InPlace 10

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inplace

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Summer 2012 • Issue 10

!

s a m t s i r Ch made easy Our guide to a truly sensational season!

magazine the best

storage solutions for your home!

Fast Fix

Transform your bathroom!

White Fantastic Professional secrets for whiter whites!

Plus: Homemade gifts, thinking of others, recipes and more! simply organised

Gift Sets for everyone this Christmas For fat-free chips!

Coloured Top Chips Chip Maker: • Cooks vegetable and fruit chips in minutes • Includes 2 trays and 1 mandoline

Kids Chef Set: • A chefs kit to cook like a grown up!

• 1 Spatula, 1 Spoon, 1 Baking Pan, 1 Apron, 1 Chef’s Hat & 1 Recipe Book

Pancake & Crêpe Set:

Macaron Set:

Apple Cooker Set:

• Brings together the necessary tools to make delicious treats • Includes 1 Crepe Pan, 1 Brush & Baster, 1 Scraper, 1 Flipper & 1 Recipe Book

• Make perfect Macarons just like a professional pastry cook • Includes 1 Pastry Bag, 1 Pastry Sheet, 1 Recipe Book & 1 Pastry Stand

• Perfect for making simple, tasty delights in just a few minutes!

• Includes 4 Apple Cookers, 1 Apple Corer & 1 Recipe Book

www.mastrad.com.au 2 inplace magazine

Facebook.com/MastradAUS

Youtube.com/TradePointAustralia www.hsw.com.au

Available now at participating Howards Storage World stores

contents

22

GET IN TOUCH!

Issue 10 Summer 2012

We love to hear your thoughts!

email us at inplace@hsw.com.au

Cover photography: ACPSyndication.com

14

16

8

18 Christmas Checklist Ten must-dos to ensure a stress-free day.

4 Indulge

20 Shore Thing

The latest news and products from Howards.

Family fun in the sun made easy and hassle free.

8 A Culinary Christmas

22 Care Bear

Great gift ideas for the foodie in your life.

Children’s hospice Bear Cottage in the spotlight.

10 Problem Solved!

26 My Beautiful Laundrette

Practical solutions to everyday problems.

Expert advice on how to streamline your laundry.

11 In an Organised Fashion

28 Fast Fix with Everloc

Sue Blake’s secrets for a stress-free Christmas.

Restore order in your bathroom, ready for guests.

12 Clever Cows

30 Mountains of Fun

Bookshelves that double as sculptural pieces.

Enjoy a white Christmas in the Alps.

14 A Hint of Tradition

32 The Gift of Love

Get into the festive spirit with homemade gifts.

Homemade treats in clever containers.

16 Deep-sea Delight

34 Find a Howards store

Anthony Redondi throws a scampi on the barbie.

There are stores across Australia.

Not all products or advertised prices are available in all stores.

Prices valid to 2/1/13. Every effort is put into ensuring that products shown are available. However, from time to time some products may become out of stock, discontinued or be replaced by new models.

Please check with your local store to avoid disappointment. See page 34 for more information about store locations.

From the Editor Feeling swamped by all the things that need to get done in the lead up to Christmas? Staying cool, calm and collected has never been easier – even on Christmas Day – with a little planning.

If you’re having family and friends over for Christmas lunch this year, turn to page 18 for our hints for a stress-free day.

Why not try making homemade gifts, and wrapping paper for an extra special touch? We get you started on page 14.

If you’re on a mission to declutter and reorganise your home before guests arrive, start by overhauling your bathroom (page 28) and laundry (page 26).

Finally, Christmas is a time to think of others – so enjoy our feature on Bear Cottage (page 22) and show your support by purchasing some Bon Bons.

Merry Christmas!

Gil ian

Gillian Serisier Editor

QR codes

Throughout the magazine you’ll see QR codes, like the one above. To use them, download a QR reader app on your smartphone and follow the instructions.

inplace magazine 3

news

indulge

Find out more!

Go to hsw.com.au to find more handy products and gadgets – you won’t know how you lived without them for so long.

The latest Howards news

The fun way to save!

Your own cash cow!

I

n the run up to Christmas, saving your spare dollars and cents really comes into its own. A few pockets of loose change can soon add up to an extra gift to enjoy on Christmas Day. Enter the Fat Cow Money Box ($16.95 for the large, and $9.95 for the small).

These gorgeously pudgy money boxes come in great colours and will bring a smile to your face every time you deposit another coin.

Best of all, if you’ve got children, these

■ A simple solution to a common problem!

traditional money boxes with a modern twist are the perfect way to teach them that saving can be fun.

Linking pocket money to household chores is an ideal way for children to develop their work ethic and discover the satisfaction of earning something through their own efforts.

Mind you, with a Fat Cow waiting to collect their pocket money, vacuuming the house or washing the car will be a pleasure, not a chore!

Safe and found Always losing luggage or valuable items? The solution is RuMeID Luggage Tags, $29.95 for two, and Decals, $18.95 for three.

Add the decal or tag to any item that cannot afford to be lost.

Both feature unique QR codes, to be scanned by the person who has found your missing item.

Moments later you’ll receive a message telling you where your item was found! Best of all, the finder doesn’t see any of your personal information, as they simply fill in a form on the RuMeID website.

(Not available in all stores)

Scan here to see a video of RuMeID in action!

4 inplace magazine

Designed to a tee Because you can never have too many black tees, why not add the Little Black Tee Jewellery Holder ($19.95) to your collection. With more than 19 hook and loop tabs, it’s the perfect place to not only display your jewellery, but also keep it tangle free so it’s ready to wear.

The 28 clear pockets also mean that you can see all your jewellery at a glance (okay, two glances – it’s double-sided for twice as much storage!).

hsw.com.au

news

Read all about it!

Healthy cooking If crunchy, fat-free and delicious crisps that are ready in just a few minutes sound like your idea of heaven, you’ll love the New Coloured Double Decker Mastrad Top Chips Maker ($54.95). All you need to do is use the accompanying mandoline to thinly slice potatoes, sweet potato, carrots or fruit, then arrange them on the easystack, silicone trays and pop in the microwave for three to five minutes.

If you’re a home cook in need of a new chopping board, look no further than ultra-thin Mastrad Chopping Boards ($19.95 for a set of 2). The boards come in different sizes and have a blade-resistant surface, which means it’s gentler on your knives. The bright images make it easier to avoid cross contamination, with a separate board for meat, fish and vegetables.

■ Fridge/Freezer Labels, $6.95. Pack of 40 labels.

■ Black Single Deck Set with Mandoline, $39.95

New colours!

■ Print professionallooking labels at home.

Scan here to watch the Chips Maker in use Printable tags

Stuck on you This simple solution to an age-old problem is such genius, it’s a surprise that someone hasn’t come up with it sooner.

Reenberg’s Magnetic Sponge Holder ($29.95) is perfectly designed so that you can tuck away the scourer, sponge and washing-up brush on the inside of your sink! The range also includes a Magnetic Cloth Rail ($29.95). The best thing about the powerful magnets is that you won’t need any tools to install the products, so simply attach wherever you like.

Scan here to watch how easy it is to install Reenberg’s magnetic products

■ Reenberg’s Magnetic Sponge Holder ■ Reenberg’s Magnetic Cloth Rail

Create order in your house with Avery’s Kitchen Oval Labels, $12.95, Printable Tags, $17.95, and Arched Labels, $11.95. These removable labels are ideal for temporary labelling and are suitable for everything from containers in the pantry to storage boxes in the home office. The labels come in a range of shapes and styles so you can customise the labels to suit different applications. There is also a range of dry erase labels that are reuseable, which means all you need to do is write on them with a dry erase marker, wipe clean, rewrite and reuse!

Available at selected Howards stores.

Arched labels

inplace magazine 5

news

Lessons from the queen of organised!

