Innehållsförteckning för January 2023 från Mollie Magazine

EDITOR’S PICK Marcie K’s projects are always full of fun and colour, and this découpage desk chair is no exception with its bold bird print. If you fancy updating your own furniture with this technique, check out our tutorial on page 16. Welcome to our January issue of Mollie, and we wish you all a happy New Year! There is something so refreshing about taking down the decorations and making exciting plans for the months ahead, whether it’s life resolutions or ideas for your home. But it’s also an ideal time to reset bad habits. Mollie’s theme this month is Balance. While we love to keep busy, it’s important to also slow down and be present in our lives. Thankfully, crafting and styling our living spaces gives us all an…

1 Calming swirls in soft cotton. Alloa Cushion £50, by Bloomingville. www.willow-natural.co.uk 2 Time to treat yourself. Self Care Cracker £15, by Cult Beauty. www.cultbeauty.co.uk 3 An ancient beauty ritual. Rose Quartz Face Rollers, Set of Three £35, by Oliver Bonas. www.oliverbonas.com 4 Say yes to clutter-free crafting. Cotton Canvas Project Bag £65, by Toast. www.toa.st 5 Everything's looking rosy. The Drowsy Damask Rose Silk Sleep Mask £60, by Oliver Bonas. www.oliverbonas.com 6 Fresh notes for the home. A Candle for Every Room Gift Set £102, by Anthropologie. www.anthropologie.com 7 The seat of dreams. New Zealand Sheepskin Beanbag Chair £1,364, by Sweetpea & Willow. www.sweetpeaandwillow.com 8 Gowning around. Lotus Leaf Cotton Gown £260, by Toast. www.toa.st 9 A daily dose of me-time. Dream Wellness Journal in Gold £24.80, by Papier.…

WHO Laurie and Solomon Parker WHERE Hastings, East Sussex The bijou frontage of Laurie and Solomon Parker’s house, set on a quiet street a few roads back from the sea in Hastings, gives little clue as to what lies within. Stepping inside the property, visitors are transported to a magical land of fun and wonder. The couple have painstakingly transformed the former Turkish baths into a playground that now features a vast open-plan living space, bedecked with original fairground signs, arcade games and a full-size bowling alley. “We were renting in south-east London and found the house randomly after driving down to Camber Sands,” remembers Laurie. “We ended up following the road to Hastings, saw all the antique shops and thought it was a marvellous place.” This day trip prompted…

MATERIALS ■ Sharpie permanent marker ■ Tightly woven hessian fabric (alternatively monks cloth or tufting fabric) ■ Oxford Punch Needle #10 Regular ■ West Yorkshire Spinners Colour Lab DK, 100% British wool, 100g/225m per ball, 1 ball each in: Crimson Red (556), Very Berry (647), Cerise Pink (539), Coral Crush (361) ■ West Yorkshire Spinners Retreat chunky roving, 100% wool; 100g/140m per ball, 1 ball in Pure (010) ■ Reclaimed fabric for the backing (upholstery or curtain fabric from your fabric stash) or plain heavyweight recycled cotton upholstery fabric cut to approx. 52x32cm ■ Wool needle ■ 50x30cm cushion pad or stuffing ■ Sewing machine or overlocker ■ Latex and plastic scraper, or fabric glue and paintbrush ■ Pins (optional) ■ Embroidery hoop (optional) ■ Light box (optional) 1 Measure…

HERB-INFUSED VINEGAR ELEVATE WINTER SALADS WITH A DELIGHTFUL SPLASH OF HOMEMADE DRESSING (Recipe makes 1 cup) MATERIALS 1 cup apple cider vinegar | ¼ cup lightly packed, dry herbs of your choice such as: Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus), Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), Peppermint (Mentha x piperita), Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus), Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) | 1 x 300ml glass jar with lid | 1 x glass bottle 1 Wash your hands, clean your prep area, and sterilise the glass jar before starting. 2 Finely chop your herbs and place them in the sterilised jar. 3 Pour the vinegar into the jar, ensuring the herbs are covered. 4 Cover the jar with parchment paper and screw on the lid. (The paper stops the vinegar causing the lid to rust.) 5 Leave to infuse in…

MATERIALS ■ Fabric (at least double the width of the space you are covering and a little longer than the height) ■ Sewing machine ■ Needle ■ Thread ■ Pencil-pleat tape (optional) ■ Tape measure ■ Scissors ■ Iron For hanging directly from the sink/cupboard frame itself: ■ Heavy-duty Velcro For hanging between two cupboards: ■ Tension rod and fittings 1 First measure the vertical drop for your curtain, then measure the space horizontally. Take the horizontal measurement and double it. Take the vertical measurement and add 5cm (for hemming). 2 Now cut your fabric panel to your measurements, taking into consideration any pattern placement if you’re using a patterned fabric. TO ATTACH THE SKIRT TO THE SINK OR CUPBOARD FRAME WITH VELCRO: 3 Hem your fabric all the way…

