Innholdsfortegnelse for Nov/Dec 2018 i Ideas

Here we are again! At the tail end of another year and busy counting the weeks until our well-deserved break. It is admittedly a bit shorter for people with children at school, which makes me wonder if someone at the education department had the same information in front of them as I did, about how long and how often we ought to rest (page 118). Take a look; it’ll also help you to have absolutely no guilt over completely forgetting all thoughts of work and having a good, long sleep. But first there’s the annual planning for Christmas. I’m writing this letter at the end of September, but already in the gym this morning I was listening to the middle-aged man on the treadmill next to me telling his instructor…

diana@ideasfactory.co.za Fiction Transcription by Kate Atkinson (Random House UK, R290) In 1940, 18-year-old Juliet Armstrong is reluctantly recruited into the world of espionage. Sent to an obscure department of MI5 tasked with monitoring British Fascist sympathisers, she finds the work to be by turns both tedious and terrifying. But after the war ends, she presumes it have been confined to history. Ten years later, now a producer at the BBC, Juliet is unexpectedly confronted by figures from her past. A different war is being fought now, on a different battleground, but Juliet finds herself once more under threat. A bill of reckoning is due, and she finally begins to realise that there is no action without consequence. Transcription is a bravura modern novel of power, wit and empathy. The House Across…

Christmas remains a time-honoured celebration of family and friends, hearth and home. This year, put your personal stamp on your decorations by foraging for flora and fynbos to turn into fragrant wreaths, pretty posies and conversation-starting artworks. Add dustings of metallic sparkle rather than full-throttle shine, and focus your styling efforts on creating a sanctuary for the senses with soft throws, scented candles and organic textures – all connected by a pale palette that is as inviting as it is serene. LIGHT FANTASTIC Craft a wreath from flexible vines or cuttings of willow or silver birch. Use secateurs to cut lengths, scissors for trimming and twine for binding into shape. Once you have your garland, spray paint it white and allow it to dry. Weave through jewellery wire (optional) for…

Makes: about 60 Preparation time: 45 minutes, plus drying and setting time Baking time: 1 hour Oven temperature: 110°C ♥ 4 large egg whites ♥ 2ml cream of tartar ♥ 200g (230ml) castor sugar ♥ 200g dark chocolate, chopped ♥ 100g pistachios, shelled and chopped (or use other nuts of your choice) ♥ cocoa powder, for dusting (optional) Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the cream of tartar and a pinch of salt. Beat until stiff. Add the sugar, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until the mixture is thick and glossy. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Hold the piping tip about 1.5cm directly over the baking…

Makes: 30-40 Preparation time: 75 minutes, plus chilling time Baking time: 8-10 minutes Oven temperature: 170°C BISCUIT DOUGH Beat 200g soft butter and 200g white sugar together. Add 15ml vanilla essence and a large egg, beating well to combine. Mix 420g flour and 5ml baking powder together in a separate bowl, then add it to the butter mixture and work it gently to form a firm dough. Roll batches out between two pieces of plastic wrap, about 5mm thick, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. You can re-roll the offcuts once to cut more cookies. ROYAL ICING Lightly beat 2 large egg whites with 1ml cream of tartar. Add 600g of sifted icing sugar and beat until just incorporated and the icing is stiff and white. Thin the icing…

DIFFICULTY: fairly easy TIME: two days YOU WILL NEED (per stool cover) Nurturing Fibres Eco-Cotton 100% cotton DK (50g balls): 3 balls in Vanilla and 1 ball each in Saffron, Lime, Aqua, Sweet Pea, Aventurine and Charcoal 3mm crochet hook tapestry needle 4 markers or contrasting pieces of yarn SIZE 40cm x 40cm ABBREVIATIONS beg – begin(ning) ch – chain cl – cluster c/off – cast off dc – double crochet rep – repeat rnd – round sl st – slip stitch sp – space st(s) – stitch(es) tr – treble STITCH EXPLANATION CLUSTER 1 Yarn over hook and insert hook into next space and pull a loop. Yarn over and pull through two loops. Do not complete stitch, so you have two loops on the hook. 2 Work next…

