“We truly thank Hardrock Drilling for your contribution and support over the past 25 years.  It is market leading and innovative companies like Hardrock Drilling that have enabled HOMEMAKERS to remain the consumers’ first choice. It is furthermore a huge accolade for any one company to have supported our publications continuously for so long!” says Ray Abrahamse – MD of HOMEMAKERS.

HOMEMAKERS applaud them on their illustrious achievements and awards over the years and we look forward to continued growth with Hardrock Drilling by bringing our readers and long-standing advertisers together. We wish to thank you for your advertising support in HOMEMAKERSfair and wish every success for years to come.” Charmaine Brough, Branch Manager HOMEMAKERS Johannesburg.

“We truly thank Africa Thatch for your contribution and support over the past 25 years.  It is market leading and innovative companies like Africa Thatch that have enabled HOMEMAKERS to remain the consumers’ first choice. It is furthermore a huge accolade for any one company to have supported our publications continuously for so long!” says Ray Abrahamse – MD of HOMEMAKERS.

Africa Thatch has been in operation since 1984 and has grown from strength to strength, living out their motto of service and quality excellence. Their supply of top quality products and excellent service to the readers of HOMEMAKERSfair and HOMEMAKERStalk, is what makes HOMEMAKERS proud to have been associated with Africa Thatch all these years.

Over 28 years in business, thousands of unique roofing products have been sold not only in Gauteng but, also exported to England, Spain, Germany and Dubai. Africa Thatch supplies pre-thatched panels (triangular and square frames) in modular form, which allows their thatched roof products to be erected anywhere in the world, facilitating creations of umbrellas, lapas, gazebos and cottages of various sizes. Windows, doors and decorative panels can be added to their gazebos for various applications.

2006 saw Africa Thatch’s 20 year advertiser award and just last year, in 2011 they reached their celebratory quarter century.

“Being in an industry such as ours – we are constantly looking to gratify both advertisers and readers. Africa Thatch has helped us achieve this goal by their years of experience and specialising in a product the South African home owner is still looking for - and we commend them for that.” says Charmaine Brough – Branch Manager of Johannesburg HOMEMAKERS.

For more information visit www.homemakersonline.co.za and www.africathatch.co.za

The Online Division of HOMEMAKERS Media Holdings is proud and excited to announce that our publications are now viewable and clickable in a much more user-friendly format than before. HOMEMAKERSfair and HOMEMAKERStalk have been at the forefront of free-distribution direct response magazines since the mid-80’s. Each month the publications will be updated on our Publications site, allowing readers the opportunity to browse the various home improvement offerings on a national basis and communicate directly with the advertisers. 

“Not only will this enhance the experience of the visitors to our portal but, also add huge benefits to our advertisers. With the success of HOMEMAKERSonline as the leading home lifestyle site in SA, as measured by Effective Measure, advertisers can be reached and quotes requested by a simple click of the mouse.” John Leyden – Business Development Director of HOMEMAKERS.

The magazines are published regionally and distributed freely to 1,200,000 upper LSM homes in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein and the Vaal Triangle. HOMEMAKERS publications have become indispensable to the South African public making this lifestyle publication the ultimate direct advertising guide to home improvement, décor and design.

HOMEMAKERS have over 28 years publishing experience, with many advertisers having achieved their 25 year loyalty awards.

HOMEMAKERS also hosts the ever popular, award-winning HOMEMAKERS Expo which is South Africa's premier home lifestyle consumer show and attracts market leading interior and exterior home improvement exhibitors making it increasingly appealing to the SA consumer.

The next Expo is in Port Elizabeth from 26 – 29 July 2012, Cape Town 23 – 26 August 2012, Durban 4 – 7 October 2012 and Gauteng 28 February – 3 March 2013.

HOMEMAKERS ran a competition with 4 exhibiting sponsors on DSTV to the value of R200 000. The winner was Sue Schoeman. We would like to extend our thanks to Builders Warehouse, Geberit, Whirlpool and Life Sports Turf who contributed prizes to the value of R50 000
each. The lucky winners are S.H. SCHOEMAN, H.J. Hugo, J.L. Rautenbach, G.R. Hovener, A. Nell, A. Schmulian, A.B. Rogers and S.E. Hunter.

Another competition well received by consumers was a fantastic HOME-It combo competition in conjunction with 4 exhibiting sponsors to the value of R90 000. A huge thank you to Chad O Chef, Cinema Architects, Mediterranean Shutters and Elba. The lucky winner is June Klopper, from Parkhurst.
Congratulations!

Our visitor research competition was sponsored by Maridadi Designs. Thank you for their prize sponsorship consisting of artwork to the value of over R7000. The lucky winner of this prize was Charmain Bauermeister from Alberton.

Next year marks the 20th anniversary of HOMEMAKERS Expo, a wonderful testament to the brand and many loyal exhibitors, who have ensured that the Expo has remained topical and fresh within this niched home lifestyle market.

To book your stand contact 086 111 HOME/4663 or email info@homemakers-sa.co.za
www.homemakersonline.co.za

Featured at the HOMEMAKERS Expo from 23 – 26 February was a Yarn Bombed House – South Africa’s first Yarn Bombed project of this magnitude. Squares were donated by Ideas readers as well as the general public which were used to ‘bomb’ the house along with its contents.

After the expo, the house was dismantled and all knitted items – along with a single bed – were donated to this worthwhile charity.

The knit-a-square project, now a registered charity under the name of KasCare was started by the McDonald family, Sandy, Roger, Kalai, and Cressida and Sandy’s, mother, Zanny, who all live in Australia. Ronda Lowrie, Sandy’s aunt and Zanny's sister, and her daughter, Erin, live in South Africa and head up the division here.

