how do I pipe petals to get a flower effect on the whole top of a cupcake. I know using tip 104 but is it right on the cupcake, or mounded in the middle, single petals or continuous piping???? thanks, would love to make the bouquet type flowers for my daughters up coming party...

There are wonderful flower cupcakes in the book Little Cakes by the Whimsical Bakehouse.

Use tip 104 with the thin opening facing out. Start on the outside. Then doing an "n" motion you go out and then in again until you get all around. Then you repeat this step again forming another layer. You can do three layers like this or put a dot in the center to form the flower. Another way is to do it is using tip 104 thick opening out. You push out a bit and just bring it inward. Just depends what kind of flower you want to make. I'm going to post some that I have saved in my faves.
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1211248
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1324143

If you're using standard sized cupcakes you'll want a larger tip than just a 104, I've used a 125 with decent results.

I use tip 104 when piping roses directly on mini cupcakes though w/ good results.

When I pipe the minis I stick a dab of frosting on my flower nail and then stick the cupcake on there and pipe directly onto the cupcake, if your cupcake doesn't have a dome on the top you can pile a little icing up like you normally would when making a rose.

For the standard cupcakes I use a 2 oz. plastic cup (the squatty ones used for salad dressing in restaurants) and I just hot glue it to a flower nail and then pop the cupcake in there to apply the rose. I do give the cupcake a thin coat of bc first with a spatula so that none of the cupcake is showing, then pipe the rose onto it.

HTH

Here are photos of it done on standard ones with tip 125

and on minis done with tip 104

Thank you, that was exactly the information I was looking for!! I knew I would get the help I needed on CC! You guys are great...