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: 30 minutes YOU WILL NEED ♥ Elle Family Knit Classic Chunky in white and two contrasting colours ♥ tapestry needle ♥ cardboard Cut two circles, 7cm in diameter, from cardboard. Cut each circle into a ring form by cutting out a hole, 3 cm in diameter, in the centre. Place the two cardboard rings together and start wrapping white wool in even layers around the outer edge. Continue wrapping the two cardboard rings, until half of the centre hole has been filled with wool. Next, wrap one of the contrasting yarns 15 times around the ring to form a band approximately 2cm wide. Wrap around another five bands of coloured yarn, in the same manner as the first, for a total of six bands. Wrap white yarn…

We gave each of our plastic trees a new colour by spray painting it with a paint specifically developed for plastic. We used Rust-Oleum but there are various brands available. Before you apply the colour, spray the tree with two coats of light-grey spray paint. This acts as a base for the new colour and halves the amount of coloured spray paint you will need. Remember to wear a mask and gloves and to work in a well-ventilated area. FLORAL FANTASY DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: two hours TREE We were inspired by deep-coloured flowers for this tree. We painted our tree with matt black spray paint and used artificial and paper flowers to decorate it. Use flowers with long stems that you simply insert into the tree in a random way,…

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: 3-4 hours MEASUREMENTS To fit adult-size wooden hangers YOU WILL NEED 1x ball 125m/50g Nurturing Fibres Eco-Cotton in Seashell 1x ball 125m/50g Nurturing Fibres Eco-Bamboo in Fawn 3.50mm crochet hook tapestry needle and scissors wooden hangers. ABBREVIATIONS ch(s) – chain(s) dc(s) – double crochet(s) rep – repeat slst – slip stitch sk – skip star spike – see special stitch st(s) – stitch(es) SPECIAL STITCH Star spike: The stitch is created by working in stitches from the previous row. Where the pattern refers to ‘previous stitch’, count back from the current stitch of the current row. Where the pattern refers to ‘stitches away’ work forward (to the left) from the current stitch of the current row. NOTE: Do not pull the loops too tight. They need to…

Blue sky, yellow sun, the colours of flowers, fruit and water – seawater, rivers, dam water… for me, all these things conjure up the feeling of the sunshine festival that November and December are for us in South Africa. Here at the southern tip of the untamed continent we have the privilege of being able to celebrate a summer Christmas and with it all the joy of good weather and open skies and space around us. So for this sixth paint makeover for our homes and décor we pay tribute to the new, sunny, festive season. This time I’m working with the colours that remind me of Christmas in Africa: blue and yellow, with a touch of red and white. Our summer Christmas wall showcases many holiday DIY projects for…

You are working with various mediums, so choose a limited number of colours that go together. We made all our pendants with a palette of red, grey, black, cream and white. DIFFICULTY: all the projects are very easy TIME: one day to make several pieces OVAL PENDANT Follow the same steps as for the cross pendant alongside, but cut the clay in an oval shape. Make eight holes around the edge of the bottom half of the clay oval, large enough for an embroidery needle to go through. Bake the clay as for the cross pendant, and leave to cool. Fold a leather cord in half, wrap it around the clay shape and sew it in place with blanket stitch. CROSS PENDANT YOU WILL NEED polymer clay thinleather cord machinethread…

creativecalendarideas@gmail.com MARKETS FOR NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 26 October – 3 November Eunice High School in Bloemfontein is holding its annual Christmas Market: eunice.co.za. 30 October – 2 November Shop at the Delmas Christmas Market at the Hervormde Church Hall in Sarel Cillier Street: Search for ‘Delmas Kersmark’ on Facebook. 31 October – 1 November The Christmas Country Fair takes place in Collisheen Estate in Ballito: thechristmasfairfund.co.za. 31 October – 10 November Shop for gifts at the Crafter’s Fair Christmas Market in Moreleta Park, Pretoria: craftersfair.co.za. Every Saturday in November & December The Irene Village Christmas Market takes place at The Big Red Barn in Olifantsfontein: irenemarket.co.za. 7–11 November The Constantia Gift Fair is on at the SA Riding for the Disabled Association (SARDA) in Constantia: thegiftfair.co.za. 10, 24, 25 November & 1…

