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.
All the kitchens of my childhood had a table in them. Whether it was a small green formica one or a wooden breakfast nook, we children always sat there chatting while my mom cooked. And just before every December holiday she would organise her young production line around the table to catch the coffee cookie dough as it came out of the cookie press, or to roll the ginger biscuits for the next child to press flat with a fork. We used to take boxes full of biscuits to the Cape for the family. The kitchen was always a happy place for me – and still is. I even enjoy washing the dishes. Just as well, because I don't like a sink that ‘gives me dirty looks’, as it says…
SO LITTLE OF LIFE'S SWEETNESS CAN BE PLANNED. OH, MEALS, OF COURSE, AND SOMETIMES CHILDREN. BUT MOSTLY, JOY LOVES A SURPRISE, LOVES WHEN SCHEDULES GET SHUFFLED AND AGENDAS UNRAVEL AND SUDDENLY THERE'S A SPACE FOR BLISS TO SLIP IN DRESSED IN CALAMITY'S CLOTHES. SO EASY TO PRAISE WHAT LOOKS LIKE SUCCESS — BUT TEACH ME TO GIVE THANKS FOR THE MESS — WHATEVER IS BURNT, BROKEN, WOUNDED, FUMBLED, MISSED. TEACH ME TO BE OPEN IN EACH UNSCRIPTED MOMENT TO THE BLOOM OF GRATEFULNESS. ‒ Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer…
UNIQUE OFFERINGS The Vineyard Collection from Perdeberg Wines offers a range of wines each made from specific vineyard blocks in an elegant new-world style, traditional but with a twist. Try the Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2021 (R95), fruity, crisp and delicious paired with seafood, or the Chardonnay 2022 (R85), well structured with a rich, creamy aftertaste, perfect with pasta, risotto or grilled chicken dishes. The Grenache Noir 2021 is made from a blend of 90% Grenache and 10% Shiraz (R95). It has lovely berry aromas and is lightly wooded, vibrant and smooth on the palate. Enjoy now or allow to age for 3-5 years. Serve with grilled or roasted chicken, duck or red meat. For more information, visit www.perdeberg.co.za. PRETTY IN PINK Milestone Kitchens offers handcrafted, locally made, solid wood, free-standing…
With all the requisite characteristics of a modern industrial barn conversion, from lofty pitched ceilings and corrugated roofing to raw brick walls, Hannes and Tina Maritz's home is a former dairy that has had a new lease of life. ‘Old buildings have fascinated me ever since I can remember,’ says Hannes, who together with wife Tina owns Kraak, a wedding and events company. ‘When our relationship was still in the early stages, I remember telling Tina that I wanted to live in a barn one day,’ he recalls, ‘and that I wanted to be able to pull my car right up into the living room and get onto the couch. It was the ultimate bachelor vision.’ While trawling through property sites to find his dream barn, Hannes came across this…
COUNTRY STYLE IN WHITE This kitchen with its double doors leading out to the garden has a lovely country feel to it. It's chockablock, but it works because white has been used everywhere – from the lovely old display cabinet to the shelves built into the recess in the wall and the wood finishes at the sink. Even the crockery is mostly in shades of white. The metal trolley is a clever idea for extra storage, as are the glass jars for things like flour and sugar. Vintage silver, old framed photos and the stuffed pheasant on the cabinet all instantly make you think ‘farm’. The large graphic artwork above the sink adds a modern element. MEDITERRANEAN INSPIRATION This mix-and-match kitchen has so much character! The roughly built counter is…
NOTE: If you use linen for your projects as we have done, wash your fabric before you start. Set the machine on 60 °C and tumble-dry the fabric afterwards, so that it has already shrunk and is softer when you start working with it CURTAINS by MARIETJIE VAN WYK DIFFICULTY: intermediate TIME: three hours YOU WILL NEED linen or cotton fabric (pre-washed) sewing scissors dressmaker's pins/fabric clips measuring tape water-erasable marker TO MAKE 1 Measure the spaces you want to cover with the curtains and add at least 50cm for the frill at the top and the hems. Remember to add 10cm extra to make the loops. Calculate how many metres of fabric you will need. 2 Before cutting, first make a drawing, multiply the width by 1,5 for some…
