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!

My DIY Brit-Bangla Dress

One of the things I was most excited about when I visited Bangladesh in December was going to the fabric stores and I'm pleased to say they didn't disappoint. I discovered vividly coloured, bold cotton prints, the type that are no where to be found in the UK. 

The first project I've made with my fabric so far is this tunic style dress.

I also added some sleeves using pink satin that I picked up in Khushboo Textiles in Birmingham. 

I used the same fabric to create pleats in the dress to give it a more interesting shape.

The fabric was actually 'suit fabric' - a lot of Asian fashion fabrics are sold this way. You get a large rectangle of fabric with the collar shape and you cut and style it to your own preference. It also comes with material to make trousers and a separate piece for a scarf - but I've saved both of those for other projects. In fact the scarf is so pretty it actually looks more like a table runner so I'm going to use is as 'interiors fabric' instead.

Choosing which fabrics to buy was the difficult part. I was travelling with a backpack so had to keep my purchases to a minimum.

Unfortunately I'm not sure where these photos were taken, I was on a rickshaw and all of a sudden we turned onto a street lined with fabric markets and shops so I got off and explored them. It was in walking distance of the Armenian Church, near a bridge - hopefully that's enough description to help find it if you too happen to be in Dhaka and love fabric.

My new dress is a pleasure to wear, in fact I am wearing it now as I write this. I'm very proud of it, it's the most 'Asian' item of clothing I currently own but I've given it my own British twist with the shaping - best of all it's great to know no one else in the whole world has my dress! 

The other thing that makes this dress special is the fact that while I was sewing it I had a major sewing accident: I sewed through one of my nails on the sewing machine and I can confirm it was more than a ouch. My finger was out of action for four weeks - it's now got a falsie on it and is my reminder of the perils of being a seamstress. 

My So Called ...Sewing...Life

1993: Secondary School

This wallhanging is the first thing I ever made at school. I was 12. We only had one term of Textiles, the other two were spent in Woodwork or Cooking. We were tasked with testing out different techniques;  it was my first taste of silk painting, printing, tie-dye and patchwork. Rather than keep my pieces as samplers I decided to create a giant wall hanging which required using a sewing machine.

My mum was a home seamstress, she had an old classic singer sewing machine on which she would make clothing for the British high street. But it was her most precious belonging and none of us were allowed to touch it, let alone use it.
So I sewed my hanging at school. I have very clear memories of the first time I used a sewing machine...it wasn't on fabric, but was on paper. We took a 'driving test' punching holes along a hand-drawn road to ensure we could manuovere corners.

 1998: College: A'Level Fashion

I hated school. I was a bit too alternative, so when I was 16 I moved to a sixth form college. I found the only one in London that did A'Level Fashion. Finally I felt like I belonged. I had real friends and I could ditch my school uniform for homemade clothes. 

With my first pay packet from my first weekend job I bought a sewing machine and used it to make my own dresses. 

The first one was inspired by Klimt, it was gold and ethereal looking probably because all 17-year-olds are obessed with his painting The Kiss.

Then I progressed into making my own fabric (tie-dye of course!) before making my own patterns from fabric bought from Roll & Rems - the haberdashery I still swear by.

2001: University Customising

I couldn't take my sewing machine to university so instead I customised things inbetween Geography lectures. This is when I turned 'crafty.' Instead of just sewing, I discovered the joys of beading, embroidery and embellishment. To make some extra money on the side of my student loan I started taking commissions selling bespoke handbags and accessories.

2003: Post-graduate: Fabric fanantic

After university I couldn't get a job and I didn't want to be a Geographer anyway so I did a post-graduate diploma in magazine journalism. The chance to be a student again meant I could continue dressing as creatively as I liked and because I was living at home with my sewing machine I started making my own clothes again. This is when my obsession began for buying gorgeous fabrics (this flamingo print cotton was bought in Ikea).

2006: Working: Clothes for other people!

By now I was fully immersed in the world of being a writer and crafter but didn't have as much time to make clothes. Instead I took up the challenge of making my first garment for someone else and learnt that childrenswear is sooooooo much easier than making adultswear!
I made my niece some ladybird dungarees and later a bear for her sister and blanket for her brother.

    2013: Now: Historical dressmaking project

Fast forward 20 years (scary how the 1st photo in this post was taken in 1993) and I'm still sewing, learning and continuing to make clothes.

This week the BBC launches it's new programme The Great British Sewing Bee which is causing a huge buzz in the craft/sewing community. It's predecessor The Great British Bake Off has turned the nation into homebaking obsessives and I'm pretty sure that the Sewing Bee will inspire more people to sew.

There are already many more sewing courses, classes and workshops going on (in London at least), but while other people are getting to grips with machines, I've gone down a different path - the art of historical dressmaking.

Last year I embarked on a new creative adventure, becoming a Fashion Recreator. Over the last 12 months I've been studying dressmaking from the 17th, 18th & 19th centuries and am currently making an exact replica of a dress that existed in 1818.

In replicating it I have to use the exact techniques.....in other words the entire dress in stitched by hand as there were no sewing machines then.

I'm now in my last month of finishing the piece which will  be exhibited at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich in July (for one day!) and the story of how I made it will be recorded in a book.

Until I put this blog post together I actually didn't realise I had been sewing for 20 years. It blows my mind. 

