Innehållsförteckning för July 2015 från Ideas

I’m staring out of my office window, but there’s very little to see today. The clouds are hanging low and heavy over Cape Town harbour and ghostly outlines of the dockyard cranes are visible only here and there. It’s definitely winter in the south. And then this month’s soup article lands on my desk. It looks warm and hearty and, just before lunch, it makes my mouth really start watering. I’m not even halfway through reading it when I stop to call my son, Anton. ‘Which of these soups do you fancy?’ And I know that on my way home this evening I’m going to make one of my super-fast pit stops at the shop – just enough items in the basket for our soup supper. And perhaps a little…

INSPIRATION BOARD To add texture to your home in a visible and tactile way use natural elements like leather, wool, wood, ceramics, fabric with ticking details, textured paint and a natural colour scheme. With the right amount of texture it is possible to make a cold, bare space feel warm and inviting. Using a neutral colour scheme will give balance and allow you to add more texture. TILED Using patterns in your home, like these floor tiles with small irregularities, brings in a sense of movement. Add extra dimension to the room by layering different shades of natural colours. EXPOSED HISTORY Leave bricks exposed to give a feeling of warmth and to add interest, and combine with feminine vintage items like lace floral images and gilded frames. PAINTED PATTERNS Create…

HOW IT WORKS Working with copper isn’t difficult, but you need the right tools and equipment. Here are a few guidelines: • We used copper pipes with 15mm and 22mm diameter. These are standard sizes that are readily available, along with the fittings. • Before you start, clean the pipes and fittings with a cloth dipped in lacquer thinners to get rid of the serial numbers printed on them. • Also before you start, polish the pipes with a metal polish like Brasso and a soft cloth. • Work with vinyl or latex gloves so that you don’t leave fingerprints on the copper. • Polish the copper again once you’ve finished, before wiping down once more with lacquer thinners. Spray with a clear lacquer varnish to seal and prevent the…

SET THE SCENE Invite your friends over for some mid-winter warmth and bowls of hearty, delicious soup. Create a cosy atmosphere with a crackling fire, lots of candles and lovely textured linen. We kept everything in shades of cream, brown and grey with touches of black and we set the table informally. Lamb and chickpea soup Serves: 6-8 Preparation time: 40 minutes Cooking time: approximately 21/2 hours 30ml olive oil 500g stewing lamb pieces 1 large onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, crushed 5ml ground cumin 3ml ground coriander 1ml cayenne pepper 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced 1 can chopped tomatoes 2 bay leaves 1,5 litres prepared chicken stock 1 can chickpeas, drained 125ml barley 10ml lemon juice handful freshly chopped mint natural yoghurt and extra fresh mint, to serve…

Abbreviations NOTE These mittens combine crochet and knitted stitches and are embellished afterwards with embroidery. They are designed from the wrist up. Granny squares can be made separately and joined before the knitting is started or they can be joined as you go. The white yarn is worked with two strands: take the strand from inside the ball and the strand from the outside of ball – this is quicker than winding two separate balls. The knitting is not worked in the round. Both left and right mittens are worked identically; make sure that the embroidery design is symmetrical on both mittens. You will need • 2 x 50g balls of African Expressions Harmony in Black shade no. 2081 • 1 x 50g ball of African Expressions Joy in White…

SET THE SCENE Transform the party area into a magical winter wonderland. Choose soft creamy colours with touches of pink, ice blue and silver, and look for items like doilies, honeycomb paper balls, beads and balloons that look like snowflakes or ice crystals. Make food that fits with the theme and serve it in elegant glassware and porcelain. SNOWMAN CUPCAKES Serves: 12 Preparation time: 45 minutes 12 vanilla cupcakes or muffins (ready baked) 120g soft butter 250g icing sugar about 15ml milk 250ml flaked coconut 12 white marshmallows 12 pretzel sticks 24 currants 12 small pieces of carrot 1 Beat the butter until light and creamy. Stir in the icing sugar and half the milk. Beat for a minute. Add more milk if the icing is too thick. Beat well…