Marcie K Artist and writer Marcie K works out of a glammed-up chicken shed on the outskirts of Bristol, and frequently shares her space with a couple of cockerels, who pop in to supervise her at work. Her style could be described as ‘Alice in Wonderland meets Jumanji’ and she loves nothing better than sprinkling a bit of leopard-print across the universe. Découpage four pieces with Marcie K’s masterclass on page 16 @marciekdesigns Hannah Heys Textile designer Hannah has a workshop in the garden of her cottage in Buckinghamshire, where she creates contemporary textile pieces including wall hangings, rugs and cushions. She has a background in illustration and design, but only started making textiles full-time in 2021. Her work uses bright, bold colours and is often inspired by her love…

ON THE RIGHT SIDE A fabulous focal point needn’t cost the earth – you can create this colourful fold-away table at very little cost, using a tired piece of furniture that’s crying out for a bit of upcycling, some pretty wrapping paper, a good dollop of PVA and a lick of paint. SITTING PRETTY Pieces of leftover wallpaper come into their own for this clever project. Simply choose a desk chair with flat surfaces that you can cover with ease. It’s an excellent way to echo design elements throughout your home across different rooms for a cohesive scheme. What is decoupage? Decoupage is the art of cutting out materials and sticking them onto an object in a decorative manner – it’s as simple as that. What kit do you need…

You can recreate Laurie’s circus style with a mix of vintage and modern pieces, lots of weathered patina and playful details Vice Glitter Canister, £71.26, www.uk.jonathanadler.com Sagittarius Cowhide rug 155 x 190cm, £103.99, www.wayfair.co.uk ADD TEXTURE BOLOGNA BEAUTIES Named after the fountain statue that gives its name to Piazza del Nettuno, these Italian wall tiles have a beautiful combination of colour and glaze. Nettuno Sand tiles, 89p each. www.claybrookstudio.co.uk Vintage Slot Machine Cabinet, £325, www.scaramangashop.co.uk KITCHEN QUIRK Brightly coloured, small, tapered rolling pins (also known as Veluns in India), give you maximum control, and style points. Painted rolling pins, £8.50 each, www.scaramangashop.co.uk Polish prints The big top as seen through the eyes of graphic designer Maciej Urbaniec in the 60s and 70s. Cyrk Polish Circus Posters – ‘Balancing Juggling Acrobat…

1 'C' IS FOR CHEERFUL ✦ Playful homewares brand Swedish Ninja enlisted the skills of Malmö-based designer Petra Lilja for this range of C-shaped wall lamps, bringing a graphic jolt of colour to the coolest rooms. You can angle the cut-out metal lamp in whichever way works best for your decor and your mood, and we love the way it looks amongst a gallery wall. Can't get enough? The 'C' design is available in a mirror collection, too. Swedish Ninja C Lamp Wall Light – Small, Yellow, $311.20; C Lamp Wall Light – Big, BlueGreen, $367.20; www.nedgis.com 2 ANNA JACOBS ✦ If you've ever felt like you're stuck in the wrong job, let British artist and interior designer, Anna Jacobs inspire you. Before realising her dream to be a painter,…

MATERIALS ■ Wool beret ■ Tracing or scrap paper ■ Small, sharp scissors ■ Dressmaking pins ■ Tailor’s chalk ■ Tacking thread (optional) ■ Sharp, large-eyed needle ■ Six-stranded embroidery thread to match the colour of your beret ■ Ball of contrasting woollen yarn 1 Draw your design on paper or copy the template at www.gathered.how. Make a stencil, cut it out and pin it in place on the beret. Use chalk to trace over the stencil. Alternatively, you can tack the outlines with large stitches. 2 Cut a length of embroidery thread and separate three strands – thread the needle with these and make a knot at one end. 3 Start by pinning a small section of the base yarn along the chalk line, leaving a tail-end overhanging the…

BAKE: 15 MINUTES, PLUS COOLING MAKES: ABOUT 28 INGREDIENTS 250 grams plain flour, plus extra for dusting135 grams unsalted butter, cold and diced70 grams icing sugar1 medium egg1 tablespoon water1 teaspoon vanilla paste8 grams cocoa powder1 pinch of ground cardamom For the glaze1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon water EQUIPMENT Food processorCling filmRolling pinBaking paperBaking tray This recipe makes one of the easiest patterns and is a good starting point for you to test the waters 1 In a food processor, mix together the flour and butter until they resemble breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, egg, water and vanilla, pulsing a few times until a dough forms. 2 Divide the dough in half and return one half to the food processor. Add the cocoa powder and cardamom and mix together…

