Anyone out there who has the Scott Woolly "The Amazing Art of Gumpaste Flowers" dvd or book, please let me know how you like them. I'm especially wondering what it is that makes his dvd so @#%^&*@ expensive! 
I bought two Nicholas Lodge dvds and they are great! The price was $19.99/ea plus shipping! I have looked at Scott's website and his flowers are breathtaking, but I just can't see why his products are so much more expensive than everyone else's. The book's not bad at $29.95 (or $18.00+ at Amazon). Please give me your feedback. I will buy them if y'all say they work, but I just don't know 
I have thouht the same thing. I have checked his book out of the library, but I would love to have the DVD's. My husband would probably have a coniption (is that spelled right) if I spent that much on a cake DVD. I just can't do it. I love his flowers, but I can't imagine spending that much.
I bought his book and I truly love it, but I didn't pay full price either. If you can get them cheaper, I'd say go for it. 
If I had to pay full price, I don't know if I could justify that to myself or my DH. Maybe you should go to the library and see if they have the book. That way you can preview it and see if it's something you'd really like to have. I can't help with the videos - they are really out of my range - at least for now. HTH
Ladymike 
Here's a brief writeup on the DVDs I did on another thread. Also, if you look at my pix, all the gumpaste flowers and fan are done using his instructions.
Let me give you an overview. First, I am the first one to admit that I'm totally biased here -- I am a huge fan of Scott's work and I really respect him as a teacher. We've written on email, spoke on the phone and I listen closely to what he says. (It helps when you respect the teacher ) The first video is kind of general. In it he teaches an orchid, a rose, a lily and a couple of filler flowers. It's a good selection to see if you want to indulge in this medium. Also he teaches how to make gumpaste from scratch, what tools you will need and what they do and his method of working with gumpaste. Scott is known to have a very specific way of working with gumpaste and that is what he teaches.
In the second video, the Heart of Cake Decorating, Scott bakes a cake and decorates it. He goes through each step, from mixing the batter, prepping the pans, crumb coating, smooth coating, fondant covering, making the fondant and decorating the same cake two totally different ways. He also has some cool ideas about cake boards too! I didn't think I'd want that video, but when I did I found it was my favorite one. I watch it over and over and learn more each time. And I have to say, Scott is a stitch! You can tell by watching him that he just loves to have fun and you can't help but laugh along with him!
I wasn't originally going to get the orchids video, but after speaking to him on another matter we got to talking about Lustre Dust and coloring the flowers. I happen to love Lustre Dust but I have noticed that my cakes are so bright you need sunglasses to look at them. He suggested the orchids video because in it he has quite a bit on how to color the flowers/the proper use of petal and Lustre Dust. He also has a lot of good information on wiring flowers and bouquets. It is a two-disc set and I watched just the first one and came away with "WOW!" as my first response. Truly the amount of information will blow you away.
His book is designed to be used in conjunction with the videos. He has instructions for something like 150 flowers in it. Many of which are either already on or are going to be on his videos. He has a series of 9 videos planned for gumpaste. One of the big differences between Scott's videos and others is the fact that he is not so much demonstrating how to put together a cake, but rather how to create gorgeous flowers. He doesn't use molds to achieve results, he shows you how to do it yourself. I'm fairly new to gumpaste myself, but what I've learned I've learned primarily from Scott. They are expensive, granted, but you will learn more than you ever imagined in these videos. [Geez, do I sound like the ultimate infomercial or what?? ] Anyway, I hope that helps some.
I have thouht the same thing. I have checked his book out of the library, but I would love to have the DVD's. My husband would probably have a coniption (is that spelled right) if I spent that much on a cake DVD. I just can't do it. I love his flowers, but I can't imagine spending that much.
They actually have this book in your library??? Did you find the instruction easy to follow? I'm not new to cake decorating and I've played around a little bit with gumpaste and fondant, but I need directions with pictures.
Thanks,
Sandra
Sandra, Here's some other options for you: Nick Lodge has some great videos for much less. His work with gumpaste flowers is every bit as good as Scott's. As far as books go, many people like Alan Dunn's books a lot. I haven't looked at them so I cannot comment on them, but at least this gives you some other options.
His book definitely has pictures with the instructions, but IMHO, I would still check it out of your local library before you make the investment. I love it and can follow it, but a friend of mine has to see someone do it first before she can do it herself. It depends on how you learn, etc., as to how this book will help you. In some of the flowers, he makes reference to some cutters that I can't find so I have to improvise. It could be that the videos are really better for beginners. I, too, may be making the investment, but I'll have to find a way to make my DH realize how much I really need them - LOL!!! HTH & good luck!
They did have one of his books in my library, I hope it is the one you are thinking of. Cakes by Design, the Magical World of Sugar Art. I really enjoyed it. I definitely am a more hands on literal kind of person though and would love to have the videos.
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