Let there be light Tired of applying make-up or shaving in a poorly lit room? Then the iForm Suction Light-up Shaving/Makeup Mirror’s ($49.95) 12 LED lights around the mirror’s perimeter will make your morning routine much more pleasant. And because the mirror doesn’t fog up and is waterproof, you can shave while in the shower! The range also includes the iForm Suction Adjustable Arm Mirror Light ($59.95) with sophisticated LED lights.

■ Katrina and her family.

Scan the QR code to visit her blog!

K

atrina Springer, founder of the blog The Organised Housewife, has always been innately organised. But after her three children started school, she found herself with a little more spare time.

And so the idea for the blog was born!

Kat began her blog to share her ideas about being organised and, in particular, her ‘printables’, which are routine lists for kids. The lists work by ensuring that kids do things in the correct order, such as brushing their teeth before putting on their school uniform. “The need to be organised is paramount,” says Kat with a smile. So far, the lists have been a major success with parents around the world.

The other motivator for the blog was realising that her mother was a hoarder.

Now Kat blogs about coming to terms with her mother’s affliction, touching the lives of many with similar stories. “I write about what we’ve been through in the hope of helping other people to start decluttering,” she says.

“The need to be organised is paramount!”

6 inplace magazine

Kat is also a big fan of Howards and its storage solutions. “I love that there are products for the whole house – from the office to the laundry. You walk in and there’s exactly what you want and more,” says Kat. One of the first items Kat bought from Howards was a shoe rack, but her most cherished item is the elfa® Wire Basket System: “If I didn’t use it, my laundry would be a mess,” she laughs. In fact, so cherished is this system that when Kat recently bought a new washer, the criteria was that it fit around the elfa®!

To follow Kat’s story and read her tips, visit theorganisedhousewife.com.au.

■ Katrina’s beautifully designed blog.

See yourself clearly with iForm.

Building blocks for healthy kids Get your little ones pumped for playlunch with the Lego Lunch Box and Lego Drink Bottle ($19.95 each). They come in a range of bright colours, and you can be sure your child will be the envy of the school.

Available at selected Howards stores.

inplace magazine 7

gift ideas

A culinary Christmas!

The foodie in your family will be thrilled to receive any of these fantastic kitchen treats!

Turn your plate into a cake stand!

■ Enjoy perfect cookies with the Savannah Cookie Press.

Load the Savannah Cookie Press with dough and it’ll squeeze out perfectly shaped cookies. Reload with icing and have professional patterns instantly. Amazing!

■ Savannah Cookie Press $29.95, VGM0006

With cakes, presentation is everything, so bakers will love Serve it Up – a pedestal with a suction cup designed to hold a plate or bowl.

■ Serve it Up, small $29.95, ZBD8027.

Large $39.95, ZBD8026.

What’s Christmas Day without a cocktail or two? Each of these six sticks has its own recipe and measurements on it for mixing drinks quickly and easily!

■ Vacu Vin Cocktail Recipe Sticks, $14.95 for a set of 6, VLL1582.

A simple way to keep kids happy! Simply fill the Twistix with their favourite yoghurt or juice and freeze.

It’s a yummy, refreshing and healthy alternative to a fizzy drink on a hot day!

■ Twistix Set of 4 Frozen Pop Makers $14.95, PSW9965.

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www.hsw.com.au hsw.com.au

gift ideas

These multi-purpose spatulas with flexible silicone heads will make bakers smile every time they mix a cake!

Designer salt and pepper holders are always an elegant gift choice.

■ Savannah Heritage Salt and Pepper Set $49.95, VGM08517.

■ Zeal Cupcake Spatula, $14.95 each, VGM0287.

Know people who enjoy dining al fresco? Help them keep their tablecloth in place with a nifty set of corner weights.

■ Mastrad Set of 4 Table Cloth Weights $19.95, TRA06954.

If someone you know ‘hearts’ cake they’ll love this heart-shaped silicone cake tester.

■ Zeal Cake Tester $4.95, VGM0033.

These cake servers are hilarious, with the handle forming the words “I Love Cake”.

The handy silicone cover protects the blade.

Salad fans will adore this attractively presented Salad Dressing Set, which brings an extra touch of class to any table.

■ Salad Dressing Set $29.95, EIC1303.

■ Zeal Cake Server $19.95 each, VGM0016.

A fun way to serve up slices of cake!

You really can cook with love if you’re using this flexible, non-stick heartshaped silicone mould!

■ Zeal 6 Cup Heart Mould $19.95, VGM0042.

Light candles with flair using one of these soft-touch, brilliantly coloured refillable lighters.

Gas not included.

■ Zeal Lighters $7.95 each, VGM1230.

inplace magazine 9

questions and answers

Problem solved!

No matter what your concern or query, Howards’ clever and practical everyday solutions have you covered.

Q My fridge is always messy.

What can I do to organise it?

Q My blinds and wardrobe

keep getting mouldy. What would you suggest to stop this from occurring?

A The DampRid range, from $6.95, is fantastic for moisture reduction.

Place an absorber in each room, or a hanging bag in your wardrobe, and refill or replace them as you need to.

We would also suggest regularly ventilating your room and wardrobe, to help minimise this issue.

Q We’re currently renting and wondered if you could suggest a temporary solution that will help me organise my wardrobe?

Q I’m looking to reduce my eco footprint and would like to know if you could suggest some products to help me achieve this?

A Howards has a range of Ecozone products that are environmentally friendly. You could start by replacing your regular washing detergent with Ecozone Ecoballs 150, $34.95. They are 100% hypoallergenic and reusable for up to 150 washes.

You can also reduce your electricity usage by doing away with your clothes dryer and replacing it with an airer. It’s not only better for the environment, but is also kinder on your budget.

A Howards has a fabulous new product called the neatfreak Closetmax Wardrobe System. It hangs from your existing rail to provide modular durable storage. Components can be combined to double your hanging space or create shelves to help you better organise your wardrobe. We also have great kids designs to keep the little ones happy!

A One simple and inexpensive product that can help you quickly overhaul your fridge is the Marie Fridge Basket ($4.95 for a small or $6.95 for a large). These baskets are the perfect storage solution for grouping sauces, jams and other items scattered around the fridge. When you want a certain item, pull the basket out, select, then slide it back in, so that nothing disappears at the back of the shelf.

Over the course of a year, you’ll save money and time by reducing your food waste and better managing your fridge inventory.

“Regularly ventilating your wardrobe and room will minimise moisture issues as well as mould growth”

Q I’m worried about sending my kids to school with meat sandwiches or sushi as I think they won’t be kept cold enough. What do you suggest to keep lunches cold?

A Howards has Fridge-To-Go Lunch Bags, from $29.95, with removable chilling panels, which can keep contents cool for up to eight hours. They come in a range of colours and sizes. Also available are the new Cool Gear Freeze & Lock Containers, from $5.95, to keep your food cool and fresh.

If you have a problem that you would like to have solved by the Howards team, post it on our Facebook page! We’ll answer as many as we can, and print the best questions next issue!

10 inplace magazine

hsw.com.au

column

In an

Organised Fashion with Sue Blake

Professional organiser Sue Blake quashes the perfection demon in a moment of clarity.

T

he sight of it stops me dead in my tracks. Shoppers flow past me like water swirling around a boulder in a stream. I feel faintly nauseous and stifle the desire to scream. It’s the last week in August and I am standing in a major department store… and the Christmas decorations are out. I am so outraged that I briefly contemplate starting a Facebook group ‘Consumers Against Excessively Early Christmas Promotion’.

After talking to clients and friends, I find that I am not alone. Those decorations were a tangible reminder of stress waiting in the wings to enter centre stage. For those responsible for the planning, the cooking, the buying and the cleaning, Christmas can become a frenetic, overheated season.

Research indicates that preparing for the average family Christmas takes about

perfection is the enemy of organisation and can even induce paralysis. My Christmas bliss benchmark appears to have been raised by those soft-focus shots of perfectly groomed families, laughing around an exquisitely trimmed, colour coordinated tree. It’s time to review my demands… of myself.

