I spent the evening yesterday slaving over a hot oven… though 160 C is probably a moderate oven thinking about it. I was baking butterflies – not as cruel as it sounds, as they were made from embossing powder. I spent more time tying the darn things together than making them, but judge for yourself whether the results were worth it:

The mobile will be on show at the Wow! Embossing Powder stand (D08) at Hobbycrafts exhibition, NEC, Birmingham, 22nd-25th March 2012. I’ll be on stand on Saturday and Sunday if you want to come say hello!

I used a silicone mould designed to make butterfly shaped chocolates from the local pound shop. After experiments, I can recommend using a generous dollop of clear-based embossing powders or non-opaque primary colours on the bottom of the mould, with a half teaspoon of clear gloss ultra-high on top. Bake on a baking tray at 160 C, watching carefully after the first couple of minutes – once the powder starts melting, watch like a hawk and rotate if required – whip out the tray as soon as all the powder is melted. The boiling point is not far from the melt point, hence the need to keep a close eye.

Allow to cool – it sets very quickly once cool enough, but takes a couple of minutes. Turn out the butterflies and use invisible thread to tie them together vertically round the body.