IdeasDecember 2016的目錄

People are fond of using the expression that something is like childbirth – despite your firm resolve never to repeat it, with time you forget and before you can wipe your eyes, you’re doing it again. The two years that have passed since my last Christmas decoration session with my godchild Anelle were not quite long enough for me to forget it and I gave everyone ample notice that this time we’re keeping it simple and enjoying a peaceful time together. And to make it as easy as possible, I added that this year’s theme is just white. Mistake number one was using the word ‘theme’. For a can’t-sit-still DIY fanatic this word is like a red rag to a bull. Or a white one in this case. It wasn’t…

TEMPURA PRAWNS WITH SOUR CREAM & CHIVES DIPPING SAUCE Serves: 4-6 Preparation time: 45 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes ♥ 1kg whole queen-sized prawns ♥ sunflower oil, for deep-frying ♥ 150g cake flour, plus extra for dusting ♥ 150g cornflour ♥ 1 large egg, lightly beaten ♥ 500ml ice-cold soda water ♥ lime wedges, to serve SAUCE ♥ 100ml good-quality mayonnaise ♥ 100ml sour cream ♥ 25ml snipped chives ♥ 15ml fresh lime juice (or 10ml lemon juice) ♥ 5ml sweet chilli sauce 1 remove the heads and shells of the prawns, but leave the tails. use a small sharp knife to make a slit down the back of the prawns and remove the vein from each one. 2 rinse the prawns then pat dry. dust them with flour. Heat…

FESTIVE SALAD Serves: 4-6 Preparation time: 40 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Oven temperature: 200o C ♥ 2 red peppers ♥ 300ml cubed baguette or other crusty bread ♥ 3 baby gem lettuce ♥ small punnet baby rosa tomatoes, halved ♥ handful of pitted green olives ♥ 30g watercress or pea shoots ♥ 100g feta cheese DRESSING ♥ 15ml dijon mustard ♥ 1 clove garlic, crushed ♥ 30ml wine balsamic vinegar ♥ handful of fresh basil, finely shredded ♥ 90ml extra virgin olive oil Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds. Place on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. turn them over to coat well with oil then arrange them all cut side down. roast in a preheated oven for 30 minutes or until charred and…

YOU WILL NEED ♥ lantern template on page 94 ♥ coloured cardboard ♥ coloured cord ♥ hole punch ♥ double-sided tape ♥ craft knife and cutting mat ♥ metal ruler Copy the lantern template on page 94 onto the coloured cardboard in the required size (we fitted two lanterns on each A4 sheet), cut it out and fold on the fold lines. Fold the five segments lightly inwards above the fold lines and fold the flaps on the ends outwards. Turn the cardboard over so the right side (the side that will eventually form the outside of the lantern) is facing you. Stick pieces of double-sided tape on the flap on the edge as well as on the five little flaps on the segments, but don’t remove the backing paper…

YOU WILL NEED ♥ moss (available from florists’ suppliers and nurseries) ♥ polystyrene star and balls (available from florists’ suppliers and craft stores) ♥ wood glue ♥ craft paintbrush Paint a thick coat of wood glue over the front and sides of the polystyrene star. Glue a thick layer of moss onto the star. Shake off the loose bits every now and then and repeat the process until the whole star is well covered. Leave it to dry completely. Use the same technique to cover the polystyrene balls. Place the moss balls in small clay pots and style them with the moss star.…

YOU WILL NEED ♥ large, strong brown paper packet ♥ gold spray paint ♥ gift tag template on page 72 ♥ medium-weight cardboard ♥ ribbon or cord ♥ craft punch Place a black bag or sheets of newspaper on the surface on which you are going to work, to protect it, then place the brown paper packet on top. Spray the packet lightly with gold spray paint and leave it to dry. Spray on one or two more coats until the colour is solid. Turn the packet over when it is dry and spray paint the other side in the same way. Fold over the top of the packet once the paint is completely dry. Work carefully to avoid tearing the packet. Copy the gift tag on page 72 in…