Several years ago, I significantly downsized the Christmas card list. I now send cards to a handful of people I don’t normally see, but wish to keep in touch with and fill the card with personal, hand-written snippets of news. As a result, Australia Post suffered a severe financial blow, but I send and receive more meaningful cards.

Christmas is not meant to be a stressful occasion but a celebration. There is no amount of organisation that can

This Christmas, my focus is on choosing thoughtful gifts that delight and enjoying time with others, for often the best present we can give is to BE present.

To listen with attention, to engage with those we love, and to be generously present to friends and family can be the most memorable gift of all.

Wishing you all a stressless Christmas.

Sue

“This Christmas, my focus is on enjoying time with others, for often the best present we can give is to BE present ” 13 days. Who’s got two spare weeks for Christmas preparation? No one I know… we just squeeze it into our already busy lives. The trouble is the combination of a deadline and the desire to please others ratchets anxiety. Add to that a dash of disorganisation and it’s a recipe for disaster.

Once reason reasserts itself, I ponder my reaction. I am reluctantly forced to admit I may be suffering from the same condition as many of my clients: Perfectionitis. In my experience,

overcome excessive expectations. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Ten years from now no one will remember if the house was immaculate, but they will remember if I ruined the day by being overly tired and grumpy. I resolve to downsize the ‘doing’ and increase my engagement levels with others.

A critical part of the process of organising is setting the goal, choosing a focus, being clear about the objective, be it for your home, your time or your life.

Sue Blake is an accredited Professional Organiser. To read more of her articles and for inspiration on getting organised, go to www.organisedfashion.com.au. inplace magazine 11

different by design

Storage or art?

Useful storage and interesting design comes together perfectly in these sculptural bookcases.

W

hat happens when your passion for a large, bovine-based sculpture clashes with your need for book storage and a limited amount of space?

Luckily, two designers from Brazil are all over this beefy problem and have created the rather stunning Vaco, a spectacular cow-shaped bookcase.

Sustainably made from recycled materials, the Vaco – which is named after the Spanish word for cow – began life as a design project; all materials were sourced from a cooperative that turns waste paper into plate-like surfaces.

However, it has already won a bevy of prizes for its creators Dennys Tormen and Glauco Bernardes (including the inaugural Brazilian Sustainable Design Competition), which just adds to each bookcase's appeal.

In fact, the Vaco is just one example of a

current trend for unique bookcase designs in deliberately unusual shapes.

"Designers like taking something small and basic and playing with it, and there’s nothing much more basic than a bookcase," says Alex Johnson, author of a new book on the topic, Bookshelf, plus a blog dedicated to novel storage solutions: theblogonthebookshelf.blogspot.com.au.

One might have presumed that, with the advent of the e-book, the days of the bookshelf were numbered. In reality, readers are now taking as much interest in the furniture that houses their libraries as the books themselves; if the titles in your collection are a reflection of your personality, then so too is the design of your bookshelf.

With storage solutions as udderly fascinating as this, long may this amusing moovement continue! ■ inplace

"Readers are now taking as much interest in their bookcases as the books themselves"

Head space...

Artist Nicola Lanzenberg has been incorporating furniture into her large works for some time.

To date, head-shaped couches, torso cabinets and foot-shaped foot stools have all been counted among her, ahem, body of work.

The piece above, Library Head, was designed to commemorate Bastille Day – the revolution in 1790 when the French beheaded their monarchy. It is a superb piece that functions perfectly as a bookshelf while presenting as a large sculptural form.

■ Sculptures that offer storage solutions.

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hsw.com.au

small people

inplace magazine 13

craft ideas

Did You Know?

The first Christmas card was created by John Calcott Horsley in 1843. He sent it to Sir Henry Cole, the friend who had given him the idea!

Bring back the joy of years gone by with some of these splendid festive ideas.

A hint of

tradition

A

s life becomes ever-more frenetic, it’s sometimes nice to put on the brakes, stop for a moment and think back to the traditional Christmases we grew up with.

Remember the childhood joys of making a Christmas card for someone you loved?

Well, why not get your creative juices flowing again this Christmas and impress family and friends by adding thoughtful personal touches to one-off cards and wrapping paper.

To make your own wrapping paper, start with a large sheet of plain white paper, and go from there! A simple wrapping paper design could, for example, feature a potato print of hearts or stars. You can make potato prints by cutting a pattern into half a large potato, painting the raised surface and applying it directly onto the paper. It’s a great task for the kids to join in with.

Perhaps use stickers to spell out a name or, for a little extra pizzazz, add 14 inplace magazine

Potato prints make for great wrapping paper!

some glitter (one tip though, glitter gets everywhere, so it’s usually best applied post wrapping!)

To make old-fashioned gift tags, cut a white card into rectangles – ensure that they are slightly larger than manufactured tags, for a generous touch. Punch a hole through one end of the card and thread with ribbon.

“What you create is only limited by your imagination , so just give in to the pleasure of making something by hand ” Run glue around the edge of your card and dip into red, green or gold glitter.

Alternatively, pull out your pens and get artistic. Holly is very easy to draw as are simple Christmas trees. Your friends and family will be too thrilled by your effort to judge the accuracy of your drawing!

Hand-painted cards are beautiful and a real gift of love. Start with a colour wash or some vibrant stripes as your background before building on this. What you create is only limited by your imagination, so just give in to the pleasure of making something festive by hand! hsw.com.au

craft ideas

Preserving old ways Homemade gifts are, of course, a glorious way to wish someone a Merry Christmas.

For those of us who live in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s a tad too hot to give the gift of a lovingly knitted Christmas jumper.

However, it is the perfect time of year for preserving fruits and making jam!

Let your inner chef shine through as you play with new flavour combinations, or you can always stick to tried and tested favourites that everyone loves – from raspberry and plum jam to strawberry and cherry jam. Summer is the season for stone fruits and berries, so – while you’re assembling a batch of preserves for friends and family – why not make enough to see you through to the following year too.

For a little help with this task, you may wish to make short work of pitting cherries with the Chefn Cherry Pitter, $19.95. After all that effort you’ll also want to ensure that the presentation of your jams and preserves is as beautiful as the contents within. The answer is Mason Preserving Jars, from $17.95 for a set of six.

If cooking isn’t your thing, but you love the idea of giving someone a homemade gift, try filling beautiful glass jars with tea.

Venezia Glass Canisters, from $9.95, are perfect for this. A jar of carefully selected tea, paired with a teapot or cup and saucer, make ideal gift sets for tea lovers!

Get crafty

Scan here for 26 more Christmas arts and crafts ideas!

Let the games begin After your Christmas meal, in the short window before the kids start asking to play with their new Xbox, why not see if you can get them drawn into some of these traditional Christmas games!

Celebrity heads To start, jot down the names of authors, celebrities, politicians, historical figures, sports stars, royalty or cartoon characters on enough name tags for each of your guests. If you want to set a theme, tie the chosen names to that theme. Stick one tag on each person’s forehead, so they can’t see who they are.

Each person then takes it in turn to ask up to 20 ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions to try and figure out who they are. Add a contemporary twist that makes it tough on the adults and easy on the kids by including their favourite singers rather than yours.

The vicar’s cat Each person takes his or her turn to describe and name ‘the vicar’s cat’, using letters of the alphabet in order. For example, the first player might say: ‘The vicar’s cat is arrogant and his name is Albert’ and the next may continue with: ‘The vicar’s cat is belligerent and her name is Bessie’. Keep going until a player hesitates for too long, then they have to drop out or – to stay in the game – do a forfeit chosen by the previous player.

■ Chefn Cherry Pitter $19.95, CPS1005.

In the frame Provide an empty picture frame (or one cut from cardboard) for each player to hold in front of his or her face. The player holding the frame must stay completely stony-faced for a whole minute while the other players try to make him or her laugh.

This is a great game to play with younger children, as it’s so simple. Remember though, tickling is cheating!

Draw the carol You’ll need about 15 slips of paper, each with the name of a Christmas carol on it.

