I found this site that sells pre-made sugar flowers. Has anyone purchased these or similar ones? It seems like a lazy way out, but the price seems reasonable compared to the work to make them, and I'm just a hobby baker with limited time! Plus, I've never made them before.

Do you think they could be airbrushed to change the color? I'm particularly looking at the calla lillies for cake later this year. I want them to be orange, but they only sell white.

http://www.cakedeco.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_sresults.html

I pretty much purchase all my flowers. When I was caking full time I didn't have time to sit and do fiddly work like that. However, I buy from www.avalondeco.com. I still have cases and cases of white flowers. I could airbrush as needed any color I wanted.

Thank you Leah. I'm sure I could make them, but considereing the amount of time it will take me to learn, plus having to purchase cutters or molds, I agree with you. It's worth it to purchase them

Yes, they are a good company. Nothing wrong w/using pre-made flowers

What do you say to people who ask if you made the flowers by hand?

In the past few years, I started playing around with making gumpaste flowers. Before that, yes I've ordered gumpaste flowers from that company. I still have some flowers left that I play with. Yes, they can be airbrushed, hand painted with lemon extract and petal dust or non-toxic pastel chalk. Here is a picture I recently posted of the flowers, the pink and purple roses I made, the rest came Cake Deco:

  http://cakecentral.com/gallery/2295829/pink-and-purple-rose-spray
Oder the flowers and don't look back, it's a lot of work making flower sprays, I tried that too!

Do you purchase the with the wire, or without?

I make some of mine, but I get most of them from WholesaleSugarFlowers.com. I get them with the wire when possible. They paint up just fine. No one has ever asked me if I make them myself, but I wouldn't lie about it.

Depending on what I'm making, I have order the ones with the wires if I'm making a spray or twisting a few together for filler flowers between large flowers. I've also order flowers without wires to just stick directly on cakes as well. If they have wires I use coffee stirrers, Wilton flower spikes or straws to attach to cakes so the wires never touch the cake. HTH

Thanks for that site Cupadeecakes, they have good prices