Ideas November/December 2020

It’s been a long time since I have been teased so much about a letter that I wrote for the first issue of the year. ‘2020 - a balanced number for a year of balance,’ I declared. Next to my letter, the prophetic words: ‘Keep calm and craft on.’ The woman on our bright pink cover did look a little wild, but had a very positive grip on a bottle of bubbles in one of her many hands. If she had known what we knew by April, she would have had one in every hand! And we did indeed have to keep crafting gorgeous things constantly, to stay calm! Here we are now, at the end of one of the strangest years in living memory. A year of cancellations and isolation,…

Style update From the gorgeous scent of a room spray or candle to the comfort of a patterned scatter cushion, accessories are the small personal touches that truly make your house a home. Biggie Best’s latest collection will breathe new life into your décor this season without a complete style overhaul. Think blue and white ceramic ware, baskets, lampshades, mirrors, candleholders, trays and more. Their scatter cushions, with feather inners, add style, comfort and colour and are a quick-fix for a wow factor. For more information, go to www.biggiebest.co.za LIGHT AND SPRITZY The Duchess Drinks Studio has launched a new addition to its innovative range of premium alcohol-free beverages: the Duchess Spritz - a light and refreshing, alcohol-free wine spritzer. Made from de-alcoholised wine and natural botanical extracts, Duchess Spritz is a bubbly…

‘A festive holiday involving friends and family, delicious food, special music and seasonal decorations makes Christmas an enchanting time for me and my family,’ says Sabine Wentink-Burkunk, a photographer and interior decorator, about enjoying the festive season with her husband Jurriaan and their childen Vic (7) and Faas (6). ‘It’s a time to spend with each other,’ she adds. Sabine enjoys decorating every inch of her home each year in keeping with the spirit of the season and loves hosting family and friends. ‘My dad has been very ill, and it is special that he is still around. He can’t live at home full-time and I cherish every moment I spend with him and my loved ones. LOUNGE This hanging chair was the family’s best purchase ever. ‘We bought it just before Christmas…

Christmas with its decorations, gifts, guests and mountains of food makes some of our eyes twinkle as brightly as the season’s lights, while for others it ties their stomach in a knot. After a busy year when we just want to sit back and relax, the reality can be that you work harder than ever. Also that you often share your table with members of your extended family who don’t necessarily share your outlook on life. But this year is different. As I am writing this article, we don’t yet know if we will be able to celebrate with our families. We may be able to travel between provinces, but who can say for sure that it will remain like that. What I do know is that no one in my…

QUIET CORNER Create a corner in your home where you can sit quietly and read or do what your heart desires. Here we simply threw a vintage tablecloth over the daybed and made cushion covers from floral fabrics to make it cosy and welcoming. Play with mirrors and chandeliers; they are like jewels for a house. And let the children build a cute book tree for that Christmas feeling - it costs nothing. Arrange old encyclopedias and books from big to small in a pyramid shape and finish off with a paper star, brightened up with a little gold leaf, right at the top. And in keeping with the book-tree and reading-corner theme, make personalised bookmarks as gifts or place cards for the Christmas table (see overleaf). CHRISTMAS TABLE Simple, but very beautiful. Create…

YOU WILL NEED ♥ second-hand glass pieces♥ resin (make sure the brand you use does not turn yellow after drying)♥ ice-cream stick♥ used plastic cups to mix the resin♥ dishwashing liquid♥ dry and damp cloths♥ sandpaper 100-150 grit♥ pieces of Prestik TO MAKE 1 Collect a fair number of glass pieces from second-hand shops or flea markets. There is no blueprint to what your vase or candleholder will look like, which adds to the excitement of working on this project. 2 Wash all the pieces in warm soapy water and remove all stickers or labels. Allow the pieces to dry. 3 Now you can start designing your décor object. The base should be your heaviest object. Stack the pieces from biggest to smallest to create a tower vase or candleholder. (We used a chipped glass…