@INGTHINGS Amsterdam, Netherlands Ingrid van Willenswaard is a lover of crochet, knitting and colouring. On her Instagram feed, she shares her creative world in cheerful pastel colours. @THEKATETIN Cape Town, South Africa Get a glimpse of Katelyn Allegra’s passion for decadent bakes, biscuits, sweets, chocolate and desserts on her Instagram page. Her mouthwatering photos will tempt the sweet toothed. @MARENTHE Den Haag, Netherlands Marenthe Otten combines her love for colourful characters with playful elements in her illustrations. Her Instagram is pure inspiration, picture by picture.…

COCONUT SNOWBALLS Makes: about 50 Preparation time: 1 hour, plus setting time ♥ 230g (440ml) icing sugar, sifted ♥ 1ml cream of tartar ♥ 397g can condensed milk ♥ 270g (865ml) fine desiccated coconut ♥ 200g white chocolate, chopped ♥ 80g (250ml) medium or coarse desiccated coconut, to decorate Sift the icing sugar and cream of tartar together. Add the condensed milk and stir until smooth. Add half the fine coconut and mix well. Add the other half of the fine coconut and stir well until the mixture sticks together. Set aside for 30 minutes. Roll into small balls and place the balls onto a greased and lined baking tray. Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Stir until smooth. Dip each coconut…

Makes: 12 Preparation time: 45 minutes, plus chilling time Baking time: 15-20 minutes Oven temperature: 170°C PASTRY ♥ 140g (260ml) cake flour ♥ 25g (60ml) ground almonds ♥ 100g (110ml) cold butter ♥ 30ml icing sugar ♥ 25ml cornflour ♥ 2ml vanilla extract ♥ 100g cream cheese ♥ 1 large egg yolk Filling ♥ 50g (60ml) sugar ♥ 25g (60ml) ground almonds ♥ 5ml ground cinnamon ♥ 50g (55ml) butter, melted ♥ 80ml honey, heated ♥ 30ml cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling PASTRY Place the flour, almonds, butter, icing sugar, cornflour, a pinch of salt and the vanilla extract into a food processor. Process until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Add the cream cheese and egg yolk and process until the mixture begins to stick together. Remove from the processor…

GIFT WRAPPING DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: a few hours Instead of wrapping gift boxes in paper, decorate them with paint, markers, stencils and found objects. Here are a few ideas to get you started. CUT THE LID OF THE BOX so it forms a frame. Copy a picture of your choice onto cardboard, cut it to fit inside the frame and glue it in place inside the lid PAINT THE TOP OF THE BOX – either totally cover it or leave a border – and once it is dry, tie a wide ribbon in an oversized bow around it. DRAW A WREATH and fill in the centre by painting it, to use as a gift tag. USE A WHITE MARKER to decorate the top of a black box with little stars.…

DIFFICULTY: fairly easy TIME: two days ABBREVIATIONS beg – begin(ning) ch – chain c/off – cast off dc – double crochet htr – half treble rep – repeat rnd – round sl st – slip stitch sp – space st(s) – stitch(es) tr – treble YOU WILL NEED Vinnis Colours Nikkim 100% cotton DK (50g balls): 1 ball each in Natural, Blue Canard, Mint, Peach, Raspberry and Purple Pink 3mm crochet hook tapestry needle diagram on page 62 TO CROCHET HEXAGONS (make 17) Using 3mm hook and Natural, work 4 ch, sl st into 1st ch to form a ring. Rnd 1: 5 ch (= 1 htr + 3 ch), (1 htr, 3 ch) 5 times into ring, sl st into 2nd of beg-5 ch. C/off. Rnd 2: Join Blue…

