Make it: Easy Gold Foil Easter Eggs

I am all about making things easy at Easter time, what with Spring cleaning and de-cluttering I want everything to be fresh and minimal. To carry on my grown-up Easter theme this year, I wanted some table centre decorations that were in-keeping with my theme.  I had a bunch of bits and bobs laying around that I had from other projects so I whipped up some of the easiest, classy Easter egg decorations I have ever made.

To make some for yourself you will need: Polystyrene eggs, Temporary tattoos (I used metallic ones I got free with a magazine) White acrylic paint, paint brush, water bowl and sponge, Mod Podge (or PVA glue), an old box or polystyrene (to stand your eggs in to dry), needles or wire to stand your eggs on.

Step 1. Start by popping a needle in the end of your eggs.
Step 2. Holding each egg by the needle, paint the whole egg with white acrylic paint.  You want it to be acrylic so that when you put the tattoo on, the paint doesn't come off.
Step 3. Carefully push the needle into the box or polystyrene for the egg to dry.
Step 4. Paint all the eggs you want to decorate and leave them to dry thoroughly, then add a second coat and again allow to dry.
Step 5. Next cut out the tattoo that you want to apply and grab your water and sponge.
Step 6. Gently push the tattoo in place, then following the instructions on the pack use the sponge to soak the paper on the back of the tattoo.
Step 7. Carefully remove the paper and smooth down any edges or bubbles in the tattoo with the sponge.
Step 8. Dab the excess water away from the area, then coat with a layer of mod podge to seal it in place, set it back on its pin to dry.

Once they are dry you can hang them up with some bakers twine or like me just pop them on a pretty plate in the centre of your Easter table.

Don't they look classy and so grown up. I love how simple they are and so easy to make.  I am making loads to put in a big bowl for when we have family visiting over the Easter weekend. For more Easter DIY ideas head to our Make it page for inspiration.

What Crafts have you been trying your hand at lately?  We always love to hear from you, head over to our Instagram for a chat @liveit.loveit.makeit 

Sammy xxx


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Whats on my desk

We shared our desks way back in January and so we thought we would come back this time with our different desks as we have day jobs alongside blogging.  Last time Sammy showed us her home space and H showed off what was going on at work. This time we have had a swap, so first up Sammy.

Last time I shared my home office desk, this time you get to see my desk at Sew Crafty HQ. I'm sure you can see that my set up is pretty similar but most of the work I do here is planning, admin and photo editing so it is a little more business-like than my home office. The thing that is on my desk most of the time at work is my planner, it is my daily to do list so I have it at hand to make sure I haven't forgotten anything important. I have a few trinkets under my monitor as well as a bunch of sewing supplies to use as photo props when taking photos for our website. To the left of the picture out of shot, is where I do most of the small photography for Sew Crafty so it is handy to have bits and bobs to hand.

Now, for H's home desk.  My desk at home has various duties from work desk, to dining room table and sewing space and sometimes just a dumping ground.  So it can go from looking nice and tidy to messy in a matter of hours.  It is a useful space though to keep many things that I use alot from my many notebooks, diary and for some reason I have my ipad on at the same time as my laptop most of the time!  The rest of my desk around this is a mass of photos, business cards, bills, pen and pencils, things I have made for tutorials - no need to water plants anyone and some bits from HEMA that they recently sent us for some Easter treats, you may even be able to spy the Easter chicks in this picture.  They just epitomise Easter to me!

Any familiar items on your desks?  I think we clearly like just having stuff around us if these pictures are anything to go by.  If you would like to show us and our readers what's on your desk then just send us an email and we can show off other peoples desks too!  Just out of nosiness probably!  ha ha.

H & Sammy, xxx

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Make it: Easy Easter Treats for Grown-ups with Thorntons

Easter and chocolate go hand in hand, but not all chocolatey treats need to be for the youngsters. When Thorntons got in touch recently and challenged us to create an Easter treat with one of their Chocolate eggs I imagined creating something that the grown-ups could enjoy. When this amazing White Chocolate Lemon Meringue egg arrived, I knew right away what I wanted to make as the centrepiece of my Easter celebrations. 

Two of my favourite desserts are Pavlova and Eton mess, so I decided to make a twist on those classics to include some chocolate lemony goodness! 

