How to make Bollywood Chocolate Easter Eggs

You've heard of Boiled Eggs...well these are Bollied Eggs: chocolate Easter eggs with a Bollywood theme. Completely edible, I made them by sticking edible picture onto chocolate eggs, then decorated them with edible glitter, edible gemstones, edible flowers, edible glue and even edible paint which I got from my local craft store Hobbycraft.

How to make your own Bollywood Easter eggs

Materials you'll need to make Bollywood chocolate eggs

First up, choose which stars you want to immortalise in chocolate and save the images as jpg files. I emailed my images to a UK based company called Icing Pictures. You send them the images you want printed, they print them onto edible icing and post them back to you. It's a really easy service, they even re-size the images for you. I had six images printed onto one sheet of A4 and it cost £9.99 including postage and packaging. I'm guessing this service exists in other countries - even your local bakery might be able to help. 

Edible images, cut out 

Next up decide on your eggs. The easiest method is to buy ready made eggs, or if you're feeling adventurous you can melt chocolate, pour into a mould and make your own eggs. I tried this method and discovered that a) you need to use a lot of chocolate as when you melt down a bar, you're not left with much and b) I couldn't get the eggs to come out of the moulds easily. If you're already a chocolate maker you may know the knack, but after ending up with broken shells I decided to stick with the easy option and buy the eggs.

Chocolate egg-making fail

Apply the image to the egg. Instructions for the brand of edible picture you use may vary, but the type I bought involved cutting it down to size... 

peeling off the backing and wetting the back with a little water...

...then smoothing it onto the chocolate shell. It's a delicate operation so be patient. Too much water and the image will disintegrate and too much smoothing and it will erode off, so practise a few times before you go through with any final designs.

Once the image is on, the fun part begins: the decorating. 
Here are some ideas.

The Item Girl egg

Bollywood movies wouldn't be the same without a song and a dance. The most innovative and best-loved Item Girl in history is Helen, a cabaret star who starred in numerous movies in the 60s and 70s. She was one of a kind, with great style, so I created an elaborate, colourful, vintage inspired egg embellished with sugar flowers.

The Bejewelled Devdas egg

When it was released in 2002 Devdas starring former Miss World Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan was the most expensive film made in Bollywood history, costing over $7million. Lavish in every way, from the extraordinary costumes to the grand, colourful sets, I painted this egg in edible gold/copper paint then stuck on edible jelly jewels held in place with icing pens. I also outlined the image with icing spots.


The Simple Salu egg

Affectionately known as Salu, Salman Khan is my favourite of all the Khans in the filmi fraternity. He has incredible charisma on the screen and I always look forward to his films for their entertainment value. I kept this one simple with a touch of icing - I was going to apply silver balls but decided they just weren't needed in the end. He alone holds the attention. 

The Randeepian egg

I'm a Randeepian and proud - a dedicated follower and fan of actor Randeep Hooda, one of the most popular actors of the moment and undoubtedly the hottest, hence the reason I positioned him inside an iced heart and added white chocolate hearts which I decorated with edible glitter and icing - one I can't wait to take a bite into!

The Blockbuster egg

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is the most famous Bollywood movie in history and one of the best. Released in 2015, 20 years on it's still playing in cinemas - no other film can claim that. The leads are played by mega stars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, and this is a classic film poster shot. 


Not a Bollywood fan? You can get any image printed onto edible paper from pop stars to pets. 

Top tips

• The icing pens take around 24 hours to dry so make them in plenty of time before you need to give one as a gift.
• While decorating the egg, sit it in an egg cup as that way you can access all sides of it easily.
• If you are giving them as a gift try placing them in cellophane and tie up with ribbon.

Materials

My images were printed at www.icingpictures.co.uk.

All other materials used for this project were from my local branch of Hobbycraft:
Sugar flowers, edible glitter, icing tubes, edible paint, chocolate hearts, edible gemstones.

The chocolate eggs and giant green and yellow iced spots on the DDLJ eggs were from Asda, but you'll find all of the above online or in cake supplies shops. 

Happy Bollied Egg Making!

Help Me Fund My Next Craft Book!

I recently started a Crowd Funding Campaign on website Kickstarter to publish my next craft book and now have just until the end of the month to raise £3.5k to help me do this project.

Buy why do I need to ask people to donate money? Well, I'm going to try and explain more...

Back in 2012 my book 101+ Things To Do With Glitter was published by Vivays. After I handed it in and was awaiting for it to be printed I started on the follow up, a title about ribbon. But sadly the publishing company went into liquidation which promptly stopped production and distribution of the glitter book and stopped my ribbon book (which by that time has been all written and the projects made), from progressing. 

