My First Gumpase Flowers! (Yay Me!)
Decorating By CountryCakery4 Updated 8 Oct 2009 , 1:24am by CountryCakery4
OK so this is a post partly to show off my pretty flowers (because I'll be honest, even though they're not perfect, I'm pretty tickled with them.) But I'll also happily take any tips you guys have so I can continue to make them better. I was so excited to start working with gumpaste I made my DH and DD buy me the Wilton GP kit early so I could put GP flowers on my cake! So these are my first ones using Edna's tutorials (thank you so much!!). If you look carefully you can probably spot my flower making evolution. Orange first, then brown then yellow. Quality increasing accordingly. I was the happiest with the yellow ones in the end. They looked the most like the ones on Edna's tutorials. The white ones are the pulled blossoms from Toba Garret's The Well Decorated Cake. My very first rose didn't make the cut but I used the wilton book as my guide and it was tiny and kind of funny looking. I much prefer Edna's way of doing them! The chocolate wrap was also an experiment and I didn't get the beautifully smooth and uniform wrapper I was hoping for (I only just now saw ShirlyWs tutorial...genius!) but was tremendously pleased with the look anyway. Very unintentionally artsy! 
Anyhow, thanks for looking, and for all your tips!
your roses are beautiful my only suggestions would be to colour the base of your buds and blossoms green , with dust to give them a little more dimension. And use the ball tool on the edges of your rose petals to make them more flared (ruffeled) , other than that, they are fantastic.
Thank you all! and Caths_Cakes, yeah, I think I'll want to get some petal dust and start experimenting with adding some colour. I tried to ruffle the edges a bit with that tiny little wooden tool they give you in the Wilton kit, but I think a real ball tool is definitely in order. Yay for birthday money!
nannie: I can't take credit for the colour scheme, I shamelessly copied it from another cake I saw here. I love the fall colours too!
smithsm: I didn't have any tylose for converting fondant so I bought the Wilton gumpaste mix and thought it was OK. Sometimes I wondered why my petals always seemed so much softer than Edna's on her video so I tried to add more PS and then counter the dryness with Crisco. It worked not too bad, but I'm going to try making my own GP soon too!
Caths_Cakes, when you talk about colouring the base of the blossoms with green, do you mean on the inside or outside?
I mean on the outside, just around the base a few centimeters up if that, it just gives them a look of being real buds, like having a calyix on the bottom of your rose sort thing
your roses are lovely!
i started making gumpaste flowers recently as well and love playing with roses.
i too thought the wilton gumpaste was o.k. but rather dry.
it's much easier to work with nicholas lodges recipe.
http://www.nicholaslodge.com/gumpaste.htm
Your first Roses are beautiful! Love love love the colors!
A ball tool, some petal dusts, and gumpaste will help you achieve what you are looking for in a perfect gp rose! But these are real beauties nonetheless! You are down to the fine tuning stage now! Keep up the good work!! 
Thank you crazydoglady!! I can't wait to get some Tylose and try this.
Your flowers turned out beautiful. I love the colors! I actually like all of them, even though I agree the last ones look more like roses.
They're really lovely.
I was going to suggest Nicholas Lodge's gumpaste recipe too. It's really easy to make and to work with.
your roses are lovely!
i started making gumpaste flowers recently as well and love playing with roses.
i too thought the wilton gumpaste was o.k. but rather dry.
it's much easier to work with nicholas lodges recipe.
http://www.nicholaslodge.com/gumpaste.htm
I have been looking for this link for the past 2 days. 
Thank you so much.
jlynnw, I'm so glad you found the link you were looking for.
and thank you everyone for your generous comments and advice. I'm going to be buying some gumpaste tools soon so I can keep getting better.
Lovin' the cc action right now!
jlynnw, I'm so glad you found the link you were looking for.
and thank you everyone for your generous comments and advice. I'm going to be buying some gumpaste tools soon so I can keep getting better.
Lovin' the cc action right now!
I just got a few over at Micheal's with a 40% off. DD is wanting to learn so I got her some for Christmas. The green wilton ones and they were under $10.
the metal ball tool is kind of spendy but worth it!
Thank you crazydoglady!! I can't wait to get some Tylose and try this.
If you are serious about gp, don't waste your money on those little tubs of tylose. Go to ebay and search for carboxymethyl cellulose or CMC - this is what tylose if chemically. Its used as a thickener in the food industry....you can usually buy a pound less than $20.
the metal ball tool is kind of spendy but worth it!
I just bought this one the other day: http://store.scrapbooking-warehouse.com/354964.html
It was $10 at Joanns and then I had a 40% off coupon so I got the set of three for $6. They're wonderful.
the metal ball tool is kind of spendy but worth it!
I like the medium Cel Pin from Nicholas Lodge for thinning petals.
i like cel pins too, they are a good all-around tool.
i also like the plastic thingy with a clear plastic cover to keep gumpaste petals soft - it's easier than using an inverted juice glass. i got it with the wilton gumpaste flower kit.
i like cel pins too, they are a good all-around tool.
i also like the plastic thingy with a clear plastic cover to keep gumpaste petals soft - it's easier than using an inverted juice glass. i got it with the wilton gumpaste flower kit.
I like the practice mat from wilton for that. The one you slide the card underneath and try to pipe like the picture. I have had it for years and years. I almost tossed it until I saw the one you are talking about. Those plastic flap things are priceless must haves.
i like cel pins too, they are a good all-around tool.
i also like the plastic thingy with a clear plastic cover to keep gumpaste petals soft - it's easier than using an inverted juice glass. i got it with the wilton gumpaste flower kit.
I like the practice mat from wilton for that. The one you slide the card underneath and try to pipe like the picture. I have had it for years and years. I almost tossed it until I saw the one you are talking about. Those plastic flap things are priceless must haves.
i've never had the practice mat and am currently trying to develop piping skills. is the practice mat worth the investment or should i use parchment paper and drawings?
Yes, the practice mat is definitely worth it. It comes with a stand so you can learn how to pipe on the side of a cake.
Theresa
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