Índex per January/February 2020 a Ideas

Contact me at • terena@ideasfactory.co.za • instagram.com/terenaleroux 2020. As a visual person, I gaze at the pleasing balance of this date-it just looks right. And if it looks right, it also feels right to me. Perhaps it is still the aftereffects of the World Cup euphoria, but I feel ready for 2020. A balanced number for a year of balance. So where does one begin-With lists, naturally. You see, I’ve always loved a list. Or perhaps more the ticking off of the items on my lists. Since our article about bullet journals, almost three years ago, I have never been without one. My life has never before been so beautifully organised and from this comes my belief in lists to keep things going according to plan. For example, on pages…

The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal (Picador, R306) It is London, 1850, and while aspiring artist Iris is admiring the construction of the site for The Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, she meets taxidermist Silas. For her it is a quick encounter which she almost immediately forgets, but for him, a collector of the strange and beautiful, it is a life-changing moment. When Iris is asked to model for Pre-Raphaelite artist Louis Frost, she agrees on the condition that he teaches her to paint. Her world begins to expand and becomes a place of freedom and art. But for Silas she becomes an obsession that is even bigger than his dream of being a part of the exhibition. It is a gripping story of dreams, passion and determination, set in…

DIFFICULTY: easy if you have a yo-yo tool TIME: depends on project (a quilt is long-term, a cushion cover short-term) YOU WILL NEED ♥ yo-yo maker ♥ piece of cardboard for template ♥ fabric of your choice ♥ matching sewing cotton ♥ sewing needle ♥ scissors Measure the diameter of your yo-yo maker (add 5mm) and cut out a circle template accordingly. Trace the template onto your fabric and cut out. Place your fabric circle into your yo-yo maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions and sew with running stitches all round. Remove the inside disc with your fabric on and carefully take the fabric off the disc. Gather in your fabric to make a small, flat, round disc and work away your thread ends. Continue making yo-yos in this way…

NOURISH THROUGH MINDFULNESS AND REFLECTION Some people consider mindfulness a 21st century super-power. Zoning out (or in) can help relieve stress and anxiety, can help us to focus on problem-solving, can reduce pain, help with anger management and conquer sleeplessness. Experts suggest devoting 20 minutes a day to some form of meditation-be it active meditation practise, walking mindfully in nature or simply sitting still and just concentrating on one’s breathing. YOUR 20 FOR 20 Take a leaf out of The Happiness Project, written by Gretchen Rubin, and craft a list of 20 things you want to achieve in 2020. Each item could be as big as learning French or as small as swimming in the sea three times this year - the important thing is to make the list, start…

I thought I was picking up the whiff of burning toast but before I could dash to the kitchen a message flashed on my screen … No need to explain what happened next. It probably happens to you too. As we cram as much as possible into every moment, our lives get busier and busier. Technology blurs the boundaries between home life and work to such an extent that we have all become slaves to multitasking. If you’re working from home, you might be sorting the laundry while discussing your team’s 2020 strategy on speaker phone. While waiting in a queue, you probably reply to an email, and before pressing send, you might switch apps to pay a bill online. Many studies have shown that our brains are not capable…

DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: two hours You will need ♥ medium-sized potatoes (1 for 2 letters) ♥ alphabet cookie cutters (ours are vintage but most baking stores sell them) ♥ fabric paint ♥ paintbrush ♥ paper towel ♥ paring knife ♥ napkin Cut the potatoes in half and press the cookie cutters into the cut side of the potatoes. Use the knife to cut away the potato around the letter then remove the cookie cutter. Remember that the potato letters must be mirror image in order to print correctly on the napkin. Use a paper towel to blot up the moisture from the potatoes. Spread a thin layer of fabric paint over the potato letter with your paintbrush and then print it on to your napkin. Press evenly on the back…

DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: 2–3 days YOU WILL NEED MATERIALS ♥ technical drawings (previous and following pages) ♥ wood (in this case meranti) – 8m x 445mm x 22mm (parts 1-5) ♥ safety glass – 820mm x 440mm x 8mm with 7mm hole in centre (part 7) ♥ 1m x 8mm steel threaded rod (part 6) ♥ 2 x 8mm brass dome nuts (part 6) ♥ 2 x 8mm brass washers (part 6) ♥ 40mm x 6mm brass threaded rod (part 8) ♥ 1 x 6mm brass dome nut (part 8) ♥ 1 x 6mm brass washer (part 8) ♥ quick-set epoxy adhesive ♥ paint (we used Fired Earth chalk paint in Larva) TOOLS ♥ drill press♥ 6mm and 8mm drill bits♥ mitre cutter and/or mitre trimmer♥ sandpaper: 60, 100 and…

WHAT IS A GRATITUDE JAR? Every day for a month, all family members are encouraged to answer one of our printable cards. Alternatively, use the blank cards and each person must think of their own good thing that has happened to them or someone else in the family. They then write this down on the card and place it in the jar. Nobody can know what anyone else is writing. And absolutely no peeking into the jar! At the end of the month, right after dinner, take turns reaching into the jar, pulling out a note and reading it aloud. Some of the things will be milestones, while others are small, more everyday occurrences. The goal is for the children and the adults to all start noticing and appreciating the…

@MISSMILLYSA Skukuza, Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga Theresa McGill of Miss Milly expresses her love for vintage floral living with her stationery range in soft pastel colours. Follow her on Instagram, where she shares her latest designs. @FEBE_AND_MISHKA_IN_WONDERLAND Hermanus, Western Cape The mother and daughter team of Fébé Harris Marais and Mishka tackle their creative projects together-from craft to needlework - and enjoy dressing up in vintage clothes and showing their outfits on Instagram. @TMUIS Cape Town You won’t be able to get enough of the gifted local illustrator Tyla Mason’s colourful, tongue-in-cheek illustrations. Take a look at her website, tylamason.com, to buy some of her products.…

ORIGINS Dot art started with the Australian Aborigines. Their original artworks each told a story through the use of different colours, designs and sizes of dots. Today you can do dot art by copying the patterns of mandalas, or simply by creating your own designs. NOTE: It is important to first draw a pattern you can work from. Even though it may just look like a bunch of dots, there is order in it. YOU WILL NEED ♥ piece of wood to do your artwork on (you can also use a stone) ♥ grid or pattern (there are lots on the internet-search for ‘dot art’) ♥ acrylic paint in black and the colours of your choice (we used Dala Craft Paint) ♥ any object (tool) that can make a round…

YOU WILL NEED ♥ 150g egg whites (5-6 large eggs) ♥ 300g castor sugar ♥ large pinch cream of tartar ♥ sugar thermometer (optional) ♥ electric hand beater or stand mixer ♥ gel food colouring ♥ piping bags and nozzles ♥ 12 cake pop or long lollipop sticks Make sure a large glass bowl is free of any fatty residue by wiping it out with vinegar or lemon juice. Place the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in the bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk slowly until all the sugar has dissolved and the temperature is over 50°C. It should be hot but not burn you if you test it with a finger. Rub some of the mixture between two fingers to check it…

When she’s not styling gorgeous photographs for us and other magazines, Nadine Vosloo works on programmes for The Home Channel on DStv. Before and after her work as the super-creative marketing manager for Tjhoko Paints, she is mom to Jaco (17) and Kaylee (12), and over weekends she travels all over the country to present paint workshops. Not to mention the numerous expos where she sets up and does demonstrations. It’s almost tiring just to see how busy she is! After a year of collaboration with Nadine and experiencing her endless energy and enthusiasm, it is time we shared a bit more about her. ABOUT TJHOKO The parent company Paint Master, which started 46 years ago as painting contractors, began manufacturing their own paint 18 years ago when Nadine’s husband…

2020-what a balanced number! May this be a metaphor for how we tackle life and our dreams this year. Feeling all revved up and positive about what we are going to achieve in this new year is what gets me up in the morning, sees me sitting all bright eyed and bushy tailed in front of my desk in the morning … momentarily. And then I get lost in the Creative Wilderness. What am I doing? How will I actually achieve these elusive goals? Should I even try? Are my ideas any good? It isn’t an actual place in my mind, it becomes my mind. The Creative Wilderness is a wild place filled with many self-doubt monsters but also with the most beautiful inspiration and strength. The trick, when this…