IT’S A SIGN Difficulty: average Time: 1-2 days You will need • wooden board in the desired size • print of your words in the correct size • acrylic paint for the background • light and dark acrylic paint for the letters • varnish for special paint finishes • brown shoe polish (the solid type, not the liquid) • craft brushes and paintbrushes • stencil brush (or another brush with thick bristles) • soft cloth • carbon paper • masking tape Prepare your board Choose an attractive typeface and print out your word from the computer. Ours is Western from dafont.com, where you can download typefaces for free, and the letters already have a dark outline or ‘shadow’, which is perfect for this project. Enlarge the printed word so it…

Magnet letters We bought cheap plastic letters with small magnets on the back at a Chinese shop. You can spray paint any other fridge magnets in the same way for a uniform look in your kitchen. DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: a few minutes, plus drying time You will need plastic magnet letters spray paint in the colour of your choice To make 1 Clean the letters with a damp cloth and dry them. They must not be greasy. Work in an area with good ventilation and place the letters on newspaper with a little space between them. 2 Follow the instructions on the spray-paint can carefully and spray paint the letters very lightly so that ‘tears’ don’t form. Leave them to dry. NOTE We used Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch, which doesn’t need…

To celebrate our third Trunk Show, we’ve decided to make it three days this year. So grab a marker and be sure to make time on your calendar to join us from Friday 10 July to Sunday 12 July 2015 at Simondium’s Country Lodge. We are pooling all our collective creativity to bring the magazine to life for the weekend; we are also going to ensure that you can buy all your favourite projects featured in the magazine. The creative entrepreneurs whose work you’ve seen and stories you’ve read every month will be taking part too, and you’ll be able to meet the team members and ask them questions. When your feet are tired and you’re feeling peckish, take a break from shopping and enjoy some of the food, wine…

@home 0860 576 576 Abode 072 261 3540 Accessorize 021 447 7718 African Expressions 041 486 2433 Alpaca Loom 021 863 2495 Annie Sloan 084 047 5965 Bed King 0860 25 35 45 Betsy Nield 021 797 8651 Biggie Best 021 534 8662 Bronx 021 590 7000 Builders 0861 335 2739 Call It Spring 021 551 1527, 011 784 1597, 031 584 7431 Cape Mohair 021 534 4134 Clayman 021 701 6682 Country Road 0860 022 002 Craft&Yarn craftandyarn.com Dulux 021 551 8500 Earthcote 021 425 0939 Exclusive Books 011 798 0000 Fibre Design 021 418 1054 Habits 021 671 7330 Hartlam yarn@hartlam.com Kristal Concepts 021 948 0917 Living Legends 021 447 2077 Loads of Living 011 700 3740, 021 527 4580 Love, Africa Studio 084 800 8403 Lulu Belle…

QUICK & EASY Stack crates for shelving Coat rail in a jiffy Ink design on a chopping board Copper candleholders Soup-mug covers Courgette spaghetti Coconut and rooibos chai Cover shoes with fabric Sew on buttons Fridge magnet letters TREAT OF THE MONTH Coconut, citrus and white chocolate cake Fondant tiara Ice-princess party theme Weave a lattice pastry crust Visit our Trunk Show Book your place for our sewing weekend TAKE YOUR TIME Copper towel rail Table with copper legs Wooden ladder Rustic arrow from wood Cook soups to share Thai red pork curry Paint a vintage display board Stuffed naan bread Poached fish in coconut sauce Chicken baked with coconut Coconut and pineapple rusks Start a 365-day project ideased@media24.com facebook.com/ideasmag…

WOODEN ARROW • Difficulty: moderate • Time: a few fours, plus drying time You will need straight sticks of about 1-1,5cm thick wood stain (optional) wood screws wood glue black marker basic woodworking tools (hammer, saw, clamps, file, etc.) 1 Make a paper template of an arrow shape that you like – use a sheet of newspaper and draw the arrow to the desired size. 2 Lay out the sticks alongside each other on your paper template and mark where to saw them off to form the arrow shape. 3 Saw another two pieces that are wide enough to nail the sticks to, at the top and bottom. 4 Glue the arrow sticks to the two pieces cut in step 3 and leave to dry overnight – clamp them, or…

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. TOKYO INSPIRATION Heather Moore from Skinny laMinx realised during a visit to Tokyo just how important plants are in a city environment and this has influenced her new fabric range, Paradise Is Here. It consists of four designs, with each one available in three colours. They cost R495 per metre – order them from her website, skinnylaminx.com, where you can also see all her other designs. BRIGHT beads Bring a little colour into your life this winter with these beads from Blossom Handmade. They’re available at quite a few shops around the country, but the easiest is to…