YOU WILL NEED ♥ Scrabble letters ♥ eyelet screws ♥ drill with drill bit for wood ♥ glue gun ♥ cord for hanging Write a word or short message with the Scrabble letters and use the glue gun to glue the letters together. Drill a hole in the top of the ornament and insert an eyelet screw. Thread a piece of cord through the eyelet and tie the ornament on the tree or the wall. GOOD IDEA Try to write a message so the rows of words form the shape of a Christmas tree or bell.…

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: 1½ hours for a set of six YOU WILL NEED ♥ cracker template on page 94 ♥ pretty paper (you can use ours on page 86) ♥ medium-weight cardboard ♥ double-sided tape ♥ craft knife and cutting mat ♥ metal ruler ♥ matching ribbon Choose your paper design and copy it in colour onto medium-weight cardboard. Copy the cracker template on page 94 in the desired size onto the back of the cardboard. We were able to fit two crackers on an A3-size sheet of cardboard. Use your craft knife and metal ruler to cut out the cracker along the cutting lines. Fold the cracker along the fold lines. The notches must stand out towards the back of the cardboard. This is what they should look like.…

DIFFICULTY : medium TIME: two hours YOU WILL NEED ♥ biscuit dough recipe on facing page ♥ scalloped square cookie cutter ♥ white chocolate ganache recipe on facing page ♥ piping bag (optional) ♥ 100g fondant ♥ cornflour ♥ pink gel (or water-based) food colouring ♥ gold dust ♥ black gel food colouring ♥ clear alcohol (optional) ♥ paintbrushes Follow the recipe on the facing page to make the biscuit dough and roll it out to 3-4mm thick. Cut out squares, then cut the squares into rectangles with the same cookie cutter. Use the offcut pieces for the place-card bases. You will need 20 rectangles for the sides and 10 bases. Follow the recipe on the facing page to make the ganache. Spoon it into a piping bag (or simply…

REGULAR MARKETS • FRESH2U FARMER'S MARKET Visit this market in Modderfontein in Gauteng on the first and last Saturday of each month from 8am to 2pm. For the festive season they’re open on 3 and 10 December. The market has over 80 stalls selling everything from breakfasts, fresh produce and handcrafted cheeses to ceramics, plants and décor items. There’s also a kiddies’ arts and crafts section. For more information, search for Fresh2U Farmer’s Market on Facebook. • CENTURION FAMILY MARKET Take a blanket for a picnic under the trees, or feed the ducks while the children enjoy train rides, a jumping castle, sand art and more. The market features artisan food and locally produced and handpicked crafts. It takes place on the first and third Sunday of the month from…

FESTIVE DÉCOR IDEAS Keep the kids happy this Christmas with quirky Christmas decorations, like this reindeer with a scarf (R399,99) and Santa advent calendar (R229,99), available from MRP Home stores nationwide. FLORAL FRESHNESS Charlotte Rhys has a wide range of products ideal for Christmas gifts, from body, bath and men’s collections to home fragrances. This bottle of Atmosphere room spray with its fresh Spring Flowers fragrance costs R211,50 and is available from Charlotte Rhys shops or charlotterhys.co.za. Vibrant style Add a bright splash of colour and some cheerful patterns to your life with the Lou Harvey summer collection. It includes this new JoJo handbag, as well as a versatile curved cosmetic bag, a double-zip cosmetic bag and a double long-tom cooler bag – just in time for alfresco dining and…

LEG OF LAMB BAKED IN SALT DOUGH   Serves: 6-8 Preparation time: 45 minutes, plus marinating time Cooking time: 1 hour 40 minutes Oven temperature: 200o C ♥ 2kg leg of lamb ♥ 30g fresh rosemary, chopped ♥ 30g fresh parsley, chopped ♥ 6 cloves garlic, crushed ♥ 50ml olive oil ♥ roasted vegetables, to serve DOUGH ♥ 750g white bread flour ♥ 250g salt ♥ 1 large egg, separated 1 use a small sharp knife to make incisions into the meat on all sides. Mix the herbs, garlic and oil together. rub the herb mixture all over the meat and press garlic into the incisions. set aside to marinate for at least 2 hours or cover and marinate overnight in the fridge. 2 dough Mix the flour and salt…

