Ideas is all about MAKING your world more beautiful. Packed with creative inspiration, fresh ideas, easy projects and step-by-step instructions, this magazine is the go-to guide for crafters, stitchcrafters, makers, cooks and DIY home decorators.
I always look forward to the holidays. Who doesn’t?! But this year even more so than usual, because the family is coming to Cape Town. We can eat together and chat to our heart’s content around the dining-room table, go to the beach together, walk along the promenade together and play games together. In the end, it’s all about the word ‘together’. I’m usually a happy solitary individual. I enjoy my own company and keep myself busy, but over the past year I have become increasingly aware of the joys of togetherness. I see it with the Italians in Ceriana when I’m there and also with my Jewish neighbours in Sea Point when I’m here. They do things together, sing together, laugh together, support each other and eat together. Where…
It’s not hard to see why this house at Johannesdal earned architect Henri Comri an award from the Cape Institute of Architecture. Inspired by the work of the Swiss-French pioneer of modern architecture, Le Corbusier, its vast white lime-treated walls, expansive spaces, exposed brickwork, integrated industrial metal, concrete ceilings, untreated wood, limestone and glass all make a strong Modernist statement. However, it doesn’t feel out of place in its country setting or alongside the more traditional Cape architecture of the area. Owner Dane Erwee describes it as ‘modern meets farmhouse’, and explains that he and his partner Chris Willemse envisioned ‘something that nestles; a modern exterior but with a farmhouse interior’. And their aesthetic flair is as much the reason for Johannesdal’s success as is Comri’s design. Creative expression comes…
how to craft DOODLE CHAIR Doodling can help you unleash your imagination, generate new ideas, and express your emotions. It can also boost your memory as it engages multiple senses and brain regions. For our doodle chair, we first used a permanent fabric pen to draw flowers freehand onto two pieces of fabric. We set the drawings with a hot iron and sewed the fabric onto a chair. You can use your decorated fabric for anything from scatter cushions to T-shirts – just remember to heat set the ink before using the fabric. CREPE PAPER FABRIC PRINT Use this technique to create your own unique textile design. DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: an hour or so YOU WILL NEED ♥ crepe paper in bright colours of your choice ♥ cotton fabric (it’s…
craft how to ❁ Gel printing is a technique for producing beautiful prints without a press. You can play with shapes, textures and colours and create stunning patterns by printing in layers. The result is not completely predictable, but that is what makes it so appealing – and every piece is an original! DECORATIVE DISPLAY Embellish a plain printer’s typecase by cutting out small home-made gel prints and sticking them in the individual compartments. (See the page overleaf for the gelprint method.) Typecase from sostrenegrene.com BOTTLE LABELS This is an easy project to start you off. YOU WILL NEED ♥ gel printing plate (eg Gelli Arts, available from art suppliers like deckleedge.co.za; we used 2 sizes: small 7,6 × 12,7cm and large 12,5 × 17,5cm) ♥ Perspex plate ♥ acrylic…
craft how to SET THE SCENE Bright colours and gingham patterns combine to make for a cheerful activity-table setting. The kids will definitely be inspired to play. The idea is to leave them on their own to have fun, so plastic containers that are easily washable are best. We used cupcake wrappers, plastic bowls and clear cupcake takeaway boxes as containers for craft supplies and paint. Cute plastic crates are also a great way to keep supplies neat and accessible. If you lay some clear plastic sheeting over your tablecloth for the kids to play on it will protect your cloth from stains. VEGETABLE TRAY: PRINTING WITH FRUIT AND VEGETABLES DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: as long as it takes to dry YOU WILL NEED ♥ selection of vegetables and fruit ♥…
food & entertaining EASY BUTTER BISCUITS Fill the cookie jars with a batch or two of these melt-in-the-mouth butter biscuits. There’s no need to fuss with rolling and cutting out, simply pop the dough into the fridge until firm and then slice and bake. Flavour the vanilla biscuits with your favourite spice or add 10ml of grated lemon or orange zest for a zingy citrus flavour. Makes: 50 Preparation time: 45 minutes, plus chilling time Baking time: 10 minutes Oven temperature: 180 °C ♥ 220g (240ml) butter at room temperature ♥ 170g (195ml) castor sugar ♥ 5ml vanilla extract ♥ 5ml ground cardamon or cinnamon (optional) ♥ 285g (525ml) cake flour 1 Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. 2 Beat in the vanilla, spice, if using,…
