According to scientists at the University of Sydney, wearing woollen sweaters may make you feel cosy, but, compared with cotton clothing, they may trap allergens and trigger allergy symptoms. In fact, you run the risk of exposing yourself to dust mites and cat allergens by at least 10 times! So, if you can’t shake a […]

Migraines? Skip the sleep-in! If you are a migraine sufferer, sleeping late on weekend mornings might not be such a good idea. According to UK research, the sudden change in sleeping habits can cause a splitting migraine. And, if it also means you are late for your morning ‘fix’ of caffeine, or that you miss […]

Guilt is very common in women, and it’s really just a roundabout way of saying you don’t like yourself. When we feel guilty we feel inefficient, bad and wrong. We feel guilty for eating, for spending too much money (or not enough), for not giving enough time to our children (or for smothering them), for […]

How noisy is your office? Now there’s even more reason to dream about a corner office- provided it’s quiet, that is. A recent study from Cornell University shows that people who work in noisy, open-plan office environments had anything up to 90 per cent higher levels of stress hormone in their systems – and they […]

Materials (to make 5-6 bombs) 1 cup bicarbonate of soda 1/2 cup cornflour 1/4 cup citric acid (see note below) Essential oil of your choice Food colouring Soap moulds (from craft stores) Note Both citric acid and bicarbonate of soda are available from baking sections of supermarkets. Method 1 SIFTING Sift bicarbonate of soda, cornflour […]

Measurements: Approx width at bust/chest: 130cm. Approx length (not including waist band): 61.5cm. Approx sleeve length (not including wrist band): 42cm. This is a loose-fitting garment. Materials: 8-ply yarn (50g): Main Colour (MC): 8 balls (black); 1st Contrast (C1): 6 balls (blue); 2nd Contrast (C2): 5 balls (white); 3rd Contrast (C3): 2 balls (red). One […]

Whether it’s a rainy day, a pending party or you and your child are looking to use some creative expression, you can’t go past a dress up. This month we help you get a brilliant “troll look” from head to toe. BODY Trolls These spectacular little garbage bag trolls are from the minimum-effort-maximum-effect school of […]

If you’ve inherited a sweet tooth or a tendency to put on weight, you can beat your genes by changing your eating habits and lifestyle. By Helen Hawkes. Your mother was pear shaped and so are you. She loved fatty foods and sweets and hated exercise – and so do you. Not surprisingly, she was […]

There’s plenty of evidence to show our immune systems may be compromised by lack of nutrients and stress. However, the good news is that many tasty and inexpensive foods are highly protective. Add them to your diet today! Onions and garlic These help boost natural immunity and aid circulation. Red onions are a particularly good […]

A surprise finding from a recent English study is that drinking between one to six cups of black tea daily improves bone density. Although tea contains caffeine, thought to steal bone, it also has compounds that may mimic the bone-building effect of oestrogen in post-menopausal women.