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
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
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
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 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
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 Do Wood Staining We show you here how to do wood staining the easy way. Stained timber is a way of changing the wood’s color without sacrificing the character of the grain and knots. This can be done discreetly using wood tones to improve the natural shade or imitate a more expensive
How to do Crockery Mosaics NB. A word of caution before you start, broken crockery pieces can be as sharp as glass so take care to wear protective gear when doing this project. Crockery Mosaics is the ancient art of creating patterns and images from thousands of tiny fragments. Traditionally, special, uniform little pieces
Decorate Your Own Headboard 1. Here Are A Few Headboard Ideas If your bed does not have an integrated headboard you can decorate your own headboard, it can be a distinct advantage. It offers you endless options to invent your own style, personalizing the headboard to suit your own taste, rather than living with
How To Stencil – Get Started This is how to stencil the easy way. For your first attempt at stenciling, choose a project that is small and unlikely to cause grief if it doesn’t turn out well, but will be attractive enough to show off if it does; a little tray would be an
How to use your low-end mobile phone camera to take a landscape picture. Picture & Story © Janek Szymanowski Everyone uses their mobile phone camera to take pictures, mostly of friends, family and meaningful events. And sometimes just pictures of where you have been. But you can also be really creative and take some wonderful
Festive Christmas Candles Bright red festive candles are perfectly suited to the jollities of Christmas-time. Displayed in brass or glass candlesticks and set against glossy green foliage, they conjure up images of traditional Christmases, with rosy cheeked choristers caroling by lantern-light. Any reflective material, like tinsel or glass baubles, will magnify the brilliance and
Mural Art – Bringing Art Home Story by Penny Swift & Pictures by Janek Szymanowski © Mural art and the living use of color have been decorative features of architecture for many centuries, projecting both cultural traditions and man’s yearning for fantasy. The History of Wall Paintings Wall paintings and various types of mural
Costume Jewelry Today is Bold and Beautiful Story by Penny Swift Back in the day when I was a child, my grandmother owned a costume jewelry store. It was a place I loved, with its glitzy diamanté; sparkling paste jewelry; polished, plated gold and solid silver; semi-precious and some bold precious stones; necklaces, earrings, brooches,
How to Look After Houseplants All Pictures by Janek Szymanowski © Living with houseplants can be an enriching experience even for the novice gardener. A gloriously red amaryllis set against drifting snowflakes outside the window, the sensuous fragrance of jasmine blossoms in a spring evening, or the feel of the gnarled trunk of a bonsai
Collectable Brass Lamps Rotation creates beautiful one-of-a-kind brass lamps from repurposed collectables. Owned by sister’s Joanne (right) and Christina Pretorius (left), Rotation creates only brass lamps from unique items sourced on their travels around South Africa. Each lamp is diverse, and could be created from religious church ware such as brass candlesticks and offering stands;
Collage – A contemporary art form Collage, from the French verb coller (“to glue”) is the general term for an artistic arrangement of various materials glued to a surface. See the collage “Cosmos” left by artist Diane Cadrain. Just about any material-fabric, wood, metal can be used in making collages. When more than one type
Candle making the Traditional Way People have been making candles since the times of the ancient Romans, and chances are they will continue to do so, not out  of necessity, but because of the wonderful ambiance candles give to any given space. Tallow (rendered cattle or sheep fat) and beeswax have been used in candle
All About Mosaics Pictures from fragments Mosaics are composed of chips and pieces of different colors of ceramic tile, glass, stones, and various other materials. From close up these fragments may make no visual sense. Viewed from a distance, however, they arrange themselves into colorful pictures or designs. In this, mosaic technique is similar to pointillism,
Sand Art – What is it? History of Glass and Sand Art Glass essentially is made from sand and is a combination of about 75% silicon dioxide (SiO2), sodium oxide (Na2O) from soda ash, lime (CaO). So it is quite fitting that sand artists use glass bottles and glass sheets to create these wonderful works
 How to Do Tie-dyeing Tie-dyeing is a simple process. Areas of the fabric are tied off in accordance with your design. (“Tying” is a general term that includes knotting and sewing.) The fabric is then dyed and rinsed, and the ties are removed. The tied areas resist the dye and remain the color of
Making Soap with this Easy Soap Recipe We did a lot of searching to find the best easy making soap recipe that will suit any beginner. This is a simple making soap method and recipe and could turn out to be one of your all time favorites. These can make wonderful gifts to give to
How to Train Bonsai Trees – a short DIY Bonsai Course to Get Started Above: This 55 year old Sequoia sempervirens (California Redwood or Coast Redwood) “Informal Upright” style bonsai tree from Brooklyn Botanic Garden, in New York City was photographed by Jeffrey O. Gustafson Bonsai is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers.
Beautiful Jewelry Crafted from Wood Bangle Craft is a family business based in a lovely little town called Kleinmond on the southern Cape coast of South Africa. Reg Brand creates the elements, and his wife Dona (Pictured left) helps him make unique necklaces, earrings, finger rings, religious crosses, and … of course bangles. Small Beginnings
A Selection of the Best Beadwork Books Available Getting Started Stringing Beads The art of crafting beautiful string and bead creations is explained in this step-by-step guide for novice beaders. Twenty-five quick and simple projects will help build foundational technical skills and result in exciting bead creations such as charm bracelets and chandelier earrings.
A Selection of the Best Jewelry Books Available New Encyclopedia of Jewelry Making Techniques Since its first publication in 1995, the Encyclopedia of Jewelry Making Techniques has been devoured by students borrowing a well-thumbed copy from their college library, established jewelers wishing to find out more about new techniques, as well as all those
A Selection of the Best Herbs Books Available Margaret Roberts’ A-Z Herbs This basic guide and quick reference includes both common herbs like parsley and thyme, as well as Margaret Roberts’ favourite plants such as bulbinella and roses. A systematic introduction to the world of herbs, it provides information about the basic culinary, medicinal and
A Selection of the Best Sketching Books Available Sketching: Techniques and Tips for Successful Sketching An essential little book – perfect for the pocket or art bag – covering all practical aspects of sketching and drawing. Sketching is a skill that every artist needs to master and this handy book shows you how in a
A Selection of the Best Watercolor Books Available Watercolor This practical and inspirational watercolor book guide, in a handy sketchbook format, is aimed at the practiced beginner and shows how to achieve successful watercolors in just 30 minutes – ideal for the busy amateur artist who doesn’t have too much time to paint. Many people
A Selection of the Best Vegetable Growing Books Available The Vegetable Gardener’s Container Bible This is best-selling author Ed Smith’s complete guide to growing a bounty of vegetables in small spaces and without land. This is a completely updated and expanded edition of Incredible Vegetables from Self-Watering Containers , now including conventional containers of all
A Selection of the Best Beauty Products Books Available Make Your Own Skin Care Products: How to Create a Range of Nourishing and Hydrating Skin Care Products If treated and nourished properly your skin will be healthy and glowing, making you feel good and look great. This book will guide you through creating your own