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: one day to make a string of houses YOU WILL NEED crochet cotton (we used Vinnis Nikkim) crochet hook (we used 1 one size smaller than given on the crochet cotton label) tapestry needle ABBREVIATIONS ch – chain sl st – slip stitch st(s) – stitch(es) tr – treble TO CROCHET The house is worked from the rooftop down to the bottom. Leave a long enough piece of crochet cotton at the beg so that you can sew your houses to your string afterwards. The 3 ch at the beg count as a st. Row 1: 4 ch, 2 tr into 4th ch from hook, turn [= 3 sts]. Row 2: 3 ch (count as 1st tr in all the rows), 1 tr into same st, 1…

NOSTALGIC Wrap your gifts in old book pages or fabric remnants and tie a piece of rough twine around the present. For the gift cards, you can simply copy our designs on the facing page onto white cardboard and cut them out. TYPOGRAPHIC Wrap your gifts in ordinary brown paper and tie a piece of kitchen string around the present. For the gift cards, you can copy our designs on the facing page onto white cardboard and cut them out. Add a touch of colour to the gift with washi tape. RETRO INSPIRATION Wrap your gifts in dressmaker’s graph paper and tie a length of baker’s twine around the present. For the gift cards, you can copy our designs on the facing page onto white cardboard and cut them out.…

TO PRINT THE FABRIC Use an ink-jet printer to print out the baubles on these pages onto a sheet of iron-on transfer paper for light fabric. Cut them out neatly and iron them onto a piece of white cotton fabric according to the manufacturer’s instructions. YOU WILL NEED ♥ cotton fabric printed with baubles (see method alongside) ♥ extra cotton fabric for the back ♥ matching machine thread ♥ polyester toy stuffing ♥ twine ♥ sequins and shiny beads ♥ fabric pen TO MAKE 1 Place the printed fabric and unprinted fabric together with right sides facing and trace the outline of the bauble with your fabric pen. 2 Place a piece of twine at the top edge between the two layers of fabric, in line with the raw edges…

BACKAGE CLAIM Even your suitcase will spread Christmas cheer when you stick on our printable stamps letting everyone know that this package is straight from the North Pole and has been ‘Checked Twice’ by Santa himself. PRETTY PAPER Make your own crackers with our pretty patterned printable paper sheets: plaid, check, holly and candy cane stripes. These papers also are perfect for making paper chains, placemats and napkin rings and for wrapping small presents. SANTA’S PLATE Setting up Santa’s snacks on Christmas Eve need not be a challenge. Chocolate chip cookies, long-life milk and marzipan carrots can all be packed beforehand. Arrange the plate with our printable tags: Santa’s Milk, Santa’s Cookies and Carrots for Rudolph and Friends. STOCKING SURPRISE Instead of trying to hunt down real stockings, craft our…

YOU WILL NEED ♥ polymer clay (depending on which pendant you make) ♥ fabric remnant ♥ wax thread in three colours ♥ embroidery needle ♥ glue gun ♥ adhesive tape ♥ craft knife ♥ firm cardboard ♥ ruler and pencil Cut a cardboard rectangle slightly larger than the size you want your pendant to be. Use the ruler to draw matching light pencil lines on the short sides of the cardboard rectangle, about 2–3mm apart. Cut a notch on each pencil line to a depth of 3mm in to the cardboard – these are for the threads for your weaving. Take the wax thread in the first colour (black in our case) and stick the end to the back of the cardboard with adhesive tape. Turn the cardboard over and…