BRAND FOCUS BY ELOISE Looking for hair ties that don’t break or lose their stretch? Try Bangle Bands, hair bobbles that are both functional and pretty so you can wear them on your wrist. Move over scrunchies, there’s a new hair tie in town. Bubble Band with Diamanté Charm, £6.90, www.byeloiselondon.com BRAND NEW BLENDS FOR FRIENDS Enhance the wellbeing of loved ones through the power of fragrance with Sunday’s Daughter’s reed diffusers and candles which can be personalised for friends and family celebrating a special event. Choose between fresh or warm scents, such as peony and blush suede or winter spice, then pair with a greeting for moving house, newly weds, birthdays, and more. Reed Diffuser, £25, www.sundaysdaughter.com Eco Extravagance Divine Savages and Natural History Museum are back with…

MAKE A NOTE What we do, or what we do repeatedly, shapes our life. Keep track of your goals and monitor progress through bespoke bullet journals (or bujos). If a coordinated look brings you joy, then Erin’s clever embroidery hoop screen is the best way to duplicate a design with accuracy, so you can prepare a batch of 12 pretty notebooks for journalling your way through 2023. CREATIVE CABLES We thought going wireless was the ultimate goal for tech at home – that was until Juliet Uzor fashioned a cable tidy inspired by the modest scrunchy. Suddenly, wires don’t seem so bad. Everything from pendant lights to TV cables can benefit from an inventive glow-up. The sheer fabric gives this project a touch of opulence that will raise a space…

MATERIALS ■ Wooden pallet ■ Sandpaper ■ Saw ■ Two 2x4 lengths of wood ■ Nail gun or hammer and nails ■ Chalk paint in two colours ■ Lettering stencils (optional) ■ Pencil ■ Paintbrush ■ Drill and fairy lights (optional) 1 Carefully take apart an old pallet. If necessary, trim and sand the ends of the pallet wood to make sure they are roughly the same length and have no rough edges. 2 Lay down two 2x4 lengths of wood horizontally, spacing them so that the pallet wood lengths overlap slightly at each end when placed down vertically. Now lay the pallet wood planks down on top, arranging them tightly together. 3 When you are happy with the arrangement of the planks, use a nail gun (or a hammer…

WEEKEND PROJECT DIY MATERIALS ■ Sugar soap ■ Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in: Pure – 1 litre* Capri Pink, English Yellow, Florence, Provence, Napoleonic Blue, Giverny, Greek Blue and Antibes – all 120ml* ■ Annie Sloan Small Chalk Paint Brush* ■ Annie Sloan Sanding Pads* ■ Primer (optional) ■ Polyvine Satin Extreme Heavy Duty Varnish* ■ Annie Sloan Pearlescent Glaze* ■ Annie Sloan Mix Mat* ■ Water mister (Amazon) ■ Soft, flat artist brushes (The Range) *all available from Doghead Designs 1 Clean the piece of furniture using sugar soap. Leave to dry. There’s no need to sand, as this step-by-step is designed to encourage texture and character. 2 Prime the piece, but only if you think bleed-through will be a problem (where the oils within the wood are sucked…

We talk about ‘balance’ a lot these days as this kind of zen-like state of having life totally sorted, don’t we? But what is it actually? Let’s look at the dictionary definition: ‘A state of equilibrium or equipoise; equal distribution of weight, amount, etc. something used to produce equilibrium; counterpoise. mental steadiness or emotional stability; habit of calm behaviour, judgment, etc. a state of bodily equilibrium’. All sounds good right? So why is it so hard to achieve? Whether it’s work/life, family/me time, being active/resting, modern life constantly throws us between opposing states that can be more than tricky to navigate. Natalie Lue – writer, speaker, podcaster, artist, and founder of one of the longest running self-help blogs in the world, Baggage Reclaim (www.baggagereclaim.com) – has a new book, The…

1 'UNSAME' YOUR WALLS Here at Mollie we love a good wall mural, as it really is a great way to unleash your creativity and make an impact in the home. Let's be honest, though – it can be a little bit daunting to put paintbrush to wall. Will it work in my room? How do I prepare the surface? Which paints do I use? How do I scale up my design? All those practical questions and more are answered in this brilliant book by creative duo Clara Wilkinson and Mary West, alongside technical tips and a host of themes and design styles to inspire you. Painting walls has never been so much fun! Making Murals, Clara Wilkinson and Mary West, £15.99, www.davidandcharles.com CRAFT BOOKS 2 PAPER SURPRISES There’s magic…