Spring has now been in full swing for a couple of weeks and Chamberg is becoming more colorful with all of the new flowers growing around the Kingdom!

Not only has Spring officially sprung - this month we also celebrate Easter, a special holiday commemorated in many countries around the world, including the Kingdom of Chamberg!

Odette and Alise are crafting eggs out of paper for decorations and are painting real eggs Easter morning - they plan to hide them around the castle for their friends and family to find.

Keep reading for an egg-cellent recipe and Easter fun!

Fabulous Fan Art

Congratulations to Jeanine for her winning Fan Art entry!

Odette has been seen in many SWANderful fashions over the years and The Swan Princess movies are filled with beautiful costumes, scenery and memorable characters - which is why we launched our fan art contests where you can win exclusive prizes and the chance to appear on our website and social media channels.

Design your entries by hand or digitally, copy your favorite scenes or create your own interpretations - we want to see them all!

Keep an eye on our various channels so that you can be the first to know about our latest themes for each contest.

Click here to go to the fan art contest page!

Speaking of SWANtastic artwork, be sure to fly in to our online store and browse the original art cels that we have available!

 

 

These beautiful pieces were used to bring the magic of The Swan Princess to the big screen and now you can own a piece of movie history. From Odette's transformation to JeanBob's hilarious antics and every villain and character in between, these art cels are perfect for any Swan Princess fan!

 

 

Click here to view the full range of art cels on offer

Chamberlain's Cinnamon Hot Cross Buns

Chamberlain can't resist sneaking one of these delicious buns when the maids prepare the buffet in the palace ready for the Easter celebrations. This tasty take on a traditional hot cross bun makes for a delicious Easter treat!

 

Ingredients:

 

For the Buns:

• 500g white bread flour (plus extra for dusting/rolling)

• 100g soft light brown sugar

• 200 ml whole milk

• 75g unsalted butter

• 3 medium eggs, lightly beaten

• 2 tbsp fresh orange juice

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 tsp dry active yeast (1 packet)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp mixed spice (or cardamom)

• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

• Zest of 1 orange

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 100 g raisins (or currants)

• 75 g mixed peel

For the Filling:

• 100g soft light brown sugar (plus extra if needed)

• 100 g unsalted butter, melted

• Several tablespoons of ground cinnamon (as needed)

 

For the Egg Wash:

• 1 egg, beaten together with 2 tsp milk

For the Glaze:

• 60 g icing sugar, sifted

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 tbsp milk (plus extra if needed)

Method:

1. Firstly, take a small saucepan and gently heat the milk and butter. Keep on the heat until the butter has just melted.

2. Set aside the butter mix to cool until it becomes barely warm.

3. Stir the eggs, orange juice, zest and vanilla extract into the just warm butter mix.

4. Mix together the sugar, flour, salt, yeast, spices and salt.

5. Add the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture and knead for approx. 15 minutes until the dough transforms from sticky to a glossy ball.

6. Leave the dough in the mixing bowl and cover with a tea towel. Allow to stand for 1-2 hours or until almost double in size.

7. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and press lightly to deflate.

8. Add the mixed peel and raisins to the dough and knead them in until well combined.

9. Now dust your rolling pin with flour before rolling the dough out into a rectangle.

10. Brush melted butter liberally all over the dough.

11. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over the dough (make sure to leave a small border around the edge). 

12. Gently press the filling onto the dough.

13. Roll the dough (start from the long side) into a roll.

14. Brush the underside of the dough roll with melted butter as you roll (this will allow it to stick to the filling).

15. Carefully trim the edges.

16. Cut the dough into 9 even pieces.

17. Now line a heavy tray with greased baking paper.

18. Place the buns on the tray with a slight gap in between each one.

19. Cover the tray with a plastic bag and allow the buns to rise for an hour.

20. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.

21. Brush the egg wash over the buns.

22. Bake the buns for 30 minutes.

23. Remove the buns from the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes.

24. In another bowl, mix together the icing sugar, vanilla extract and milk until the mixture becomes thick and pour-able.

25. Drizzle the glaze over the buns.

Cheeky Chick Craft

Capture the playful side of a cheeky chick with this fun craft over Easter! You can keep your egg plain or be as creative as you like with the design so that your chicks hatch out of an egg of your own creation - will your egg be covered in Swan Princess inspired designs?

You Will Need:

White card

Yellow card

Orange card

Googly eyes

Colored pencils/paint

Sequins, Stickers, Glitter (Optional)

Method:

1. First draw a large egg shape on the white card and carefully cut it out.

2. Now for the extra creative part - color your egg exactly as you like. You can add patterns, stickers, sequins, glitter and even photos.

3. Next, draw a zig zag from one side of the egg to the other (about 2 thirds from the base).

4. Carefully cut along the zig zag.

5. Cut out a yellow oval that is 2/3 of the size of the egg that you drew earlier.

6. Glue the bottom of your yellow oval to the "bottom" piece of the egg that you cut out earlier (the larger piece). Glue approx. half way up the yellow oval - the yellow piece will be your chick.

7. Now take the smaller piece of egg and glue it to the top of the yellow oval so that it looks almost like the oval is wearing a hat.

8. Cut out a small triangle from the orange card (this will be the beak).

9. Glue the beak and two googly eyes to the yellow piece of card so that it looks like the chick is hatching.