To make a White chocolate, Lemon and Raspberry Mess you will need: A Thorntons Lemon Meringue Easter egg, Meringue nests, Double cream, Raspberries, Lemon curd and to add an adult twist a little Gin (optional)

I started by.... breaking up the egg! I know, I know it will be worth it I promise. I kept the pretty centrepiece to use later and broke up the rest of the chocolate into small pieces. 

I also crushed up one large strawberry meringue, mine came in a pack of two, but if you want to use regular nests, two or three nests for the base would work. I settled the meringue over the base of my serving dish.   

Next whip up the double cream and spread it gently over the bed of meringue, mix a little Gin (if you are including it) with the lemon curd and layer that over the cream. Then add some fresh raspberries or strawberries if you prefer before sprinkling the white chocolate pieces over that layer.

Finish off by adding another layer of crushed meringue, you can add any left over cream, lemon curd and fruit as garnish to the top.

I also added some freeze dried strawberry sprinkles to make it look extra special, but you could sprinkle some extra chocolate over the top if you have some left over. How spectacular does it look as a dessert centrepiece for the Easter table. So simple to make, pretty to look at and super tasty. 

If you want to make a smaller version for a fun dessert why not layer up the same ingredients into a jar, everything looks good in a jar!

To add to your party treats why not mix up some zesty cocktails. I made a couple to compliment the sweetness of the meringue. Above you can see my version of a Tom Collins.
To make a TC Fizz mix-
50ml of Gin
25ml of lemon juice
25ml of agarve
top off with bitter lemon
garnish with ice and lemon.

And this is my version of a Moscow Mule, I am calling it a Lemon Meringue Mule!
Mix 25ml of vodka
25ml lemon juice
25ml of  honey, lemon and ginger cordail
50ml of raspberry lemonade
then top off with ginger beer
Garnish with ice, fresh raspberries and mint with a sprinkle of crushed meringue, just for fun!

These treats would also make great menu additions to a Mothers day lunch, which is this weekend if you're in the UK.  Or save them for Easter weekend at the end of the month. I don't know about you but I want a virgin Lemon Meringue Mule every Wednesday! Thanks to Thorntons for setting us the challenge and supplying the Easter egg for this post.

Sammy xxx


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Easter DIY's

Easter is nearly here and the School Holidays have begun which means I will be knee deep in PVA glue and craft materials for the next couple of weeks.  Which got me thinking of some other great DIY's out there that you could do, with your children, or just for yourself!

So, what better way to find some ideas, than through the beautiful world of Pinterest!  You can follow us here.

First up is this great idea for a bunny mask for your little ones, how cute will they look on Easter weekend looking for their eggs with this over their face!  Cuteness overload!

To the top right is this great tutorial for making foiled eggs for decorations.  We did an egg decoration workshop last year for Easter and that is definitely the last time I am blowing eggs (60 eggs later) - but this tutorial from good old Martha, has me thinking I might do a few this year.

Bottom left is a hair raising egg for Easter, sorry, couldn't resist!  Who didn't love sowing cress and watching it grow when you were a child, now it's time to reinvent your youth and get some of your eggs having a bit of a do for the Easter weekend with these Eggheads.

For the last one, it's another version of something I have made at work - these are not mine though.  These Peg Eggs are so cool and you could do any kind of opening and closing characters, we made sharks and monsters for ours last year.  But with the Easter theme, maybe bunnies or children eating eggs inside?

So, which one would you make first?  I am making some super cool peg superheroes for one of my workshops at The Lightbox this year and I am very excited for it, it lands on my birthday, what a way to spend the day hey!

What do you think?  Can you see which superhero they all are?
H

P.S.  Photos are not all our own, they have been taken from the websites linked within the post.  Apart from the Superheroes, that's all mine!

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Make it: Left-Over Easter Chocolate Ideas

If you are anything like me, you have about three tonnes of the good stuff left over from the Easter weekend. In order to stop my bathroom scales from telling me things I don't like to hear, I have come up with some ways to make my chocolate stash last until... well maybe... May? I thought some of you might like to join me in trying to not eat it all in one sitting and you could also share it around as it changes from Easter treats to general chocolatey goodness.

I started by making chocolate bark, I have made this a few times before, inspired by the Hotel Chocolat slabs, I took a few of the larger eggs and melted them down. 

I lined a baking tray with grease proof paper...

Then pored the melted chocolate in...

Added some white chocolate and swirled it around....

smashed up some mini eggs...

Sprinkled them on top and popped it in the fridge.

Next the fun bit, smash it to bits!

The key to this is to smash it into small pieces and put it in separate packages or sandwich bags. Better still, pack it up into cellophane bags and give it away as gifts to your friends.

