An Easter Chocolate Gift … a tutorial

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These simple chocolate treats can be made in 10 minutes – seriously!  
The hardest part is trying not to lick your fingers until the end!


 What you will need:

- Compound Chocolate Melts
- Chocolate Mould Trays
- Spatula
- Bowl


1. Start by melting your chocolate.  As you really don’t want to get water in the chocolate, it’s best to use the microwave to melt your chocolate.  Just pop it the microwave for 30 secs at a time and give it a stir until it melts.  You want it really runny.

N.B.  It needs to be compound chocolate.  I use Nestle Milk Melts.  Just check on the back of the packet and it will let you know if it is “real milk chocolate” or “compound milk chocolate”.  The compound choc can be popped in the fridge/freezer without discolouration and has more of a sheen, but it does still work with the real milk choc kind.

2. Pour some chocolate onto the mould.  Most of these moulds were from my childhood and I love the vintage look they bring but I have seen them at craft stores, Spotlight, online and even my local post office!


3. Spread the chocolate out across the tray using a spatula or butter knife.



4. Using the spatula (or butter knife) scrape the excess chocolate from the top of the tray back into the bowl.

5. Gently pick up the tray and tap it numerous times on the table.  You can do this by lifting it a couple of centimetres above the table and dropping it gently over and over again.  This process minimises the air bubbles.  You will see some bubbles on the top as they make their way from the bottom.  This is good.


6. Pop your chocolate mould sheets full of chocolate into the freezer for about 5-10 minutes.  You’ll know they are ready when you turn it over and you can see it starting to get slightly whitish in colour through the plastic, or it sounds a little crackly.  You’ll just know, believe me.


7.  To release the chocolate from the mould, turn the sheet upside down and gently tap it on the table.  Make sure you do this gently and close to the table as you don’t want the chocolates to break on their way down.  If they don’t come out easily, just pop it back in the freezer for a bit as they may not be set enough.


8. Et voila!  You have made your own Easter chocolates! 

9. We had some egg shaped moulds that we stuck together to make whole eggs by pressing the egg halves onto some baking paper on a baking tray that had been heated in the oven.  

10. Press the two melted sides together and you have a whole egg!  If you wanted to make them look a little smoother and get rid of the line that joins them, apparently you can use a hair dryer to melt it and smooth it out a little.

11. Pop them in a pretty little box and give them as gifts!

These little beauties were shipped off to the children’s kinder and school teachers this morning with a little card attached.

Here are the gifts we gave the kids teachers last Easter.
Do you give Easter gifts?
Are you addicted to chocolate like me?!
For more FGB Easter crafts you might like to check out this post.

For more quick & easy recipes you might like to check out this page.



Wishing you all a wonderful Easter with your families.  We are off on our annual camping trip tomorrow with my extended family.  Fingers crossed that the rain holds off! 
What are you doing this Easter weekend?

P.S. A huge thanks to Andrea who gave me all the wonderful tips to make these last week!!

Guest Posting – Upcycled Tshirt Scarf Tutorial

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You might remember that I posted some pics of my upcycled tshirt scarf last month.  
Here are those pics again… 

…but this time if you’d like to know how to make one, with an old tshirt and a pair of fabric scissors (seriously!) you can head on over to the home of my friend Jane of Mama Pea Pod where I’m guest posting today with a full step by step tutorial on how to make this quick and easy scarf.  Mama Pea Pod is a lovely space in blogland and Jane writes some wonderful posts on kids and play and getting kids outdoors. I’d highly recommend a visit! This post was written as part of her new series focusing on time out for Mums…

Icecream in a Bag & Pasta Jewellery!

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Pretty chuffed to see my tutorial for making ice-cream in a bag featured on the home page  over at Kidspot today!  Head on over here for the deets on making your own.



You’ll also find there another FGB tutorial, featuring the fabulous Frog, on how to make your own coloured pasta jewellery!


Or for more ways to amuse the kids this weekend, you might like to hang out at the FGB kids craft page. 

SIMPLE HANDMADE GIFTS FOR GIRLS… part ten {guest post}

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There are so many fabulous and simple handmade gifts for girls out there that I thought I’d ask a few of my clever & creative blogging friends to share with you some of their ideas… 

This week the beautiful Brenda from Mira Narnie is sharing with us a gorgeously simple and very versatile gift for a girl of any age!  Brenda is a beautiful, stylish & talented soul and was one of the very first blogs that I started following.  I have always felt a kindred spirit and I am very lucky to have actually met her IRL* on a number of occasions.  I’d highly recommend heading over to her neck of the woods.  Thanks Brenda!

The Drawstring Bag

I love handmade gifts for girls.  I love making them, and I love when my little girl receives them.  So when Emma invited me to contribute to this segment, I was a little chuffed, but just delighted to have an excuse to make something oh so girly.   This project is a simple one, so great if you are a beginner and if your sewing skills are more advanced, don’t dismiss the humble draw string bag, as it’s a great way to stash other goodies that you make your recipient.
So this is what you will need.
A piece of fabric (mine was 28cm x 48cm)
scissors
sewing machine
iron
ribbon or twill for threading (about 65cm)
Step 1.

Cut your fabric to your desired length.  Fold in half with right sides together.  Sew down one side from top to bottom.


Sew on the other side, but leave a one inch gap about one inch down (as this will form the casing for the ribbon to go through later).



Step 2.

  Iron the seams of that gap so that they are lying flat. 



Now, top stitch all around that gap, so as to neaten the edge.


Step 3. 

Turn down the opening of the bag about 1cm and press.


 Then turn down again hiding the raw edge, ensuring that your casing opening is at the top edge.  Press this again. Pin to secure and sew all around your bag making sure you don’t sew that little opening.


Step 4.

Take your ribbon of choice and attach the saftey pin.  Use the saftey pin to help you guide the ribbon through the casing.  Join the two ends of the ribbon and tie a knot to prevent it slipping back through and so your lovely little bag can adorn a little girls wrist.


Step 5.

Give it all another press and your done!  Fill it with other handmade delights and give to a gorgeous girl you know.  I made two at once. 


One is for my daughter ballet slippers and the other bag will be a birthday gift.

Thanks Emma for having me and happy sewing everyone
xx
Come back next Monday for another simple handmade gift for girls.  I’m planning on posting an idea every Monday until Christmas, so if you have an idea to share and would like to guest post – send me an email.  I’d LOVE to hear from you! 
* IRL – “In Real Life”.
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