT DO? HA is the only molecule that can plump up the skin. It is a skin-identical ingredient, which means that it occurs naturally in the skin, cartilage and joints. Ever wondered why newborn babies have such perfect skin? It’s because they’ve been encased for nine months in…

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: five hours, plus drying time YOU WILL NEED ♥ 10cm cake (recipe on opposite page) ♥ about 200g white fondant ♥ cornflour ♥ rolling pin ♥ sharp knife (a large knife is easier to work with) ♥ pot of gold dust ♥ sealable plastic bag ♥ clear alcohol ♥ paintbrush Two days before you need to decorate the cake, start making the confetti. Roll out about 35g fondant to 1mm thickness on a surface dusted with cornflour. Leave to dry for 10 minutes while you roll out more fondant. Dust the fondant well and use a large, sharp knife to cut thin strips. Press down in one smooth cut. Turn the strips and cut across them to form the confetti. Loosen the pieces regularly with your fingertips…

YOU WILL NEED ♥ sidetable with glass top ♥ marble-look adhesive vinyl (we used Patifix) ♥ spray primer and paint in the colour of your choice ♥ paper and tape to protect the glass while spraying (newspaper will do) ♥ squeegee ♥ craft knife ♥ needle Place the table on its top and tape paper to the underside of the glass to protect it from the spray paint. Take special care to cover the area around the legs properly. Prime and spray paint the table legs, leaving the paint to dry properly between coats. Maintain 15-20cm distance between the spray nozzle and the legs, to prevent the paint running. When the paint is dry, turn the table right side up. Cut the vinyl about 3cm bigger than the surface of…

BOLSTER CUSHIONS DIFFICULTY: fairly easy TIME: 3-4 hours each YOU WILL NEED (FOR 2 CUSHIONS) ♥ frill template on page 76 ♥ 60 x 150cm stiff cotton fabric with fine stripes ♥ 60 x 150cm gingham ♥ 2,25cm white lace ♥ 2m narrow white ribbon ♥ 1,5m white cotton fabric for inner cushions ♥ polyester stuffing ♥ general sewing accessories ♥ marker that disappears later (it’s a great help) - see page 95 TO CUT Cut two rectangles, one from gingham and one from striped fabric, of 60 x 56cm; four strips for frills, two gingham and two striped, of about 84 x 10cm each; four end strips, two gingham and two striped, of about 56 x 22cm each; four pieces of lace of 56cm each. Inner cushions: two rectangles…

I recently attended a stand-up show at the Cape Town Comedy Club. A few minutes into the show my abs got a proper workout, and with that laughter the serious stuff from my week was history. I was suddenly reminded of the importance of humour in our day-today lives. Fortunately, there are myriad ways to invite the lighter side of life into our homes and offices. Humour is a powerful tool in giving the humdrum the boot. The internet is flooded with DIY tutorials, some of them great, some of them of questionable quality. But if you’re feeling a tad uninspired at the office, the funny stuff can quickly reboot your mood. In my opinion, it’s SuzelleDIY’s crafty use of humour that has carved her a space in the local…

1. PARING KNIFE This is a small, sharp knife with a smooth-edged blade that can be straight or curved.it is used for trimming and peeling fruit and vegetables, or for intricate work like removing seeds from chillies, paring vegetables or cutting small garnishes. 2. ZESTER The short flat blade has a blunt end and five small holes at the top. it is pulled over citrus fruit to scrape away thin strips of the zest without any of the bitter pith. The zest can then be used in savoury dishes, desserts or bakes to add a citrus flavour, or as a garnish. 3. CANELLE KNIFE it has a short flat blade with a small U-shaped indentation. it is used to cut thin strips of citrus peel. These can be used as…

A while ago you had a smashing looking cake in the pages of your magazine: difficulty level – medium (Dreamy drizzle, September 2016). And because it was so darn stunning I decided I would bake it. The first attempt was a flop. No need to revisit that disaster here . . . oh well, okay then. I misread the flour quantity, basically obviating the flour – I don’t wish to go into it. To which my other half then reacted in typical male manner, saying: ‘I will not let a cake beat ME’. So the next day we bankrupted ourselves further, re-bought all the ingredients and tried again. It took 11 hours! And we nearly got divorced (and that’s an understatement). So perhaps next time under ‘difficulty level’ it should…