Stuffed naan bread Makes: 4-6 Preparation time: 1 hour, plus rising time Baking time: approximately 30 minutes Oven temperature: 200o C 500g white bread flour 2,5ml baking powder 10ml instant yeast 10ml nigella seeds (optional) 300ml coconut milk 185ml natural yoghurt, at room temperature 1 large egg 30ml sunflower oil Filling 125ml desiccated coconut 1-2 chopped chillies 50ml chopped fresh coriander 6 cloves garlic, crushed 80ml melted butter, to serve 1 Sift the flour, baking powder and 1ml salt together. Add the yeast and nigella seeds. 2 Heat the coconut milk until lukewarm. Add to the flour mixture. 3 Whisk the yoghurt, egg and oil together. Add to the flour mixture and mix to form a dough. Knead for five minutes, then cover and set aside to rise until doubled…

KNITTED TIGHTS Keep your legs warm with knitted stockings in interesting designs. They’re an easy buy and can help you take your summer wardrobe into autumn and winter. Pair them with knee-high or lace-up ankle boots with a dress or skirt. TEXTURE ON TEXTURE Mix different textures, but keep them in the same colour family for a coordinated look. STATEMENT COAT When covering up in a classic statement coat, make sure to reveal a little of your outfit – in this case a hint of lace. CLEVER DETAILS Look for a jersey with interesting details that can be dressed up or down depending on your mood. Wear it with a pretty milkmaid braid and red lips.…

Difficulty: easy Time: one hour plus 26 hours drying time You will need • tiara design (look for one on the internet if you don’t feel confident drawing your own) • A4 piece of paper • black koki pen • large tin • masking tape • wax paper • cooking spray • fondant • CMC (available at baking shops; mix it into the fondant the day before) • 2 cake smoothers (or use an extruder if you have one) • Prestik • small paintbrush • craft knife or sharp knife • edible silver paint (available from baking shops) • clear alcohol such as vodka (it’s safe to use as all the alcohol evaporates; or use water, if you prefer) • edible pearls or other jewels Draw the tiara design on…

Difficulty: easy Time: a few minutes per button Next time you’re out buying buttons, look for some pretty ones that don’t have just two holes, but four or five. You can attach them to a garment in all sorts of interesting ways. CRISSCROSS Cut a long piece of thread, fold it double and thread it through the needle. Knot the loose end firmly so it can’t slip through the holes in the button. Insert the needle from behind the button up through the bottom right-hand hole and then down through the top left-hand hole. Take the needle across to the bottom left-hand hole behind the button, insert it up through the hole and then down through the top right-hand hole. Repeat the stitches until the button is secure and then…

Do 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, the gorgeous home of the legendary diamond, and its creative inhabitants from Friday afternoon 14 August to Sunday afternoon 16 August, to sew, talk and relax to our heart’s content. 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. Depending on whether you prefer to share a room or stay on your own, we can accommodate between 25 and 30 people in our group, so don’t wait too long before you book. For just R1 900 (per person, sharing),…

Type ‘365 projects’ into a Google or social media search and a wonderful world of personal and creative challenges opens up. Often accompanied by a blog, there’s 365 days of crocheting granny blocks, decluttering, knitting, blogging, gratitude posts and much more. . . even Friday night meatballs. The reasons why people take up these projects in an era of instant gratification are varied. Psychologist Dr Rosa Bredekamp (rbredekamp@absamail.co.za) says there’s a connection between this global trend and the desire to live slower-paced, less chaotic lives. ‘People have realised that a mindful, slower life is the key to a better quality of life and that they can have better control over their lives when they focus on one thing at a time,’ she says. ‘When our attention is divided, we often…

BUY JULY NOW WITH: • July birthday calendar. • To-do list. • Wrapping paper. • Jam and syrup labels. If you don’t have them yet and want a complete birthday calendar, buy the January, February, March, April, May and June parcels too. The parcels cost R15 each. Go to ideasmarket.co.za to click through to our online shop. DOWNLOAD TEMPLATES FROM DIY WEDDING IDEAS The themes cost R10 each and are: • Mexican • Hipster • A Midsummer Night’s Dream • Rustic Hunting • Blackboard…

