Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Hibiscus Flower Tutorial

OK so here is my tutorial on how to make a hibiscus flower with no cutter or veiner. First I made the centers which weren't to hard to do. I just cut flower stamens and stuck them in the center that I had already made. (Sorry no pics but I trust you can figure it out).
Then roll out your gumpaste nice and thin.
As I stated no cutter so I improvised and used a Calla Lilly cutter that I had on hand and then modified the petal shape. Easy peasy. (Please ignore the lighter. I use that to adhere my centers of flowers to the wires. I heat the wire and then add the center so that the gumpaste melts a little on the hot wire and stays in place. No need to wait for a whole day for your centers to dry).



Next, I took gum paste and twiddled it down a piece of wire (Yes, that is a technical term).

Then place the wire in the center of the new petal and into a veiner. I used a generic veiner that I had on hand.

Press down, and viola! A perfectly veined petal with a wired inserted.
Next place petals over random objects to dry in the position that you  would like. I used a paint brush but anything would really work.
Then comes the color. I like to work from the outside of the petal in. I always use more that one color to make the petals seem more life like.


Here is my completed petal.
Colors used.
OK, time to start putting the petal together. I start with on petal at a time but if you want to tape more together at once then go for it. I like to put as little tape on to hold the petal there so that way you do not have a bulky stem. Then after you have all your petals I wrap the tape around the whole stem to cover it, and hold it all together.


 After the flower petals are taped you can arrange them however you would like.

And there you have it a beautiful hibiscus flower with no cutter or veiner. I have to improvise sometimes when it comes to cutters; maybe its because I am cheap, or just don't have enough room to keep a million different flower cutters, but I make it work.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Seashell Cookie Tutorial

I wanted to share with everyone how I made my seashell cookies for the Hawaiian bridal shower. These cookies are very easy to make, and have a great look. First of all you want to bake your cookies, and let them cool. I use this recipe for my sugar cookies. It works great everytime and I have very little spreading while I bake, plus it tasts good! Then decide what color you want your seashells to be. I chose white and pink, but you could choose whatever you like.

First, outline your cookie with your chosen color.

Then quickly fill in the rest of your cookie with the same color. Don't over fill! I am not a outline person but, if you want you could let you outlined cookie dry and then start to fill.

After I finish filling the cookie I give it a little shake to make sure the cookie is completely filled in, and there are no air bubbles.
Then immediately add your accent color in long lines. You want to use the wet on wet icing technique so the cookies come out properly.

After adding your lines take a toothpick and drag downward through all of the lines. To create the scalloped effect on the cookie.

The let the cookie dry, and enjoy! (Sorry about the bad lighting).
Here are the cookies set-up at the party!

Hope you enjoyed this little demo on how to make seashell cookies! ENJOY!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

ICES Convention Photos 2

OK, so back to some more photos of awesome cakes from the convention. The first cake was a replica of the city of Charlotte with the vendor cars racing around town. I must say the cake was a great representation of the beautiful city. 

Love the colors!
This was an awesome display with a sugar bottle that included a scene. WOW!
This little guy was so cute!
This cake included all four seasons, but I thought I would share my favorite season with you.
Chocolate painting.


This was the fellow Marylanders cake that was displayed next to mine. A fall theme! Love it!



I hope you enjoyed a look at some of the amazing talent that came to ICES this year! Check back next week for some more tutorials.