I'm brand new to all this - am going to start for the first time this coming weekend trying my first gum paste flowers. Should I buy Petal Dust, Luster Dust, or Sparkle dust to start? Any advice is appreciated - thanks. I have signed up for the wilton classes, and begin next week.
HTH
If you're just practicing you may want to check out non-toxic chalk - I buy mine at Michaels - $6.99 for 36 colours. You can grate it with a fine cheese grater to make powder. It's a lot cheaper and if you really like making flowers then you can invest in the real petal dusts later. Oh, and to make it shiny, hold the dusted flower over steam for a few seconds (just make sure your flowers are really dry first). The steam sets the colour and creates a shine.
If you're just practicing you may want to check out non-toxic chalk - I buy mine at Michaels - $6.99 for 36 colours. You can grate it with a fine cheese grater to make powder. It's a lot cheaper and if you really like making flowers then you can invest in the real petal dusts later. Oh, and to make it shiny, hold the dusted flower over steam for a few seconds (just make sure your flowers are really dry first). The steam sets the colour and creates a shine.
Yep, that's all that petal dust really is==ground up chalk pastels. You can mix them to make other colors and you can tone them down by adding a bit of cornstarch. They are non-toxic, just like the packaged petal dusts, and ideally should not be eaten.
If you want FDA approved, fully edible colors as well as luster/pearl (shiny) dusts, the only good ones available easily in the US are from sugarpaste.com, the Crystal Colors line. All of the colors, both luster and matte are food products and can be used to color batters, icings, etc., as well as to dust flowers. Those colors SHOULD NOT be steamed--they don't get along with water that way.
Sparkle/disco/pixie dusts are essentially very finely ground plastic glitter that is non-toxic, but again, shouldn't be eaten because it isn't a food product. The best way to get good coverage with these is to put a bit of piping gel or crisco on the item.
HTH
Rae
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