Ideas

I've never been one to wish time away and the older I get, I'm even less likely to. But let's be honest, once you feel the warmth of the sun on your skin and can almost smell the holiday on the horizon, it's hard not to look forward to it. Even just a little! And especially to yearn for holiday food, because that's when you have the time to try out a bunch of new recipes and taste and discuss them with those closest to you for hours on end. I celebrated my birthday in Istanbul this year, a very special set of circumstances, and I couldn't wait to experience the wonders of Turkish food. One travel video after another made my mouth water. And 50 percent of the time…

Cornel and Neill Strydom always knew they wanted to return to the land. Both grew up in farming families, and while their careers had taken them elsewhere for years, that connection was never lost. When they bought Nagtegaalsfontein in Colesberg almost a decade ago, they had a long-term plan: one day, this would be home. ‘We decided early on that we weren't going to grow old in a city,’ says Cornel. ‘We wanted our lives to be rooted somewhere quieter, somewhere slower.’ When they arrived full-time two years ago after their youngest finished school, they stepped into a space full of possibility. The house – which was built in 1858 and had never been on the grid – had been altered over generations by different owners adapting it to their…

MINIMALIST LINE-ART CUSHION DIFFICULTY: Easy TIME: Half a day YOU WILL NEED ♥ textured off-white upholstery fabric (cut size: 52 x 52 cm, finished cushion: 50 x 50 cm) ♥ 40 cm zip (in a matching colour) ♥ matching thread ♥ thread in the colour of your choice (we used old gold) ♥ embroidery hoop and needle ♥ cushion inner (50 x 50 cm) ♥ tracing method of your choice (we used a lightbox and a heat-erasable fabric pen) ♥ scissors ♥ ruler ♥ iron TO MAKE onto the front panel. Hoop the front panel and embroider the traced design using backstitch. Insert the cushion inner, zip up the cover and fluff the cushion. CARE INSTRUCTIONS Wash your cushion cover gently by hand. Iron the cover on the reverse to avoid…

The new owners of this beach cottage tucked into the mountain above the seaside village of St James, knew that the house needed vision and TLC. However, the charming features and breezy lifestyle it promised was precisely the kind of project floral designers Dané Erwee and Chris Willemse had been aching to get their hands on. ‘We held out for a decade to find a property that had uninterrupted views,’ explains Dané, one half of the creative team behind Cape Town's floral and event company, OKASIE. A game-changing deck was added to capture the prized views and add liveability and space to the footprint, but internally space was still a premium. In a bold but brilliant move to solve this, they reconfigured the interior by slotting bathrooms into what was…

JAM TINS = SARDINE TINS These sardine-tin inspired sleeves will instantly give your table that summer feeling. TO MAKE Cut out the illustrations on page 56. Bring the ends together to make a tube shape and apply a few layers of watered down wood glue to the inside and the outside of the tube with a foam brush to make it sturdy enough for repeated use. Slip the tube over a used glass jar or a tin and use it to hold cutlery, herbs or even napkins. NAUTICAL STRIPED FISH PLACEMAT These cute placemats will bring a creative talking point to mealtimes. DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: half a day YOU WILL NEED ♥ embroidery designs on page 57 ♥ textured upholstery fabric cut into a 53 x 38 cm rectangle ♥…

Printed fabric fish from smartart.co.za PHOTO FISH Print images of fish onto fabric to make these cute cushions. YOU WILL NEED ♥ white fabric for the back ♥ printed fish fabric ♥ matching thread ♥ polyester stuffing DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: a day and a half for all 4 cushions TO MAKE Pin together. Draw a 2cm seam allowance all round, cut out and stitch, leaving an opening for the stuffing. Neatly sew up the opening. BRIGHT CUSHIONS These fish-shaped cushions are sure to steal the hearts of the young fishermen in your life. DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: 1 day YOU WILL NEED ♥ fabric in various colours/prints ♥ matching thread ♥ white fabric for the body ♥ black felt ♥ polyester stuffing TO MAKE Remember to add a 2 cm seam allowance all…