CHOCOLATE & BERRY TRIFLE Serves: 8 Preparation time: 1½ hours, plus refrigeration time Baking time: 30 minutes Oven temperature: 160o C SPONGE CAKE ♥ 3 large eggs, separated ♥ 95g (110ml) castor sugar ♥ 7ml lemon juice ♥ 75g (140ml) cake flour ♥ 500ml cream, to assemble ♥ 200g raspberries, to assemble JELLY LAYER ♥ 25ml gelatine powder ♥ 375ml cranberry juice ♥ 120ml sweet sherry ♥ 220g (230ml) castor sugar ♥ 200g strawberries, sliced CUSTARD ♥ 800ml milk ♥ 6 large egg yolks ♥ 75g (85ml) castor sugar ♥ 35ml cornflour ♥ 200g dark chocolate sPonge CaKe beat the egg whites until stiff. beat in 60g (70ml) of the castor sugar a little at a time. add the lemon juice and set the mixture aside. in a separate…

YOU WILL NEED ♥ box template on page 94 ♥ animal pictures on page 71 ♥ 140 gsm white paper ♥ double-sided tape ♥ craft knife and cutting mat ♥ ruler Scan the box template and the animal pictures into your computer and divide the animals into head and body sections. Work with two boxes per A4 sheet of paper and place the first head section on the first side of one box and the body section on the corresponding side of the other box. Place the next head and body sections on the third side of the boxes. Repeat this process until you have 25 boxes. Decorate the second sides of the boxes as preferred and number the fourth sides from 1 to 25. NOTE If you don’t have…

EMBROIDERED ANIMALS Decorate animal shapes with simple embroidery. YOU WILL NEED ♥ animal patterns on page 71 ♥ white fabric ♥ iron-on interfacing ♥ stranded embroidery thread in red, grey and black ♥ embroidery needle ♥ matching machine thread ♥ polyester toy stuffing ♥ fabric marker ♥ twine or cord for hanging the decorations Iron interfacing to the wrong side of pieces of white fabric, each large enough for one of the animal patterns on page 71. Using a lightbox and fabric marker, trace the pattern onto the right side of the stiffened fabric (or stick the pattern and fabric to a window with masking tape and trace it off this way). Embroider the animal with three strands of embroidery thread in the colours as shown in the photo on…

YOU WILL NEED ♥ large sheet of firm cardboard (we used an A0 size) ♥ extra cardboard for the base ♥ crepe paper in the colour(s) of your choice ♥ matching ribbon ♥ parcel tape ♥ double-sided tape ♥ craft knife and cutting mat Draw a semicircle over the width of the sheet of cardboard. The easiest way to do this is to cut a piece of string about half the width of the cardboard, tie a nail at one end and a pencil at the other and draw the semicircle from the middle of the bottom edge of the cardboard. Cut out the semicircle then cut away about an eighth segment from the semicircle. Roll the paper into a cone shape from the sharp point. Use parcel tape to…

ELLIPSE FROM PAPER STRIPS YOU WILL NEED ♥ paper of your choice ♥ jewel decorations ♥ florist’s wire ♥ green florist’s tape ♥ pliers to bend the wire ♥ wire cutters ♥ hole punch ♥ craft knife and cutting mat ♥ metal ruler ♥ cord for hanging Cut strips of paper of about 2 x 15cm. We marked 2cm intervals lengthwise on a piece of A3 paper, cut the strips and then cut each strip in half to make it easier to work with them. Use about 20 strips for each bauble and punch holes through both ends of each strip – try to punch them all more or less in the same place. Thread the florist’s wire through a jewel decoration and bend the end of the wire so…