Ronda visited The McDonald’s in 2008 and told them of the scale of the disaster facing so many children in South Africa whose lives are greatly compromised by the twin perils of HIV/AIDS and poverty. She explained she often gave out blankets to children as she drove around Johannesburg, and of her frustration—too many children, too few blankets.

Many of these children are AIDS orphans or have been abandoned who live in great poverty in shack settlements. Some head up families of their siblings together with other children. Some live alone, without shelter, in hills and dumps around the cities.

The search engines discovered the site Knit-a-Square in February 2009. During that year, just over 54 000 squares and more than 4000 knitted and crochet garments arrived.

Their goal for 2011 was to reach 175 000 knitted and crocheted squares representing 5 000 blankets, 5 000 hats and 2 000 garments, which was well exceeded. They are hoping for that number to double in 2012.

Knit-a-Square requests 20cm knitted squares from the public which are sewn into blankets for these needy children. Hundreds of squares arrive every week through the post and they are collected, sorted and bundled into blanket packs by KasCare Volunteers. Days are set aside for dedicated sewing and distribution and the public are invited to come and see the results of their contributions.

For more information and to find out how you can get involved visit http://www.knit-a-square.com

This is the first of its kind in South Africa, showcasing this European phenomenon that has taken the world by storm.  The public will be donating knitted and crocheted woollen shapes of all colours and sizes which will be used to Yarn Bomb a creative masterpiece. After the event all wool creations will be donated to the organisation Knit a Square who will join all the items together to make blankets, scarves and woollen hats for charity. Items within the house can be bid on, enabling visitors to take with them a little piece of heaven.

Ideas Magazine and HOMEMAKERS held a competition for the entries received and prizes of R5000 were awarded as follows:
Best Creative Knitting:
Joan Jansen’s group from the Leeudoringstad Old Age Home
Best Creative Crochet work:
Loma Groenewald from Karenpark
Lucky Draw:
Erinville Boarding House at Rustenburg High School for Girls in Rondeboch

Be sure to catch the Yarn Bombed house at the HOMEMAKERS Expo. ON from 23 - 26 February at the Coca Dome.

The EXSA award recognises excellence in the Exhibition Industry of Southern Africa and also includes awards for Best Venue, Best Stand Designers, Best Suppliers, Best Organiser and other individual awards.

HOMEMAKERS took part in a meticulous judging process by independent EXSA appointed judges at their Gauteng Expo in February this year. Their marketing campaign, promotions and features, signage, branding, safety and security, traffic flow as well as feedback from visitors and exhibitors regarding their experience of the show, were all criteria upon which the expo was judged.

Ray Abrahamse, MD of HOMEMAKERS is delighted with the award: “The standard of competition that we are up against is extremely high. It’s important to remember that one competes on a national basis with a large variety of exhibition types. As part of the judging process our exhibitors gave us outstanding reviews, especially with regards to our organisational abilities and the type of quality visitor our expo attracts. We'd like to use this opportunity thank all of them for putting in the extra effort with regards to their stands. Without their commitment and dedication, we would not have won this prestigious award. By claiming this title for the fourth year in a row, we trust this gives them the added assurance that they're exhibiting with a credible and highly acclaimed Expo.  As a group, we're dedicated to giving visitors only the best experience and products.”

HOMEMAKERS is a national group which presents four similar home lifestyle shows in Gauteng, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth. It is South Africa's biggest home enhancement exhibition group and since its inception 19 years ago has proven to be the country's premier home lifestyle event.

Apart from exhibitions, the company also publishes two monthly magazines, HOMEMAKERSfair and HOMEMAKERStalk. HOMEMAKERS also run South Africa's largest home improvement portal www.homemakersonline.co.za.

About the ABC

The primary function of the ABC, a non-profit organization, is the certification and provision of accurate and comparable circulation figures to the advertising and marketing industries. This is achieved through a bi-partite agreement, between advertisers and media owners, on auditing standards, certificates and reports.  The ABC aims to promote the interests of all parties involved and provides circulation data that is in no way inaccurate, misleading or distorted. 

As the market leader in direct response advertising, HOMEMAKERS is a member of the ABC and its publications are distribution certified.  These publications are thus verified in terms of the print order quantity, the print invoice and the actual distribution thereof.

In short, this assures the advertiser that their advertising consistently reaches an accurate and focused target market.

GROW:  plant, harvest, nurture, prepare

COOK: demonstrate, perform, interact, compete, educate

TASTE: balance, nourish, revitalise, rejuvenate, share, connect, inspire, repair 

RECYCLE:  re-use, re-generate

The Good Food Arena must make imaginative and innovative use of the Caesarstone product with an ample colour palette.  

As always, the prize for the winning student and lecturer is a comprehensive 5-day trip to Caesarea, Israel, the home of Caesarstone, valued at R60 000. Added to the prize package for the winning student from iRender is: 

• Full SkecthUp Pro 8 
• Artlantis Studio 3
• Additional Artlantis Media
• Space Navigator 3D Mouse

 Valued at R20 000.00 

To enhance design education Caesarstone acknowledges iRender as a contributor towards the fifth Caesarstone Design Award. iRender has facilitated free access to the participating students – this coup encourages students to sign up with  iRender and enjoy Free of Charge Student Educational Licenses for Artlantis Studio 3 from Abvent , the creators of the Artlantis Rendering Application and also SketchUp Pro 8 from Google which assists students in creating models for rendering in Artlantis. 

Judges are:

• Jonathan Anstey of Stauch Vorster Architects
• Janina Masojada of Design Workshop SA
• Dorothy Van T’Riet of DVR
• Greg Wright of Greg Wright Architects
• Lisa Younger of Activate Space 

Visit www.caesarstonedesign.co.za for competition details and dates.