Make, Bake & Grow

On sale at a place near you!

2009-12-09T12:02:00.000Z

If you were unable to join us at the launch but absolutely must get your hands on a calendar, fear not!

You can NOW BUY IT ONLINE by clicking here

Current stockists (more to follow)

Armley Mills Industrial Museum

Skeltons Butchers Armley Town Street

Impressions Gallery Bradford

Armley Forum next Tuesday

The object of beauty is limited edition, A3, hand screen printed covers and a gem! All funds raise support a wee caravan of creativity to do wonderful make/bake/grow activities year with young people year round (in association with I Love West Leeds Festival

It retails at £7.00 for one, or £20 for 4 and then £5.00 after.

We aren't just saying it, it really is delightful, hats off to the Leeds Met Graphic Design students who toiled over the design and thanks to our kind supporters for helping fund the production.

So don't fret any longer, all your Christmas presents are now sorted!

Calendar Launch

2009-11-18T09:14:00.000Z

4th December 5.30pm - 7.00pm
Armley Mills Industrial Museum

Dearest website visitor!

You are most cordially invited to the launch party of a wonderful calendar, the 2010 Make Bake and Grow Calendar!

This object of beauty is A3, has hand screen printed covers and has goodies to pull out inside!

In the spirit of 'make, bake and grow' we ask you to indulge us, and our appetites for quirkiness and bring something along for all to enjoy that you have either made, baked or grown! (don't worry if you can't!)

The funds this year from sales of the calendar will be fueling 'Trundle' the caravan of creativity... more of that on the 4th December

If you are unable to join in the fun, but NEED a calendar, not just for you but for friends, family, pets etc fear not we will be emailing with a list of venues to purchase it from!

Work starts in earnest on the calendar

2009-10-30T20:00:00.001Z

Have we said just how lucky we are that we have the fantastic students from Leeds Met Graphic Arts third year course working on our calendar this year?
We are really really lucky!
We're not going to give too much away at this stage, but we think they are producing a true work of beauty!

Briggate - all female morris dancers

2009-10-11T22:30:00.000+01:00

Everyone's a winner!

2009-10-07T22:16:00.001+01:00

Even Alan Bennett, born and brought up for a short while in Armley. Imagine one day being immortalised in cake by John Ford! What more could you ask for?

We had a superb sunny day, and lots of rather wonderful cakes! Including Katie from influential food blog Leeds Grub. Thank goodness she was able to change her work shift over, as not only did she enter a cake into the Cookie Cake Pie category (it was a deserving runner up to the White Chocolate and Ginger baked Cheese cake by Sarah Howells of Armley) She also entered a huge oversized crunchie bar into the Pimp my cake. And won! (there really was no contest!)

The judges laboured long and hard, poor dears over the delicious and strange cakes entered. Luckily they did not have to decide the overall winner as our 'Golden Conker' discoverer Douglas Tiffany, got to pick! Being only four years he choose four year old Chloe Stansfield's cupcakes, earning her a hamper, a cook book and a goodie bag!

A reminder about what to do to enter the competition

2009-10-02T16:51:00.002+01:00

This is what you can enter on the 4th October - if you are entering please do arrive for 11am registration

Cakes: Enter your yummy cakes - prizes for: Young Uns, Dream Teens, Grown Ups, Cookie Cake Pie (based on taste and appearance)
Or enter your extravagant but distinctly cardboard tasting cakes into Weird and Wonderful (thing buildings, parks, things) or Pimp my cake - huge jammie dodgers, rolos etc

Home Brew: Cordial, Ale, or Wine or all!

Craft: Pinnies, Teacosies or Anything goes. Pimp my spoon activity for kids on the day

Fruit and Veg art: be a loon with a lychee, make a micro sculpture out of a raddish, carve a cucumber you get the idea!

Pickles and Preserves: Enter your prize effort, please no toe nail clippings or anything too grotty!

On the day there will also be entertainments! Morris Dancing from Briggate all female troop, Mik Artistik, Face Paining, hunt the golden conker, and ofcouse the event would not be the one we all know and love if there was not the pile up at the end when the cakes have been judged and prizes awarded!

