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 don’t know about you, but I definitely become lazier in the winter. Wrapping myself up in a warm blanket cocoon and reading a book or watching a movie is definitely more appealing than perhaps hitting an ice-cold finger with a hammer while doing some DIY around the house. So over the years autumn has become a time of preparation for me. Make the stock for the soup and freeze it, and wash the rolled-up carpet while there is still enough sun to dry it. It’s a bit like the enthusiastic nesting of a pregnant woman before the arrival of her baby. But it’s much more than a personal choice. Mother Nature decides when to give abundantly and when to adapt her menu to the season. Those of us who…
SOFT AND ROMANTIC The wooden floor immediately brings a cosy feeling to this dining corner in the kitchen. The white walls, kitchen cabinets and shelves keep the look fresh. The large, open windows allow heaps of light into the room. The little white table with its lacy crocheted tablecloth introduces a feeling of nostalgia. Complete the scene with white bentwood chairs, fairly easy to find at second-hand or antique shops. Sand the chairs, give them a good undercoat and paint them with white enamel paint. Bring in a spot of colour with accessories such as the plates and jars on the shelves. And of course a bunch of flowers as a finishing touch. FRESH AND CLEAN White is always a good starting point to work from and lends itself to…
JUST LIKE ART We looked to the Far East for inspiration and used a combination of Japanese and Korean artworks as well as vintage Chinese posters to print on our fabrics. You can use the images on the pages overleaf for your projects, if you wish. ON THE WALL Hang pretty printed fabric on your wall to create a focal point in a room. Or use it as a bedspread or throw. Wall decoration printed by Alma Thomas Studio. ROMANTIC CURTAIN We had an image of a beautiful Oriental woman printed onto a curtain made of chiffon to use as a room divider. PRINT YOUR OWN FABRIC: You can easily create your own gorgeous fabric – a digital printing company can print any photo or picture onto material. Cushions and…
Special thanks to Meuse Farm (meusefarm.com) for supplying the fresh vegetables. KIMCHI This spicy Korean side dish (banchan) is packed full of flavour as well as being very healthy. It is made using a fermentation process that allows the good bacteria to transform the vegetables into a probiotic-rich lacto-fermented food. Use it as an accompaniment to grilled or roasted beef or pork or serve with Asian dishes. Makes: 2 medium-sized jars Preparation time: 45 minutes, plus soaking and fermentation time Cooking time: 5 minutes ♥ 1 large Chinese cabbage (napa cabbage) ♥ 60ml sea salt (non-iodised) ♥ 30ml cake flour ♥ 1 medium-sized daikon radish, peeled (or use 6-8 small pink radishes) ♥ 1 carrot, peeled ♥ 6 spring onions, trimmed and cut into 5cm pieces ♥ 5ml sugar…
RICOTTA Makes: about 1 cup ♥ 1 litre (4 cups) fresh milk (not UHT) ♥ 250ml (1 cup) cream ♥ 2 small organic lemons Line a mesh sieve with cheesecloth and place over a deep bowl. Pour the milk and cream into a pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer at about 90°C, stirring frequently. Remove from the stove and squeeze in the juice from the lemons. Stir gently. Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth and let the whey trickle through for about an hour. Tie the cheesecloth into a bag, hang it up over a bowl and let the remaining whey drain for 10-15 minutes. The longer the cheese drains, the firmer it will be. ❁ Ricotta is a very versatile ingredient used for savoury dishes as…
EMBROIDERY HOOP HANGER Raid your sewing room for twine and an embroidery hoop for this drying rack. DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: about an hour YOU WILL NEED ♥ freshly cut herbs ♥ embroidery hoop (the inside circle part) ♥ twine ♥ scissors ♥ pegs 1 Cut 3 equal lengths of twine, longer than 30cm, and tie onto the hoop, evenly spaced apart. Tie the ends together. 2 Gather some herbs together in small bundles. You can mix herbs or tie stems of the same kind of herb together. Use the pegs to attach your bundles at equal intervals onto the embroidery hoop. Hang to dry. CRATE DRYING Repurposing old wooden crates to dry your herbs is a great way to make sure they are well ventilated as they dry. DIFFICULTY: medium…