When you look at pictures of fabulous parties and weddings on Instagram, there’s a good chance that you’ll see the name Baiegoeters among the hash tags. Because for the past six years, Anelma le Roux’s business has been one of the most popular go-to places for Western Cape events – especially if you would prefer to knock on only one door. ‘I realised at the end of 2012 that there was a huge demand in the wedding and events world for furniture, lights and so on, which could be hired at an affordable price,’ says Anelma. ‘At that stage I was already working with weddings and I decided to use what little money I had saved to have a few pieces of furniture made. I started hiring out this furniture…

WRITE TO US & WIN! The writer of this month’s winning letter will receive a Natural Splendor Embroidery Designs kit from Kelly Fletcher. It includes 12 fresh, modern embroidery projects and has everything you need to get started. For more information, go to kellyfletcher.co.za. FOR ALL AGES Thank you for making this amazing magazine – it has inspired me so much. I used it for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and for my gran’s birthday, which is coming up, I am going to use one of your soap ideas from your July/August issue. It proves that it can be enjoyed by all ages (I am 13). Keep up the amazing work. Jade Paris De Mendonça Winning letter Treasure beyond measure This magazine is not for sissies! From the top left-hand…

Vegetables Asparagus, baby marrows, beans, brinjals, carrots, cauliflower, courgettes, cucumbers, garlic, globe artichokes, green beans, leeks, lettuce, mealies, mushrooms, onion, parsley, peas, potatoes, pumpkin, radishes, squash, spinach, sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes. Fruit Apricots, avocados, bananas, cherries, figs, guavas, lemons, litchis, mango, melons, nectarines, papaya, peaches, pineapples, plums, rhubarb, spanspek, strawberries, watermelons. Herbs Basil, bay leaves, chives, dill, fennel, marjoram, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme. Flowers Achillea, agapanthus, allium, alstroemeria, amaranthus, anthuriums, Asiatic lilies, cala lilies, carnations, celosia, chincherinchees, chrysanthemums, daisies, delphiniums, everlastings, gerbera, gladiolus, godetia, heliconia, lavender, lisianthus, mount breezia, orange balls, penny stems, roses, sandersonia, sea holly, somer asters, statice, sunflowers, trachelium, veronica, and some proteas and fynbos.…

FOR YOUNG FASHIONISTAS An infectious rhyming tale about courage, compassion and a stylish little mouse, from international fashion illustrator Megan Hess. Claris: The Chicest Mouse in Paris (R297, Hardie Grant Egmont) follows an adorable mouse who dreams of moving to Paris to follow her fashion dreams. One day, she bravely takes the leap – only to find a mean little girl with a horrible-looking cat standing in the way of her perfect Parisian apartment! Can Claris use all her wit, warmth and – of course – style to make her dreams come true? It’s destined to delight fashion-obsessed readers of all ages! COLOUR IN An eye-shadow palette is handy – it’s compact and gives you a choice of colour combinations. Except when you can use only three colours in a…

Makes: 10 Preparation time: 1 hour 15 minutes Baking time: 50 minutes Oven temperature: 140°C ♥ 600g dried fruitcake mix ♥ 250g pitted dates, chopped ♥ 10ml grated orange rind ♥ 200g (235ml) sugar ♥ 130g (140ml) butter ♥ 5ml bicarbonate of soda ♥ 240g (440ml) cake flour ♥ 3ml baking powder ♥ 5ml dried mixed spice ♥ 3ml ground cardamom ♥ 5ml ground cinnamon ♥ 2ml salt ♥ 2 large eggs ♥ 50ml brandy (optional) ♥ icing sugar, for dusting Decoration ♥ 500g marzipan or marzipan substitute ♥ 100ml melted apricot jam ♥ 500g white fondant icing ♥ silver balls, to decorate Combine the fruit, orange rind, sugar, butter and 250ml water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bicarbonate…

