Articles by Jo Foster

To demonstrate a seamstress's skills, a sampler is an example of needlework in the form of a piece of cross-stitching or embroidery. It can include letters of the alphabet, a motto, motifs, figures, decorative borders and the seamstress's name. When did samplers start? The sampler derives its name from the French word, "essamplaire", which means any kind of work that can be imitated or co...

It's hard to believe but even big brands that are famous the world over started out from nothing. In fact, many of them began their fledgling lives in humble surroundings. Here are some famous companies that were conceived in a garage. Microsoft Arguably the biggest tech giant on the planet, the inspiration for Microsoft was sparked in a small garage in Albuquerque in 1975. Chums Bill Gat...

The competitive cooking show, MasterChef, was back on our screens on 26th February. Now in its 14th series, the popular programme features a handful of hopeful contestants battling it out in a variety of heats and rounds to impress the judges with their culinary skills, and, ultimately, be crowned the MasterChef 2018 winner. MasterChef is no newcomer to our screens. In fact, it was first air...

Mother's Day is a chance for people everywhere to show their mum just how much she's loved and appreciated. The annual celebration takes place in the UK on Sunday 11th March this year, although it's recognised across the world on different dates. The celebration, also known as Mothering Sunday, has its roots in ancient Greek times, when an annual festival was held to celebrate the life of mo...

With spring within touching distance, many gardeners are getting their plots ready for the warmer months ahead. Whether you grow flowers or vegetables, at this time of year there are plenty of jobs to be getting on with. After the long hard slog of winter, you might be fuelled by enthusiasm to get sowing seeds straightaway, but it pays to plan first. Keep a diary detailing what you want to a...

In order to preserve our planet's natural resources and to ensure the environment can sustain future generations, responsible recycling is becoming increasingly important in the 21st century. In today's throwaway society, people need to start recycling plastic, paper, cardboard, metal, glass and more. There are many reasons why we should recycle: first, it saves energy, as manufacturers don'...

The Volkswagen Wolfsburg plant has the honour of being the biggest factory in the world, occupying an expansive area of 5 sq. km. With its state-of-the-art facilities, is also boasts the first paint shop to use water-based, eco-friendly paints. The plant is Volkswagen group's headquarters in northern Germany. It has a massive output capability, producing 815,000 vehicles in 2015 alone, with ...

As a quick internet search will reveal, people really do collect the strangest things. Collectors are squirreling away everything from banana labels to airline spoons - and there are some even weirder collections which leave you asking, why! Collecting items we love and either putting them on display, or hiding them away for our own personal enjoyment, is so widespread that psychologists hav...

Litter is a massive problem. It's estimated that around 2.25 million items of litter are discarded in the UK every day, costing councils a whopping £700 million to shift. Worse still, 80% of the litter at sea comes from the land, wreaking havoc on marine life. With these alarming statistics in mind, a new initiative was launched last year by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, entitled ...

It will come as no surprise to learn that the most common New Year's resolutions include diet, fitness and health. After the excesses of Christmas and perhaps gaining a few pounds, most people start thinking about eating less, getting fit and preparing for the warmer weather by toning their beach body! Read on to find out more about the top five most common New Year's resolutions and see whe...