I am embarressed for even asking this question, because the people on the food network make it look so easy and smooth. I am trying to create a boarder with a sz 10 tip or something similar and mine look awful.

What size tip looks best and what consistancy of icing should I use? Do I use the same motion as for a shell?

Thanks

You can use whatever size you want but a small bead border calls for a 5 or similar size. For a point of reference, 5 is what I used on the border of the olive cake in my photos. It's the same motion as a shell, possibly shorter, depending on how long your shells are, and medium consistency icing. I have a really hard time getting an even bead border. They're not as easy as they look, so don't worry about it. Just like everything else, all it takes is practice, practice, practice!

Another way to do the bead border is to make dots with the tip#10..one at a time around the cake and then with a moist paintbrush, tap the points down and it will look like a bead...just a different technique then doing the shell motion

I loved your olive cake. It was just too cute.

This is the deal. I am making a full sheet cake for a soccer banquet and I don't want to make it to fu-fu. I was thinking the bead boarder would be nicer than an actual shell. I also don't want to use too small a tip that the boarder would be overwhelmed by the huge cake.

So, do you still recommend a sz 5 tip?

I would probably go with a #10-12 for a cake of that size. Don't hold your bag right in front of you, but off to the side, almost touching the cake. Well, let me rephrase that. I usually stand off to the side with my bag in front of me so that the sides of my hands are almost touching the cake. Let the icing build up in a ball of the size you want and then release pressure and pull away. Put your tip up against the ball you just made (on the side of it) and then repeat. It is very easy, and all of your beads will come out perfectly. You really don't even need to pull your tip completely away from the previous bead before you start the next one. If you do a bead border on the top as well, just make sure you use a smaller tip than what you did for the bottom. I probably do more bead borders than anything else because they are so simple and so pretty. A reverse shell is my second favorite.