• Difficulty: easy • Time: 1-2 hours You will need wooden chopping board French-style design wax paper 120-grit sandpaper craft knife and steel ruler Prepare first: save your design to your computer, flip it so you have a mirror image, then print out to see if it’s the right size. Lightly sand the chopping board to a smooth finish and use a damp cloth to wipe away the dust. Keep a bank card or store card handy. Cut a piece of wax paper to A4 size and load it into an ink-jet printer (do not use a laser printer), then print out your design on the wax paper, keeping the board close by. While the ink is still wet, press the paper onto the board, ink side down. Take care…

CHAR COVER by LYNN GARRETT from BISCUITSCOUT This chunky knitted cover not only adds cosiness but brings in texture as well. Difficulty: easy Time: weekend project Size The finished flat item measures: 75cm high x 110cm at its widest point You will need 6 x 500g balls T-shirt yarn 15mm knitting needles darning needle for sewing Moss stitch Knit one, purl one to the end of the row. For following rows, knit the stitches you’ve purled on the previous row, and purl the stitches you’ve knitted on the previous row. Abbreviations Tension (gauge) Knitting in moss stitch with 2 strands of yarn together: 6 stitches = 10cm 8 rows = 10cm (4 inches) To make With 2 strands together, cast on 26 stitches with size 15mm needles. Slip first stitch…

Each season places its own demands on our skin, but it always feels as if the icy winter weather comes with an extra bit of bite. That’s why it’s important to adapt your skincare routine to counter the onslaught of the elements as temperatures plummet. ‘There is no excuse for allowing your skin to be damaged this winter,’ says cosmetic physician Salome Gurgenidze of the Radiance For You clinic in Dunkeld, Johannesburg. ‘If Cleopatra could keep her skin smooth and supple 2 000 years ago, we can all do better, considering what we have access to nowadays, including modern medicine, technology and the many cosmetics that contain active ingredients.’ Legend has it that Cleopatra bathed in milk – donkey milk, to be precise – and there could be some truth…

Difficulty: easy Time: one hour Unroll a sheet of ready-made puff or shortcrust pastry onto a clean surface. Make sure the pastry is cold otherwise it will be difficult to work with. Cut it into a rectangle 20cm long. Use a ruler to mark 2cm intervals then use the ruler and a sharp knife to cut it into 2cm strips. Cut the strips in half across the middle of the pastry and carefully remove one half of the strips. Set them aside. Fold over every second strip of the remaining pastry pieces. Take one of the pastry strips that you set aside and place it over the strips of pastry that have not been folded back. Straighten out the folded strips over the crosswise pastry strip. Now fold the alternate…

Difficulty: easy Time: half a day You will need • 1 pair of pumps • fabric • emery cloth or sandpaper • modge podge • skewer • scalpel or razor blade Cut two pieces of fabric on the bias, each piece large enough to cover one shoe. Roughen the surface of the shoes with emery cloth or sandpaper. Apply a layer of modge podge over the toe area of the shoe. NOTE Complete one shoe before you start covering the second. Place the fabric over the section of the shoe where the modge podge has been applied and press the fabric down with your fingers. Cut the fabric down the centre, stopping 2,5cm from the edge of the upper. Use a bamboo skewer or the back of a knife to…

STORAGE TIP For an attractive way to store thread, twine and rope – and an easy way to access the rolls – mount dowel sticks in picture frames. When the frames are painted the same colour, they’ll turn a plain wall into a focus wall at the same time. CRAYON CANDLE Should you be caught in the dark without candles and your children are young enough, stand one of their wax crayons on end, cut off the tip and light the paper – the crayon should burn for up to half an hour. AVO TRICK If you want to slice an avocado perfectly, do so while the skin is still on the fruit. Use a sharp knife, cut the avocado in half vertically, remove the pip and slice down through…

Creative high My work has changed and I have been given a chance to be inspired by a parade of new ideas, to discover my untested potential and unpolished gifts and to let abundance come pouring into my life. Thank you for creating pure potential and excitement in the kitchen and especially with fabrics – I now have a business sewing customised patchwork throws that I hand make with love and enhance with a personal touch. I smile in the knowledge that I’ve created a special, handmade item, unique to my customer’s home. Ideas, you’ve inspired me and helped me to be more enthusiastic. I have tapped into my creative potential. Dianne Patton, Shelly Beach DESIGNER POOCH Just a short note to say thank you to Canine Cuisine and Ideas…