Ideas

Ideas is the ultimate guide to fresh, modern living for women with creative flair and a passion for life. These women care for their families and the people around them and cherish them by expressing their own individuality in everything they do. They love to entertain and decorate their home with their unique style. The magazine provides an outlet for creativity and offers readers practical, creative content that transforms the mundane into the extraordinary. It’s a source of inspiration for craft, decor, entertainment and food. Ideas readers are stylish, sophisticated, modern, educated, balanced, creative, warm, caring and passionate.

FROM THE EDITOR

Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts.

Ideas

CHRISTMAS TO-DO LIST • Prepare for the big festive celebrations with this handy list of tasks – you will find the projects organised in sequence in this issue.

NOVEMBER

MAKE & MATURE • Begin your Christmas baking early with this traditional brandy-soaked fruitcake.

RAGDOLL FOX • Make this long-limbed fox from soft fabric for a child (or an adult) in your life – she will be a lovely companion.

CLAY TREASURES • Jewellery made from clay is almost as old as humanity. We show you how to make your own bracelets from air-dry and polymer clay.

ONE, TWO, TREE • Embroider pretty numbers for your Christmas tree.

EMBROIDERED BALSA • Try your hand at something new this year and do some embroidery on balsa wood for your tree.

BRIGHT BAUBLES • Make these pretty paper decorations to brighten up your Christmas tree.

CROCHET THE NATIVITY • Make Mary, Joseph, a donkey and a wise man … for the Christmas tree.

FARM FRIENDS • Every Christmas tree needs a donkey and a lamb. Needle felt these cuties for yours.

REINDEER WREATH • Create this cute reindeer wreath from cardboard, eucalyptus leaves and paper flowers to add a Scandi touch to your Christmas décor.

TREE HOUSES • We all love counting down to Christmas with an Advent calendar, especially when the little ‘tree houses’ are filled with sweets.

HOW MANY SLEEPS? • With the lovely paper included in this issue, you can easily make an Advent calendar like this.

DECEMBER

WHITE CHRISTMAS • Whether you can manage to spend Christmas in the beautiful city of Bordeaux or you stay at home in South Africa, here are some lovely ideas to bring a French touch to your festive season.

SILENT NIGHT • Recreate the Nativity scene to add a serene atmosphere in your house.

Words to live by

SILENT NIGHT

Words to live by

SCENTS & SERENITY • Bring fresh scents and a feeling of serenity into your home with these fragrant, easy-to-do DIY projects.

SWEET TREATS FROM SANTA • A home-made box packed with freshly baked biscuits or melt-in-the-mouth marshmallows makes the perfect gift.

HOME SWEET HOME • Building a gingerbread house is a fun and joyful festive activity. Follow our steps, set your imagination free and create colourful Christmas memories as you and the kids decorate to your heart’s content.

FESTIVE CAKE • Looking for an alternative to fruit cake? This special cake is made from almonds and coconut, and flavoured with a hint of citrus and spice.

SAUCY SURPRISE • These jars are full of flavour and quick to prepare, and make a useful and delicious gift.

Gift tags to copy and cut out

UPCYCLED FESTIVITIES • Use the principle of ‘waste not, want not’ to inspire Christmas decorations that showcase and upcycle beautiful old glass, then add handmade gift tags and touches of vintage silver to set the scene for a very special celebration.

SHINE A LIGHT • Make these paper lanterns to beautify your Christmas...