A Social Move

>>WE HAVE MOVED OUR BLOG - CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR NEW ONE

We know that of late we have been a little quiet on the social front…
We have been busy working on a lot of new projects, including my new book and the success of our kits have kept all the team on their toes! In addition we are giving our techno elements their second update this year – and after a few months of Blogger Glitches.. we have been working behind the scenes to move to wordpress and our own dedicated BLOG sites… CRAFTYCHATTER.com is our new Granny Knits blog address – which also contains all of our past posts If you currently follow our BLOGGER BLOG – then please take the time to CLICK HERE to see our new blog – and then click on the FOLLOW US button to move on over to our new format.
We think that Following, Commenting and Feedback will all be easier, as we love to hear what you have to say. We have lots of new ideas and news to share over the coming months, so hope you will join our new network…
love Mrs P x

PS - we have moved all our old posts and all of your comments too.. so nothing has been lost (phew!)

Jacqueline Wilson Commission

Those of you who follow us on Twitter may be aware that we have been commissioned by Dame Jacqueline Wilson to create a crafty piece to coincide with the launch of her new book Sapphire Battersea. 
Jacqueline Wilson is a legend - and the most borrowed author in British Libraries, selling over 25 million books in the UK alone.  Most famous perhaps for her character Tracy Beaker, she has very loyal young fans (including my daughter!).  I cannot tell you how thrilled and utterly honored I was to be asked to complete this challenge for her.
Sapphire Battersea is due out in September 2011, and it is the second book based on her Victorian  Heroine Hetty Feather, as she continues her adventures and passions in the Circus and beyond.  Sapphire (Hetty's Stage name) is an accomplished seamstress, who creates all her own costumes.  My challenge was to design a Victorian style sampler that could have belonged to Sapphire, chronicling her life and adventures.
I cannot show / tell you any more until the launch - but the finished piece will be seen first at the book launch and will be available to fans through The Official Jacqueline Wilson Mag..  there are lots of events this Autumn for Jacky's fans, including her very own festival.. so this really is a very exciting project.
The piece is all stitched up..  and I can't wait to share it with you all.
>>Buy Sapphire Battersea here
>>Buy Hetty Feather here

Festival Homage

This weekend it was Glastonbury...  those who follow on twitter will have had my minute by minute posts of what was a truly nostalgic musical feast it was - before the fallow year next year.
The summer solstice start to the festival season was surely one of the greats?  With us all shaking our booty to the gold jacketed glory of Beyonce and her rock solid thighs on Sunday... Ceelo Greens mammouth shoulder pads, The Kaiser Chiefs, Coldplay and Gwenyth, Mumford and Sons and even U2 finally doing a festival...  let alone the sideline shows of Morrisey, Kool and the Gang et al....
They even have a whole Craft Field these days.... and built a whole tower block out of polystyrene!
Craft blogger PERRI LEWIS has a full crafty low down from her adventures.
For me the festival always reminds me of my youth - when it meant that Uni exams were over, we rocked and then had 3 months off!  Now I feel lucky to get a mere 3 minutes off...  but hey.
Me and Mr H will keep on rocking ...  and in homage I made up this YOU ROCK quick cross stitch mini pattern for Granny Knits .. and have reframed 2 of our best selling 100 secrets to life to hang in my office

No067 Get Wellies Muddy

No075 Rock at a Festival 

Think my blog may take on more of this 100 secrets feel to make sure I am living up to my own standards!

