First communion

2017_Kommunion1

Wether it’s for the First Holy Communion, Confirmation or for baptism the decoration shown hereafter is done quickly. We love paper fishes and this one is just made with paper stripes in different sizes. The large one is made with a stripe of 2 x 25cm. Mesuring 5 cm from each end maketwo 1,2cm long opposite cuts. That’s the point you can put the stripes together. Cut both ends aslope to get the tail fin. The stripe’s length and width determins how large your fish will be. To use it as a place card we punched a small fish and fixed it inside the large one with a sewing thread. Pull it through the large fish with a needle or fix it with a drop of glue.

2017_Kommunion2

Matching with the large one we placed a smaller, made with a punch, on top of our napkin holder. The holder is made with a 4 x 25cm stripe. Decorate it with a small ribbon or another wave cut stripe. Form a loop with your holder and fix it with an 1 x 10cm stripe glued in its back. Just add the small fish with a 3D adhesive pad.

2017_Kommunion3

Both, napkin and cutlery will find enough place in this kind of holder. Choose some small wine glasses with lamp shade to hold your candles. Cut several small fishes to put them all over your table. The stripes are between 12 and 15cm long. (If you don’t want to buy a punch just ask around in your neighbourhood or at school to find one and ask for permission to punch some of the fishes.) Take small flowers to go with your decoration enabling your guests to have nice conversations with the ones sitting opposite. We decided for single flowers rapped in sisal grass. Tibias Kopp from Switzerland showed them under the name flora-line at facebook. Fix the grass with either a simple silver wire (blue flower) or a ribbon with pearls (red and pink flower). If you dispose of a large table then you may add some bear grass and thread some single pearls.

 2017_Kommunion4

Put the flower in a fitting vase. For the rose we didn’t punch fishes but folded butterflies to go with it. The napkin is folded as a flower and holds a chocolate truffle.

2017_Kommunion5

Just have a look at my last year Easter post to get the butterflie’s folding instructions. Fold them with printed papers to put them on the table. Take single colored papers to use them as a place card. The chocolate truffle may serve as place card too. Cut a matching name tag and fix one end at the bottom of your little chocolate. Otherwise cut a green paper leaf to write down your guest’s name. Large natural leaves will work too. Then you should write the names with a silver or gold permanent marker.

Our last flower is sitting in a test tube because the vetches’ stems are very thin.

2017_Kommunion6

The sisal grass however won’t be wrapped around the flower in this case. Just tear and flaten the grass a little bit to place it behind the blooms and fix it at the test tube’s top. We used a ribbon with pearls and wound it carefully through the flowers. To prevent water from flowing on your table put the tube on a small stone not seen through the flowers. Both, fish an butterfly my be arranged with all flowers and if you can’t decide for one ot them you may take my paper hearts instead. Choose some paper napkins matching with your flowers’ color and within short time you’ll craft a lovely decoration.

 

 

Happy Easter

2017_Ostern

Eggs in a glass

2017_Eier1

Before starting your Easter cooking I just want to show you an easy way to use the eggshells for your table setting. Just crack the eggs in a way that the lower part is a bit bigger than the top. Put them in water with dish liquid for some time, then rinse carefully and let dry on a kitchen towel.

2017_Eier2Cut some edible easter grass and fill the egg halves with it. Place some small chocolate eggs in between and put the eggshell and a paper coaster on your plates. In order to get some more space at table for all the easter delicacies put a wine or waterglass upside down and set it on your plates to build the bell jar for your eggs. If you wish to use them as place cards just twist a small name tag round the glass stem.
If your eggshell doesn’t stand upright just put a small glue dot or some double sided adhesive tape in the middle of your paper coaster and put the egg halves on top.

 

Chocolate tartes

2017_Tartelette1

Fast, easy and very, very tasty – chocolate tartelettes looking a bit like fried eggs. A real eye-catcher for Easter given you’re in possession of the necessary molds. Sarah posted it in her German blog “Alles und Anderes” last year. I lightly changed the recipe and tried another version of easter egg cookies. The tartelettes maybe prepared 1-2 days in advance if they’re stored in an airtight container. The filling is made of curd and cream cheese with crème fraîche. It’s best to prepare the tartelettes in the morning when serving them in the afternoon for tea time. Thus the tartelettes will be a bit softer.

 

Pastry for 6-8 tartelettes:150g wheat flout, 70 g dark chocolate, 50g powdered sugar, 75g unsalted butter, 2 egg yolks
Filling: 100g curd cheese, 100g cream cheese, 50g crème fraîche, 60g sugar, some vanilla pulp, tinned apricots, some chopped pistachios

Melt chocolate in a bain-marie. Mix flour, soft butter, egg yolk and powdered sugar in a large bowl and add melted chocolate. Work well and knead to a soft pastry. Wrap it  in food foil and keep it in the refridgerator for half an hour. Then preheat the oven at 175°C and roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Cut round circles with a corresponding round cookie cutter and put them in your greased tartelette molds. Press the pastry accurately and poke small holes with a fork. Bake for 15-20 minutes and cool them in their molds on a baking rack.
Now put them in an airtight container for storing until Easter or continue their preparation directly.
Let the apricots drain in a strainer. Mix curd chees, crème fraîche, cream cheese, vanilla pulp and sugar in a bowl. Give some cream in the middle of each tartelette and smooth it with a table spoon. Put an apricot on top of the cream and here you are with the reproduction of a fried egg. If you like spread some chopped pistachio on top.
There are only six tartelette molds in my personal pool and I didn’t want to cook a second round. That’s why I cut some thin easter eggs with the excess pastry.

2017_Tartelette2

These cookies only need to be cooked for 12 minutes. After cooling them apply some cream on half of the egg cookies and place a second one on top. Cover their surface with cream too and cut a small egg yolk from an apricot with the help of a shot glass. These eggs will be an attraction of your tea time table too.

 

 

Easter napkins

2017_Ostern1

Being crazy about sewing made me neglect my blog during the last weeks. Right now, a few days before Easter it’s time for crafting and decorating again. I love decorations that don’t cost a fortune and don’t need to be stored afterwards. For a lovely Easter table you’ll simply have to work with some different paper napkins. The cutlery is hidden in large paper carrot. Therefor I took two small green and orange paper napkins.

2017_Ostern2Fold the orange napkin in half and twist a cornet with it starting in the middle of the long side. Put the cornet on a plate and insert the cutlery. Fold inside the cornet’s upper edge. Then fold a double sail with the green napkin. Smoothly flatten the four sails to get the shape of a carrot’s green and put it inside of the orange napkin hiding the cutlery this way. Put a little chocolate egg with it.

The little bunny heads in different colors would be very nice for a table setting too.

 2017_Ostern3

The paper napkins color and design will decide wether the bunnies are looking funny or coming along in a more traditional design. Find a folding instruction at tasteofhome.com. Take the traditional paper napkins of 33 x 33 cm. For a safe stand simply insert a small chocolate Easter egg.
Add some flowers and Easter eggs in matcing colours to get a perfect table setting.