I dedicated over a year to the book, unpaid, so couldn't bear to see the work remain just as a file on my computer. I then waited a further two years for legal decisions to be made and for the old publishing company to be bought by  a new one - this eventually happened but they no longer wanted my book. 

I looked into various options as to how I could publish it myself and eventually digital publishing made the most sense. My plan is to create a digital craft book for Ipad and tablet but one that's also available to purchase as downloadable pdf.

The most important part of the book is that is showcases the work of independent UK Maker/Designers, who have designed the projects that feature in the book. This isn't a vanity project to help me publish another book with my name on...I have long been a supporter of creative talent in the UK. I used to edit a Craftzine as I strongly believe in giving people platforms to showcase their work, especially as otherwise they wouldn't get a chance. This is my way to help them.

Papercrafts section: Notebook by Carole King

The projects in the book fit into four categories: fashion, interiors, gifts and papercrafts and here are some examples of the types of projects in the book...

Fashion section: Ballet socks by Nadia Kamil

Woven cushion by Agnis Smallwood

The £3.5k I am trying to raise will go towards design and photography and turning the book into a digital format to make it available, as well as extras like sending projects back to the designers, photoshoot travel etc. 

Crowd funding is a method that allows you to raise money for your own projects but it's an all or nothing approach so if I raise £3.5k it means I can make the book, if I raise less than that then I won't get any of the money that has been pledged..

Currently I am spreading the word through social media and emailing friends but at the moment still feeling nervous about whether or not I will reach the target (current count is £726).

I have joined up with graphic designer Kara-Jessica Mallet to help me on this project and together we are trying to do as much as we can to raise awareness and get the book made.

All the details about our campaign are on our Kickstarter page which you can see here. 

If you're reading my blog and like what I do, I hope you can spare a few pounds to help me on this mission of mine, every penny can make a difference in reaching our target. 

Thanks so much!

Momtaz

How To Host A Crafternoon

Although I'm a crafter, most of my friends aren't! Some have never been to my craft night or have no interest in being creative. They don't understand what I'm talking about when I say I'm running a craft workshop or working at a craft event...so for once, rather than bringing crafts to strangers at the public workshops I run, I decided to introduce 'making' to my friends by holding a Crafternoon around mine. Here's what happened...

Food
I couldn't entertain without laying on a spread. Cooking for others is a good excuse to try dishes that I can't normally make for myself (i.e. an entire cheesecake) so I took it as an opportunity to make food I wanted to eat! Although I'm vegetarian, I lean mainly to vegan food so I took the high risk decision to cook a vegan starters and main for friends who are all meat eaters. As I prefer my food to have a healthy edge I tend to cook with lots of herbs and spices...but no salt. I don't add salt to anything so I'm used to the taste but I'm fully aware that most people do, so I was slightly nervous about whether my guests would be able to eat what I gave them. Thankfully there was nothing to worry about. Although shocked to discover there was no salt, there were lots of comments about how good the flavour was...phew!
I served individual Aloo Chaats for starters... 

...followed by a Root Veg Kitchuri with roasted fennel and butternut squash with a beetroot and soya bean salad.

Dessert was a delicious Spiced Mandarin Cheesecake (a recipe of Dipna Anand). 

 This contained dairy - the Philadephia cream cheese filling was fused with ground cardamom and star anise which gave the cheesecake a lovely fragrant and warming flavour. 

Fun
My idea of fun anyway! I opted for an easy and effective makeover project, one I recently ran at The Damn Good Curry Supper Club to decorate candle holders...

Guests all took the task seriously, there was some proper concentration going on but it was also a good way to meet each other.

The making took place on arrival before starters arrived and was then finished off after the dessert - in between there was lots of girlie banter. 

Friends
Deciding on a guestlist was hard, I wrote down a huge list of people I hadn't seen in ages - should I focus on besties, should I invite boys and if so, which ones, but in the end I realised what I actually wanted to do was spend time with 'recent' friends I've made and get to know them better, so I only invited girls who I met over the last few months up to around two years. 

After lunch I took them on a trip to my local area. Greenwich is one of the most beautiful places in London but it is a trek to get there so I didn't want them to leave without showing them why I love where I live so much. Despite the chilly weather I insisted they all wrap up warm and then we wondered through Greenwich park to see the river views before a quick tour of The Queen's Gallery and a hot chocolate stop to warm up again.

It took me two days to do the washing up afterwards (I loathe washing up!) but it was worth it. Sunday Crafternoon was a success, one of my guests even blogged about it herself which you can check out here. 

I suspect it will be a few months (if not a year!) before I have a chance to do any more entertaining again so I was pleased to have some nice pics to remember the occasion.

