One of JeanBob's favorite days is back again this month (and one of the few days he ALMOST favors being a Prince in frog form). To JeanBob, it's a day to celebrate all things green but the rest of us know it as the Irish holiday of St Patrick's Day!
There are plenty of traditional Irish recipes being prepared and fun activities for everyone in the Kingdom. Odette has even painted stones and hidden them in a fun trail so the children can follow the "rainbow" to a "pot of gold" - treats and candy wrapped in gold paper!
March also commemorates the release of two of our most mysterious movies - "Royally Undercover" and "A Royal MyZtery" were both released this month in consecutive years.Which of these SWANtastic mysteries is your favorite?
Keep reading for an Irish recipe and instructions on how to make your very own lucky leprechaun wand!
As two mystery movies were released in March, this is a great time for your own mystery in the form of our recently released movie poster pin collection!
Each SWANtastic BlindBox contains one pin featuring a movie from The Swan Princess series! There are 12 posters to collect plus an exclusive rare pin! You can purchase one BlindBox for $19.99 or purchase a pack of 3 or 5 pins at a reduced rate!
For those that are keen to own the full set and guarantee no duplicates, you can also buy the complete collection at a special price - which includes the rare poster pin!
Click here to start your collection today!
Swans In The News
Swans were the focus of this months HGTV Magazine trend report. You'll be seeing swan motifs in stylish homes on fabric upholstery, objects d'art on shelves, and framed graphic prints.
We like these Swan Princess decor ideas:
Swan print fabric for curtains or upholstery
One of a kind swan animation cels
Swan plush to nestle with throw pillows
Do you have swan decor in your home? Share a picture with us on social media @SwanPrincessOfficial or through email at Odette@SwanPrincessSeries.com
Irish Malted Bread
JeanBob is very excited to be celebrating a day where the color green takes center stage! Celebrate St Patrick's Day with this Irish recipe. It's simple to make and a delicious treat - especially with a cup of tea!
Ingredients:
• 270g strong brown bread flour plus extra for dusting
• 55g malt extract
• 4g fast-action dried yeast
• 40g malted bread flour
• two-thirds of a tbsp olive oil(plus extra for the tin)
Method:
1. First, add both flours to a bowl
2. Now add two thirds of a teaspoon of salt to one side of the bowl before adding the yeast to the other side of the bowl.
3. Mix the dry ingredients together.
4. In a separate bowl, stir the malt extract, olive oil and 145ml tepid water together until the extract has completely dissolved.
5. Pour the malt mix into the bowl with the flour mix that you prepared earlier.
6. Use your hands to bring the ingredients together to form a rough dough.
7. Lightly dust a surface with flour and tip the dough out onto the floured surface.
8. Knead the dough for 10 minutes until smooth.
9. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl and cover the bowl with a tea towel.
10. Leave the dough to prove for a minimum of 2 hours until it has doubled in size.
11. When the dough is ready, lightly oil a loaf tin (900g).
12. Now roll out the dough using your hands to form a log shape before transferring to the tin.
13. Cover the dough with a tea towel again and allow it to prove for another hour (until it has doubled in size).
14. Preheat the oven to 400F/220C/200C fan/gas 7.
15. Remove the tea towel and place the loaf in the oven. Bake for 25-30 mins (until golden brown).
16. Remove the loaf from the oven and turn it out onto a wire rack until cool.
Lucky Leprechaun Wands
We all know how magical the movies from The Swan Princess series are and this craft is a great way to spread some magic in your own stories - with a lucky Irish twist in honor of St Patrick's Day!
You Will Need:
Green cardstock
Tissue paper (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet)
Green glitter
Gold glitter
Glue
Sticky Tape (optional)
Scissors
Skewer/Strong paper straw
Pen/Pencil
Method:
- First draw two identical clover shapes on your green card - for some extra luck, make them four leaf clovers!
2. Carefully cut out the clovers.
3. Add a light layer of glue to one side of a clover and sprinkle some green glitter over the top.
4. Repeat the glitter stage with the other clover and leave both clovers to one side to dry.
5. Take your skewer/strong straw (or any other material that you would like to use for your wand "handle" and trim it to the desired length. You can also add sparkles, colored paper or even stickers at the point if you like!
6. Glue or use sticky tape to attach one of your clovers to the top of your wand. The skewer should ready to half way up your clover.
7. Cut out several strips of different colored tissue paper. You can make them as long as you like. Cut out one strip of each rainbow color.
8. Glue (or tape) the strips together at the top.
9. Attached the "ribbons" to the center of the clover that you attached to the skewer (at the top of the skewer).
10. Glue your second clover shape over the top of the first one so that the tip of the skewer and the point where you attached the ribbons is hidden.
When your creation is dry and ready to go, get ready to wave your wand around and spread some SWANtastic magic (and luck) wherever you go!
This month we are celebrating the birthday of Mister Lorenzo Trudgealong, but his friends call him Speed!
This means Speed is a Pisces in the zodiac and aquamarine is his birthstone.
Pisces is the most intuitive and sympathetic of the zodiac signs and always goes out of their way to make sure everyone around them is happy. They are gentle, kind, and always ready to listen. They are very friendly and selfless.
Because it is so easy for the Pisces to make friends, they are often friends with many different kinds of people with strong personalities. They are the glue that hold these relationships together. Pisces are very tolerant and always willing to help others, no matter the situation; they often neglect their own self-care in the process.
Aquamarine symbolizes courage and friendship. It can also be used to improve communication skills and encourage quick response.
We think this sounds just like Speed!
Is your birthday in March or do you just like the color blue? Purchase your Aquamarine Birthstone Locket here!
