DIY : rainbow badge

This super simple badge is the perfect accessory for any little girl. Everyone I have made them for LOVES them.

You will need:
fimo - I choose to use four colours
badge back
grease proof paper
hot glue gun
oven
knife
rolling pin
a hard surface to work on, I used a plastic chopping board

1. First place one colour of the fimo between grease proof paper and roll into a snake, repeat for each colour.

2. Starting with the darkest colour create a narrow arch, then working darkest to lightest place the other coloured fimo snakes around the outside of this arch to create a rainbow.

3. Cover with grease proof paper and gently roll with the rolling pin.
4. Then using a knife cut the uneven ends off.
5. Bake using manufacturers instructions to harden.

6. Finally hot glue gun the badge in place on the back of the rainbow.

rainbow connection : drawings

Moo loves Rainbows, here are selection of my favourite of her drawings.

rainbow connection : five

THE END OF THE RAINBOW

A friend of ours has all these great stories and fairytale like explanations for everyday things her mother when she was child, one of which is that the little oil or petrol marks on the road after the rain is where a rainbow ended. It's such a nice idea finding the beauty in something that is essentially dirty. I liked the idea so much I've told Moo the same thing, not sure if my story telling is as good though. But yes we are the daughter and mother crouched in the gutter with our umbrella's looking at rainbow marks on the road. They really are quite pretty.

 

rainbow connection : four

A rainbow pillow case for the sweetest dreams. 
I made a couple of these pillow cases for two of Mima's friends, one was the rainbow obsessed Moo.

YOU WILL NEED:

a pillow case

fabric paints - I mixed my own rainbow colors from blue, yellow, red and white
paint brush - I used a thick flat brush
plastic spoons and a surface for mixing the paints - I used baking paper
A3 piece of cardboard - to put inside the pillowcase
plastic cup - of water
a cloth - for drying the cleaned brushes
iron to make paint color fast depending on manufacturers instructions

1. Wash, dry and iron pillowcase before you start to remove any manufacturers dressings.

2. Pace the card board inside the pillow case this is to stop the paint going through to the other side.

3. I found it useful to do a mock up on a sheet of A3 paper with the paint brush I intended to use.

4. Start in the middle and do the smallest curve first. This is the purple curve. First mix your purple, then paint it.
Make sure you clean the brush well in water and pat it dry with the cloth.

5. Then repeat the last step with each color to create your rainbow, blue, green, yellow, orange, red and pink, working from the smallest curve to the largest.

6. Then follow the manufacturers instructions to set the paint. Mine was to dry for 12 hours then iron with a cloth placed between the painting and the iron.

rainbow connection : the tea towel

rainbow connection: three

RAINBOW PASTA 

I was browsing kids craft blogs for an indoor activity to do with Moo and her little friend on a wet day and I came across this easy way to dye pasta for making crafts.

The colours are so intense, we all made necklaces and a pasta rainbow with all the leftover pieces.

What you'll need 
dried pasta in different shapes ones with holes are best for threading 
string - we just used regular cotton kitchen string
hand sanitiser
food colouring
snaplock plastic bags

Method

1. Divide uncooked pasta into a snaplock bags.

2. Put a few squirts of hand sanitiser into the bag.

3. Put a few drops of food dye into the bag.

4. Seal bag and shake until dye has taken evenly. Moo loves doing this part.

5. Empty onto tray lined in baking paper, dry in the sun or if it's pouring with rain outside (like here) dry in oven at 100c for about 15 mins.

This also works for dyeing rice, so we'll be trying that soon I'm sure.

rainbow connection: two

RAINBOW PRETZELS

So pretty and so simple. I love the sweet and salty combination.

Ingredients
50g white chocolate
50g store brought pretzels sticks
3 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles

Method
1. line tray with nonstick baking paper
2. melt white chocolate either in a cup in the microwave for 2mins, stirring every minute or in a bowl over simmer pot of water stirring until there are no lumps
2. dip pretzels in melted and roll in sprinkles and place on tray until set. makes 50-60

rainbow connection : one

Everyone loves a rainbow don't they? We love them, this is our tribute to rainbows.

RAINBOW CUPCAKES

I was inspired to make rainbow cupcakes after a friend showed me a picture of these elaborate pinata cookies which she thought Moo would love. They looked incredible but to be honest the recipe didn't sound too tasty.

So I created my own version, using my old faithful Donna Hay kids' magazine cupcake recipe.

Basic Mix and Melt Vanilla Cupcakes - for 12 standard cupcakes

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups plain flour, sifted

¾ teaspoon baking powder, sifted

1 cup caster sugar

125g butter, melted

2 eggs

¾ cup milk 

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, Blue and Pink food colouring

7 cups and teaspoons for mixing colours

1 quantity of chocolate butter icing (see recipe below)

hundreds and thousands (rainbow sprinkles)

Method

1. Preheat oven 160°c fan bake and line cupcake tray with papercases. 

2. Place flour, baking powder, sugar, butter, eggs, milk and vanilla in a large bowl and mix until well combined.

3. Divide cupcake mixture equally between the cups and mix your colours. We did red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and pink (I know technically pink isn’t in the rainbow but Moo insists it is).

4. Spoon one teaspoon of each colour into the papercases in above order

5. Bake for 20-25mins or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Place cakes on wire rack to cool.

6. Ice and decorate.

Chocolate Butter Icing

70g butter, softened

1 cup icing sugar

¼ cup sifted cocoa

1 tablespoon boiling water

1. Beat butter with electric mixer or beater for 5 minutes.

2. Add Icing sugar and cocoa, water and beat until light and fluffy.