Beautiful shoes We can’t stop admiring these gorgeous shoes. Chocolaticas are designed by Venezuelans Carolina Aguerrevere and Pablo Martinez and are made from memory foam, which means they’re durable and completely washable. Tilla & Jacob, a décor shop in Kroonstad, is the sole distributor in South Africa. • Call in at the shop at 20 Hill Street or go to tillaenjacob.co.za to buy your favourite pair. START PLANNING These any-year planner/notebooks will help you organise your life, plus the 12-month, open-dated format allows you to start using them at any time of the year. The inners were designed to be minimal and chic with plenty of space to write, sketch and plan in detail. The floral artwork on the covers was created by florist Heike le Cordeur and photographer Tasha…

JEANS Breathe new life into your favourite jeans with these pretty pockets. DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: one hour YOU WILL NEED ♥ jeans ♥ embroidered or printed fabric remnants ♥ iron-on interfacing (stiff type) ♥ fabric marker ♥ dressmaker’s pins ♥ matching thread TO MAKE  1 Unpick the pockets carefully from your jeans. Iron interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric you are using for the pockets. 2 Using the pocket you unpicked, mark the pattern on the wrong side of the fabric. Add 1cm seam allowances all around. Cut out the pocket, fold over the seam allowances to the wrong side and press. 3 Pin the pockets to your jeans, making sure they correspond with the original position to avoid unsightly marks, and stitch down. HANDBAG Transform a pretty…

Smoothie bowls are like smoothies, just better! They are easy to prepare – blend everything in a liquidiser or other smoothie machine and then top with a selection of ingredients of your choice. They are thicker than normal smoothies and you eat them with a spoon instead of drinking them. You can add crunchy toppings, making them both more satisfying to eat and beautifully appetizing to look at. For the best results, freeze the fruit and some of the liquid ahead of time. Peel or trim the fruit, then put it into a sealable bag and freeze it. Ingredients like bananas and berries freeze well. Pour liquids like yoghurt, fruit juice, almond milk or coconut milk into ice-cube trays and then freeze them. Adding frozen ingredients results in a thicker,…

DOOR HANDLES DIFFICULTY: challenging TIME: two hours Use door handles mounted on a small wooden door as a display area for your keys. We used second-hand door handles and gave them a coat of chalk paint (we used Rust-Oleum). Clean the handles before you paint them. Arrange them on the wooden door and when you are happy with your arrangement, draw a line around the handles and mark the key holes. Remove the handles and drill the key holes where you marked them. Return the handles to the board and screw them in place. Hang the keys from the key holes. We added some vintage scissors to the display too, for a fun creative touch. BOTTLE TOPS DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: five minutes Display keys and old scissors in the necks…

SHABBY CHIC TABLE DIFFICULTY: moderate TIME 1-2 days (including drying time) Chalk paint is a decorative paint with a matt finish that makes it ideal for distressing techniques, although you could also use regular water-based enamel paint (see page 82). CHALK PAINT YOU WILL NEED ♥ chalk paint in two colours: one for the base coat and one for the topcoat ♥ paintbrushes ♥ sugar soap ♥ candle ♥ paint scraper ♥ coarse sandpaper ♥ wax for chalk paint or clear furniture varnish Wash the entire item of furniture with sugar soap and leave it to dry completely. Paint the item of furniture with the chalk paint for your base colour, in other words the colour that is going to show through the topcoat when you do the distressing technique.…

If you have important news to share over social media, a video can be more personal, while videoing your creative process feels more authentic than styled photos. The sound and movement make viewers feel involved in the experience and can encourage someone to support your work if you are a crafter or blogger. While you may already be using Instagram to showcase your craft projects or products, videos allow you to give quick tutorials or show ‘behind-the-scenes’ footage. You can record up to 60 seconds in Instagram, or upload previously recorded footage. Videos on a computer will first need to be transferred to your phone, from which you can use any file size as Instagram will compress the file, but anything longer than 60 seconds will be cut. Shooting in…

The typographical term ‘sans serif’ is made up of the French words ‘sans’ meaning ‘without’ and ‘serif’, which refers to those tiny decorative flourishes at the tips of the letters of certain typefaces, for example Times Roman. It’s also the name of Sanserif, a new undertaking by the Stellenbosch entrepreneur Lizl Burger. As the name suggests, her products are without embellishment or adornment – strikingly simple bags, notebooks, calendars and more. Her payoff line – ‘Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication’ – underscores her philosophy that less is always more. Even the colours that she uses in all her products are limited to black, white, brown and grey with only occasional colour accents. About 15 years ago, Lizl worked as graphic designer and art director at a large company. She never…