One thing my kids love to do is help in the kitchen but as cooking under normal circumstances is not my forte I have to think of more creative ways to include them to minimize my stress! A great way of doing this is baking esp if it’s for their birthday party. I try to let them do some stirring or adding of ingredients – as they get older I will increase their participation but this is all I (and they) have patience for at present! A variation of baking that is fairly easy to do is to make playdough! …  Read More »

Last week I was invited to a workshop on Cake Decorating with Good Housekeeping magazine held at Chez Gourmet in Claremont. As you are most likely aware I am no kitchen queen but I do enjoy a bit of baking as long as there is no stress or deadline….and I can make as much mess as is necessary ;) The aim of this event was to teach a group of girls like myself a few more tips about cake decorating and I was thrilled to be able to try out some new techniques and discover how easy some things are. …  Read More »

Each Christmas I try to do at least one craft, and if I’m feeling brave I include my kids! This year I decided to skip the cheap and cheerful chocolate / cardboard creations from Woolies and MAKE an Advent Calendar I had seen in a book called “The Make and Do Bible”. Last year I had stocked up on a variety of different coloured felt from Fabric City in Wynberg when I made Nativity finger puppets so I had pretty much all the materials which made it much easier…. So here is my guide on “How to make an Advent …  Read More »

On a recent public holiday I joined a group of girls at the Clay Cafe in Hout Bay to use some creative juices and enjoy a morning of decorating our own “homemade” pottery while chatting and laughing around the communal table. It had been a while since I last had a morning off to just spend doing something which I enjoy without time restrictions and it was so therapeutic being creative. I definitely don’t do it often enough! It is a great spot for all ages – while I was there for the morning a variety of families (dads included), …  Read More »

The latest lovely edition of Sweet Paul is out – this is def one of my favourite online magazines and is always a treat! Click this link to view more beautiful pages of inspiration in the Fall edition of Sweet Paul (based on the Northern Hemisphere!) Loving this clever idea photographed by Alexandra Grablewski There is a lovely feature on using silouettes in your decor. YUM….. Sweet Paul is a professional food stylist which explains these amazing pics of plates of perfection! I’m dreaming of a lovely picnic in the outdoors – one of my favourite ways to enjoy food! …  Read More »

Whoever has not realised how much colour affects our daily lives really must have been in a black and white movie. Colour really is one of the most powerful methods of altering our mood – can you not help but smile when you spot something a sunny yellow or perk up when surrounded by purple pansies? Was there really nothing more exciting as a child than a fresh box of colourful Crayola crayons? So here are some brights to brighten your day! I certainly love colour but along with the masses seem to dress myself in a palette of greys, …  Read More »