Susan Penny
Editor’s Weekend Tip No 1
Susan Penny picks up some cones and a bargain With the weather forecast looking good this weekend, now might be a good time to take the kids out into the woods foraging for fir cones. Once collected, leave them somewhere warm to dry out for a few days. Then, using white acrylic paint, dab the […]
Get Inspired
Stitch Papercut Hearts
When I visited Odense in Denmark a few years ago, I was inspired by the wonderful papercuts by the writer Hans Christian Anderson. It seems he was an addict to paper. He wrote on it, he drew on it – and he cut it. Just like a potter uses clay or a sculptor uses stone, […]
Christmas Candy Canes
Every year, when the first striped, sugary candy canes appear in the shops, I think of Christmases past. Fun filled times spent in New York come to mind, surrounded by jolly Santas; twinkling, fairy lit trees; carriage rides through central park; ice skating in the open air; the magic of Hamleys toy shop; and the […]
Knit for Victory
Knit for Victory is a non-competitive vintage knitting challenge, which started on November 4th, and runs through until January 31st, 2014. You can make anything you like as long as it has a 1940s feel. It could be a hat, gloves, or cardigan, in fact anything that takes your fancy! And you don’t have to dress […]
Plum Jam
When I was a child I liked to visit my gran in late summer for afternoon tea: fresh bread and home-made jam, sticky buns and seed cake. For me, the favourite part of the visit was exploring her garden. Out from under the watchful eyes of the adults I would find amazing places to sit […]
Food for Free
I have always liked the idea of food for free: so this summer whilst on holiday in Cornwall, I couldn’t resist foraging for hips from the heavily- laden rose bushes in the woods around the property where we were staying. Rose hips are the cherry-sized red fruit of the rose bush, stuffed with vitamin C, […]
Cut and Dried
Lavender is one of the easiest, evergreen shrubs to grow in a sunny border or container. Without almost any help, each plant will produce masses of highly scented flowers above green or silvery-grey foliage. Over the last couple of years I have changed the layout of my garden, and as lavender is a shrub that […]
Homemade Strawberry Jam
When I think of strawberries I think of the British summer and Wimbledon. Somehow those words conjure up the magic of lazy days in the sun. I have always wanted to go to Wimbledon. Not just for the tennis, but to see the mammoth catering operation that goes on behind the scenes. On the official […]