I've just made my MMF for a wedding cake for this weekend. I will need plenty of fall leaves. I need to be able to work with them a bit, but yet I don't want them to be too soft. I don't want them hard enough to break so that I can manipulate them a bit too. How soon can I make my leaves? Also, I have never used the sparkle dust and I want the bottom tier to be really sparkley. I've read several posts where you've mixed with alcohol or vanialla (maybe I remember this wrong). Is this what I do? I want the 10" tier to be really shinny and it will be covered in MMF.

Thank you!

I would make them now. Seems MMF takes a week or more to dry - depends on the weather.

For the sparkle dust, mix with a small amount alcohol or lemon extract (has the highest alcohol content). Vanilla will work but take a little longer to evaporate.

So, to use the sparkle dust, do I use a lot of it or a little? Can I mix it a little at a time? Thanks so much!

You can do it a little at a time. I like to use those little white plastic trays we used to use in art class in grade school - with the little wells? Or you can dip your brush in some alcohol then in the lustre dust jar - you'll get a brighter color the more powder you use. Even if you mix up too much, the alcohol will evaporate in a day or so and you'll be left with the powder.

When you mean alcohol, does it have to be anything special?

some people use everclear, but I use vodka or gin, whatever's handy! Or lemon extract - there's alcohol in that also.