Hand-made chocolate carrots

Last year I made pink chocolate carrots with green chocolate tops, but I found that a lot of the tops fell off! So this year I made peach carrots and painted the tops with edible green dusting powder. No breakages so far!

Chocolate carrots
What you will need:

• Carrots chocolate mould
• White chocolate drops
• Peach chocolate food colouring
• Green dusting powder

Instructions

1. Temper (melt) white chocolate
2. Stir in peach powdered food colouring a little at a time until you have desired colour. Stir well so colour is even
3. Spoon chocolate into icing bottle or bag fitted with a small nozzle
4. Squeeze chocolate into moulds
5. Lightly tap moulds so chocolate lays flat and air bubbles are removed, and leave to set
6. Turn out chocolate carrots
7. With a damp brush, lightly paint the carrot tops with the green dusting powder

After posting about my bunny jars for Easter the other day, Bonnie Leigh from the blog Three o'clock on Tuesday suggested making mini ones using baby food jars. What a great idea! So I made some more bunny jars, this time using baby food jars and some very small bunnies I've had knocking about since last year which I bought from Acorn & Will.





Have a sweet day!

Glitter eggs

For this year's Easter tree, that I am in the process of making, I need some new eggs to hang on it. I have recycled my previously painted eggs from my Easter 2010 table by covering them in glitter to match this year's Easter colour scheme of mint, peach and gold.

Glitter eggs
Tools and Materials

• Hanging plastic eggs
• Gold egg hangers
• Glitter
• PVA glue
• Gold embroidery thread
• Small paint brush

Glitter eggs, How-to step by step


Start by carefully removing the plastic stopper from the plastic eggs. Then brush PVA glue on to top of eggs. Sprinkle coloured glitter onto glued area of eggs. Tap gently to remove any excess glitter, and leave to dry. Push egg hangers into hole at top of eggs and thread gold embroidery thread through loop in egg hanger, and knot to secure. Brush PVA glue onto rest of eggs and spoon glitter onto eggs, covering entire surface. Tap gently to remove any excess glitter, hang and leave to dry.






Have a sweet day!

Pretty painted egg cups

I have had my wooden egg cups since 2010 when I painted them in pastel colours. To refresh them for this year I have given them a new lick of paint and filled them with gold foil eggs from Hotel Chocolat.

Pretty painted egg cups
Tools and Materials

• Pack of 6 Wooden egg cups
• Montana White spray paint in Soap colour
• Montana Black spray paint in Cocktail colour
• Montana Black spray paint in Pink Lemonade colour
• Plasti-kote super satin paint in mint
• Gold paint

Pretty painted egg cups, How-to step by step


Following the instructions on the spray paint, carefully spray the wooden egg cup until you have an even coat of paint and the original colour of the egg cup is no longer visible. Leave to dry. Carefully paint the inside with gold paint and leave to dry.





Have a sweet day!

Bunny jars for Easter

As soon as I saw the animal storage jars on House to Home I knew I had to make them, but when and what for?!? So when I saw a similar idea on the German site, Living at Home but this time with bunnies on top as an Easter packaging idea, I knew this is what I could make them for. I set about finding some cute plastic bunnies and spray paint in my Easter colours. It took me longer to find the right colour spray paints but I was delighted to discover that Fred Aldous sells a really large array of coloured spray paints from Montana and that Montana White is glossy whilst Montana Black is matte. I so loved spraying the jars that I ended up spraying my metal windmills that were looking a bit worse for wear having sat in the garden for a few years. I think I might have a new addiction, so stay tuned for more of my adventures in spray painting... who knows what!?!

Bunny jars for Easter
Tools and Materials

• Sitting rabbit
• Standing rabbit
• Glass jars (I bought three and three were old jam jars that I cleaned and removed the labels from)
• Montana White spray paint, Soap colour
• Montana Black spray paint, Cocktail colour
• Montana Black spray paint, Pink Lemonade colour
• Plasti-kote super satin paint in mint
• Super glue (a hot glue gun didn't work)

Bunny jars for Easter, How-to step by step



Start by carefully gluing the rabbit to the jar lid and leave to dry. Place lid on a platform you don't need (I used an old glass pot I did not need anymore). Following the instructions on the spray paint, carefully spray the glued rabbit and lid until you have an even coat of paint and the original colour of both the rabbit and lid are no longer visible. Leave to dry. Fill with Easter treats.







Have a sweet day!

Oodles of eggs giveaway winner

My contest ended yesterday and I just picked a winner using random.org and I am delighted to announce the winner of the Oodles of eggs Giveaway is...

Drumroll please? Without further ado, the lucky winner is...

Nataliemay30. Please e-mail me your details.

Congratulations Natalie, you will receive a box of Oodles of eggs from Hotel Chocolat

Thank you to all of you sweets that entered, to my loyal followers and new friends.


Have a sweet day!

My Easter decorations part 3

Continuing my Easter colour scheme of mint, peach and gold, this past weekend I have been spray painting egg cups and making bunny jars to fill with Easter treats! I have also been doing a fair amount of glittering and paper punching more flowers for my Easter tree, leaving me time this week to make Easter sweet treats to my heart's content!

Also don't forget today is the last day to enter my Oodles of Eggs giveaway.

Have a sweet day!

Chocolate Nests

On Friday I had the day off from work and my little niece Molly, who turns three in August, came over to make chocolate nests. I, of course, melted the chocolate for her but the rest she did pretty much by herself: an easy no-bake cake to make!



We had so much fun and she loved making the nests, especially adding the sprinkles which she got to choose from Auntie Torie's baking cupboard!

Chocolate Easter nests (makes 12 nests)

• 100g milk chocolate
• 75g cornflakes
• 250g Mini Eggs
• Sprinkles

1. Melt chocolate in microwave on low power for about 1-2 minutes (the exact amount of time needed will depend on the type of chocolate being used so remove and stir the chocolate every so often to ensure it heats evenly).
2. Once the chocolate is melted, remove from microwave and gradually pour into bowl of cornflakes.
3. Stir chocolate and cornflakes until the cornflakes are completely covered in chocolate.
4. Spoon mixture into cases and make a hole in the center.
5. Add sprinkles.
6. Fill hole with mini eggs and leave to set.

Have a sweet day!