Opposite sides of the table each comprise a team. The team member who goes first takes a slip of paper and, on a separate piece of paper, starts drawing the carol, trying to get his/her teammates to guess the name of the song. No letters, words or symbols are allowed. You may want to use a timer, and ask each team to sing a verse of the carol when they get the answer.

Chinese whispers Start with a silly sentence and whisper it to the person sitting next to you. They whisper it to their neighbour and so on until it reaches the last person, who announces the message to the group.

As the message is passed on words get scrambled and the end result can be hilariously different from the original. Try: Lady Gaga goes shopping for holsters and hipsters in Harrods!

■ Venezia Glass Canisters from $9.95 each, EIC2864.

■ Mason Preserving Jars, from $17.95 for a set of 6, DNE5310.

inplace magazine 15

recipe

■ Showcase fresh summer produce for Christmas lunch.

Deep-sea delight Anthony Redondi gets festive and cooks up barbecue scampi – perfect for Christmas lunch.

C

hristmas in Australia is the perfect time to flex your barbecue muscles.

For something a little different from the usual sausages and steak, why not take advantage of the season's fresh seafood? Think fresh, succulent whole fish cooked with lemon and thyme, skewered prawns or, if you're feeling particularly generous, spoil family and friends with a lobster or two!

The Head Chef at Aqua Dining, Anthony Redondi, has stepped out of his kitchen above the North Sydney pool, overlooking Sydney Harbour, to share his favourite barbecue dishes with inplace readers. This dish is scrumptious, looks appetising and is perfect for Christmas with its red and green accents. Buon appetito!

Making the salad first gives the flavours time to infuse

d and gremolata salsa Barbecue scampi with potato, roast capsicum sala Ingred ients

1 large red capsicum 1 large yellow capsicum 2 small garlic cloves 2 lemons 1 bunch oregano Extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper 1 bunch parsley leaves 4 medium cocktail potatoes 12 scampi, split in half

Me thod

Roast capsicum salad

Place capsicums over an open fire or on a grill until skins have blackened all over.

Remove and rub off burnt skin with paper towels. Quarter, deseed, roughly dice into

16 inplace magazine

1cm x 1cm pieces and place in a bowl. Finely dice ½ garlic clove and add to capsicums.

Cut the cheek s off lemons and reserve them for when you're plating up. Peel the lemon skins with as little pith as possible, then set aside for the salsa. Juice lemons, add 10ml of juice to capsicums, and reserve the remainder for the salsa.

Add 10 finely chopped oregano leaves, 50ml extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to the capsicum salad, mix well and set aside.

Gremolata salsa

Into a blender, add 1 garlic clove, parsley leaves, lemon skin and remaining juice.

Blend quickly while drizzling in enough olive oil to bring all the ingredients together. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.

Potatoes

Thinly slice potatoes lengthways (this helps to reduce cooking time). Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle on oil.

Cook on both sides over a hot chargrill for a couple of minutes on each side or until tender. Remove and set aside.

Scampi

Season scampi with salt and pepper, and drizzle on oil. Place on a chargrill, flesh side down, and cook for 60 seconds.

Turn and cook for another 60 seconds.

Plate up

Arrange scampi on a serving plate. Place potato on the side and top with capsicum salad. Scatter stirred gremolata on scampi.

Serve with lemon cheek s. ■ inplace

www.hsw.com.au

interview

About Anthony Having previously worked at Aqua Dining as the Sous Chef, before moving onto Trattoria La Vigna as Head Chef and then the Stamford Hotel in Circular Quay as Executive Chef, Anthony has happily returned to Aqua Dining as Head Chef. “I try to use natural produce to its maximum potential,” says Anthony, summing up his cooking philosophy and the basis for this delectable recipe.

Tools of the trade The head barbecue chef in your household will love this fabulous 9-piece BBQ Tool Set, $49.95. It comes in a smart aluminium case so it's the perfect Christmas present for anyone who takes their barbecuing seriously!

Of course, basting is the key to ensuring meat, poultry and seafood stays succulent on the barbie. So whether you have a juicy chop or fresh piece of fish to cook, a Zeal Basting Brush, $9.95, will help you to create a sensational meal. The brush also stays cool in your hand no matter how hot the barbie gets.

Nothing complements seafood like a delicious, homemade condiment, and the Mastrad Mayo Maker, $29.95, makes preparing this all-time favourite a breeze.

Finally, a real barbecue innovation are these silicon-tipped, stainless steel Zeal Skewers, $4.95 each.

Not only are they heat resistant up to 315ºC, but they are also dishwasher safe, which means they won’t discolour or fade and will always look fantastic!

■ All the utensils a BBQ master needs to cook up a storm.

inplace magazine 17

be prepared

Christmas checklist 10 things to do before the big day.

Ready, set, go

Stock the pantry for Christmas Make sure you have ample crackers, chips, soft drinks, wine, beer, treats, napkins, condiments, nuts and mineral water. Store the tempting items out of sight and reach until the party begins.

Plan your Christmas lunch 6 Finalise your Christmas menu well in advance, and ensure you have all the recipes and ingredients you’re going to need. With so many great recipes on the internet, it’s time to move your iPad to the kitchen with a Claude Recipe/iPad holder, $39.95.

Get prepared 7 Check salad and cake servers, cutting boards, as well as baking and serving dishes. If anything isn’t up to the task or is looking tired, upgrade! Joseph Joseph Cut & Carve, from $29.95, is perfect for carving a roast and comes in festive red or green. It’s non-slip and collects juices to go in your gravy.

Create a time plan 8 Enjoy your Christmas Day more by taking control of your time. A plan will ensure that you are serving up at the right time and all the elements come together.

Clean the barbecue 9 Double check that your BBQ lighter works, that you have enough coals and the gas bottles have been topped up.

Relax!

10 Build in some for yourself. You want to make sure that you’re not exhausted come Christmas Day! ■ inplace

5

Decorate A pine branch festooned with holly or pine cones will introduce a Christmas aroma to your home. Also, check in advance that your Christmas decorations are still presentable and fairy lights are in working order.

Make space 2 If you haven’t already stored away your quilts and parkas, then now is the time. Take advantage of sunny days to clean and dry items before packing them down to one-third of their size with the Space Bag range, from $11.95.

Prepare your guest room 3 If you’re expecting guests for Christmas, it’s time to restore this room to a welcoming state. To give your guests some hanging space, choose from Howards range of hanging racks.

Clear out the pantry 4 Throw out food that’s out of date, anything you don’t recognise and half-eaten items before you do a big shop for Christmas. This allows you to see what you have in stock, so you’re not buying things you don’t need.

1

18 inplace magazine

With what seems like a million things to do and as many visitors to cater for, being creative with your gifts can sometimes feel like a step too far.

Fortunately, gift sets are the perfect solution. Who wouldn’t be thrilled with a macaron or crepe and pancake set, especially when it comes with every utensil you need to get cooking?

From a shopper’s perspective, it’s a real time saver. Not only do you know that everything in the gift set is of the highest quality and designed to match perfectly, it also saves you traipsing from shop to shop gathering all the individual elements together.

These gift sets from Mastrad are perfect.

Buy them now, store them safely and you’ll have a collection of amazing gifts for all the closest people in your life. Best of all, you’ll be able to enjoy their delicious kitchen creations for years to come!

■ Mastrad KidsChef Kit, $49.95 ■ Mastrad Macaron Gift Set, $59.95 ■ Mastrad Crepe and Pancake Set, $79.95

Perfect your flip ping technique with this pancake set hsw.com.au

inplace magazine 19

family fun

Shore thing

play it safe For a fun family day at the beach, swim between the red and yellow flags, ensure the kids are supervised by an adult who can swim, and prevent sunburn by wearing sunscreen.

A day at the beach is a popular pastime, so carefully consider what to pack for an enjoyable outing.

T

o ensure your day at the beach is as perfect as the weather, freeze a few cooler bag inserts and Cool Gear Freeze & Lock lids, from $5.95, the night before. These will ensure your lunch, snacks and drinks stay cool and fresh all day.

