What A Jubilant Month!!!

Phew! We've had a busy couple of months. Let us bring you up to speed on why our little blog has been lacking in posts!

First there were the fairs, of which we did two. The first was for loyal crafters organised by the fabulous Ann at Save the Children. This was our pretty stand with my beloved Singer sewing table at the front:

Then there was of course the Jubilee! We had a rather fabulous and fun cupcake class to kick it off with a celebratory spread of tea, fizz and sandwiches. Our ladies produced some very fabulous looking cupcakes that night- despite the fact the drinks were flowing!

We also had a stand at the Clements Street Vintage Fair which was organised by Helen at the Grand Union. The British weather just about held up, and as you can see, I had some helpers so was able to indulge in a little of the 'atmosphere'! 

Over the last few months we have also had a few little bits of press coverage. It all started with the observer and this not so flattering image, but we also had a little mention in the June edition of Warwickshire Life magazine too!

And finally there was a lovely blog written about our Mediterranean bread baking workshop earlier this month and our star tutor 'The Revel Baker'. You can see what the lovely Lula made of our class here 

So what's next for us? Well we have some hen parties going on at the moment and we just lurve a good wedding celebration - they are always such a giggle!

Next, we really must get a wriggle on and plan our autumn and winter event calendar. I know, we've not had a proper summer yet and would you believe we're planning crimbo workshops already! It feels wrong to us too.

It's a mad world, but we are really enjoying the ride. Thanks to all our lovely clients who have supported us over a busy couple of months, and of course, to friends of Revival who have turned out even in the rain to help man our event stands! We love you all! xxx

A party to remember

You may already know that we can offer any of our creative workshops as a party package just for you and your friends, but did you know that we can add an afternoon tea party or evening of cocktails and burlesque too? This way, you can extend the fun right through the day and into the night too if you wish!

How do you fancy fascinator or jewellery making, combined with cocktails and a burlesque dance routine for a party with real attitude? Just one of our fabulous packages that we can arrange at a venue near you.

The party of the moment though, and by far our most popular package, is our "It's all about the vintage!"

Create vintage inspired cupcakes with little bows, buttons, roses and pearls in our creative workshop. Then follow it with a stylish afternoon tea party from a bygone era! Et voilà!

We can provide an array of vintage linens and china (including our very own mis-matched china cake stands), genuine costumes and props from 1910 to the 1940's, and of course, lots of yummy deliciousness to stuff yourself silly on!

Whatever combination you choose, our bespoke service means that you can tailor a special day to the birthday girl or hen.

Plus all party bookings of 10 or more also include a free bottle of fizz!

Love RevivalSteph
x

Easter Making Fun!

We love this time of year! There is so much promise that a fabulous summer is just around the corner. But, with the weather taking a turn for the worse just in time for the holidays, we thought you may be in need of a little creative inspiration. 


Here is our pick of mini makes and bakes for you and the kids this Easter:

Sew! 


If you have little ones old enough for a bit of hand sewing, why not make these cute felt bunnies?

See Emma Castle's Felt Easter Bunny Egg Cosy Tutorial  on another lovely blog by the talented Annie The Felt Fairy. You'll find a downloadable template and easy step by step instructions.


Knit! 


We just can't get enough of egg cosies this Easter and this seriously cute knitted bunny cosy is such a winner!

You can download an easy knitting pattern from Natural Suburbia and whilst visiting their site, check out the great seasonal recipes too! 

Craft! 


This is an oldie, but aren't they the best!


You all know the score by now, take some eggs, stick a pin in them, blow out their insides and paint (we found acyclic paints work best, followed by a clear varnish).

This lovely project was made by a very dear friend and her creative lovelies, Niki and Corrie. Proves there is no age limit on this one! Take inspiration from these crafty ladies and string your painted eggs with pretty ribbon from budding spring twigs. Stand in a jam jar for that perfect vintage look. Doesn't it just make the most beautiful window display?

Bake! 


Ok, so it has to be chocolatey at this time of year, but we wanted to escape the ordinary shredded wheat nests for the kids and simnel cake for the adults. Well, of course it had to be cupcakes! 

We will most certainly be following this recipe for Death by Chocolate Cupcakes this weekend using all our favourite chocs! The kids will love the decorating bit too! 


If you're making for chocolate-loving adults, perhaps add a little splash of your favourite alcoholic tipple into the frosting too! (Come on! We all know that calories don't count at this time of year right?!) 