I'm honestly not the best of sewers, in fact I think I'm pretty rubbish because I'm not a perfectionist. My seams don't always match up, my fits aren't aways perfect and some times I skip 'proper' steps; but one thing I can say with pride is that I really, really enjoy sewing and I hope I never have to stop doing it.

Valentines Day spa craft tutorial: How to make soaps

Soapmaking is a cheap, quick, satisfying craft that is a great gift idea - not just for Valentines, but also for thank you gestures  and house-warming presents. The best thing is that complete novices, any one new to making or lacking in confidence with crafting will get results they'll be proud of within minutes and you don't need much to get started.

You will need: 

*Melt & pour soap base OR any glycerin soap as it melts in the same way

(The soap base in available in craft stores or search online)

*Silicone mould (ones for baking are fine)

*Microwave, microwavable bowl & fork

(Alternatively, melt the soap in a pan on your cooker)

*Knife

*Optional - food colouring

*Things to suspend (like dried flowers, glitter, ornaments etc)

*Scent
*Clingfilm

1. Chop up the base into small pieces and measure out how much you will need in each compartment of the mould. You will need to add double the quantity of how far it fills up, because it will reduce in size when melted.

2. Heat the base in the microwave for 15 seconds, then stir. Keep melting for 15 second intervals until it's completely liquidised. 

3. The base solidifies very quickly. So get ready to put it into the mould as soon as possible. If you are using food colouring add it now. It will lower the temperature of the base making it solidify. If that happens, place it back in the microwave. If you're using glitter, stir it in as well. Now is also the time to add a few drops of scent like a diluted essential oil (they are often too strong on their own.) You can leave the soaps fragrance free but I think they are more fun to use (and more impressive if you are giving them as a gift), if they are scented.

4. Setting takes up to a couple of hours so leave them in a cool place. Then pop them out like ice cubes.

My designs:

1. Hundreds & thousands - I placed plastic initial beads at the bottom of the mould then sprinkled cake decorations on top. 

2. Plain blue soap - I coloured this soap by blending blue food colouring into the melted soap base.

3. Plastic beads - I suspended plastic beads in the mould - as it gets used, the beads fall out and you'll end up with enough to make a bracelet!

4. Sequins - I suspended silver star confetti in the base.

5. Red glitter - I mixed glitter and red food colouring into the melted base.

6. Rose buds - First I poured melted clear base into the mould then placed small rose buds directly on the top surface.

Because the soap base is transparent you can see everything that's suspended in it. The top surface of the rose soap shows off the petals, but when you turn it over, you see the lovely buds underneath.

For more soap making ideas this book will fill you with inspiration. Brimming with colourful photos I've used it in spa crafting workshops before and everyone is amazed by it - the instructions are clear and accessible.

Have fun making your own soaps but be warned: buying a shop bought soap is not the same once you're discovered how easy it is to make your own 'bespoke' ones in a matter of minutes at home!
NB: Tightly wrap cling film around each of your soaps to preserve them.

How to make a Balinese offering

One of the first things I noticed about Bali was the beautiful handmade offerings. These are small baskets made from natural materials and filled with colourful flowers. Giving them is a ritual followed by Hindus who make them for the gods. They are normally offered three times a day, though some people I heard about (my taxi driver’s wife) make 40 a day and even 100 during festivals. It is hoped they bring prosperity to your home, family, business and health. 

  Inside temples they are often seen beside incense.

  Whenever you are out walking you’ll find them placed on the street.

 

  They even accompany drivers to ensure safe journeys.

Women can be seen making them all over town. While in the UK you notice stall holders reading a book or knitting while waiting for customers, in Bali, they occupy themselves making offerings.

 I discovered two ways to make them. The cheats, quick, modern method is to staple together strips of coconut palm into a basket shape while the traditional and extremely delicate way is to join the strips using a fine bamboo skewer; as demonstrated in this short video I filmed outside an art gallery on the Monkey Forest Road in Ubud. Below I’ve described in more detail how these beautiful baskets are constructed.

You need two raw materials – firstly coconut palm leaves.

  Secondly – fine bamboo skewers.

The first stage is to trim the palm into equal lengths and remove any rough edges.

 There is a vein running down the palm.

For stronger basket the piece of palm can be folded in half so it’s thicker – this is suitable if you’re intending to place a large object like a coconut inside.

To join pieces together you use the bamboo skewer to thread them together, you then break them off, leaving behind a small stitch. When I tried this myself I didn’t get far at all. The bamboo is so fine it snaps instantly so trying to push it through the thick palm takes incredible skill and experience. 

This is the typical small basket made from shorter pieces of palm with strips bent and ‘stitched’ together.

 Or you can make a taller one:

These ones were being made for a local temple to mark a full moon, due to take place in three days time.  

 

As for what goes inside, fresh flowers, rice and incense are common, all of which can be purchased from markets.

If you don’t want to make your own offering they are in abundant supply on street corners to purchase. Or if you just don’t have the time to make such complicated versions, you can simplify them, by simply placing your offerings on a small leaf.  

It’s quite difficult to get hold of the raw materials to make these offering in the UK in exactly the same way but I plan on making some of my own versions with substitute materials. They don’t have to be religious, they could be offered to friends as gifts by assembling cardboard baskets made with strips stapled together and filled with flowers – also a perfect activity for a craft workshop.