When you're thinking about what foods to prepare for a lunch at the beach, remember that you'll be surrounded by sand, so make sure foods are simple, filling and easy to assemble. For example, if you are preparing a chicken salad, pre-make the salad and divide into individual servings, so all you'll need to do is pour on the dressing and serve.

Kids burn more energy at the beach than when they're at home, so always pack extra supplies for lunch – which can come in handy if someone drops theirs in the sand. Chilled sushi rolls are a great option,

especially if you make them using your favourite ingredients using the Leifheit Perfect Roll, $21.95.

If you want to be 100% certain that your sushi will stay fridge cold all day, pack them in a Fridge-to-Go Cool Tote, $59.95, which stays cool for up to eight hours.

Choosing the right snacks to take are also essential, so keep healthier options

“Kids burn more energy at the beach than when they're at home , so always pack extra supplies for lunch”

such as fruits, nuts and muesli bars on hand. To save yourself having to make numerous trips to the shops, pack extra drinks. There's nothing refreshing about warm juice or water on a hot day, so you'll want to make sure your drinks stay cool.

The freezer stick in the Cool Gear Infusion Bottle, $12.95, helps to keep drinks cool, while the Contigo Autoseal Travel Mug, $29.95, keeps contents cold for up to 12 hours, even on the hottest day!

When you're preparing for a day at the beach, get everyone involved in loading up one Tubtrug, from $7.95, with towels and toys and another with food and drinks.

Each Tubtrug comes in a cool range of colours, and is virtually indestructible. When it's time to call it a day, place wet swimmers and towels in the Tubtrug. ■ inplace

Includes a zip ped internal pocket – perfect for keys!.

Th e ess en tials: Swimmers and goggles Towels Hats, sun shirt and sunglasses Sun shade/tent

Freeze the lid to keep lunch fresh and cool

Sunblock – make sure it’s not out of date Tubtrug, from $7.95 Cooler Bag Tote, $59.95 Food and drinks Napkins or wet wipes

A freezer stick keeps drinks cold ■ Fridge-to-Go Cooler Bag Tote $59.95, FTG1600.

Freeze & Lock containers from $5.95, ZAK1230.

The Contigo Autoseal Travel Mug $29.95, ZLS5080, and Cool Gear Infusion Bottle $12.95, ZAK10407.

20 inplace magazine

Surf board, boogie board, buckets/spades, ball

Cool Gear Freeze & Lock food storage containers, from $5.95 Safety pins for keys

hsw.com.au

small people

inplace magazine 21

bear cottage

■ Happy, smiling kids are the first thing you see when at Bear Cottage.

Care Bear Howards has been supporting Bear Cottage children's hospice for nine years. Here's why…

I

t's an unusual experience walking into Bear Cottage for the first time. Most people spend a moment outside, composing themselves, before shuffling through the door. After all, can there be anything more moving than the concept of a children's hospice?

That's why it's so surprising, so uplifting, that the first thing you're likely to hear is laughter and the happy shouts of kids playing games and having fun.

Despite all the connotations that go with the word 'hospice', Bear Cottage is a cheerful place full of bright colours and the soft, comforting atmosphere of home. There's no stark wards here. Instead it's a home away from home for terminally ill kids and their families. The PlayStation areas and craft zones are a hive of activity, the toy room is

The strength of the parents and the unconditional love that they give to these kids is inspiring and amazing. I walk away every day feeling so positive that we have been able to make a difference to the families. Narelle Martin

22 inplace magazine

overflowing with gizmos, and lounge rooms are crammed with teddy bears.

"We try to make it welcoming and friendly for the families while they are here," says Narelle Martin, Nursing Unit Manager, who has been with Bear Cottage since it opened in Manly, NSW, in 2001. "We get to know these kids, and their families, pretty well, becoming a part of their extended family,” she says. It's a difficult job, but one that Narelle finds very rewarding: "You get so much inspiration from being with these kids and their families. The strength and resilience that these children show, when faced with such a diverse range of conditions, is truly amazing."

However, Bear Cottage would cease to exist if it wasn't for the kindness of strangers, hard-working volunteers and generous members of the public.

Howards Storage World's relationship with Bear Cottage has been a long-standing one, with the hospice being the company's charity of choice for the past nine years.

“It was Sir Winston Churchill who once reminded us that ‘We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give’,” says Dirk Spence, CEO of Howards. “It’s in

■ Each bed at Bear Cottage has a unique and beautiful quilt.

hsw.com.au

bear cottage

■ Frankie, the resident labrador, knows exactly how to cheer up the kids.

■ Every child is given the very best care, love and attention.

"You just get so much inspiration from being with these kids and their families" this spirit that it makes us very proud at Howards Storage World to focus our fundraising effort behind Bear Cottage. Over the past 12 months, in excess of $100,000 has been raised through the sale of Bags for a Bear, Pocket Pads, Bonbons, Sample Sales and group participation in the City2Surf in Sydney. I salute our stores, suppliers, group office and customers who have so generously put their energy and money behind this incredibly worthwhile cause,” he adds.

It was a touching and inspirational visit to Bear Cottage that spurred Ann Percival of Shellharbour HSW to decide that she could do even more to help the charity. During her visit, she noticed that every bed in each of the rooms had a beautiful quilt on it. “Each child is given a quilt when they arrive at Bear Cottage," explains Ann. "They keep the same quilt for the whole time they are there, so each time they visit they have the same familiar quilt – something unique to

■ A warm and welcoming place that exists thanks to generous donations from the public.

Living life to the absolute full

Music is a big part of the day-to-day world of Bear Cottage, as are extraordinary surprises – such as celebrity visits.

“We had a beautiful little boy who was towards the end of his life. He loved cooking, so we got Fast Ed (pictured above) to come in," recalls Nursing Unit Manager Narelle Martin.

"They spent the afternoon cooking cupcakes. They were in their own little zone, and the smile on the boy's face beat anything else. Who needs pain management when you have Fast Ed in the kitchen with you? There was this child on everything for pain and it all went out with delight at what he was doing.”

It's a day that Fast Ed remembers fondly, too: "The chance to hang out with Larry at Bear Cottage was a real treat for me. He was so sure of himself and really loved to cook. I guess I was most impressed by his exceptional poise – for all that his body was going through, he was happy, positive and really dived into the experience."

inplace magazine 23

bear cottage ■ A selection of the qui lts made by the ladies of Stitch 'n Bitch.

them. Then, when they pass, the family can keep the quilt as a poignant reminder of their child and the positive time they had at Bear Cottage.”

With this image firmly fixed in her mind, Ann approached her sewing circle (the brilliantly named Stitch 'n Bitch) and proposed that they take up quilting for Bear Cottage. Her friends loved the idea and, so far, have created five sensational quilts.

The quilts are based on traditional designs with a modern twist, including bright colours. And while designs can take anywhere from a few days to a few years to make, depending on intricacies and technique, Ann reveals that it’s a whole lot of fun. “We all have a good

Learn more!

Scan here to discover more about Bear Cottage and Howards.

time together. There's lots of laughter and everyone has been really motivated knowing it’s for the kids.”

Thanks to social media, word of the good work of Bear Cottage is starting to spread. Julie Oxenbridge, also of Shellharbour HSW, first started raising funds for Bear Cottage after following the plight of Talin Hawkins on Facebook every day until he passed away just after his sixth birthday.

Julie was so touched and inspired by Talin's story that she began fundraising for Bear Cottage through Paddle For Life with great results. “I’ve raised $5,520 in five weeks, so I’m pretty stoked," she says. "Talin was only little. I’ve got a seven-year-old daughter, so it really hit home – you take your life for granted, you really do.”

For the special kids of Bear Cottage, and their families, it's good to know that there is a team of kind people who make sure that every life, no matter how short, is celebrated. ■ inplace

Five ways you can help Bear Cottage!