Finally, we couldn't go without telling you about these little baking beauties...

These cookie mixes by Bakedbyme are a great cupboard saviour for rainy school holidays and would make a fab alternative gift for the Sunday lunch cook too! ...hint hint! 


Put the kettle on, snuggle up warm and make something gorgeous this Easter! 


Have a happy Easter! 


With love, RevivalSteph 

Sew wonderful Sundays!

This Sunday, despite the return of the sunshine, I am really missing some dedicated time just to sit and sew! 

Our first course of three 'learn to sew' workshops came to an end last weekend. We had an all-girl ensemble for all three workshops, so there was much more natter than sewing at times, but it was a lovely affair! 

We started with the basics of getting to know a sewing machine. We learnt what happens if your bobbin tension is too tight, and what happens if your bobbin runs out of thread too, with more than one lady being fooled into thinking their lovely straight lines were anything but one-sided!

We had planned to keep it simple with an envelop cushion, joined at the back with a few hand sewn snap fasteners. Our ladies had other ambitions! They all decided to tackle the dreaded machine button hole instead! It may have been brave but the results were superb! This group was certainly up for being challenged! 

Week 2 was the basics of dressmaking, sewing mini pinafore dresses or dungarees for little ones.

It was a lot to cover in just three hours but the ladies did so well with our second challenge. 

They even managed to sew the last hem at home themselves, rather than carry their projects over to week 3! 

We sent out bespoke, made-to-measure patterns in the post following the workshop, and we can't wait to see more little clothes being made at home in the future with lots of love and pride! Send us your pictures please ladies! 

We finished the course last Sunday with a slower paced workshop designed to take stock of all the skills that had been taught so far, and of course, a few new tricks too! We looked at how to make your wardrobe work for you and tackled: bleach spills to a dress, jeans which were a bit long in the leg, a skirt that was too big on the waist and even a onesie which was too big in the body! The results were a marvel to see. 

So this week we're saying "thank you", to our fabulous sewing ladies and for wonderful Sunday afternoons. 

We'll be running the next course of 3 workshops again in October. If you can't wait until then, why not sign up to bunting sewing in May - perfect timing for your Jubilee party and a great workshop for a beginner! Or, if like our ladies you are also up for a challenge, we are getting ready to run a dressmaking course which will show you how to make a lovely vintage-style dress for yourself in July. Contact us for details

Go on, get your sewing groove on this spring! 

Happy crafting! 


Love RevivalSteph 

Spring is sprung!

This week’s blog post has been written by one of our tutors, Becky. (We featured her work a few weeks ago here).

Becky will be hosting our sell-out 'springtime cupcakes' workshop next Friday in Warwick. She will show workshop attendees how to create these little beauties! Aren't they just fabulous?!

Places on this workshop sold out fast, but just in case you missed out, we thought we would bring you a special preview and show you how to make the very cute rabbit bottom cupcake at home. (It also happens to be our favourite one!)

To make Becky's rabbit bottom cupcake, you will need:

·         Non stick mat

·         Non stick rolling pin

·         Edible glue

·         Clean paint brush

·         Pink/white/brown sugarpaste (or colours of your choice)

·         A circular cutter, or use small writing nozzles for cutting smaller circles

Step 1: 

Form two balls of white sugarpaste and flatten to make two feet shape approximately 1.5cm in length

Step 2:  

Roll out pink sugarpaste and cut 2 larger circles and 3 smaller circles for the paws. Stick on using edible glue. 

Set aside to dry.

Step 3:  

Form a small ball of white sugarpaste for the rabbit’s tail. Use the end of the writing nozzle to make circle indents to create the “fluffy” look. 

Set aside to dry

Step 4:  

Form a ball of brown sugarpaste about the size of a walnut and flatten the bottom on your mat.

Step 5:

Glue the feet and the tail onto the brown body. 

Step 6:

Pop your finished rabbit’s bottom onto your cupcake and decorate with flowers to make it pretty!

Hey presto! A very fetching rabbit cupcake! Perfect for making with the kids in the Easter holidays.

Did you know? Cupcake decorating equipment can be purchased from our website directly in the form of one of our fabulous DIY cupcake kits, or if you need something specific, we recommend checking out local business Kenilworth Baking Supplies

Happy creating! J