£1 per person or £3.00 for a family ticket (2 adults and 4 kids) all proceeds on the gate go to Armley Common Right Trust the people who keep the park free of dog poo & nice and tidy!

And finally this year we will be producing a charity calendar again to raise funds for a creative Make Bake and Grow calendar to link up with the I Love West Leeds Festival. It will tour schools and community groups with a quirky way to get people get their hands dirty!

Hope the gazeboos don't blow away Sunday!

2009-10-02T15:40:00.002+01:00

Stallholder Profiles Part 7: Design by Charlotte

2009-10-02T14:41:00.000+01:00

Design by Charlotte is the creative studio of Charlotte Webb, a Leeds based Graphic Designer with a passion for cards & crafts. Charlotte will be selling her range of screen-printed Christmas cards this Sunday at Make Bake and Grow, it may seem a bit early to be thinking about all things Christmas, but here's a chance to get organised and pick yourself up some lovely hand crafted cards...way ahead of schedule! For all those finding the idea of Christmas a bit scary, other ranges of cards will also be available. Visit the Design by Charlotte website here.

Stallholder Profiles Part 6: Mrs Sew-and-Sew

2009-10-02T14:40:00.001+01:00

As well as tempting us with her vintage fabrics, buttons and notions Mrs Sew-and-Sew will be sharing her make do and mend tips on patching and darning to help your clothes and linens last a little bit longer.

Stallholder Profiles Part 5: Naomi Parker

2009-10-02T14:40:00.000+01:00

Naomi Parker has been making bright and funky fabric bunting using offcuts from costumes and recycling textiles that have FINALLY outlived their usefulness! Shabby chic with a theatrical twist!

Just one of the lovely prizes

2009-10-01T08:39:00.005+01:00

This delicious cook book comes to us courtesy of the super dooper folk at Transworld Publishers. All six category winners in the cake competition get to dribble over the healthy but scrummy cake recipes in the comfort of their own home! (ie they take it away with them!)

See you Sunday!

2009-10-01T08:30:00.006+01:00

Come along to Charlie Cake Park at the top of Armley Town Street and register at 11am if you are taking part in the competitive elements: cakes, craft, preserves, fruit & veg art, home brew and conkering! 12pm if you are coming along for fun!

For more on the competition click here

How we conkered Armley!

2009-10-01T08:10:00.003+01:00

A serendipitous addition to the entertainment on the day is our conker championships, kicking off at 12.30 we challenge anyone to bring their conker, or thread their own on the day and have a go at winning the honour of Charlie Cake Conqueror!

This week we found a golden conker nestling innocently in the park whilst out walking in the park this week, and upon inspection realised that it was a magical conker. Yes one that might make someone very happy indeed if they were to find it and rub it over their face three times anti clockwise. Because we are generous, we put it back so we bid you to find this conker and unleash the surprise it holds!

Yes we have gone conkers bonkers!

Stallholders Profiles Part 4: Buns & Roses

2009-09-29T10:42:00.001+01:00

Buns & Roses are the rock & roll Womens Institute in Leeds. We are city centre based and use traditional craft in new ways and get together over cocktails at Mojos Bar. We are on Twitter at BunsRosesWI, on Facebook and you can view our website at http://www.bunsandroses.co.uk/ !

Stallholder Profiles Part 3: Memo

2009-09-28T12:01:00.002+01:00

"I'm Helen, a.k.a. Memo. I work as an illustrator, crafter and part time screen print tutor. Collecting things is a hobby of mine and provides inspiration for my work. Anything from typewriters to kitsch pottery animals and stationary from the 50s and 60s. 'Memo' comes from my love for stationary. I make keyrings, magnets and jewellery and hand printed stationary, cards and prints. Oh, and I like drinking coffee too."

Why not say Hello Memo and check out the website here

Stallholder Profiles Part 2: Brulee Design

2009-09-28T10:40:00.001+01:00

Brulée Design is a range of crafts made by cabaret artiste Em Brulée who started out designing fascinators/hair adornments for her own shows. Her fascinators are ideal for many occasions, weddings, burlesque/cabaret events, balls/proms or anytime you simply wish to feel glamorous and stand out.