Donate a toy

The toy room is always a place of joy, as you might expect given that it's filled to the brim with some amazing toys. To help keep Bear Cottage up-to-date with the latest and greatest, donate a new toy. (For health reasons, Bear Cottage is unable to accept second-hand toys.)

Give some money

It takes $2.5m every year to run Bear Cottage. With no government funding, Bear Cottage totally relies on the generosity of the community. Visit the Bear Cottage website for some great ways to make a donation. (Donations over $2 are tax deductible.)

Volunteer your time Bon bons from HSW Bear Cottage relies heavily on a fabulous team of volunteers to assist with the smooth day-to-day running of the house.

Volunteers complement the professional staff by providing practical support to the children and families during their stay.

Even the simple decision of where to buy your bon bons this Christmas can make a difference – in fact, a big difference, with all profits from each packet of Howards bon bons going to Bear Cottage!

Start quilting

To learn more about Bear Cottage and the vast number of ways you can make a difference, simply visit their website at bearcottage.chw.edu.au or call (02) 9976 8300.

Create your very own quilting group to sew beautiful quilts for the children, while having a lot of fun.

24 inplace magazine

e ■ Bear Cottage is a plac of joy for many children.

Buy a bon bon!

You can help Howards raise money for Bear Cottage by purchasing our premium Christmas bon bons.

They are available separately or in pack of six mixed designs. Each bon bon contains one metallic trinket, a joke and paper hat.

Bon bons are available at selected stores.

They cost $4.95 each or $14.95 for a pack of six. All profits go to Bear Cottage.

hsw.com.au

inplace magazine 25

home laundry

My Beautiful Laundrette If you want to know the secret to an efficient laundry, who better to ask than the professionals?

W

hen you want to improve your fitness level, you enlist the help of a personal trainer; if you want your car to run smoothly, you take it to a mechanic; and if you want your laundry to operate like a well-oiled machine, it makes sense to get advice for creating a professional at-home laundry system from some of the best laundrette operators in Australia.

Nicky Clark, owner and operator of Darwin’s famous Parap Laundrette, explains the basics of setting up a laundry: “Ideally, everything should be located in the same line,” she says. The washing machine and dryer need to sit side by side or with one stacked above the other. This will help you quickly transfer wet clothes from the washer into the dryer. Next, ensure your folding table is positioned beside the washing machine and dryer, and that there is a rack from which to hang clothes above the table. To finish the system, keep the iron and ironing board next to the folding table.

Once your clothes are dry, acting quickly is important. “Fold your clothes straightaway, and don’t let them sit as they will start to wrinkle,” stresses Nicky.

Her other great tip is to keep a soaking bucket under the folding table. “If you have a fresh stain on your clothes, don’t put it straight in the washing machine.

Instead, allow it to soak in water or stain remover for two to three hours.”

Princes Laundry Services has been catering to the Melbourne hospitality 26 inplace magazine

“If you have a fresh stain on your clothes, allow it to soak in water or stain remover” industry’s laundering needs for more than 100 years and currently launders 100 tonnes of linen each day. One integral part of the process is sorting.

As Princes manager Warwick Brown explains: “We place everything onto a conveyer belt, then we sort to ensure we categorise the products into the right bins. Sorting colours from the whites is essential, and heavily soiled items get a special wash.”

Video link!

Scan here to see our organised laundry video.

Most homes won’t be laundering nearly as much as this, but the basic principles of sorting remain valid. Use a set of laundry baskets for white, black and coloured clothes and linen. Sorting, once the laundry has been washed and dried, is just as important, and while Princes has this automated, creating a system at home is as simple as having a dedicated shelf containing a basket for each family member and one for linens. ■ inplace hsw.com.au

home laundry

■ Streamline your laundry and create your own system with easy-build.

Follow this expert advice for a stunning home laundry. ❑❑Set up a sorting

system with a 3 Divider Laundry Cart, from $69.95.

Encourage your family to place their whites, colours and delicates in the appropriate baskets. ❑❑A plastic soak bucket is essential if you need to shift stubborn stains. ❑❑Detergents, stain removers, vinegar, whiteners and fabric softeners should be kept together on a shelf that is easily accessible, yet out of reach of children. ❑❑The washing machine and dryer need to be close enough to move clothing between them with little effort. ❑❑A folding table, with a hanging rack near by, and close to the dryer, can reduce ironing as hot clothes that are immediately folded or hung eliminates wrinkles. ❑❑Have a dedicated shelf for sorted clothing and linen baskets.

Take a load off Now that you’ve finished streamlining your laundry, here are a few products that can make washing, whitening, stain removing, ironing and folding more enjoyable (well, slightly easier at the very least).

■ ■ ■

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Ecozone Dryer Balls, $17.95 for a set of 2.

Elite White Magic Original Eraser Block, $4.95.

Ecozone Ecoballs Refill Pellets, $24.95 for 180 pellets.

Ecozone Ecoballs 150, $34.95.

Ecozone Pure Oxygen Whitener, $9.95.

Ecozone Laundry Stain Remover, $10.95.

Exit Pre-wash Stain Remover, $6.95.

Adjustable Ironing Rack, $69.95.

A must-have height-adjustable ironing rack

Simple tips to go green in your laundry. ❑❑Only start a wash cycle when you have a full load.

❑❑Instead of fabric softener, use ¼ cup of white vinegar.

❑❑Instead of traditional washing

powder, use Ecozone Ecoballs 150, $34.95, which last 150 washes. ❑❑Hang items out to dry or use an airer instead of the dryer, whenever possible. ❑❑Ecozone Dryer Balls, $17.95 for a set of 2, reduce drying time and save energy. ❑❑Replace bleach with an environmentally friendly whitener, such as Ecozone Pure Oxygen Whitener, $9.95.

inplace magazine 27

everloc

Guest ready!

Make your bathroom look fantastic and more organised in minutes with Everloc.

H

aving enough storage around the bath and shower is often a problem.

In any other room you'd put in a shelf, problem solved. However, in the bathroom, tiles can make such a simple fix incredibly difficult. That's why Everloc is so clever.

The Everloc range now uses a unique patented Push n Lock suction system to cleanly and easily attach to a wide array of surfaces including tiles, mirrors, glass and laminate.

No drills, no screwing and no damage.

Many people are already familiar with the Everloc range and its collection of caddies and shelves, ideal for giving any bathroom a quick facelift.

However, now Everloc has taken another big step forward with the introduction of two new ranges. The new 'Endure' range, is made out of stainless steel and the 'Solutions' range is chrome plated steel.

The new, sleek design is cutting-edge and well able to withstand the rigours of bathroom use, thanks to innovations such as a new weld/joining process that is designed to resist soap scum build up.

It's a stunning solution for renters as the Everloc range can be fitted without causing any damage and removed without leaving a residue – ready for reuse elsewhere. Now you can take your bespoke bathroom set-up from home to home!

People who really like to load up on bathroom products will love Everloc too, as Everloc’s superior load-bearing ability means each suction cup can support from 8kg to 15kg, depending on size. More than enough for an average shower's worth of pampering.

Of course, the Everloc range isn't just about the things you need nearby when you're in the bath or shower.

28 inplace magazine

"It's a stunning solution for renters as the Everloc range can be fitted without causing any damage and removed without residue" An Everloc Hairdryer Holder is perfect for storing your hairdryer. As well as being convenient, the Hairdryer Holder is designed with a hook at the bottom to ensure the cord stays neatly tucked away. There's also a similar product for hair straighteners.

You can house toothbrushes in an Everloc Dental Station, while the area around your toilet can be treated to a breath of fresh air

with an Everloc Toilet Brush and Holder, an Everloc Toilet Roll Refill Holder and an Everloc Toilet Roll Holder.

As well as looking great, the added benefit of the Everloc suction system is that the caddies and shelves are height adjustable and can be reused.

So, now your bathroom looks fabulous, why not give your kitchen a lift! ■ inplace hsw.com.au

everloc Bathroom bliss!

