Weekend snacks: Pita crisps

These pita crisps are amazing snacks to have with a wedge of cheese, dipped in humus or tzatziki or with a bit of pate slathered on top. I love taking them on picnics. Plus it's always cool (if you are sharing them!) to offer guests a snack that looks homemade!

Directions Halve pitas and then slice them open and cut them into triangles. Make a mixture of dried herbs, sea salt and olive oil to baste one side of the pitas with. Cook slowly until golden (you gotta watch them, but about fifteen minutes) in about 160º oven.

Proudly African

Porcelain African continent on brown felt ribbon, courtesy of Keyna-B. More like a trophy pin – I love that!

Beautiful Patterns

A selection of gorgeous and inspiring patterns by Julia Rothman. Such a great mix of colours, retro-damask-floral chic and quirky illustration.

Before & After: The Cupboard

I decided to fix up this piece of furniture – once my aunt's cupboard when she was a teenager in the Fifties (my mum remembers climbing into her older sister's cupboard when she was little and playing records on her big sister's wind-up record player), reincarnated for my sister, and a decade later for me, as storage in our wendy house, and now as our hall coat cupboard.

I'd thought of putting material on the cupboard doors, but wanted something really special, unusual and versatile (read expensive). While browsing a material shop, I got the idea of using lace, but finding something special enough, that wasn't shiny ice white and an ugly repeated pattern, was a challenge.

In my opinion, the only good use for net curtains is never their intended purpose – as curtains! I found the last piece on a bale, with really pretty flower vine running down it. After measuring the width of the doors and deciding how I wanted the vines to run on either panel, I attempted cutting the lace netting. Getting it perfectly straight was a challenge (specially with an inquisitive kitty who wanted in on the action!), so I folded it in half, and half again, and pegged it in an attempt to stop the slippery fabric from moving.

Preparation I got a piece of masonite to do a test piece to a) chose a colour (it was between white and an off-white-cream, which ended up making the lace look dirty), b) see whether the lace would work at all to create interest and texture at all and c) discover whether the paint would work as adequate glue to stick the lace in place. I enlisted a trusty helper to sand the cupboard down!

Painting First step was painting a layer of white undercoat, letting it dry, giving it a light sand until smooth before painting on a layer of white oil paint. Using oil paint meant I didn't need to varnish it. It went on very easily and gave good coverage (I suspect because of the white undercoat). I also didn't want it to be perfect gloss, but to have some imperfections, so I didn't do a second coat. One layer on the door panels, and I stuck the fabric on. Tip: work fast – if you do have to peel up and reapply the lace straight, do it fast. The paint seems to shrink the fabric.

Finishing touches The inspiration for keeping the refurbishment simple and classic, was really this door knob, which I wanted to be the feature. I love interesting door knobs, and found this one in New York at one of my favourite stores Anthropologie. I picked up the colour of the knob, by adding a hint of turquoise on the finishes, in all cracks and grooves. I hand sanded the edges to expose some of the wood to make it look aged and antiqued.

Button Up

I love how quirky button brooches can change and develop an outfit by adding a new facet. These are some from Skinny Laminx that I added to a formal, tailored grey wool blazer.

Featherweight

Simple, classic, elegant – all the things that make a gorgeous accessory.

Brunch @ The Bromwell

Weekends are made for lazy mornings and delicious brunches. On Saturday, we decided to try Bread at The Bromwell Boutique Mall in bustling Woodstock. Courtesy parking makes the whole experience much easier and we were welcomed by a burly-looking bouncer dressed in black – a first for a brunch spot. The downstairs space has been used well with a number of tables and gorgeous red booths – vibrant colours and patterns have been used freely throughout, with red being the signature colour.

The breakfast options were relatively limited and pricey on average. Our "truffle" scrambled egg, roasted tomato and (what looked decidedly like bacon) pancetta was R45 and it came with a little salad, which I thought was unnecessary. But you could tell they were pushing the gourmet envelope on eggs. I had immediate order envy when I saw the poached eggs encased in bread that the middle-aged tannies next to us ordered, though they were completely bemused when a seed encrusted tower arrived in front of them without an egg to be seen! The coffee was okay, if a little bitter, and neither of us ordered second cup.

We meandered up to the art gallery upstairs after breakfast. Well, meandered is a rather romantic description. One of the bouncers stopped us to check whether we were going upstairs. Apparently we needed to sign in (which involved him checking my drivers licence and taking down my details - for correspondence - on a scrap of paper). Once we'd gained access, we walked through the rooms arranged in a square-shape with the central section open to the restaurant and deli below. The works are varied, with a Top Billing show-home appeal – the contemporary afro-fusion twist on old ball & claw furniture, a bright African portrait in an ornate, guilded frame. A modern art gallery, judging from the product prices available on slick touch screen in every room, we are not the target market.

Back to the food. It seemed that the menu's focus was more on their Italian sandwiches and other main course selections. I was a little disappointed – the idea of a weekend deli in a destination venue (let me tell you I won't be popping by for a R18 000 artwork on a regular basis) means the experience needs to be compelling. Obviously, I never expect to do my grocery shopping – imported meats and cheeses and whatnot – at a deli so I'm not judging their selection or prices, but it's called "Bread" and we didn't leave with any. I want to be able to meander in, have a delicious breakfast (which I'm prepared to pay more for if I feel I'm getting an experience), not feel pressured to move on, before picking up a few key weekend ingredients from the deli.

Don't you worry, I mentioned this in the comments box.