Happy Easter!

It'll be Easter soon so I've been using it as an excuse to buy more craft materials  to make Easter cards.  Although I've made cards in the past, I've not made them from scratch and I often used the designs from craft magazines as inspiration.

With these cards, I've made them myself from a kit I brought on eBay.  I like the way they've worked out so far and I'm going to be making plenty more.

My favourite is the Bunny!

My first handmade chocolates

OK, so I’ve chosen the really easy way to make chocolates by buying some cooking chocolate and some chocolate moulds but I want to get used to the tempering and handling the mixture first.

You can use a bain-marie to heat the chocolate over the stove or you can just add some water to a saucepan, add the chocolate to a bowl and top and let the chocolate melt that way.  Alternatively, you could just melt it in a microwave but I didn’t want to heat it too quickly.

Once melted, you can pour the melted into the moulds; I used heart shaped silicone moulds and then left them in the fridge for an hour or so. (I had to wrestle with it a bit to get the chocolates out after wards).

I’m pleased with the results so far and just need to work on getting the backs of the chocolate a bit smoother (some of them are a bit too full of lumps and bumps) so with the next batch, I’ll let them cool for a bit before smoothing them out.

My first soaps

In the past few weeks I've been trying my hand at soapmaking.  At the moment I'm just using melt and pour soap while I get used to working with it and with the moulds.  I've noticed a book on Amazon about making your own melt and pour base so this is what I'm going to do next and then I will be able to say I've made them from scratch.

I've been experimenting with different colours and fragrances.  The colours I've come across are limited but you can use them to make different shades, for example, a few drops of blue soap colouring will make a turquoise colour while using more will make a deep-blue colour.

I'm using what I know about aromatherapy and hopefully putting that to good use.  I'm using lavender/chamomile to make relaxing soaps, geranium and ylang ylang to make uplifting soaps, lemon and orange to make refreshing soaps and eucalyptus and peppermint for if you've got a cold or you need to clear your head.

After heating the soap, you can mix in the colours and then the oils.  The soaps take about an hour to set and smell divine.

The Craft Business Handbook by Alison McNicol

I've spent the last few months buying supplies, learning new craft techniques and revisiting old ones, making soaps, cards, lip balms, and learning to use a sewing machine.  Next, I want to start to run it as a business rather than just selling to family and friends.

I recently brought The Craft Business Handbook by Alison McNichol.  This book is one of the most useful and inspiring books I've brought recently, and I've brought a lot of them. 

Divided into nine chapters, the book covers everything from setting up a business, developing a brand, selling online, using social media and promoting yourself.  The case studies - all people who have themselves started from scratch - is inspirational to a beginner.

The book is available from Amazon.