Use Baskets to Decorate Your Home Bleached blond, naturally tawny, and dyed or painted lovely warm shades, baskets are one of the easiest and most effective ways of adding the country touch – the texture and weave providing a naturalness to your surroundings. For centuries, basket making has been a traditional craft, using local materials […]
How to Create Succulent art By PENNY SWIFT The vast array of succulents that grow in open gardens and pots provide an incredible opportunity for living art. So, if you’re looking to create something special for your patio or a sunny indoor area in your house, this idea might appeal to you. But where do
How to Make Candle Lampshades Step-by-Step Candle lampshades covered with decorative card or fabric shades are very much in vogue at the moment. There is almost always a drawer full of unused candles somewhere in the home, usually kept at hand in case of a power cut. And just about any candlestick can be transformed
How To Do Macrame, the Art of Decorative Knotting by Penny Swift We show you how to do macrame with a handy YouTube video. Macrame is known as the art of decorating with knots, macramé has been in and out of favor since the 13th century. While it is not currently wildly popular with
Decorate Your Walls with Stenciling Stenciling is designed for you home decorators who want to Decorate Your Walls with Stenciling and create original schemes without taking the risks that accompany mural painting. With stencils, you can have some idea of how the design will look and can even experiment with different colorways before you
Get Confidence With Using Color Words by Penny Swift & Pictures by Janek Szymanowski © We show you how to get confidence with using color. Color is an enormously powerful medium and a major consideration in modern home decorating. It is also an emotive and intensely personal subject – especially when it comes to
Studies of Nature and Landscapes by Mariota Percival “I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars.” Walt Whitman Mariota’s heart lies in life studies of nature and landscapes in their changing light. From the intricate detail of the tiniest forms of life to the expanse of the Universe. Mariota’s Life
Keep Your Keys All Framed Up With a Wire Keys Frame Keep all your keys together and within easy reach on a wire keys frame smart key holder. This one costs almost nothing to make if you have an old picture frame, a scrap of fabric and some bendable wire. The heart-shapes are made from
Art Born Out of a Long-lasting Fascination of World Architecture Mariota Percival’s interest in world architecture, ancient sites and different styles of houses was sparked during her history of art studies, and has grown during her travels. The media she uses for architectural studies includes pencil crayon, ink pen, watercolors, pencil crayons, oils and
How to Make a Simple Fabric Headboard If your headboard is a little old and worn, or clashes with a fresh color scheme, you can quickly give it a new look with a tie-on or slip-on fabric cover. Simple fabric headboard covers can be made in half the time needed to re-upholster a padded
Fabric Design Inspired by Life and Living Mariota Percival’s love of colour, pattern, shapes and themes are combined into creations that use paint, collage, recycled scraps of fabric, applique embroidery. Her inspiration is derived from her travels and her view of life around her, with ideas that she has drawn from numerous sources.   Â
How to Make An Elegant Tieback By catching the curtains back at just the right height, tiebacks pull the curtain fabric into an attractive sweep and allow natural light into the room. Wide, full curtains drape into deep scoops of fabric, while narrow drapes are given an elegant form when tied back against the
Unique Cards and Book Illustrations by Mariota Percival Talented artist Mariota Percival specializes in unique beautiful cards and book illustrations. She has illustrated three children’s story books and provided a number of illustrations for Shuter & Shooter Publishers school books. They include a range of styles and paint media (ink pen, pencil crayons, acrylic and watercolour
How to Make Magic Lanterns Easy magic lanterns Easy magic lanterns – you can take a set of plain glass tumblers and turn them into stunning magic lanterns. They’ll sparkle and shine for evening meals during warm summer nights in a tranquil garden. Even if you prefer to eat indoors, you can light the
Make Your Own Covering For Lace Windows Looking after lace When making lace windows then you must treat lace fabrics in the same way as you would other home furnishings by laundering according to fiber content. Most heavy lace fabrics are cotton or cotton based and substantial enough to withstand a delicate cycle wash in
Mariota Percival Art – Artist of Many Talents Available for Commissions The Mariota Percival art paintings and designs are inspired by the environment in which she has lived and traveled. She grew up in a creative family, in the gentle countryside of Lions River, in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Midlands of South Africa. Her childhood
