Hopalong Hollow....

Hopalong Hollow, where the Blueberries grow sweet, and the moss feels soft beneath your feet.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Chocolate Hares and Pysanky!.

 If there is one thing Hopalongs, Fuzzyfoots and Bunwinkies love.... it is CHOCOLATE!
 Especially when it comes in interesting shapes and sizes...and what shape, does a bunny love best? Why a rabbit shape of course.
 Lets make chocolate bunnies! Oh,I know you can BUY chocolate bunnies in the stores... but they don't look like this.....


I chose my smallest antique chocolate molds, because this calls for a LOT of chocolate!
Actually, I used 3 times more than this... I had to raid the Lord of the Manors chocolate stash. I prefer Dove dark chocolate, but the lord is a Hershey's man.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler,
 Spoon the melted chocolate into the molds,  set them upside down in a bowl and pop in the fridge.
  The best part is removing the rabbits from the molds.. the bunnies and I get to eat all the little extra bits and pieces. 
 If you do not have the metal chocolate molds, there are companies online selling hard plastic molds of antique designs. I have a few of these also which came from an online company called  " bittersweethouse.com"  

  Yummy!
 I used the plastic mold to make the biggest bun,
and learned a lesson about re-melting chocolate...it doesn't work so well.
In fact, it turns into fudge and has to be "smeared" into the mold.

 Now what is prettiest when presented along with chocolate bunnies?
 PYSANKY EGGS!
This is an artform I have always wanted to try, but never had the time...someday I will.
 These wonderful eggs were NOT created by me, simply collected.
The artist is Dee Dee Beavers and she designs the most wonderful, whimsical  Pysanky. I buy one every time I see her at an art show... aren't these marvelous?
These eggs are hand dyed by Dee Dee using an ancient  traditional Ukrainian method of batik known as "pysanky". All the egg shells come from her flock of Chickens, one of whom I have met... she was sitting in Dee Dees lap most contentedly  at a craft festival, and was a well mannered and charming hen.

 These are just plain sweet!
Visit Dee Dees website at happyhenspysanky.com if you would like to see more of her charming work.

 These little rabbits were made by pouring beeswax into the chocolate molds.

 Now, the Fuzzyfoots and Bunwinkies will pass these chocolates through out the Hollow and everyone will have a very SWEET EASTER.

If you want to make the above "silhouetted" and dyed eggs, check out my post from last EASTER, 
http://hopalonghollowgazette.blogspot.com/2010/04/bunwinkies-and-hopalongs.html
these are great fun to make! 

 Please have a pleasant Easter, it is, in my opinion the most special, of all holidays.

25 comments:

  1. Her eggs are beautiful!! I'm sure you could make them too.
    Your chocolate bunnies are so cute and look so yummy. But I'd hate to go to all that work, and then "have" to eat the ears off.

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  2. Love your antique bunny molds and the eggs are so pretty. Thanks for sharing. Happy Easter!
    Becky at Ginger Creme Hollow

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  3. I MUST I MUST I MUST find those antique replicas of which you speak dearest! RUBEN WOULD LOVE THIS! We are rabbit lovers to the core. We have sweet rabbits in our boxwood gardens and to make antique styled chocolate bunnies would be a delicious hoot! HAPPY EASTER DEAREST!!! Anita

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  4. Oh what a beautiful Easter post, the colours, the delightful chocolate moulds, that stunning vintage plate AND those eggs!

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  5. Those eggs are outstanding! The intricate detail is simply amazing. I love the homemade chocolate bunnies, it really does give an extra special touch to this extra special holiday. Here's wishing you and all your family (two-legged, four-legged and winged) the happiest Easter yet!

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  6. I am over the moon for those little be-ribboned beeswax bunns!! Jeri, you keep me ever inspired and motivated to try new crafty crafts...you and your cousin Diane are some of the most talented girls I've ever met!
    Easter blessings to you and yours dear friend,
    Christie

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  7. I would never have thought of molding my own Easter bunnies! (and I wouldn't have the patience to make the eggs like that, either). Great post!

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  8. Jerri your bunnies are so cute and looks so yummy. I like Hershey candy also and my Mom loves the Dove's. Your molds have such great tiny details in them. The eggs are gorgeous. Yes, you must do the girls on eggs someday.It looks so hard to do all those tiny paintings on the round eggs.A lot of work in those. Have a wonderful Easter.

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  9. Dear Jeri,

    Ooh, how can you eat those bunnies? ;) I love the beeswax renditions, too (much longer lasting, I'm sure)! We're going to have to make some silhouetted eggs, too (though with store-bought already rubber eggs, hee hee). Right now we're having a doll bonnet-decorating party, so the eggs will go right along with that. :)

    Love,

    Marqueta

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  10. Jeri, when I come I expect to be impressed with flora or fauna, but now you have outdone yourself in the kitchen too! These chocolate bunnies are too special, that you made them out of your husband's favorite Hersheys is downright romantic! Wishinf the whole Hopalong gang a wonderful Easter full of hidden surprises, but not TOO hidden!