I had a little bit of chocolate left over so I tried a couple of other ideas too. I filled some mini ice-cube trays to make some bite size treats.

Then of course my favourite chocolate covered strawberries, these count as one of your five a day right?

Check out some of these other brilliant ideas for all those chocolate leftovers.
Chocolate mousse, Orange and white chocolate muffins, Mini egg cookies and my favourite, Chocolate Mousse Pie! YUM!

I hope these ideas have been of some use in making all that sweet stuff last a little longer and that you are having a lovely long weekend whatever you are up to.

Sammy xxx

Make it: Easter Bunny Ears DIY with Blooming Felt

Today we bring you a crafty classic DIY for your Easter weekend... Bunny Ears!

With the help of Blooming Felt we are going to show you how to whip up a pair for you to wear for lunch on Easter Sunday or Monday with your family. These would also be great if you are hosting an Easter egg hunt for your little family members like H and I are. Lets get to it!

You will need: Felt, Contrast fabric, a Sharpie or vanishing marker, glue, bondaweb, Wire, Scissors and a Hair band.

We started by bondawebing two sheets of felt together to make it stiffer, then we marked out our ear shapes on the felt.  Make sure you leave room for two tabs at the bottom of each ear shape to attach them to the band.  Cut out your ears. Next make two loops from your wire and glue them to the middle of your ears, this will mean you can bend them into cute expressions later.  Take your contrast fabric and draw around your felt ears.

Next, cut around the ear shapes you have drawn on the contrast fabric, cut a little inside the line so you will be able to see the felt around the edge, but make sure it will still cover the wire. Then glue the fabric down over the wire and leave it to dry.

Once your glue has dried, cut a slit into the tab you left at the bottom of each ear.  Pop a dab of glue onto one side and flap the other side over it at 90 degrees. Again wait for the glue to dry before the next step.

Take both ears and play around with the position. Once you like where they are going to sit on the band, glue them in place. 

There you have it, the perfect Easter accessory.

If you like my glitter ears they are in exactly the same way as H's blue ears using my fave glitter fabric as the contrast.

Hope you liked our version of this crafty classic? As always we would love to see if you have a go at these, if you do, take a quick pic and share it with us on Twitter @livelovemake or on Instagram @Sammytvr or @h_a_sketch don't forget the hashtag #livelovemake

Wishing you all a lovely Easter weekend, what are you up to, are you taking advantage of the long weekend by having a go at some crafts of your own??  Let us know in the comments what you are up to. We read every comment and reply to as many as we can. 

Sammy and H 

Make it. Reusable Easter Pinatas with Blooming Felt

It's Easter, lets get crazy with some bright colours and egg shaped things, Yeh!! Traditionally Piñatas are covered in strips of fringed paper, but this means they are quite fragile, and you go to all that effort of cutting and sticking for it to be destroyed. So I thought if I made some in felt, I can use them over and over again. Plus they will look so cute on the centre of my dining table for Easter Sunday lunch.

You will need: Felt, a cardboard egg, glue, sharp scissors, ribbon, some chocolate goodies for inside.

Start by taking your felt sheet and cutting it into strips, it is best to do all the cutting before you start gluing. Cut your strips about 1'' wide. Next is to cut your fringe, cut up into each strip leaving about 1/4'' uncut at the top. Also cut yourself a small circle of felt to add to the very bottom of your egg, cut it in half so you have two semicircles. At this point you may want to try one of your chocolate eggs, you know, just to make sure they taste OK.

Once you have all your strips cut and fringed you can pop some glue onto one side of your egg, add your semicircle to the bottom. You may want to try just one more of those chocolates. 

Start layering up your fringe strips. trimming away as you go and making sure to overlap the layers by about 1/4''. 

Keep adding layers until you reach the top of the egg, munch on another chocolate egg, then repeat the steps to cover the second half.  You are then ready to add your ribbon, take some glue and stick it to the inside of one half of your egg.  Give yourself a little reward and eat another chocolate egg before you fill up your piñata with any that you have left. There you have it, an Easter gift that can be filled up year after year.

These were so fun to make and they look awesome... Although they may be empty before they make it to our dining table! I am going to have to find something else to fill them with before Sunday.
What would you put in yours??

Sammy xxx

We would love to see if you have a go at this. Like with all our DIY's if you do, take a picture and share it with us on Twitter or instagram with the hashtag #livelovemake