How to Make Fabric Covered Plates Fabric covered plates, grouped together on a wall, make a magnificent display. They are also a perfect way of giving odd or slightly damaged plates a new lease of life while showing off your favorite scraps of fabric. If you do not have any scraps around the house,
How to Make Flower Motif Lavender Bags These delightful little lavender bags, decorated with a range of charming cross stitch flower motifs, are quick and easy to make. Filled with aromatic lavender, they can be tucked between freshly laundered sheets or lingerie, to infuse them with a breath of the country. Tie them with
How to Make a Cut Paper Tablecloth A paper tablecloth with straight edges often looks dull. A cut-out border around the edge will instantly make it look more attractive. If the tablecloth is then laid over a slightly larger one in a contrasting color, the cut-out motifs will be highlighted. Choose as heavy a
How to Make a Rose Stenciled Tray Painting a stenciled tray can give it a new lease of life, it also makes an attractive and very useful accessory to display in your kitchen. This stenciled tray is made from wood, but metal trays can be painted and stenciled in the same way, using a
How to Make a Pleated Paper Lampshade Paper lampshades are attractive accessories which will fit into most decorative schemes. They are fun to make yourself and require no sewing skills, so you don’t need to be an expert to have a go. What’s more they are very cheap to make yourself and once
How to Reupholster a Drop-in Seat You can reupholster a dining chair with a drop-in seat easily and smarten up and made to match new furnishings with a change of cover. Choose an elegant damask or needlepoint fabric for a formal effect, or a pretty floral for something fresh. As long as the fabric
How to Make Double Frilled Cushions Perfect Gathering 1 – Heavy fabric If for your frilled cushions you have chosen fabric that is medium to heavy weight, the long gathering threads may break when they are pulled up. Stitch the gathering rows in short sections and position the rows on either side of any seams.
How to Make A Frilled Cushion Cushions, and a frilled cushion are the most versatile of home furnishings. They are synonymous with comfort, color and style. Wherever they are placed, cushions have an immediate softening impact. Yet by trimming cushions in one of a variety of ways, they can be specially tailored to
How to Make Seaside Candles Light up your home on warm evenings with these original seaside candles using shells and rope. All the designs are quick and easy to make, so they are ideal for a special occasion, especially if you want to create a more rustic look. To make the smaller candles just
How to Make a Nifty Notepad A nifty notepad you say! Well even in this smart techno rich world today keeping track of appointments and memos with pencil and paper should not be a problem in any busy life. There seem to be so many activities that need to be fitted into each day,
How to Make a Cockerel Collage Collect your fabric scraps together, and create a colorful cockerel collage of a farmyard favorite. Our lively rooster, set against a background of bead-strewn millet and blue sky, looks larger than life and ready to crow. His plumage is composed of layers of black velvet and net, with
How to Make an Embroidered Gingham Tablecloth Lay the kitchen table with a stunning embroidered gingham tablecloth and give mealtimes a lift. The fabric is a red-and white-check, which is perfect for a country style home, with an embroidered zigzag border and geometric center piece for a special finishing touch. A geometric embroidered design
How to Make a Webbing Cushion Here is how to make a webbing cushion cover. Just a hint of color peeps out from between these bands of simple cotton webbing, providing an understated, but stunning webbing cushion cover. The natural colorway will blend into any color scheme and the small spots of color can
All About Treasure Trove Display Boxes Treasure Trove Display Boxes Display treasure trove boxes are useful and appealing. If you have a prize collection of trinkets or memorabilia hidden away in the back of a drawer or cupboard, now is just the time to sort it out and set it into a pleasing and
How To Make New Cushions From Old Clothes Favorite old garments that have become worn and stained in parts, or simply outmoded over the years, need not be thrown away, but can be recycled to make a range of comfy cushions from old clothes. The cushions’ muted shades and soft, aged textures will look
How to Make Buttoned Cushions We just love these buttoned cushions. Buttoning gives gusseted cushions the appearance of over-stuffed luxury, making the cushions look deeper and therefore more comfortable. The buttons, which are usually covered with fabric, can be added to most types of cushions, from simple scatter cushions to deep gusseted chair seats.
