Ideas

Ideas is all about MAKING your world more beautiful. Packed with creative inspiration, fresh ideas, easy projects and step-by-step instructions, this magazine is the go-to guide for crafters, stitchcrafters, makers, cooks and DIY home decorators.

FROM THE EDITOR

Ideas

CABINET OF COOL • A delightful Art Deco house in Cape Town is home to Rupert Smith, the part owner of a visual merchandising company, and artist and curator Robin Kirsten, and features a unique mix of vintage treasures and cool collectables.

SPECIAL VINTAGE • Graciously charming and elegant, this unique Cape Town home is a masterclass in layered, vintage-inflected and resolutely irreverent style.

AROUND THE WORLD IN BLUE & WHITE • Blue sky and William Wordsworth's lonely white cloud, aquamarine ocean waves with white caps and the blue of a Cape Sparrow on a white stinkwood branch in the wintertime. The combination of blue and white has been eternally popular since antiquity.

HEART OF THE HOME • When creating this gorgeous, tranquil kitchen, Carin Smith drew her inspiration from a work of art.

DOMESTIC BLISS • Danish artist Carl Holsøe was known for his intimate portraits of domestic life with his wife and daughter. His characteristic style featuring light-filled rooms and elegant interiors inspired us to create these décor items.

FECTION • HEARTY, SLOW-COOKED AND DELECTABLY GOOD, THESE PIES ARE THE ULTIMATE IN COSY WINTER COMFORT FOOD.

FLAKY, BUTTERY & DELICIOUS • With the weather being cooler, now is the time to try your hand at making your own puff pastry. Follow our steps to laminate the pastry and create all those flaky layers that puff up perfectly.

PURE INDULGENCE • Use your own homemade puff pastry to make these delicious, tangy Danish pastries with a beautiful flower design. Serve for breakfast or brunch.

SMALL WORLD • When the endless noise and demands of life become too much, a doll's house or miniature replica may help you to retreat to an alternative mini reality, where you might perhaps encounter your inner child.

SMALL PLEASURES • Be inspired to make your own little house and furnish it with pretty miniatures.

MAKE IT A HOME • As the nights draw in, we like to retreat to the cosiness of our own home. This was our inspiration for these house-shaped crafts.

LET'S PLAY! • Build and sew this gorgeous play tent before adding some embroidery for a personal touch.

TAKE IT WITH YOU • With these cute socks, home is wherever you are. ‘Draw’ this sweet little house using scrap yarn and embroidery thread.

COLOURFUL AND COSY • ADD COLOUR TO YOUR WINTER WITH THESE WHIMSICAL PROJECTS.

ELEGANT AND SERENE • This swan-design punch needle cushion is perfect for experienced beginners. With a little practice, it can be made without an embroidery hoop.

FABULOUS FLOWERS • Bring some fun retro vibes into your space with this gorgeous crocheted flower cushion.

BLOCK BY BLOCK • Crochet squares are fun to play around with. You can do so much with them and arrange them in loads of interesting ways.

ESCAPE THE CHILL • The colder weather is here so keep your hands snug and warm with these cosy knitted mittens.

WRAPPED UP • Make the wrap or perhaps the smaller scarf and bundle up in style on chilly winter mornings.

WINTER CREATION • Play around with some beautiful fabrics and make yourself this stunning winter coat.

LESS PERFECTION, MORE JOY • Sometimes you just have to get on with it and finish that project, instead of giving up when you can't get every detail just right.

BOOKS TO READ

A CASE FOR THE CLASSICS • Choosing to read a literary classic can bring both pleasure and perspective, argues Louise Janovsky.

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