I went to town today and searched all the stores for rice paper!! I found some for .45 cents a sheet and I was thrilled!! They said they could get me some more when I want it. So I came home and took my neighbours food colouring ( the one that has lent me her supplies and knowledge ) and I decided to treat the food colouring as water colour paint. It worked great!!! SO FAR.....I say that because this is only side one, it is drying now and then I will do the back side. I'm just thrilled and I am so hoping it won't curl up too badly when I do the other side.
While in town I also picked up gum tex, clear icing gel, sugar gum, and a candy thermometer. Oh and a lily tool I think it was called? It's the thing that you shove the foil into and then do the petals.
Oh I am just soooo excited!! I just had to show you side A of the butterfly! I also came up with a different way to do the edible dragonflies, haven't tried it yet though....just an idea I have rolling around.

Looks gorgeous.......what kind of a store did you find the rice paper at???? was it a grocery store or cake supplies store??? Did you water down the colors???

That is incredible!!! I must have more information!!! Please!!

Great job!

Wow I am impressed. I want to learn how to do these so badly!

Great job on butterfly.

for: NEWTODECORATING

here is a link to make them.

http://members.nuvox.net/~zt.proicer/cakepict/butterflies.htm

Yes, please give instructions on these butterflies....they are so pretty.

The ones at sugarcraft.com look really beautiful! And yours look just like theirs!

It's that link that got me here LOL!!!!!Anyway I just used the food colouring in the photo,it's my neighbours not mine, it looks kind of like a gel pasty stuff. I scooped some out, wet my brush with water till I got the right feel for movement, then just painted the butterfly. I thought it would "bleed" but it didn't so far. I am just waiting for side A to dry and then I will do the back. I'm hoping it won't curl etc.
I got the rice paper at a store called Bulk Barn, they sell all sorts of food items by scoop, bag etc. and I asked if they had heard of rice paper. He took me right to it. There were only 3 sheets left and all were quite damaged but I bought one anyway (.45) to give this a try. So far...so good.
Does anyone know how long these will keep if I assemble them to the royal frosting and put them in an air tight container? Be nice if I could do these quite ahead of the time for the wedding and just store them.

Your butterfly is beautiful! Another new technique I have to try. Thanks for sharing.

Wow, this looks great. Well done Taigen. Thanks for sharing this with us!

for those of you interested, I just purchased 100 sheets of rice paper for $16 plus shipping from Sugarcraft.com.

I can't wait for Friday to get my papers.

Taigen,

Your butterfly is beautiful.

So okay. I just have to ask a dumb question: is the rice paper you would use for these butterflies any different than the rice paper you would use to make certain Asian vegetable rolls (Vietnamese and Thai spring rolls, not the fried Chinese kind)?

I have a whole box of these things in my pantry, that I soak briefly and roll with fresh basil , lettuce, etc. Because they become translucent and very flexible when used this way, I can see how they might work in regrads to keeping some rigidity with the less-wet clear piping gel.

Will someone please clue me in? If indeed they are the same kind of rice paper sheets used here, I might give these beautiful things a try today.

Thanks so much......I love CC....I've learned so much here and the people are so caring as well as sharing.

Thanks to each and everyone of you.

Your butterfly is absolutely beautiful. As for the royal icing, once the royal icing is dry you can keep them for a long time. The only thing is I don't know anything about the rice paper, if it keeps or not.
Sylvie
By the way, thanks for the link.

Thanks everyone...I did see the rice paper on sugracraft.com. The rice paper I got yesterday was not in a bag or anything, just sitting in an open envelope so I don't think it is the same stuff as the ones used for the printers. The grocery store that showed me those ($6.00 a sheet) said they must be kept in a dark air tight envelope. This stuff yesterday you can bend a little etc. but it will crack. The butterflies are so small I don't think it will be a problem. When I actually do them for the cake I will make each wing seperately with little "tabs" that I can insert into the royal frosting body. I think that will be easier.
I can't believe how long this food colouring takes to dry!! I'm anxious to do the other side hahaha.
Oh and I had a thought......if I want these to appear to be "flying" I thought I could just use thick, not thin, fishing line attached to the underside with icing then insert into the cake. That way they should (hahaha) look like they are flying around the cake.....do you think this would work? If the royal frosting is too heavy I know it won't....but I am hoping. I know you can use wires (inserted into straws I read on here) but they would be too visible I think.
Thanks for letting me know about the keeping time for these. Now I can just set aside time to make them and store them.
Waiting on a double boiler to try out my idea for the dragonflies but I will keep you posted

Next time try using powder colouring mixed with clear alcohol. It should dry a lot faster.

The butterfly is beautiful!!

Meems, It is not the same paper as your rice paper wrappers. Those are very hard, and not bvendable. The paper for butterflies, printers, etc. also goes by the name of wafer paper and is pliable and bendable as is and is available in 8 1/2 x 11 sizes. When place on frosting the wafer paper becomes very soft and almost disintegrates which makes it palatable. Your asian rice paper would be just a hard wafer. Hope that helps!

It is NOT the same paper as the rice paper wrappers. Those are very textured and would not work well for the butterfly's. I did my first butterfly's last week too, but I used the edible food color markers. They are in my photos. Great job on that butterfly!