SMALL STUDIO We upcycled a few reclaimed metal security lockers for storage and added a wooden shelf across the top. Baskets, a vintage toolbox and a wooden crate also make for practical and pretty storage solutions. A trestle table serves as a desk. ORGANISE IT (Previous page) Hang a coat hook lengthways down the side of a cupboard, or on the wall, and use it to hang up your string, ribbon and scissors. Rolls of cord and twine make a quirky alternative to a vase for dried flowers. Shower-curtain hooks and butchers hooks are very useful for organising your studio space. Use magnets on the metal lockers to turn them into a noticeboard. Look for shallow boxes like the one on the desk for pencil storage. Wall paint: Dulux Moon…

Lace samplers These samplers can be used in many ways as they are repeatable in width and height. Varying your yarn thickness and needle size, you can knit lace to suit just about anything you’d like to add it to. Lace uses basic stitches, increases and decreases. These have symbols on a chart or abbreviations in the written instructions. There are a few tricks as well as finishing techniques that complete the lace knitting piece. STITCH NOTES AND ABBREVIATIONS Basic stitches and abbreviations k – knit p – purl RS – right side sl – slip st(s) – stitch(es) tog – together WS – wrong side DECREASE STITCHES ssk – slip, slip, knit: Slip 1 st to the RH needle knitwise, slip another st to the RH needle knitwise, insert…

Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.– William Wordsworth NATURE SKETCHING Many find walking in nature calming and meditative. Bring nature home and recapture that feeling by drawing a found object in your notebook or journal. Sketching in your journal is also a good way of keeping track of your daily routine. DECORATIVE DUTCH DOOR A Dutch door is a page in your journal that has been cut away to reveal the page or pages below it. These pages may be cut in half or a section is cut away, to create additional space to write on. This allows you, for instance, to view a whole week or month on two open pages but at the same time giving you more room to write down all your important…

ON THE ROAD TO THE KOUGA– FOR UNCLE MARTIN may there always be a light in your housemay the frogs remember youmay your apples grow sweeter every yearand your grape arbour greenermay friends always bring over some winemay the house that you have built always beredolent with the fragrance of cedar woodand geranium leavesmay the walls of your ditches not collapseand fall apart too quickly so that the watercan flow ever more clearly in themmay the stars and the mountains and thesilence keep watch over you and your familynow and tomorrow and every morning andevening and each one of those days’ night Extract from Breyten Breytenbach’s autobiography ‘n Seisoen in die paradys (A Season in Paradise, 1976, Perskor. Extract translated by Marthe Bijman.) GRATEFUL/GRATEFULLY: ADJECTIVE AND ADVERB 1 Feeling or…

WRITE TO US & WIN! The writer of this month’s winning letter will receive a home fragrance hamper from Balance Cape Town. Balance home perfumes are made with pure essences that diffuse delicately, leaving the air pleasantly scented. You will receive a reed diffuser, room perfume, wax candle, botanical soap, wax tablet and organic soap. For more information or to shop, go to balancecapetown.com. REMEMBERING JOSHUA After reading your article in the September/October 2019 issue, titled ‘Last words’, I felt compelled to write this letter. On 18 January 2017 my grandson, Joshua Castle, was diagnosed with bile duct and liver cancer and was given two months to live. He died exactly a year later, on 18 January 2018. On 13 August 2017 Joshua turned 15 and arranged a ‘Not Dead…

Large capsules, great gift! A modern sister for the iconic Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Capsules recently make its debut on the beauty shelves. The Elizabeth Arden Vitamin C Ceramide Capsules Radiance Renewal Serum (R599 for 30 capsules) is the third in the family of this convenient, powerful singledose serum capsules. The dry-oil serum contains vitamin C, which brightens the skin, as well as ceramide that maintains the skin’s youthful glow. The vitamin C concentration, 178 times more potent than a normal serum with this ingredient, helps to make the skin brighter and more even-toned. It remains stable for longer because it is contained in oil and as an antioxidant it is excellent for protecting the skin against free radicals. The best part is that the capsules take up almost no space…

