Ideas

It’s now two and a half years that we’ve been paddling our own canoe, as the saying goes. Which is why I sit alone in my home office to write this letter, issue after issue. When people ask me if it’s not lonely, I tell them that I can work undisturb

Local avocados are ripe and ready to enjoy and they’re super-trendy this season too. Frozen avo treats have made the lists of many trend watchers this year, who say the rise in plant-based foods – everything from burgers to ice-cream – is driving thi

Measure a rectangle in the desired size for your apron and cut it out from the fabric of your choice. Cut two strips for tie backs. Overlock the raw edges of the apron at the top and sides, leaving the bottom edge unfinished. Mark where your poem wil

One moment it is a simple piece of fabric; two seconds later it is stylish packaging material. TO MAKE Use a remnant of 100% linen fabric, washed a few times in hot water. Cut the linen to fit generously around the gift. Wrap it, tie a piece of strin

When I see hydrangeas, I’m five again and in my Gran’s garden. And I’m looking for fairies. I remember teatime in Pietermaritzburg when we ate jam tartlets, milktart and biscuits, and I recall the scent of the gardenias in a crystal vase on Granny’s

Coffee is used as stock in this recipe and it enhances the rich, meaty flavours in the dish. It’s real comfort food for the cold winter months. Serves: 4-6 Preparation time: 45 minutes Cooking time: 1½ hours Oven temperature: 180°C ♥ 30ml olive oil♥

Not everyone gets to live out all their passions at the same time. But this 23-year-old Cape artist is doing just that. ‘I have turned my love for the arts, coffee and people into a business by teaching people to paint in an alternative medium,’ she

Apparently, a phone screen is not a substitute for a real, live, flesh and blood community or a chinwag with a close friend. We may be addicted to Instagram and the convenience of online shopping, but the emergence of craft groups, shared workspaces

Get together with friends or members of your community and share a meal. It’s a wonderful way to make new connections, share ideas and socialise. Take the pressure (and cost) of preparing a big meal off the host and try out some bring-and-share types

How could we compile this section on projects to do with others without getting together ourselves? So this is exactly what we did. Whether a creative contributor or a behind-the-scenes member, everyone got a block or two of soft, washed linen to ado

• approach your creative art-making in a totally different way • recharge your passion for the needle fibre arts • engage the connection between your body, your quilts and your legacy • expand your creativity, self-esteem and even your spiritual jour

During the Victorian era, silhouettes were a way for common people to have a portrait made. Even in the late 1800s, having a silhouette done at fairs and festivals was popular – creating a novel bit of nostalgia for the less-moneyed classes. DIFFICUL

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: one hour per bowl, plus drying time ♥ plaster of Paris bandage♥ balloon, inflated to the size you want your bowl to be♥ thread in the colour of your choice♥ needle♥ latex gloves Fill a bowl with lukewarm water and cut the plast

♥ picture frame♥ yarn: a thinner cotton yarn for the warp and a thicker yarn for the weaving♥ 2 x wooden forks stuck together with hot glue♥ dowel stick, cut to fit inside the frame♥ ruler♥ fork (or comb) Tie your thinner warp yarn (we used a differe

DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: three days (allowing for the concrete to set) ♥ wood (we used superwood)♥ sanding sealer♥ decorative cast-iron moulding♥ 1mm wire♥ 10 x M4 x 60mm wood screws (countersink)♥ cement and sand mortar premix♥ 14mm wooden dowel ♥ f

Follow our three easy steps to create a modern concrete finish for a cake. ♥ cake♥ white butter icing♥ black gel food colouring♥ 2 cake boards♥ spirit level♥ plastic scraper or large palette knife♥ turntable (optional) Colour the icing light grey usi

The pattern is for a runner on the bed only, but repeat the pattern and you can have a full-size blanket. DIFFICULTY: fairly easy TIME: one month ♥ MoYa 100% Organic Cotton Bulky Plush (80g balls): 18 balls Natasha (191)♥ MoYa 100% Cotton Timu (50g b

Winter. The blue season. For many people with an eight-to-five job, this time of year is a challenge… and I am definitely one of them! How do you see the positives in winter when it’s pitch-black when you get out of bed in the morning and again when

DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: two to three days ♥ technical drawings on the pages overleaf♥ wood (we used meranti)– 95mm x 95mm x 12mm thick (part 1)– 500mm x 70mm x 20mm thick (parts 2 to 5)– 600mm x 20mm x 20mm thick (parts 6 to 9)– 175mm x 110mm x 20mm

Asking Megan about being vegan gets met with huge enthusiasm. For her it is far more than a way of eating; it is a conscious way of living, with an awareness of what you consume. It’s a lifestyle that could start with small steps such as Meatfree Mon

I always thought snow was white. But then a friend who has been to Antarctica told me that the snow there is mostly blue and pink, just like candyfloss, with blue sky on the horizon and above it pink. That must be beautiful, I thought. The colour of