Innehållsförteckning för January/February 2024 från Ideas

Over the years I have learned that the best way to live is to live in the moment. Like a string of beads threaded together, it’s all the ‘now’ moments that in the end combine to form your life. Regret and guilt about the past and fear of the future add little to our inner happiness. But it is certainly easier said than done and anyway, not all retrospection is bad for us. Reflection is always a good teacher. And it’s also true that the more difficult life feels, the more nostalgic we become. Sometimes nostalgia is exactly what we need to put a smile on our face. Look at how everyone recalled the tasty pleasure of a slice of warm toast slathered with melting butter and a layer of…

SHIBORI Shibori is a Japanese dyeing technique that dates back to the eighth century. There are many different ways to block out the colour and achieve the patterns, for instance with wooden blocks, rope and elastic bands. Traditional shibori is done in indigo blue. ITAJIME This is the most classic form of shibori where folds of fabric are clamped between wooden blocks so the main area of the fabric remains undyed. YOU WILL NEED ♥ fabric that you want to dye ♥ 2 thin triangular wooden blocks ♥ elastic bands ARASHI: This is another easy form of shibori that means ‘storm’. You wrap the fabric around a wooden stick, wind rope around the fabric and tie it tightly before you wring the fabric with your hands then dip it into…

FOLD YOUR OWN BAG DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: 10 minutes YOU WILL NEED ♥ square piece of fabric (approx 50cm × 50cm) ♥ matching machine thread ♥ 2 bamboo handles (available from most fabric shops or haberdasheries) BEACH BAG DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: half a day YOU WILL NEED ♥ 50cm fabric for the bag ♥ matching machine thread ♥ 4,5m twill tape ♥ fabric marker TO MAKE 1 Cut two pieces of 45 × 43cm for the bag (1cm seam allowances included), rounding the bottom corners. Cut 2 x lengths of 150cm and 2 x lengths of 43cm twill tape. 2 Mark the positions of the straps on the right sides of the bag pieces – the long ones 8cm from the sides and the short ones 10cm from the bottom.…

If the Italian term mani di fata means that women who have great skill in handcrafts have fairy hands, I must come from a bloodline of fairies. My mother, grandmother and their forebears could all do the most delicate crafts. Petit point embroidery, Scherenschnitte (paper cutting designs), lace knitting. I can imagine how my Flemish and French ancestors in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries sat for hours with their bobbins making point de Flandre and Chantilly lace. Unfortunately this talent passed me by and with my complete lack of fine motor skills I will never be able to craft an intricate piece of lace using those masses of bobbins. When it comes to knitting, I’ll have to stick to my thick numbereight needles. I don’t have fairy hands, but I…

PROTECT A SENSITIVE SKIN Sometimes one’s skin can become irritated, just out of the blue. It gets red, hot, itchy and uncomfortably sensitive. According to Dermalogica, about 70% of people worldwide struggle with sensitive skin. It can be genetic, or because of lifestyle or environmental factors. Whatever the cause, the skin’s protective layer is damaged and must be given time and help to heal. Dermalogica’s new Stabilizing Repair Cream (50ml, R1 499) is a moisturiser that can put a stop to sensitive skin within a week by helping the skin to produce its own ceramides. As well as a ceramide complex that repairs the skin barrier and builds it up, it contains nourishing lipids that help the skin to become more resistant and less reactive. It also has a blend…

STORY TILES Give old tiles a new lease of life with the lovely tile pictures in our calendar. DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: a few hours (depending on how many tiles you decorate) YOU WILL NEED ♥ tiles of your choice ♥ tile pictures from our calendar pages (or pictures of your choice) ♥ modge podge ♥ craft brush ♥ craft knife and cutting mat ♥ metal ruler PAINT DETAIL Decorate the corners of your tiles with a painted pattern. DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: a few hours (depending on how many tiles you decorate) YOU WILL NEED ♥ tiles of your choice ♥ pattern of your choice (we found ours on the internet) ♥ tile paint in the colour of your choice ♥ art or stencil brush ♥ acetate ♥ masking tape ♥…

LEMON AND BLUEBERRY TART Serves: 8 Preparation time: 30 minutes Baking time: 1 hour, plus cooling time Oven temperature: 180 °C PASTRY ♥ 200g cake flour ♥ 30ml castor sugar ♥ 100g cold butter or baking margarine ♥ about 50ml ice-cold water FILLING ♥ 190ml fresh lemon juice ♥ zest of 2 lemons (make sure there is no pith) ♥ 180g castor sugar ♥ 190ml fresh cream ♥ 3 extra large eggs ♥ 1 extra large egg yolk TOPPING ♥ 200g fresh blueberries ♥ 30ml castor sugar ♥ 5ml cornflour ♥ zest of ½ lemon ♥ edible flowers, to decorate (optional) Place the flour, sugar and butter or margarine into a food processor and pulse until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add water, a little at a time, adding just enough…

DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: one hour (24 hours to dry) YOU WILL NEED ♥ egg cartons ♥ large plastic container ♥ wallpaper adhesive ♥ wood glue ♥ electric hand mixer ♥ strainer ♥ bowl (to use as your mould) ♥ cling wrap ♥ blue and white paint, to decorate NOTE: There are no exact measurements as it depends on the type of egg carton you use, so you will need to adjust the mixture if it looks too dry or too wet – you are looking for a clay-like consistency. Start by tearing the egg cartons into small pieces and letting them soak in a bit of water in a large plastic container. Use just enough water to cover the cardboard. Once the water has soaked in, squeeze the cardboard…

stitchcraft DIFFICULTY: intermediate TIME: 30 to 40 minutes SIZE approximately 11 × 11cm (depending on personal tension) YOU WILL NEED ♥ 20g Elle Cotton 4ply col 014 Natural ♥ 15g Elle Cotton 4ply col 078 Midnight ♥ 3,25mm crochet hook ♥ needle to weave in yarn ends ABBREVIATIONS (US terminology) ch – chain stitch ch-sp(s) – chain space(s) cnr-sp – corner space col – colour dc – double crochet fpdc – front post double crochet (insert hook from the front, around the stitch) hdc – half double crochet rep – repeat rnd(s) – round(s) sc – single crochet slst – slip stitch st(s) – stitch(es) tr – treble (yarn over twice) yo – yarn over hook SPECIAL STITCHES 5dc-cluster – 5 double crochet cluster: yo, insert hook…

Drops Design WWW.GARNSTUDIO.COM NOTE: If you need any more help, visit Drops Design online at www.garnstudio.com, type in the pattern number Drops 177-1 and go to tips and help. The yarn used for the bag is Drops Safran, a 4ply yarn made from 100% cotton, in 50g balls of approximately 160m each. MEASUREMENTS Circumference: approx 80cm Height: approx 34cm YOU WILL NEED ♥ Drops Safran from Garnstudio – 200g colour 17, White – 150g colour 06, Denim Blue – 100g colour 05, Light Blue Purple ♥ 3,5mm crochet hook ♥ tapestry needle CROCHET TENSION 18 tr in width and 10,5 rows in height = 10 x 10cm with 3,5mm crochet hook and 2 strands of yarn together Hook size is only a suggestion. If you have too many sts…

your life Maybe ‘the point’ isn’t to live more, in the literal sense of a longer or more productive life, but rather, to be more alive in any given moment. – Wunderman Thompson report It was quite a revelation and a mindshift. In the midst of loadshedding, raging storms and devastating floods and winds, and everything but a gorgeous spring, I was totally flattened for two weeks by the new Covid variant. When I eventually staggered from my bed, I had absolutely no lust for life. Is this all there is? I wondered pessimistically. And then a substantial report, The Age of Re-enchantment, from trend gurus Wunderman Thompson landed in my inbox. What a relief! It was not just me who felt that way; most of the world is bone-weary,…

DIFFICULTY: challenging TIME: half a day YOU WILL NEED ♥ paint in 3 shades of the colour of your choice (we used blue) ♥ coloured chalk ♥ spirit level (large) ♥ small foam roller and paint tray ♥ masking tape ♥ drop sheet…

NAPKINS We used an ice-dyeing technique to dye our napkins. You do this by placing ice on top of your napkin and then sprinkling fabric dye on the ice. Once the ice melts your fabric will look almost as if it’s been tie-dyed. WEIGHTED DOWN Make sure your tablecloth stays in place by weighing the edges down with seaside-inspired items. Use shells, keepsakes, beach pebbles and even a small bunch of rosemary as the weights. TIP: To make a hole in a mussel shell, first boil the shell in salted water and then, while it’s still hot, carefully pierce a small hole in the end of the shell with a sharp-pointed knife. SET THE SCENE Restrict your main colour scheme to blues and whites for this table but add hints…

stitchcraft Drops Design WWW.GARNSTUDIO.COM Note: If you need any more help, visit Drops Design online at www.garnstudio.com, type in the pattern number Drops 199-13 and go to tips and help. The yarn used for the hat is Drops Cotton Light, a DK yarn made from 50% cotton and 50% polyester, in 50g balls of approximately 105m each. SIZE S/M (L/XL) Head circumference: approx 54/56 (58/60)cm YOU WILL NEED ♥ Drops Cotton Light from Garnstudio – 200(200)g colour 21, Light Beige ♥ 3mm crochet hook ♥ tapestry needle CROCHET TENSION 22 tr in width and 11 rows vertically = 10 x 10cm with 3mm crochet hook. Hook size is only a suggestion. If you have too many sts on 10cm, switch to a larger hook. If you have too few sts…

WRITE TO US & WIN! The writer of this month’s winning letter will receive 12 bottles of Rhebokskloof Flatrock Sparkle NV to the value of R1 140. This delightful bubbly enchants with its aromatic bouquet, which reveals crisp green apple, pineapple, lemon pith and delicate white flower notes. Rhebokskloof Flatrock Sparkle NV received a gold medal at this year’s Gilbert and Galliard International Challenge Awards. For more information, go to rhebokskloof.co.za. WINNING LETTER MAKING CREATIVE FRIENDS AROUND THE WORLD I wanted to share this with you because I so enjoyed doing this piece. I belong to a worldwide mixed media group on Facebook. On a monthly basis we tackle 10-, 15- or 20-day challenges. The woman who heads up this group lives in the Netherlands and she sets up our…