The next time you’re planning a day out why not take inspiration from Simply Homemade’s pick of the best? Alnwick Castle and Alnwick Garden Northumberland, Alnwick NE66 1NQ Tel:01665 511 100 Each day at Alnwick Castle, you can take a guided tour of the castle and grounds, enjoying fascinating stories from the past as they reveal the castle’s history from Harry Hotspur to the »

MATERIALS (Makes 4) four tea towels TOOLS sewing machine or needle and thread iron SIMPLY MAKE… 1 Take the tea towels and cut them in half width ways. 2 Take two pieces and pin them with the right sides together. 3 Sew around the edge of the pieces, leaving a 5cm gap unstitched for turning through. 4 Clip the corners and turn the mat the right way through the gap. 5 Iron the mat flat and top-stitch around the all around edge in a matching or »

      Jill Alblas offers up a stylish Window Hanger created using air-drying clay..   MATERIALS.. air drying earthenware clay old cotton cloth narrow ribbon strong PVA glue cream, turquoise and pale green acrylic paint greaseproof paper Craftwork Cards Candi TOOLS flower cutters in two different sizes leaf cutter wooden rolling pin paintbrush SIMPLY MAKE.. 1 Place the clay on a cloth and roll to about 3mm. Place a cutter on the »

Patricia Harcourt is baking tea bread and loaf cakes  – perfect for picnics and afternoon tea Madeira loaf.. Ingredients 175g unsalted butter 175g caster sugar 3 eggs 30g ground almonds grated zest of a lemon 200g self-raising flour 1 tbsp of milk 1/2 tsp vanilla essence Utensils 8″ loaf tin Simply make.. 1 Preheat your oven to 180¼C/350¼F/gas mark 4. 2 Place the butter and caster sugar into a bowl and mix to a pale, creamy consistency. »

Hanging heart frame Step by step.. MATERIALS Craftwork Cards Warren Colour Me die-cuts, Cottontail paper pack, Hush-a-bye Candi White cardstock Star Dust and silver Ranger Stickles glitter glue Hanging heart-shaped frame TOOLS Daisy punch SIMPLY MAKE 1 Remove the backing board from the heart frame, trace around it onto white cardstock and cut out. 2 Cover the white cardstock heart with patterned paper and trim to size. 3 Colour a Warren die-cut using »

Looking for a fashionable and fun way to go green? With a few quick and easy techniques you can turn a dull canvas tote into a hip and trendy reusable shopping bag. Missy Neal shows you how… MATERIALS – STRAWBERRY SHOPPER.. Canvas bag Ruffle gingham ribbon 1/4″ Red Grosgrain Ribbon Thermoweb Heat’n Bond Ultra Bond iron-on adhesive Red gingham, black and white polka dot, and green patterned fabrics Beacon Fabri-Tac glue TOOLS »

  Summer Beach Sarong Step by Step … A sparkling Summer sarong is a beach essential This year, the trend for Summer sarongs is jewelled and sparkling.  Buy some material or buy a plain sarong and hot fix some clear flat-backed gems onto it in patterns or lines – either around the hem or across the entire fabric.  It’s an easy way to add some sparkle and glitter in the Summer sun.  It will only take you minutes using your Dremel Versatip.  »

Rust-Oleum is helping happy homemakers spruce up their gardens this summer with a number of spray paints for every occasion.  Faded and discoloured plant pots and furniture can be cleaned off and given a new lease of life and it won’t cost a fortune thanks to a variety of primers and spray paints for the home and garden. There are sprays that can be used on any number of surfaces, including ceramic, glass, metal, wood and plastic and even textured »

A celebration of quilting will be taking place at Birmingham’s NEC when the Festival Of Quilts arrives this August. Organised with the support of the Quilters Guild of the British Isles and boasting a host of gallery exhibitions from leading international artists, the four day show promises to be the largest, most inspiring quilting event in Europe. Over 250 companies will be appearing at the show, selling many hard-to-find patchwork and quilting »

Materials… 200g wax 20g stearin 30cm candle wick Pink shop-bought pillar candle Ice cubes Greaseproof paper Tools… Double saucepan/saucepan and bowl 20x6cm cylindrical mould Tea towel Rolling pin Bowl To create… 1 Freeze a few trays of ice cubes and set to one side.  Boil water in a base pan and then reduce the heat to a simmer.  Place the wax and stearin in a top pan or a heatproof bowl over the base pan and allow the wax to melt. 2 Carefully »