There’s one going down in Daventry and The Craft Fantastic will be there selling delicious treats and other stuff, too.
http://www.northamptoncollege.ac.uk/news/item.aspx?NewsItem=734
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Weekend baking- peanut butter cups
While we were in Florida, I picked up a whole new load of candy making stuff- mostly Wilton. Actually, I think all of it was Wilton!
I got peanut butter flavour and dark chocolate candy melts, a new candy mould, some squeezy bottle things, and some decorating brushes. Making peanut butter cups meant I got to use EVERYTHING.
The squeezy bottle things say you can half fill them with Candy Melts, then place the bottle in a bowl of hot water until they melt. Well yeah, sure, that sounds simple enough. Except the bottles are still light and half full of air, so the just float- you end up having to hold the bottle in the water! And then, (because you’re trying to keep it so the water can’t get in) all the melted candy is at the bottom, and it takes aaages to work its way to the nozzle when you’re ready to start, by which time it’s cooled a bit and is reluctant to come out. Bah. Bah!!
I squidged a little melted dark chocolate into the bottom on the mould and then used the little brush to make sure the sides were covered. This bit was a lot easier to do with the brush, however because the choc had cooled a bit, by the time I’d done half a dozen cups the brush was basically a stick with a lump of chocolate on. But I got there. Guess which one I did last:
While these were cooling, I got on with melting the peanut butter candy filling. After the first attempt, I modified my method slightly, and left the bottle to rest like this:
It still took a while, but at least I could leave it where it was for a bit. You do have to keep sqidging the bottle a bit to make sure it’s melting right the way through.
Anyway, onto filling the cups. This took a lot longer than the old dolloping-in-with-a-spoon method, and in the end I gave up and reverted back to my old ways- which were quicker, but a heck of a lot messier!
Phew. Nearly done. After the filling had set, I smoothed more melted chocolate over the base to seal, and once that had set they were done and ready to be turned out into pretty little cases:
YUM. Worth the effort!
These little origami hanging people remind me so much of the hanging monkeys my grandma had! I don’t remember there ever being a barrel.. I was quite content just linking monkeys…
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Steampunk inspired bracelet
I really enjoyed making this! Basically, I just took stuff apart and linked it together with random stuff…
What do you do if you were all excited about seeing the Miró exhibition at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, but were too ill to go?
Sulk, then remember about their website, then get distracted by the wonder of their online shop.
I particularly like these letter press cookie cutters:
And I have no idea what I’d do with it, but I want one of these:
Totally inspired by this farm stamp set:
Oh, and the Miró stuff in the exhibition shop is pretty good too.
Finished and filled with fun 🙂
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FLORIDA ahoy!!!!!!!!!
The long-awaited holiday is finally here, hurrah!
Thus, I have nothing to post about, absolutely nothing at all apart from a picture of our hotel:
The pool, hot tubs, tennis and basketball courts:
A little map of City Walk and imagining I’m walking round:
And planning my birthday Disney outfit!
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Small Sunday craft fair
Just a few pictures from our most recent craft fair. Not a lot of sales, but a couple of contacts!
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It was the cover that caught my eye… #6
“I saw this and thought of you!” was the joyful exclamation that greeted me when Cupcake Queen Noms came round for the craft fair yesterday (post to follow).
I love the fact that she only had to look at the cover of Here Be Monsters: The Ratbridge Chronicles to know that I would think this book was awesome.
And, it gets better. You only have to open the front cover and there, written on the inside flap of the dust jacket is “Skullduggery is afoot!” Any book with skullduggery afoot is ok by me.
It’s fully illustrated throughout and has a chapter entitled Pants Ahoy! Oh yes; and there’s an abundance of exclamation marks, too.
I can’t wait to read it!
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Weekly Inspiration- Cardcaptors
Ok, so this isn’t reeeally 100% about crafts. As I may have mentioned, we’re going to Florida soon. I’m making a notebook to take; it’s a little one, handbag sized, with a pocket in the back to put theme park tickets etc. The cover will be decorated with cartoon figures representing everyone going.
My first thought was DISNEY, even though we’re only going for one day. Awesome. Job done. Plenty of Disney characters to choose from. But then, none of them really have my hair.
And I got to thinking.
Who does?
Cardcaptor Sakura!
Little manga versions of everyone would be awesome. Manga always inspires me to draw.