Thinking of hosting a crafternoon around yours?
Here are my tips:

This was my timing:
12pm-1pm Arrive & get crafting
1pm-3pm Lunch, chatter & finish crafting
3pm-5pm Sunday stroll and hot chocolate stop off

• Keep the project simple (stay away from special techniques that not everyone will know)
• Plan out a menu and do as much prep as you can the night before
• Make it easy by sticking with a manageble number of guests
• Don't be afraid to ask guests to bring a dish if you can't prepare everything yourself
• Don't worry too much about how clean and tidy your home is, the truth is most guests won't notice as they will be too busy enjoying themselves
• Prep as much of the food ahead of time so you're not hiding away in the kitchen, but can be there to help with the making
• Don't stress - just enjoy it, even when things aren't going to plan it's fine, no one will notice! Just keep cool and craft!

How I Made A Velvet Cape/Shrug Type Thing

Some fabrics are so beautiful it's really difficult deciding what to do with them. Then it's really painful when it comes to cutting them up. This pink devore encrusted with crystals is one such fabric. I've had it a while (originally picked up from Khushboo Textiles in Birmingham) but just couldn't make my mind up about what to do with it.

I toyed with using it as an interiors fabric or in my wardrobe. In the end I decided it had to be worn - but at the same time I thought it would be wasted on a specific garment like a top or skirt so I turned it into an article than be worn with different things while remaining the focal point.

So I made it into a shrug/cape type thing, short at the top to show off the jewels...

and long at the back because the fabric drapes so well.

The cape required minimal construction, but as the fabric is transparent and soft it needed a lining.

I started by folding fabric around a mannequin and then pinned it where I liked the shape and this translated into the fabric I cut out as a template to make the lining.

I then joined the lining to the fabric and folded over the top to create a pocket, but only stitched the edges 

together. This created the arm holes.

It's still a bit of a work in progress. The shrug can currently be worn but also I could still emphasise the folds and draping more or even fasten it at the front. It's incredibly regal and reminds of the kind of gown a fairytale king might enjoy wearing! 

It also a bit strange and actually I think the crystals are upside down to what they are meant to be but I like the fact it's unique and there is nothing like it in the whole world!

Craft And Curry Night

Curry and craft is now a thing...well I've made it into a thing so prepare for the takeover! The concept is based on the supperclub idea where chefs (both amateur and professionals) hold intimate dining experiences. At its most basic this may involve someone cooking and serving dinner in their own home and members of the public booking to eat there. Menus are set in advance so you know what you're getting and the fee is usually much cheaper than eating out at a restaurant. For the chef it's a chance to cook their signature dishes while entertaining at the same time; some chefs hire spaces in which to hold their supper clubs; as long as there is a kitchen and seating then the space can work.

One of the most interesting elements of the supper club phenomenon is that if you book to attend one, you'll most likely be dining with strangers - conversation is an important as the cuisine; supperclubs aren't for those wanting to enjoy a quiet meal alone, interaction with, and getting to know your fellow diners is part of the experience. I met Nilanjani who runs the Damn Good Curry Supperclub (monthly in Walthamstow, East London), when I attended Rajiv's Kitchen Nepalese Supper Club earlier this year and last month for Diwali we joined forces to create a Craft & Curry Night.

Guests got to enjoy a delicious feast cooked up by Nilanjani while I set up a craft area where diners could do some crafting as part of their evening. As it was Diwali the workshop kept within the theme with guests decorating their own Diwali diyas. These were made using empty ramkins (the type that come with Gu-Puds inside, you eat them then wash the glass containers out which can be re-used - turns out I had 16 empty ones in my cupboard!). They make perfect candle holders.

I provided trimming, sequins, gems, Indian motifs and shisha mirrors which were taped (using double-sided) and glued on. 

As a quick and easy craft it worked really well, most got made in the period before starters, after diners had arrived and got a drink ,though some made their's inbetween courses. Some diners even placed in on their tables while they ate.

The food was exceptional (I can see why it's called 'Damn Good Curry', it really was one!)

A yummy meal to end the evening was served by by Nilanjani's assistant Zoe aka The Spice Scribe.

It was an insane and busy night for one person in particular - the chef herself!

All in all it's what I'd call my dream night out - great food, friendly people and the chance to make and take something unique. I can definately see Craft and Curry nights catching on - it's a step away from what I'm doing running The Make Escape Craft Night - that for me will always be voluntary run - I'm extremely proud of the model we have) but in terms of a business idea I'm keen to explore more ways for me to combine craft and curry by working with different chefs.

In fact if you are a chef and would be interested in discussing a craft and curry night then I'm all ears! Get in touch. Find out more about The Damn Good Curry Supper club here - and if you're feeling inspired; there's no reason why you can't start up your own Craft & Curry Night - I would love to hear about it.