Makes: about 50 Preparation time: 1 hour Baking time: 4 minutes, per batch Oven temperature: 180°C ♥ template ♥ acetate, craft knife and cutting mat Biscuits ♥ 4 large egg whites ♥ 220g (250ml) castor sugar ♥ 135g (250ml) cake flour ♥ 75g melted butter, cooled ♥ 15ml cream ♥ 1ml vanilla extract Draw an antler design on white paper, or find one on the internet to copy. Use a craft knife and the template to cut out reindeer antler shapes from a piece of acetate. Beat the egg whites and sugar together until frothy. Add the flour, butter, cream and vanilla and heat on low until just combined and smooth. Line a baking tray with baking paper or a silicone sheet and place the acetate on it. Spread a…

TABLE DECORATIONS Cover your table with graph paper that has been enlarged and printed out on A1 sheets of white paper. Buy unfolded Christmas crackers and trace the outlines onto our creative paper on page 44. Use the napkin-ring template on the page 62 and cut one for each guest from black cardboard. Fold the strip around the napkin and slide the two halves of the tree into each other to form a Christmas-tree napkin ring. SET THE SCENE We chose the cool white of snow for our background and coloured it in with touches of pretty pink, green and blue. Here and there black adds definition. We suspended a dowel stick from the ceiling above the table and hung a mixture of paper stars and crocheted baubles from it.…

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: one hour per bauble YOU WILL NEED crochet cotton in colours of your choice (we used 5 colours of Vinnis Nikkim for each bauble) crochet hook (according to size on crochet cotton label) tapestry needle polystyrene balls (7cm diameter) ABBREVIATIONS beg – begin(ning) ch – chain cl – cluster c/off – cast off dc – double treble htr – half treble sl st – slip stitch st(s) – stitch(es) tr – treble STITCH EXPLANATION Beginning puff stitch 3 ch (count as 1 st), yarn over hook, pull through, yarn over, pull through 2 loops (2 loops on hook), yarn over, pull yarn through, yarn over, pull yarn through 2 loops on hook (3 loops on hook), yarn over, pull yarn through all 3 loops, 1 ch. Puff…

SEAFOOD WREATH Prepare this recipe a day ahead and serve it as an impressive starter to your festive meal. Serves: 10-12 Preparation time: 1 hour, plus overnight chilling time ♥ 500g thin slices of smoked salmon or salmon trout♥ 400g smoked peppered mackerel fillets♥ 212g can salmon, drained♥ 250g cream cheese♥ 2 spring onions, chopped♥ grated zest of 1 lemon♥ 30ml chopped dill, plus extra sprigs for garnishing♥ 250ml sour cream♥ 1 cucumber♥ 2 celery sticks♥ 8 radishes, thinly sliced♥ micro herbs, to garnish♥ 2 lemons, cut into wedges♥ melba toast, for serving 1 Spray a 22cm tube tin with non-stick cooking spray. Line the inside of the mould with the slices of salmon. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling. 2 Filling Remove the skin and any bones from the…

DIFFICULTY: fairly easy TIME: 2-3 days YOU WILL NEED diagram on page overleaf Nurturing Fibres Eco-cotton DK (50g balls): 2 balls each Bessie, Willow, Ruby and 3 balls Aqua 3mm crochet hook 1m cotton fabric 2 x 45cm plastic 8mm tubes general sewing requirements SIZE Motif: 12cm x 12cm Bag: 46cm x 47cm ABBREVIATIONS beg – begin ch – chain stitch c/off – cast off dc – double crochet fptr – front post treble htr – half treble lp – loop rep – repeat rnd – round RS – right side sp – space ss – slip stitch st – stitch tog – together tr – treble stitch trtr – triple treble WS – wrong side SPECIAL STITCH INSTRUCTIONS fptr: Wrap the yarn over hook, insert hook from right to…

