Ideas

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 wo

(adj) Beautiful or creative; divinely inspired; peaceful and perfect. ■

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 re

Fold an A4 sheet of medium-weight cardboard in the colour of your choice vertically in half. Copy the tree template on this page in the desired size onto plain white computer paper and secure it to the folded cardboard with masking tape. Work on your

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

♥ 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 1 Collect a fai

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: one day ♥ diagrams on page overleaf♥ 210mm x 210mm sheet of Masonite♥ 1 can of matt white spray paint♥ 1 can of white undercoat♥ 20mm Velcro hook and loop (without adhesive backing)♥ white quickset epoxy adhesive♥ 200mm x 12mm

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: an afternoon Find a template for a small Advent envelope on the internet and use it to cut out 25 envelopes. Fold and glue them together. Copy the 'mindful thoughts' on the pages overleaf in a size to fit the envelopes, cut the

DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: 1-2 days ♥ diagrams on page overleaf♥ 915 x 610 sheet of 18mm pine plywood♥ 915 x 610 sheet of 9mm SupaWood♥ wood glue (Ultra)♥ wood filler♥ 1 can white undercoat♥ 2 cans matt white spray paint♥ 2 x white plastic lamp holders

The decorations are up, the lights are twinkling and Christmas songs are blaring out from every speaker. Still out of breath from your long search for a parking space, you throw yourself into the crowds to look for presents. And paper. And don’t forg

Freshly baked biscuits are always a favourite and make a good gift, especially when they are jam-packed full of chocolate and nuts. Makes: about 50 Preparation time: 45 minutes, plus refrigeration time Baking time: 10-12 minutes Oven temperature: 175

[snack-dent] noun The act of eating a family-size bag of chips, a whole pizza or a box of chocolates entirely by mistake.

A book is much more than a quick gift. It’s a world we can escape to and a safe haven. It can be by our side during our most difficult and our best times. It can comfort us, help us to grow, heal us and make us happy. A book is not only easy to wrap,

Use the biscuit recipe on page 74 and cut out a rectangular shape from the dough. Bake according to the method given and leave to cool on a wire rack. Decorate the biscuit with white fondant icing and leave to harden a little. Use pens with edible in

DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: one hour We upcycled two canvas drawstring bags to transform them into a cushion cover and the perfect bag to carry a favourite book in. For the bag, we used an iron-on transfer technique following the transfer paper manufact

DIFFICULTY: challenging TIME: 2-3 hours To make these fantastical gifts or decorations, all you need are giant matchboxes, patience and scissor skills plus a book of fairy tales and a hot glue gun. If you can’t find large matchboxes, a box with a sli

DIFFICULTY: moderate TIME: weekend project ♥ fabric♥ stamp design♥ potatoes♥ Stanley knife♥ carbon paper♥ pen or pencil♥ lino and lino cutting tools (optional)♥ fabric paint♥ paintbrush♥ sewing machine♥ sewing thread♥ sharp scissors ♥ embroidery desi

SKILLS LEVEL: intermediate TECHNIQUE: mosaic crochet TIME: approximately 20 hrs SIZE: 68cm x 100cm To make the blanket bigger or smaller, add or subtract multiples of 3 stitches from the starting ch. ♥ Vinnis Colours Nikkim, 5 x 50g Natural and 7 x 5

Find or make a meditation cushion and personalise it by embroidering the perfect quote on it. You could also simply embroider the quote on a lovely piece of fabric and give that to your friend to stitch onto her favourite cushion. DIFFICULTY: easy TI

DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: two hours We took a slightly damaged vintage children’s story book and transformed it into a journal with lots of free space to write down thoughts, make notes and draw in. To make your own, use a craft knife to carefully rem

Rinse out a milk or fruit-juice carton and leave it to dry. Use your craft knife to cut out a rectangle from the side of the carton. Paint the carton white and leave it to dry. Make a few holders in this way, and cut the top section off a few more an

The wedding rings were hardly on their fingers when this couple started their first collection. In every town where they stopped off during their honeymoon, they had to buy at least one vintage bottle. And it didn’t end there. Once the school counsel

DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: 2-3 hours Use leftover scrap paper, photos, sketches, wax paper, images from magazines and even a few pages from a damaged book - all things you can find in your own home - and sew them together to create your own unique wrap

Set aside some special time to wrap your gifts undisturbed. Sit quietly, focus on your breathing and remind yourself why you are there - to wrap your loved ones’ gifts mindfully and to make up parcels that will bring them joy. Take the gift, wish the

One can quite rightly say that scent is the brain’s muse. The hidden power of fragrance is that it has a positive effect on your state of mind and mood; it relieves stress, boosts self-confidence and improves sleep patterns as well as physical and me

Every year at this time, as the height of the summer approaches, along with the anticipation I also become slightly panicky about everything I still want to achieve before the end of year: walls that need to be painted before visitors arrive, gifts,

WHEN YOU NEED YOUR CREATIVE FIX, ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE OUR LATEST DIGITAL EDITIONS. SIMPLY DOWNLOAD OUR IDEAS APP ONTO THE DEVICE OF YOUR CHOICE AND YOU WILL HAVE US AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. ? You can find us as IDEAS MAGAZINE on the APPLE APP STORE as wel