I am struggling trying to make buttercream roses. When I use buttercream it seems to "smoosh" together and does not look like a rose. when i use icing it's really hard to even squeeze out to try to make a rose...PLEASE HELP!!!

I don't understand the difference between what you are usingbuttercream vs. icing... to me, they are the same thing. Do you care to describe the difference?

Sounds like you only need to achieve the right consistency between too soupy vs. too stiff.

You mean when you use royal icing it's too hard??? You can add a little water, like maybe a teaspoon at a time until it's "workable". I'm no expert, I just made royal icing roses for the first time a couple days ago (just posted in my pictures)

If you are using buttercream, I would add powdered sugar until it's stiff enough to make a rose.

Like I said...I'm no expert....

The buttercream seems to thin and the icing seems to thick. I have to get the consistency down...and my technique because my roses look terrible Thanks ladies!

I tend to have warm hands so a trick that helps me when I'm decorating with buttercream is to keep an ice pack on my work surface and use 2 icing bags.

I keep one icing bag on the ice pack and when the one I'm working with gets too warm I switch.

For bc roses you'll need a thicker consistency buttercream, so keep adding powdered sugar until you reach that consistency.

I personally don't like making roses from royal icing.

What are the recipes you are using??

I have tried Wilton's icing and this butter cream recipe... 1/2 c butter and shortening, 1 tbsp merengue powder, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 tbsp of milk, 1 lb powdered sugar.

Okay so when you are saying icing, you are basically meaning pre-made bought icing. Gotcha.

Wilton's small can of icing is odd to me. The more you store it or work with it the softer it seems to get. It is also very stretchy to me, and for that that works against me, while I know others say it works better for them.

Using butter in an icing also makes for a softer icing, especially if you have warm hands, are holding the bag for a long time, or are using the icing over and over.

For the rose practice, I'd skip the butter, and use all crisco.

Your icing for the roses should be creamy, but still thick enough to hold it's shape well. A good test for your icing is to take a small bit of it out of the bowl. Roll it in a ball and squish it with your fingers.

If the icing feels a little tacky but doesn't really come off against your other thumb it's a good consistency.

If the icing doesn't feel tacky or sticky at all, then it is too dry (not to stiff) and your petals are likely not to stick and it will have alot of broken edges. To fix this add in a little more crisco or piping gel, not water. I usually suggest about a table spoon of crisco or about a teaspoon of piping gel per cup of icing. This adds the cream factor with out thinning your icing down.

If the icing really sticks to your fingers, and comes off on the other finger, it may be too soft. To fix that add in some powder sugar.