Ideas

• terena@ideasfactory.co.za • instagram.com/terenaleroux It is so bitterly cold as I’m writing this that I can hardly believe spring is just around the corner. Mother Nature’s cycles are a thing of wonder. As are those of our lives and our moods. The

Anything can be your canvas, even a plain white chair. Use flower silhouettes to create a lovely botanical pattern. It’s such an easy way to bring your garden indoors. DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: two hours ♥ wooden chair ♥ flower silhouettes ♥ acrylic pos

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: a few hours depending on your design ♥ high-resolution flower images printed onto A2 sheets of paper ♥ modge podge ♥ sponge brush ♥ craft knife and cutting mat 1 Start by wiping your wall clean. Use your craft knife to cut your

There was a huge oak tree outside my house in Johannesburg. It was my nature clock. When the softest green shimmer started to appear in the highest bare branches, then spring was on the way. Mother Nature’s reliable cycle of rebirth, renewal and prom

Everyone needs a utility belt, whether you use yours for garden tools or art supplies. Here is an easy one you can sew on your home sewing machine. DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: one hour ♥ pattern on page overleaf ♥ 30cm ripstop nylon in the colour of you

DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: one hour Simply hammer in a few panel pins on the inside edges of the sides of the wooden frame. Make sure they’re spaced evenly and each one is in line with one opposite. Wrap twist-tie garden wire around the panel pins, fro

Makes: about 20 sandwiches Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus freezer time ♥ 400 g shop biscuits of your choice ♥ 2 litres ice cream of your choice 1 Turn the ice cream out onto a cutting board and cut it into slices about 3cm thick. Use round and sq

Splitting and flattening a chicken is a good idea as it helps it to cook faster and more evenly. This is especially good if you want to cook the chicken on the braai. The apple cider glaze is brushed on towards the end of the cooking time, to prevent

‘My dearest girl…’ So starts one of the many love letters British romantic poet John Keats wrote in his elegant handwriting to his muse Fanny Brawne. One of the most famous love letters of all time is addressed to Fanny: ‘I must write you a line or t

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: 1 hour (excluding embroidery time) Size 4 shoe ♥ pattern on the page overleaf ♥ linen fabric in one or two colours (if you want to make the soles another colour) ♥ iron-on interfacing ♥ 20cm of 5mm elastic ♥ matching machine th

DIFFICULTY: difficult, with hand sewing and basic embroidery skills necessary TIME: a week or more This garment was designed as MEDIUM/LARGE. For XL use a 5mm hook or larger and thick DK. For SMALL use 4-ply yarn with 3,5mm hook or smaller. ♥ 500g Cl

DIFFICULTY: tricky if you have never done it, but easy when you get the hang of it TIME: a few days CUSHION SIZE: 45cm diameter ♥ dandelion diagram on page 114 ♥Amy Oxford punch needle size #10 from www.city sessions – the needle comes with a handy l

Pink. Soft blush pink, rose pink, marshmallow, milkshake, softserve, a favourite dress, tutus! I paint a wall in the softest gossamer pink, a fresh breath for the house that has been so wintery for so long. It’s time to open the windows and let the o

It’s our first get-together in ages. Our food is picture perfect and we are sitting outside at an old Stellenbosch wine farm, chatting our hearts out. My friend from our Matie days Sonja Burger and I dig deep. It’s time for a catch-up. Our parents ar

She strokes a small mallet around the rim of a Tibetan singing bowl. It’s difficult to describe the sound. Deep, tonal, mysterious. An eery howl. I’m sitting in her living room, comfortable, on a soft cushion. It’s dusk in Tamboerskloof and even in t

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: a few day ♥ templates and size charts on page 115 ♥ 5-6 balls (50g each) Nurturing Fibres Eco-lush in Vanilla ♥ Vinnis Colours Serina Flame 669 and Crimson 674 for flower petals and Dark Peach 694 for flower centres, Forest 640

DIFFICULTY: intermediate TIME: 3–4 hours Size: Medium ♥ pattern on page 116 ♥ graph paper for pattern pieces ♥ 4,5m linen fabric of your choice ♥ iron-on interfacing ♥ matching machine thread ♥ dressmaker’s pins 1 Enlarge all the pattern pieces on gr