Em only recently decided to sell her designs and also utilise her other creative skills to produce a range of hand-made design and art work for public consumption. She will be debuting a range of her hand-made fascinators, greeting cards and artwork at Make, Bake and Grow.

Being in it’s infancy Em does not have a dedicated website for Brulée Design just yet but please feel free to contact her via her performer myspace here

A Vision In Vegetables.

2009-09-25T14:46:00.005+01:00

A few corkers to inspire those partial to making a Vegetable Sculpture entry.

Stallholder Profiles Part 1 : Fox Bunting Crafts & Prints

2009-09-24T13:48:00.002+01:00

We have asked some of our stallholders to send through a little bit of information to tantalise you. Here is part one!

Fox bunting is two girls brought together by a love of all things cute and crafted to bring you a selection of super cute hand made treats including badges, aprons, sleeping masks and prints! Based in Leeds, this delightful duo are just starting out and are soon looking to launch on Etsy! How cute are these felt badges!

Check out the Fox Bunting blog here

Need some apron inspiration?

2009-09-16T11:14:00.004+01:00

We love a good pinny here at Make, Bake & Grow HQ so we are really looking forward to seeing all your entries for the perfect pinnies in the craft section this year. Just in case you are in need of a bit of inspiration we thought that we share with you a few of our favourite apron patterns - aren't they lovely! Just click on the links below the images to get your mitts on the patterns.

Ruffle Apron from One more Moore

Jeans Apron from My Byrd House

Child's Apron Tutorial from Skip to My Lou

This is just a little taster and we would love if you could share with us any of your own patterns or links to your personal favourites. Why not add a comment below...

Pimp my snack...

2009-09-16T10:34:00.003+01:00

...why not submit a jammie dodger or jaffa cake the size of your head, a mega twix or a colossal toffee crisp

This year we are asking you to make it bigger and better!! Whilst you can draw inspiration from the fabulous Pimp My Snack website and go crazy making monster sized snacks we would also love to see you pimp up your regular size cakes or even a batch of cupcakes with crazy decorations - let you imagination go wild!

So what exactly is Cookie Cake Pie then?

2009-09-16T10:17:00.002+01:00

(image credit: Cookie Cake Pie by cakespy)

We know you are probably wondering if finally we have gone crazy with all this talk of cookie cake pie, and are wondering how you can enter the category in this year's competition!

According to its inventor Cakespy, the Cookie Cake Pie is basically the holy trinity of baked goods. You can't beat a nice pie, we all love a good cookie and who has ever said no to a slice of cake! Now imagine if you could combine all this yumminess in one great mass of confectionery goodness. Well now you can for Cookie Cake Pie is any delightful combination of cookie and cake within a pie!

Some fabulous examples of cookie cake pies:

Cookie Cake Pie by Cakespy
Red Velvet Cookie Cake Pie by Fossil Foods

Mmmmmmm.....

Come and sell your lovely crafty wares at Make, Bake & Grow?

2009-09-16T09:39:00.001+01:00

We are looking for some lovely designer/makers who would like to grace our event with their beautiful wares.

Here's what we can offer you:
Stalls are FREE and include a table and chair. All the stalls will be housed within a gazebo to protect you from the elements! You are welcome to bring rails or other display equipment but unfortunately there will be no power supply available due to the location.

What are we asking for from you:
We will ask that you post our promo info, which we will provide, on your blog/website/mailing lists etc and that you donate a item owards our prizes (minimum value £10). You will need to be set up by 11.30am

As stall numbers are limited we are asking for people to submit an expression of interest with a link to images of their work. We're particularly keen to have stall holders whose work has a nice fit with the make/bake/grow retro aesthetic and just keep in mind this is a family event

Please submit your expression of interest to makebakeandgrow@googlemail.com as soon as possible!

Come join us at Make, Bake & Grow on 4th October!

2009-09-07T22:42:00.003+01:00