POMPOMS YOU WILL NEED ♥ pink or red knitting yarn ♥ fork (the longer the tines, the larger you can make the pompom) Press the end of a length of yarn through the middle two tines of the fork. Wind the yarn tightly around the fork until it is full. Tie the ends tightly around the middle of the bundle. Carefully remove the bundle of yarn from the fork. Cut through the yarn loops on either side of the centre. Trim the ends of the yarn to shape the pompom into a neat ball. REINDeeR PARCELS YOU WILL NEED ♥ brown cardboard boxes and/or paper bags ♥ brown cardboard ♥ antler template on page 94 ♥ completed pompoms ♥ glue gun ♥ masking tape ♥ craft knife and cutting mat…

SPEKULAAS BISCUIT SANDWICHES MAKES: 10 sandwiches PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes, plus refrigeration time BAKING TIME: 10-12 minutes OVEN TEMPERATURE: 170o C ♥ 125g soft unsalted butter ♥ 130g huletts sunsweet Brown sugar ♥ 5ml huletts Molasses ♥ 5ml ground cinnamon ♥ 2,5ml each ground ginger, mixed spice, nutmeg and cloves ♥ large pinch each ground cardamom, white pepper and salt ♥ 225g cake flour ♥ 5ml baking powder LEMON AND WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE ♥ 240g white chocolate, chopped ♥ 60ml fresh cream ♥ zest of 1 small lemon 1 cream the butter and brown sugar together until light and creamy. add the molasses and spices and beat well. 2 add the flour and baking powder and mix well until a soft dough forms that you can press together with your…

WINNING LETTER Art, life and creative cooking I have had colon issues since I was a young girl. After many visits to various doctors and landing up in hospital numerous times in extreme pain I was miserable and there seemed to be no cure. Eventually, with the help of a dietitian, I realised my gut is sensitive to fruit skins, as well as to certain vegetables and grains. To hear you are allergic to so many foods can be very upsetting at first. However, I decided to look at the positive: eat correctly and feel much better. I came up with some breakfast and dessert recipes like a blueberry vegan cheesecake and a berry and maple syrup breakfast pudding. I now have a happy colon - eating healthily can be…

‘We married for a house,’ says Amanda Swanepoel, and she and Francois burst out laughing. ‘The plane trees growing over the road made me long for Stellenbosch so much that we kept coming back. Francois surprised me by putting in an offer on the house and we quickly got married so we could move in. ‘To make the situation even crazier, we made a fairly big mistake in our calculations that left us with only R3 000 of our wedding budget. We simply got married in the minister’s house, went to see our parents afterwards, then headed out to celebrate with our friends.’ The house was called the Ghost House and was almost completely overgrown. Fortunately they aren’t afraid of hard work and their love of restoration was just what…

Braised pork neck with cinnamon and honey pears This is a tasty dish that can be prepared in advance and heated up just before you are ready to serve. Serves: 6-8 Preparation time: 45 minutes Cooking time: 2 hours 15 minutes Oven temperature: 150o C YOU WILL NEED ♥ 2kg pork neck ♥ 30ml olive oil ♥ 2 onions, chopped ♥ 1 stick cinnamon ♥ 10ml freshly grated ginger ♥ 500ml prepared chicken stock ♥ 250ml pear or apple juice ♥ fresh sage, plus extra to garnish ♥ 3-4 firm but ripe pears, halved and cored ♥ 60ml honey ♥ 15ml cornflour ♥ roasted carrots, to serve ♥ rice or couscous, to serve 1 Use a long piece of string to tie the neck at intervals to make a neat…

YOU WILL NEED ♥ wing template ♥ coffee filter papers ♥ white paper ♥ firm cardboard ♥ glue gun ♥ glue stick ♥ faux flower and ribbon Copy the wing template alongside in the desired size onto white paper and cut it out. Trace the paper pattern onto the cardboard and cut it out as well. Put the paper pattern aside for now. Use the glue stick to glue the cardboard wing onto another sheet of white paper and cut it out, leaving an allowance of about 1cm around the edges. Cut notches into the allowance, fold it over to the back and glue it in place. Glue the paper pattern that you put aside to the back of the cardboard for a neat finish. Now start covering the wing…

