Im away from home, visiting family. They want me to make a cake with gumpaste flowers, but I have no cutters, and no tools whatsoever. I was able to find Wilton gumpaste at their local Wal-mart, but nothing else. Any ideas on what I can use to make various flowers without cutters?

Im thinking I could just print out some flower patterns and use an razor knife to trace along the outline of them. But I have no other tools. Please help. Its for a mothers day cake.

go to a local craft store and get clay modeling tools. most store have the polymar clay molds and tools. They are made the same as fondant tools. hope this helps.

there's always ribbon roses if you're in a pinch!

In the forums there is a bunch of stickies with flower directions. Several of them are made without cutters and many are you-tube demonstrations so you can get a good idea how it works. It is in the top forum.

surprisingly, the walmart(in a VERY small town) doesnt even have modeling clay tools. So, I have embarked on trying to print pictures of the cutters out, and tracing them onto the gumpaste and cutting them out. Im using the bottom of a rock candy stick (the ball end) as a ball tool, and toothpicks as veiners....we shall see how it works...I'll post pics

This flower tutorial doesn't require any cutters:

http://www.duskyroseveiners.co.uk/page_427689.html

hth

I just found this YouTube channel yesterday, they make a carnation and a rose without cutters.

I hand cut some of my work for competitions.

I use an exacto knife & patterns... I made by either drawing them, printing them up off the computer, or tracing (sometimes from a coloring book). I also have been known to go to the silk flower section of Michaels or Walmart buy the flowers & disect them to get a pattern.

I have used the edge of a spoon in place of a ball tool (a demi spoon works great) & plain ol water or egg whites to glue everything together.
& for a rolling pin I have been known to use a chopstick!!! Yes a chopstick.. it's actually one of my favorite tools.

Of course you know that you can use egg cartons & paper towel rolls as formers. & If you feel you have to use wires then I would try the scrap book or the electrical sections in Walmart... (I would make it clear that these flowers are not edible in this case).

Hope all of this helps.. I grew up in podunk upstate NY & had to be creative & use what ever I could find :0) & I took a class early in career with Michelle Stidham... Great creative teacher!!

find the youtube video on gumpaste flowers with no tools. I made some beautiful roses this way last night, and all I used was my hands. Good luck!

@cakemom. Thanks so much! I have been looking around the house for the last few hours for various items to use. lol. Also, I never though about disecting fake flowers to get the pattern! The things that slip my mind! I am totally going to try that, and I have already told my step-mom, her mother, and my step sister(the cake is for all of them for Mothers Day) that they cant eat the decorations.

No problem :0)
Have fun & be sure to show us the pics!

When I did my bird of paradise for competition I bought real ones for weeks & disected them, dried the parts out, & made patterns from there.. but didn't suggest this as not sure you have enough time in this case. All this was before cutters came out :0)

& you can Thank Keith Ryder for the fake flower disection idea... he gave it out in class several years ago when I was 1st starting :0)

Some times I made my cutters like moma42 .
You can draw them in a piece of strong box,cut them and wrapped with contact paper.(sorry my english)

you can make roses without cutters. Flatten a small ball of gumpaste into a petal making the edges thinner with your fingers and wrap the petals individually around the cone. (This was how I first learned to make roses.)

You could use the same method to make fantasy flowers too.

Mckaren is right you can also make roses without wires & just a baggie!
- take fondant/gumpaste/modling chocolate/marzipan & roll it into a sausage log.
- cut it into equal parts.
- take each section & roll into a ball.
- take a baggie & cut the side open, but leave the bottom intact.
- place the balls in between the baggie flaps.
- cover (place the top baggie flap down over the balls) & with your thumb press the balls into a petal leaving one end slightly bigger & the edges thinner.
- take more of the same material you chose above & make a cone.
- then take the petals & wrap them around the cone (big end on the bottom thinner end on top).
- be sure to keep the top of petals even in height.
- remember to start with 3 petals & then more to 5 for bigger roses.
- cut the butt end off to make your perfect rose!!
- dust with color if desired :0)

loving the dissect fake flowers idea! im heading to the shops to pick some fake flowers this afternoon! thanks!

how aboyt this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBWYlklg6AU&feature=grec_index