The secret to having a neat and tidy bathroom that you'd be happy to show off to guests is all about organisation and ensuring that everything has a place.

A Dental Station, $34.95

D Hair Straightener Holder, $34.95

C 2 Small Hooks, $17.95

B Towel Ring, $19.95

E Hairdryer Holder, $34.95

A Everloc Solutions Dental Station, $34.95. Toothbrushes and toothpaste need to be within easy reach, so keep them in this dedicated container near the sink.

B Everloc Solutions Towel Ring, $19.95. Never suffer from a towel rail being just a little too far away from the shower or bath again!

C Everloc Solutions 2 Small Hooks,

$17.95. Hang anything up to 8kg – inside your home or outside!

■ The new Everloc Endure stainless steel range.

D Everloc Solutions Hair Straightener

Holder, $34.95. Stow straighteners in a holder for safe cooling after use.

F Everloc Endure Soap Holder, $19.95. Store your soap in style!

G Everloc Endure Utensils Cup and Holder, $24.95. Perfect for toothbrushes.

H Everloc Solutions Toilet Roll Holder,

$44.95 Keep toilet rolls off the bathroom floor with this great idea.

A unified set of accessories adds a luxurious finish to the bathroom!

F

H

E Everloc Solutions Hairdryer

■ Round Shelf, $49.95

Holder, $34.95. Solve the problem of unruly cords with this hairdryer holder which includes a hook for the lead.

G

■ Double Corner Basket, $64.95

■ Shelf, $49.95

Lock it in ■ Corner Basket, $39.95

Scan here to see the Everloc range on the Howards website. inplace magazine 29

travel

Mountains of fun Not excited by another hot summer? Maybe it’s time to pack up the skis and hit the snow…

V

ery few places on the planet offer such a magnificent sensory difference between summer and winter as the Alps.

With some of the best snow in the world, Europe’s longest mountain range is the spiritual home of all winter sports – whether it’s skiing in Chamonix, France, or riding a bobsleigh in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Yet, as spring pushes into summer the entire Alps region takes on a whole new, identity. Thermal jackets give way to T-shirts and, suddenly, places that were completely impenetrable just weeks before become

30 inplace magazine

home to hiking, hang gliding and spinning round singing hits from The Sound of Music.

For Australians looking to escape the heat of summer Down Under, a white Christmas is guaranteed – but where to stay? After all, the Alps are nothing if not expansive, stretching approximately 1,120km across seven countries from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, France to the west and Italy and Monaco in the south.

Many of the most famous resorts – including Oberstdorf in Bavaria, Saalbach in Austria,

Davos in Switzerland, Chamonix in France, and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy – record in excess of a million annual visitors, driving up the prices over winter.

The trick is to look at staying in the towns and villages that surround the main hub. For example, Ste-Foy in France is where residents of Val d’Isère go to escape the pressures of thousands of holidaymakers descending upon their resort. It’s a neat, modern, chalet-style resort at the foot of a small, but interesting, ski area, which offers plenty of piste and off-piste routes to keep skiers of all levels happy.

hsw.com.au

travel

“Europe’s longest mountain range is the spiritual home of all winter sports”

GETTING THERE

Where to stay: Hotels and chalets are plentiful. Some of the more designsavvy hideaways include the Jean Nouvel-designed The Hotel in Lucerne, the-hotel.ch, in Switzerland; Hotel Madlein in Ischgl, ischglmadlein.com, in Austria; and Vigilius Mountain Resort, vigilius.it, in Italy.

How to get there: There are direct flights to Europe from Australia on a range of carriers. The best airports for access to the Alps include Grenoble for Chamonix, Zurich for Davos and St. Moritz, and Innsbruck for GarmischPartenkirchen, St. Anton and Seefeld.

Where to eat: Zermatt, a Swiss town at the base of the Matterhorn mountain, is famed for having the best mountain restaurants – from top-quality haute cuisine to traditional Swiss food. Lunch on the beautiful sun terrace at Chez Vrony where great mountain cheese and genuine Buendnerfleisch (air-dried beef) are on the menu. chezvrony.ch.

Mind you, if high-octane activity isn’t your thing, the region is also renowned for its nature-based spa therapies, from hay wraps to skin-smoothing milk baths. One of the best spas – if you can afford to rub shoulders with the likes of Prince Albert of Monaco – is located at the Rosa Alpina Hotel & Spa (rosalpina.it) in the Dolomites.

As for the food, well, it very much depends on which country you’re in. But whether it’s South Tyrolean smoked bacon in Italy or a chocolate Sachertorte in Austria it’ll be very much like the view out of the window: spectacular. ■ inplace

■ South Tyrolean smoked bacon is totally delicious.

■ The Alps offer an entirely different experience once the snow has melted.

inplace magazine 31

décor

The Gift of Love If you want to give your homemade gifts a luxurious twist, look no further than Décor.

I

f you've been inspired by our ideas on pages 14 and 15 and decided to give the gift of homemade treats to family and friends for Christmas, you'll know that the packaging is as important as the contents.

So why house the goodies in anything other than Décor storage containers?

In fact, the packaging is a gift in itself.

Décor is an Australian-owned homewares company that has been making everyday life easier and more enjoyable for more than 50 years, with homewares that are beautiful, functional, affordable and made to last.

The company began in Melbourne in 1958 and has built its reputation on design excellence and product quality. Research and development is ongoing, with new products continually being introduced.

These days there are around 450 products in the Décor range, including kitchenware, picnicware, gardenware, brushware and baby-care products.

The latest offering from Décor is the amazing Realseal range of products.

Setting them apart from the pack are the Realseal lids, which have a soft silicone seal as well as a steam/air release vent. Once the lid is placed firmly on

the container and the vent is closed, the container becomes both airtight and leak proof.

This makes Realseal containers the ideal storage choice when you need something to put your leftovers, soups, casseroles and curries in before placing them in the refrigerator or freezer. It also means that when you need to store dry goods in the pantry, you can rest assured that these foods will stay fresh for longer.

Keep an eye on the use-by or storage dates by also buying the Tellfresh tags, which work perfectly with the Décor range.

Once you're done with an old note, all you have to do is erase it with a rubber, then you can reuse the tag!

The Realseal range is the perfect addition to Décor's Tellfresh collection of containers which can be found in millions of Australian homes.

■ Décor's range is pretty hard to resist!

There's a shape and size to suit all your food storage needs.

■ Décor Tellfresh Square 6L with Cake Lift, $15.45

32 inplace magazine

hsw.com.au

décor

Pack it in Scan here to see the Décor range on the Howards website.

All Décor storers are clearly marked with graduated measurements and sit inside each other to save space, which means less clutter for kitchen cupboards. Plus they’re dishwasher safe and free of BPA, PVC, lead and phthalates, so they’re totally food safe.

Too good to be true? Not according to the 7,000 Australians who voted for this year's product of the year. Their endorsement saw Realseal awarded the Household title for the design's range and innovation.

In fact, Décor's quality has been recognised with more than 300 Australian Design Awards. You really couldn't hope for a better, more practical gift than that! ■ inplace

Takes the cake!

The Décor Tellfresh Square 6L with Cake Lift, $15.45, is the ideal container in which to transport a pavlova, Black Forest cake or shortbread for Christmas dessert.

For buttery biscuits, shortcake or white Christmas, a Décor Realseal Square 1L, $8.45, is the perfect gift size for a single person or couple. For a family gift of shortbread, spice cookies or gingerbread, the Décor Realseal Square 1.75L, $9.45, will hold enough for lots of smiling faces.

Here's a great idea, to ensure that you're never taken by surprise when an unexpected visitor drops in, tuck a Décor Tellfresh Square 600ml, $3.95, filled with shortbread under the tree. Simply smile, hand it over, and pretend it was for them!

