This brightly coloured curtain is created using a simple technique. The chequered design is achieved by a combination of masking out the basic grid and hand-painting the colours in layers. Read the rest of this entry »
Ingredients
A light and airy arrangement for a formal dining table. The multi-petalled pink ranunculus echo to perfection the shapes of the old-fashioned roses on the coffee cups. Instead of foliage, stems of delicate genista and sprays of pink-berried snowberry have been used.
This kind of design looks complicated to do but is in fact very simple if you work in the right sequence and aim for a balance of flowers and equal spacing between the larger blooms. The arrangement needs to be symmetrical and viewed from all angles if it is to be put in the center of a round table.
A container with a small stem works well and lifts the flowers off the table just enough to give an elegant feel combined with lightness. Glass is a good choice as its transparency reveals the flowers as the important part. A plain white porcelain stemmed vase would look fine too and practically disappears against a white tablecloth. Nerines are long lasting as a cut flower and are available from autumn to spring. Their pretty curled petals make delicate but sophisticated arrangements.
1 Cut foam to fit the vase level with the surface. Soak foam and push into place. Prepare flowers and cut everything quite short.
2 Completely cover foam with the genista. Spread the snowberry stems evenly throughout.
3 Add the nerines round the vase and across the top of the arrangement. Insert ranunculus between nerines, and throughout the genista.
Here pink tulips have been used in a rather unexpected way utilising their regular shapes to make a formal and organised arrangement reminiscent of a Victorian posy. Read the rest of this entry »
Using a simple sponge and some paint, it is easy to liven up a child’s bed linen. As an alternative, translate a child’s own drawings into sponge prints and let them have a go themselves.
This project is for one single-size flat bed sheet and one plain pillowcase. Read the rest of this entry »
With the use of herbs and the soft blue greens and lemon yellows this centerpiece has connotations of Mediterranean color schemes and scented gangue. Perfect for lazy summer lunches laid on rustic bare wood, the baskets and woven vine garland give a country feel. Read the rest of this entry »
A warm and colorful mixture of fruit and flowers to be made when small tangerines and kumquats are in season. They are such decorative fruits in their own right that they need only a scattering of pale yellow rosebuds and a few deep green leaves and sprigs of winter jasmine to make a stunning centerpiece for a winter party. Read the rest of this entry »
* 175 g/6 oz olive oil soap
* 30 ml/2 tbsp ground almonds
* Grater
* 25 m1/11/2 tbsp almond oil
* 10 drops lavender essential oil
* double boiler
* 25 m1/11/2 tbsp coconut oil
* Spoon
* heart-shaped moulds, oiled
1 Grate the soap. Place the grated soap in a double boiler and leave to soften over heat. Add all the other ingredients.
2 Stir until all the ingredients are evenly mix and begin to hold together.
3 Press the mixture into the oiled moulds at leave to set overnight. Unmould the soaps ready for use.
Amount given for one napkin ring 7m colored wire, 28 gauge
Approximately 120 iridescent beads in a complementary or contrasting color
1 pair of 5.5mm (no.5) knitting needles Read the rest of this entry »
It’s so pleasant to incorporate dried herbs and other botanicals into candles, but there are some real fire hazards, too. It’s important to always design your candles with safety in mind. Read the rest of this entry »
This little aquarium is full of life! There are fish swimming from side to side and activity all around. The key to the Aquarium candle is that various nonflammable embedments are situated at different heights throughout the container. There are many ways to accomplish this, but this project demonstrates the simplest technique — fast- setting clear epoxy glue. Read the rest of this entry »