YOU WILL NEED MATERIALS technical drawings on the pages overleaf wood (in this case SA pine) – 3 000mm x 93mm x 22mm (parts 1 to 8) plywood – 150mm x 93mm x 4mm thick (part 10) copper plumbing pipe (part 9) – 484mm x 28mm diameter wood screws (countersink) – 30 x 4mm x 60mm – 10 x 4mm x 40mm 2 x self-tapping screws 3.5 x 19mm LED strip light IP67 (1m); code: HV60WW3528-1M-WW; type: 3528 2 x 15 amp strip connectors 1 x lamp cord with switch and 15 amp 3-prong plug wood glue (Ultra) water-based enamel paint (we used white) wood filler (white) anti-tarnish spray for copper (optional) contact adhesive TOOLS hand drill 1,5mm, 2,5mm, 3mm and 6mm drill bits 28mm spade bit mitre cutter and/or…

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: five hours YOU WILL NEED ♥ 1 roll craft metal ♥ spray adhesive ♥ flowers and leaves templates on page overleaf ♥ pen ♥ thread clippers ♥ round mirror with fixing bracket at the back (we got ours from MRP Home) ♥ cardboard circle, about 2cm smaller than the mirror ♥ Prestik ♥ spray paint (we used Krylon Color Master in Rose Gold) ♥ embossing tool ♥ wood glue Make a double layer of craft metal by fixing two layers together with spray adhesive. Allow to dry. Roughly cut the flowers and leaves from the templates, leaving some space around the shapes. Trace the shapes onto the craft metal with a pen. Use the same shapes several times – we made about 20 flower shapes, seven branches…

It’s not for nothing that people talk about needing their beauty sleep. The night hours are when your body eases off from the pace of a busy day and gets to work restoring the skin cells and fighting the signs of ageing. But it’s not only vitally important for your appearance – your health, weight and emotions are also drastically affected by too little or the wrong type of sleep. Dr Burt Jooste from The Longevity Institute in Johannesburg says many studies show that insomnia is becoming an epidemic. ‘There are various forms, but this epidemic revolves around over stimulation of the brain.’ Fact: Up to 70 million Americans have sleep problems! One theme runs like a golden thread through the studies, say the researchers: Our brain has unlearned how…

What happens when a stylish woman from the fruit export industry goes for coffee? She buys the restaurant, obviously! Perhaps not everyone, but that’s exactly what Wilma Basson did in 2005 when she bought her first restaurant. The process took a week, after which the barista taught her to make cappuccino on her first day; she had no experience. But because she combines her belief that a person is never too old to learn with great passion, her Chocolat bistro has now been flourishing for 13 years. And that’s why we wanted to hear why it’s working for her when so many other people are struggling. ‘I started Chocolat in 2005 in the heart of Durbanville. For the first 10 years we were in the same premises and only opened…

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BUY THE MAGAZINE ONLINE OR SUBSCRIBE, GO TO ZINIO AT ZINIO.COM/ZA/IDEAS-M6923 (or zinio.com/za/idees-m4189). MYSUBS WILL UNFORTUNATELY NOT BE AVAILABLE TO US AS THE PLATFORM FOR OUR DIGITAL EDITION AFTER 31 OCTOBER 2018. CURRENT DIGITAL SUBSCRIBERS ON MYSUBS SHOULD DIRECT THEIR INQUIRIES TO SUPPORT@MYSUBS.CO.ZA OR CALL 087 741 3177. FOR AN ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION OF R408, YOU WILL RECEIVE YOUR PRINTED COPY OF IDEAS EVERY SECOND MONTH.* USE ANY OF THESE METHODS TO SUBSCRIBE: • CALL 087 740 1027 FOR IDEAS. (LINES OPEN MONDAY TO FRIDAY 8AM–4.30PM.) • FOR IDEES CALL 087 740 1025. • EMAIL YOUR NAME AND CONTACT DETAILS TO SUBS@IDEASFACTORY.CO.ZA** • SMS ‘SUBSCRIBE IDEAS ’ TO 33153 (R1 PER SMS).** TERMS AND CONDITIONS * This offer is valid until 16 December 2018 and is…