"The Realseal range has been voted Product of the Year: Household for 2012 by 7,000 Australians" Traditional Fine Shortbread Melted butter, to grease the tin 250g butter (room temperature) 100g caster sugar 300g plain flour, sifted 90g rice flour, sifted

Method

Preheat oven to 150°C. Brush two baking trays with melted butter. Using an electric beater, beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy. At low speed, gradually add the combined flours until it's almost combined. Bring the dough together by hand, and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead until smooth.

Divide dough into two portions and roll dough into two 18cm-diameter discs.

Transfer to the prepared trays. Cut each disc into eight wedges. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Bake for 40 minutes until it turns a very light gold colour.

(Rotate trays by swapping shelves after 20 minutes of cooking). Cool for 10 minutes, transfer onto wire rack to cool completely.

To store, simply pop the wedges into an airtight container, which becomes part of the gift, tie with a ribbon and voila!

gift, make sure it's in a container they can get it out of without ruining your handiwork. If your gift is going to be frozen, ensure a tag detailing the date, contents and reheating instructions is included. (Tellfresh tags fit both the Tellfresh and Realseal range). If you’re making food for one person, several small containers are better than one large one.

For a twist: Add a handful of choc chips to the combined flours, then gradually add this to the creamed butter and sugar mixture.

Special tips Instead of covering the entire container in wrapping paper, simply tie a bow around it. If you're giving someone a cake as a

The perfect container for your gift! inplace magazine 33

Howards Storage World stores Visit hsw.com.au to find your local store with the ‘Store Locator’.

Springvale Springvale Homemaker Centre (03) 9545 5499 Wantirna OpeninG SOON! Knox City Shopping Centre Northern Territory Darwin Shop 20, Jape Homemaker Village (08) 8948 2088 Western Australia Cannington Shop 1, 38 William Street (08) 9356 3511 Karrinyup Karrinyup Shopping Centre (08) 9244 4333 Myaree Primewest Melville, Shop 8, 276 Leach Highway, Melville (08) 9317 8700

Scan for our store locator!

New South Wales Artamon Home HQ North Shore (02) 9437 1955 Bathurst Bathurst City Centre (02) 6331 4044 Belrose Homemakers Supa Centa (02) 9986 2480 Bondi Junction Westfield Bondi Junction (02) 9387 5733 Brookvale Warringah Mall (02) 9907 2200 Burwood Westfield Burwood (02) 9744 8077 Campbelltown Macarthur Square (02) 4627 5222 Castle Hill Castle Hill Supa Centa South Building (02) 9634 4200

Erina Erina Fair (02) 4367 0433 Hornsby Westfield Hornsby (02) 9987 2700 Kotara Homemaker Centre 150 Park Ave (02) 4952 9333 Leichhardt Norton Plaza (02) 9518 1425 Miranda Westfield Miranda (02) 9542 8566 Moore Park Homemaker Supa Centa (02) 9697 2777 Northbridge Northbridge Plaza (02) 9958 4699

Rhodes Rhodes Shopping Centre (02) 9736 3111

Mackay Canelands Shopping Centre (07) 4951 0607

Rutherford New store!

Harvey Norman Centre (02) 4932 4655

Maroochydore 50 Plaza Parade (07) 5479 3833

Shellharbour Stockland, Shellharbour Square (02) 4297 0811 Queensland Aspley Homemaker City Cnr Gympie Road & Zillmere Road (07) 3862 7633 Cairns New store!

108 Scott Street (07) 4054 4966 Fortitude Valley Homemaker City North 650 Wickham Street (07) 3216 0222

Robina Robina Town Centre (07) 5575 7133 Rockhampton Redhill Homemaker Centre, Cnr Richardson Road & Yamba Road (07) 4928 6511 Springwood The Logan Mega Centre (07) 3209 2777 Toowoomba Harvey Norman Centre (07) 4613 5315

North Ryde Macquarie Centre (02) 9888 6655

Townsville Helensvale Domain Central Homeworld Helensvale (07) 4779 9411 (07) 5502 6677

Port Macquarie Port Home Zone (02) 6584 3500

Jindalee Homemaker City (07) 3279 2611

Like to know a little more about Howards Storage World?

Visit our website: hsw.com.au or find us on these sites...

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ACT Fyshwick Homemaker Hub (02) 6280 5552 South Australia Gepps Cross Gepps Cross Centre Home HQ (08) 8162 9160 Mile End Homemaker Centre 122 Railway Terrace (08) 8152 0400 Mt Barker OpeninG SOON! Adelaide Hills Homemaker Centre Norwood 220 The Parade (08) 8332 0415 Tasmania Hobart 140 Liverpool Street (03) 6234 8422 Victoria Chadstone Chadstone Shopping Centre (03) 9568 6200 Facebook See what’s happening!

Cheltenham Westfield Southland (03) 9583 9155

Rockingham 2 Commodore Drive (08) 9528 5044

Essendon Homemaker Hub (03) 9374 2903

Southern River Cnr Ranford Rd & Boardwalk Bvd (08) 9394 0900

Maribyrnong Highpoint Shopping Centre (03) 9318 1855

Subiaco 427 Hay Street (08) 9381 4599

Mornington Peninsula Lifestyle Centre (03) 5973 5399 Nunawading Home HQ, 372 Whitehorse Road (03) 9894 8411 Richmond Victoria Gardens Shopping Centre (03) 9428 4060 Shepparton Riverside Plaza Shopping Centre (03) 58235877 South Wharf Homemaker Hub (03) 9682 0911 Twitter

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Group Office No. 4 Forest Central Business Park 49 Frenchs Forest Road Frenchs Forest NSW 2086 Tel (02) 9452 8888 Fax (02) 9452 8899 mail@hsw.com.au e-shop hsw.com.au eshop@hsw.com.au 1300-ESHOP-1 International Stores Now open in: New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Ireland, Philippines and India. Visit: hswgroup.com YouTube Watch our videos!

hsw.com.au

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Inspirations Rewards Program Join in-store or online today

2013 ECTION COLL HOWARDS FAVOURITES OF

NEW

SIMPLY ORGANISED

Can’t decide?

Give a Gift Card Gift Cards are available for amounts over $20.

Redemption is only available through Australian stores.

It’s fine to change your mind We’ll gladly exchange or refund on presentation of a docket where goods are in original packaging (saleable condition).

An exchange is offered where a docket is not presented.

Products, Solutions & Clever Ideas Inside!

Shop online You can shop 24/7 from the comfort of your own home. Need some extra help getting organised? Our website has loads of tips: visit hsw.com.au

Free measure and quote Your local store is happy to assist with your elfa® easy-build wardrobe and wine rack planning with an obligation-free measure and quote. We can even arrange delivery and installation.

Bear Cottage Bear Cottage is a medically supported home away from home providing support and respite for children with terminal illnesses and their families. At Bear Cottage they believe life, however brief, should be enriched and celebrated.

With the support of franchisees, staff, customers and suppliers, Howard’s reached its 2011 donation goal of $100,000. Money was raised through the sale of Pocket Pads, bon bons, sample sales, City2Surf and generous donations.

Help Howards support Bear Cottage by purchasing a Bag for a Bear ($4.95). All profits go to Bear Cottage.

2013 catalogue out now!

Come in-store for more information or visit hsw.com.au Important information Prices: Some Howards Storage World stores are independently owned and operated. Prices are recommended retail prices only and the price at your local store may be different. Advertised prices are valid only until 2/1/13. and after this date may not be available. Listed prices include GST and do not include accessories where shown.

Availability: Not all products in this magazine may be available at your local store. Some products may become out of stock or in some instances be discontinued. We recommend contacting your local store by telephone to confirm product availability and price to avoid disappointment.

Product specifications: All care is taken to ensure that product information is accurate at the time of print (August 2012). However, some modifications to product specifications may occur during the life of this magazine. Dimensions are included as a guide only. Some products may require self assembly.

Warranty information: At Howards, we respect your rights and our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and for compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure.

Howards Storage World® is the registered trademark of Howards Storage World Pty Ltd ©

inplace is published by Citrus Media on behalf of Howards Storage World. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. © Howards Storage World 2012.

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