NOTHS Award Winners

 This year was the inaugral MAKE AWARDS from NOT ON THE HIGH STREET and we were thrilled be one of the 4 finalists in the tough business category of Entrepreneur of the Year. 
Whilst we did not clinch the award - the winners were friends of Pearl and Earl - the lovely Jackie and Sherrie from The Letteroom.  The ladies are full of energy and will no doubt continue to grow their business with gusto.  WELL DONE LADIES
We were thrilled to reach the finals from over 2000 partners who work with Not On the High Street.  We are only in our third year and have come such a long way since launching in 2008.  We are still a small family concern, juggling our business, passions, creativity and family life ...
Mr H and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our lovely customers, supporters, trade customers and suppliers who have helped us thus far - including NOTHS who have exposed us to a whole new audience.
2011 has been a breakthrough year for us - we have been lucky enough to win some wonderful awards and more importantly our business continues to grow and break its own records in incredibly tough times.  We have introduced new technologies to our sites and back of house and launched 2 new sites and a whole new concept in Nostalgic Events.  We also have some very exciting collaborations in the pipeline and cannot wait to share!
We have not got everything right and our customers soon let us know!  We could not learn and grow without this valuable feedback.  So thank you.
Granny Knits too goes from strength to strength - and we persuaded the team at NOTHS to launch a craft area - and have just launched our store on there with them too.  Opening crafts to a whole new audience.
Congratulations to all the winners and may 2011 continue on an upward curve!

Retro Biscuit Love

I have already discussed at length my 'Love of the Custard Cream' and indeed my families addiction to retro biscuits... and I have been working on some Cross Stitch Kits which pay tribute to these classics.. Whilst browsing Etsy the other day Mr H discovered someone else who obviously was partial to these teatime delights too.  WHATNIKKIMADE  creates screen printed super sized cushions of her favourite tea time treats...
We love them A LOT and are trying to find space on our ever full sofas to justify purchasing a couple for our collection!

Making Cake Pops

As promised here are the basic premise of how to make cake pops.. now the Americans love to use cake mixes and ready made frostings in a lot of their books on cupcakes and pops.  I have used my own cakes and buttercreams - and Ange (aka BAKERELLA) does these in her CAKE POP book too.. but for the first attempt I used Betty Crocker Devils Food cake and a Betty Crocker vanilla Icing

You will need:
Betty Crocker Box of Devils Food Cake (9x13inch tin)
Betty Crocker Vanilla Frosting Tub (3/4 exactly)
I Bag of Coloured candy coating drops (>>BUY HERE)
48 lolly sticks (>>BUY HERE)
A flower oasis or polystyrene slab for drying!

Make up the cake mix and cook as instructed
Let the cake cool
Crumble in a bowl until super fine crumbs
Add in 3/4 of the frosting tub and mix
**do not add too much as the mix will be too wet
Mix well and roll into 48 balls
Put in the fridge for 2 hours
You take then take out and shape in other cutters (see my hearts) or you are ready to coat
Put the candy drops in a bowl and melt in microwave as instructed
Make sure bowl is not too wide as the deeper the dip the better!
Dip in the lolly stick and then put in a ball
Dip the whole ball in the coating **not real chocolate does not melt or coat as easily as the candy coatings and they taste delicious!
Put the stick in the oasis to allow to set ** you will see that I did not have an oasis so put holes in a box.. it worked but was not the easiest solution!

Ta da... simple cake pops.   We also made some from our own cake recipes - and they were just as good but a bit harder to get the consistency right. Some ended up too moist so we couldnt have them on sticks :(

As a lot of the cake ingredients and decorating bits are not available in super markets - we have pulled them together in a special section of our MIX TAPE store.  Let us know how you get on.  Prizes for our favourites on our facebook page.
>>SHOP BAKING ACCESSORIES HERE

Cake Pop Lady

 This week I received my CAKE POPS book by the American blogger BAKERELLA, who is credited with taking a cake ball and making it into a crafty phenomenon!  I have been an avid fan of her blog for a while, and her party tips and tricks are super inspirational..
With her coloured candy coatings, sweet trimmings and edible pens she creates some amazing spectacles like the POPCORN pops (white chocolate, food dye pens and mini marshmallows)... Mini Robots (cheerios!) or even the simple delights of the pink and chocolate balls.
YUM!...  so I set about buying all the things to make my own and experimented with BLUE ones (see top pic) for my boys....  I have posted a separate post taking you through my 'how I made that'.
Ange's book has super easy instructions and her happy words and style sure rubs off on you! 
If you also follow her blog you will be aware that she is currently very poorly and has just had her second Kidney transplant...  her attitude is as positive and sunny as ever, and I am posting this today for you to hopefully share in her talented delights..
Ange GET WELL SOON...  and gosh almightly your pops taste good!