Hi all.. I need some help. I have my second wedding cake this weekend and the bride is very wishy washy on her details. She sent me a picture via e-mail and requested a few changes, which is fine. However, on the picture it had silver balls/bbs on a criss cross pattern. I know hard to understand, here is the problem. Just recently she asked that the balls be black. I have the silver bbs that you put on Christmas cookies, that taste like crap and are hard BUT they will be on the fake cake so I figured no one would eat them anyway.. But they are silver, does anyone know if I can put those in black food coloring? will it stick to the shiny balls? If not I have to make a trip to Hobby Lobby, does anyone know if they even sell colored balls? It is a 40 minute drive to get to Hobby Lobby so if I can color the silver one that would be great, i just don't know how.
Any help would be very much appreciated..
Holly

Finding black ones this time of year without ordering them is going to be next to impossible. Halloween time, yes, but this time of year, I'm doubtful...

For 40 minutes away, you're cheaper to pay shipping on them from online anyways.

The only real way to get the silver ones colored black is to airbrush them with luster or pearl dust which is a royal PITA... Not worth your time!

Talk to the bride, explain the situation, and it's a week out and she's wanting to make these changes, next time, we tell the bride "No changes, except additional servings, may be made after 14 days PRIOR to the wedding date."... That way if they find themselves with 10 more people coming, they can still order a 6" on the side. Wishy washy or not, it sets the path for future wedding cakes such that YOUR time and keeping your stress level minimum is WORTH IT!!!!!

Thanks for the reply. I called Hobby Lobby and they don't even have black ones, I am glad I at least called prior to heading there. She did however suggest using craft beads, like that you buy on a string. I am going to check wal-mart for those, since it is just on fake cake I figure it won't matter that it isn't edible.

Again thanks for the reply. Wedding cakes still make me very nervous and this one seemed like it was going to be a breeze, that should have been my first clue!

Just remember for the future... Dummy cakes take just as long and cost just as much as real cakes do, so make sure you're getting paid just as much as if it were real...

If it's for a dummy, yea, just use the black beads from Walmart... Or just purchase floral pins with black heads on them (which is even easier for plunking into the dummy!!!)... You can usually get them through a florist on pretty short notice, but either way, good luck!

make your own. Take some black fondant and roll it into small balls.

One of my pics to give you an idea
http://forum.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1311415

You can do dots too in buttercream or royal icing..
Edna

I had to laugh when I read your post riana. I had a bride want pearls made from chocolate fondant... The finished product looked like hamster droppings!...LOL!

Sorry I am a little slow at posting the finished product but here is the cake. Of course I forgot to take a picture when I set it up at the reception hall. There was a VM that went on the top. I know the bride and hopefully will be getting a picture of the cake totally set up but wanted to show you all how it turned out. The details are hard to see but I really like the finish product.
thanks for all the help

Very pretty!!! I'm just curious -- what did you end up using, black beads?

yes I ended up buying little black beads from a local fabric store. As long as I hid the holes they worked well!

hope I'm not too late..here is a cake I did with the "black balls" on it..I just used royal icing (because I was afraid black buttercream might bleed onto the white) couldn't have been easier

I have bought um, excuse the expression, black sugar balls/pearls at Fancy Flours and CK Products with no problems...Just for future reference.