MAKE A HANDBAG Crochet two of any of the squares you prefer. This bag was made with Granny Square 4 (see the pages overleaf for instructions). Work rnds 1 to 8 of Granny Square 4 (or all the rnds of the square you use). Rnds 9-10: With right side of squares facing you, start in the corner on right-hand side of any of the two squares. Make one row sc using Blue Red from one side to the other 25sc, ch1, turn, 1sc and crochet 23 beads into every sc from prev rnd, 1sc at end of rnd. Fasten off. [= 25 sc + 23 beads] Rnd 11: Using Forest, make 25 hdc. Fasten off. [= 25 hdc] Rnds 12-14: Using Aubergine, work one row hdc [= 25 hdc at…

TOMATOES Tomatoes add vibrant colour, sweet and juicy flavour and plenty of vitamins and antioxidants to your meals. Cooked tomatoes are an excellent source of the antioxidant lycopene which has been linked to many health benefits including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. Tomatoes are a good source of vitamin C, potassium, folate and vitamin K. MOROCCAN SPICED TOMATO AND COUSCOUS SALAD Serves: 4-6 Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Oven temperature: 170° C ♥ 4 medium English or plum tomatoes, quartered♥ 70ml olive oil♥ 15ml cider vinegar♥ 5ml sugar♥ 2 cloves garlic, chopped♥ 10ml Moroccan spice mix/rub♥ 300g mixed variety baby tomatoes, halved♥ 250ml pearl couscous(or use ordinary couscous)♥ 1-2 fresh chillies, chopped♥ 2 spring onions, chopped♥ fresh coriander, to garnish 1 Spread the quartered, larger-sized…

DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: one day These air-dry clay vases are fairly easy to make and can be used to display dried flowers or as tea-light candle holders. Place a glass inside the clay vase if you want to use it for fresh flowers. You will need ♥ air-dry clay (white) ♥ dried flowers ♥ rolling pin ♥ decorative stamps ♥ pre-inked rotating stamp (available from most stationery shops) ♥ cling wrap ♥ glass Roll the clay out in a long rectangle. Press the dried flowers onto the clay and roll again. Use the decorative stamps to stamp a design onto the clay while it is still wet. Cover the glass with cling wrap and drape the rolled-out clay around the glass. Seal neatly at the back and base and cut…

DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: weekend project YOU WILL NEED ♥ fabric of your choice ♥ matching embroidery cotton and needle ♥ dressmakers pen ♥ thin batting ♥ button ♥ small piece of ribbon TO MAKE Draw templates for the ‘book’ and pockets in the size of your choice and cut out the pieces (add 1cm for hem allowance). Fold over hems for the pockets and embroider the top hem with running stitch. Pin the pockets in place and sew. Draw an embroidery design of your choice onto the front piece of fabric (right side) and embroider. We used stem stitch, satin stitch and French knots for ours. Pin the batting together with the front and back pieces, right sides facing. Sew all around, leaving an opening to turn your ‘book’ through…

DIFFICULTY: all three pieces are relatively easy to make TIME: weekend project YOU WILL NEED ♥ soft leather ♥ jewellery fasteners (like crimps and clasps, available at bead shops) ♥ threads (like embroidery, machine and wax) ♥ strong needle ♥ glue gun ♥ hole punch (or a pair of compasses) ♥ needle nose pliers ♥ craft knife and cutting mat ♥ metal ruler FOR EXTRA DECORATION ♥ semi-precious stones ♥ thin copper wire ♥ copper ring RING WITH STONE 1 Work on a cutting mat and use a craft knife and metal ruler to cut a 1cm-wide strip of leather that fits around your finger, plus a few millimetres extra. 2 Overlap the two ends of the strip and punch two holes through both layers. 3 Cut a length of…

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