Help With Gumpaste Flowers (Daisy)
Decorating By kimheflin Updated 15 Jan 2007 , 1:32am by bobwonderbuns
I am having trouble with the flowers sticking to the foam and tearing when I pick the up. I bought the Wilton gumpaste flower book and I'm trying to make the daisy. I have never used gumpaste before, so I don't know what is right or wrong. I made the recipe from the book. I don't know if I made the recipe wrong, if I'm rolling it too thin (it said 1/16"), if I need more shortening, or more powdered sugar...??? I have no idea. Can someone give me a good recipe for gumpaste and how you guys make those daisies??? PLEASE help me...Thanks
The way to keep it from sticking to the foam is to heavily powder the foam with cornstarch. You will need to do this frequently while using it. This is the only way to keep gumpaste of any brand or form from sticking. Once the foam is relatively saturated with cornstarch, you don't have to "powder" it as often. Otherwise, everything will stick to it!! Hope this works for you...
This is why I recommend good gumpaste tools and a good recipe. You shouldn't have to coat the foam heavily with cornstarch. That makes your petals dry out too quickly and they get brittle and break off. Or it leaves a ridge of cornstarch on the petal edges. Try Nic Lodge's gumpaste recipe and a good foam cel board and you will find it so much easier to work with.
This is why I recommend good gumpaste tools and a good recipe. You shouldn't have to coat the foam heavily with cornstarch. That makes your petals dry out too quickly and they get brittle and break off. Or it leaves a ridge of cornstarch on the petal edges. Try Nic Lodge's gumpaste recipe and a good foam cel board and you will find it so much easier to work with.
Got to agree with Shirley on that one. The cel foam board is far better than the Wilton foam (IMHO) but you do need the foam at times. And you only have to use a small amount of cornstarch and not very often. And I'll be looking up Nic Lodge's recipe.
While we're on the subject, whose gumpaste recipe is better, Nick Lodge's or Scott Woolley's? I'll be trying both of them coming up in the near future; I just want your thoughts. 
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