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  11. JERI! Good mornin' darlin'! THANK YOU for that link to the bunny molds! This is going to be fun. Oh dearest, what a lovely birthday it has been, and all of you dear bloggers are just the best. Your care and friendship mean a lot to me! Enjoy the day out there with this fabulous creatures of yours! Anita

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  12. Love your chocolate molds Jeri and those wonderful, colorful eggs are absolutely beautiful and adorable.

    I agree about Easter being the most special of all holidays.

    Have a lovely Easter.

    FlowerLady

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  13. I love all this and the bunnies you created...and LOVE Dee Dee's eggs, they are utterly charming and I've never seen better ones.

    Easter blessings to you and yours,

    Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

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  14. ✿◕ ‿ ◕✿Bien joyeuses Pâques à vous Jeri!!Happy easter to you and yours. ✿◕ ‿ ◕✿

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  15. this is wonderful jeri , like you I love to make easter chocolate eggs and bunnies and yours are fabulous!Yes Jeri, my green shakes are my ritual that I can not live without it... my skin, and health will testify what a blessing it is!
    Have a wonderful Easter evening! hugs~

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  16. Dear Cousin Jeri,

    We love your old chocolate molds and what chocolate beauties they produce! Your "silhouetted" eggs are lovely, just love the colours with the chocolate! The Pysanky eggs are a delight with their wonderful scenes and colours! I am big into colour and some of my first memories include colours of different things! Love that tin bunny with the orange suit, green plaid pants, striped socks, and blue tin shoes! We love his mellow coloured old fashioned outfit! We found a little tin wind-up chickie recently with a red hat but one of his wings was missing. He is wearing a blue and red vest with a little red bow tie. He is hoping perhaps Tillie Tinkham can help fashion a new wing for him! He is going to peep to her about it, anyway. I will have to photograph him! The beeswax bunnies in a row are sweet and between the beeswax and the chocolate your kitchen must have smelled wonderful!

    Your cousins,
    Diane and daughter Sarah at the Corgyncombe Courant

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  17. OOhhh chocolate ! Bravo for your rabbits ! you are good cooker, in more to be a fantastic artist ! Oeufs Pysanky : wonderful !
    I hope your Easter was beautiful.
    Amitiés,
    Nathanaëlle

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  18. JERI!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE LORD OF THE MANOR!!!!!! YIPEE! Hey, did you have a fabulous celebration this past weekend? WE SURE DID! It was quiet, but so perfect. I gardened on Easter...we have no family here so it is just us, and it was so fun. The love from Blogland was overwhelming and just touching. I EXTEND MY WISHES to you for a magical season of birdwatching, rabbit hunting and FUN on the farm....love to you, Anita

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  19. How lovely, i adore your chocolate bunnies, almost too good to eat. I had not heard of pysnaky before, but love the results. x

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  20. Oh, Easter is the best day of the year! My favorite of them all. And your beeswax bunnies are extra special... well, everything you show is extra special, but the beeswax ones have me longing to make some. I have been dreaming of making some candles with candy moulds. The problem is (as always with these things) finding the time. Not sure how you find the time for so many amazing projects. I would like to follow you around and figure it out! We creative types can never find time to do all the wonderful things we dream up, can we? I send you warm wishes for the loveliest springtime ever. Thank you for your inspirational blog. You are also a magnificent storyteller. I love your bunny illos best (but I may change my mind next time I see a sheep or a goose or... or... or!)

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  21. The bunnies are beyond adorable!

    We do Ukrainian-style Easter eggs every year. And almost every year, I host a party, where I teach this technique to my friends. (It's easier than it looks, once you stop telling yourself that you "could never do that.")

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  22. Hello Jeri,
    What a lovely post! My 7yod loves Bushky Bushybottom, how nice to find a favorite author has a blog (thanks to Marqueta) ! She enjoyes reading over my shoulder and would love to have a huge poster of Bushky hanging in her room:-) Your chocolate molds are wonderful, I have a nice collection of German ones. My cousin who is an artist, Judi Vaillancourt, has made so many wonderful chalkware designs out of her collection of antique molds. This Easter my husband surprised me with another piece that is new, a bunny playing a saxophone--it's beautiful!
    http://www.valfa.com/catalog/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=3829. Perhaps you have seen some of her work? I do love the psyanky eggs. I tried my hand once several years ago and all was coming along swimmingly when at the last dip I broke the egg. I was not happy...LOL! If you care, stop by to see our fairy garden, Lydia designed it and I helped;-) Isn't imagination a wonderful thing!
    Blessings,
    Suzanne
    http://blueberrycottage.blogspot.com/2011/05/may-day-fairy-garden-and-sweet-giveaway.html

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  23. Wow ! Its an amazing blog.
    One of the best blog I have ever read.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Good Work..
    Nice blog on chocolate molds
    .
    Keep going...

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  24. Have done a wonderful job.
    The best blog i have ever read.
    Nice blog on chocolate molds.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Keep sharing more and more.

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  25. Great article, beautiful pysanky thanks for showing the artistic talent.

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