YOU WILL NEED ♥ polystyrene board cut to the required size ♥ paper cups in the size of your choice (we used espresso cups) ♥ decorative paper for wrappers ♥ giftwrap to cover the board ♥ double-sided tape ♥ adhesive tape ♥ craft knife and cutting mat ♥ drawing pins Choose the paper for the wrappers and an attractive typeface for the numbers. If you have a design program, scan the paper into your computer, position the numbers 1-25 on the paper in the required size and print it out. We were able to fit two numbers per A4 sheet. If you don’t have such software, simply print the numbers, cut them out and stick them on the paper for the wrappers. Cut open one of the paper cups and…

The holiday season is here and that means long, lazy summer days, enjoying our favourite national pastime: gathering around the fire for a braai. With BERNINA as your trusted partner, you can make sure your braai champion is kitted out in style. You can also create attractive accessories to wow your guests and take your braai from basic to beautiful. GREAT BRAAI IDEAS Create a cool, functional braai apron for the man in your life, using the special 3-D fonts function available in your BERNINA embroidery software to create quirky signs that add a fun, decorative element and even serve as pockets on the apron. Another idea is to make a handy utensil holder to keep all your braai tools in one place. Use your BERNINA walking foot for sewing…

YOU WILL NEED ♥ old Christmas baubles ♥ black-and-white illustrations of your choice ♥ white spray paint ♥ modge podge ♥ craft paintbrush Remove the caps with the loops from the top of the baubles and put them to one side. Work on a sheet of plastic or newspaper and spray paint the baubles white. Spray on several coats – each coat just lightly to prevent ‘tears’ forming – until the colour is solid. Allow each coat to dry properly before spraying on the next one. Copy your illustrations in the desired size onto white computer paper and cut them out around the outline. Paint a coat of modge podge over the back of the pictures. Stick the pictures onto the baubles and rub out any bubbles. Seal the pictures…

YOU WILL NEED ♥ air-dry clay and roller ♥ cookie cutters ♥ rose serviette ♥ gold leaf ♥ alphabet letter stamps ♥ modge podge ♥ craft paintbrush ♥ small, sharp scissors ♥ tweezers ♥ kebab skewer ♥ wax paper ♥ cords for hanging Knead a piece of air-dry clay, shape it into a ball and roll it out on wax paper to 3-5mm thick. Cut shapes from the clay with the cookie cutters. While the clay is still damp, smooth the edges of the shapes with your finger. Use the letter stamps to write a Christmas message on the shapes, and use the kebab skewer to make a hole at the top of each shape so you can hang the decorations on your tree. Leave them to dry completely. When…

YOU WILL NEED ♥ napkins (make sure they are square or the folding won’t work well and the napkins will look untidy) ♥ ribbon or lace ♥ pearl-headed pins GOOD IDEA We made our napkins from red-and-white gingham and overlocked the edges, which adds a bit of definition to the ‘branches’ of our ‘tree’. Fold the napkin in half. Make the fold sharp and ensure the corners line up precisely. Fold the napkin in half again to form a square. Turn it around so it forms a rhombus with the open points facing downwards. Start folding the four open points upwards. Fold each layer slightly shallower than the previous one to form pointed layers, as in the photo. Turn the napkin over to the wrong side and fold the left-hand…

YOUR NECK Your neck and hands are the greatest traitors when it comes to betraying your age. They give away your secrets long before your face starts showing the signs of time. This is largely because there are few oil glands and limited elastin in the thin skin tissue on the backs of your hands and in your neck. So these areas are more prone to dryness and sometimes start looking like parchment. us are unwilling ‘waste’ our expensive serums and rich creams on our hands, neck and decollete. Sadly, then it ends up costing us a fortune later! Cosmetic surgeons have started reporting a new phenomenon called ‘tech neck’, the ugly result of our addiction to technology. Blame your smartphone, tablet or laptop for the tree-ring dating (horizontal lines…

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