I play Bunco once a month and one of our girls is pregnant and due this month. We decided to have a combo Bunco night/shower for her and I offered to make a cake. They left the theme, colors, etc. up to me. I went with a ladybug theme. The cake is pretty much done but I think it needs something else. I may add some little ladybugs made of fondant in the grass around the bottom. I thought it would be cute to add dashed lines to look like they were crawling up the side of the cake but I don't have any buttercream left to tint black. Can you paint on buttercream? If so, how?
Your advice/opinions will be greatly appreciated! If I add more will it be too much going on? Should I leave it alone? It just looks a bit plain to me. Thanks!
Yes you can. I've painted on crusted buttercream before with the gel coloring mixed with a little bit of vanilla extract. Most people use alcohol with the gel but vanilla will work too. You don't want to add much liquid, just enough to make the gel into the consistency of paint. Then use a very light touch and you won't dent the icing.
The cake is very cute. I wouldn't add much at all. If you do the dashed lines I'd suggest you add a couple ladybugs on the side and not just in the grass. HTH.
Your cake is adorable!! I love it! Is the body/head of the ladybug made out of cake too? How did you get the head so smooth & round?
very cute cake and I love those teeny little bugs 
Your cake is adorable!! I love it! Is the body/head of the ladybug made out of cake too? How did you get the head so smooth & round?
Thanks for the compliments! This one was really fun to make! It was a last minute, thrown, together kind of thing but turned out pretty good! Everyone LOVED it! I think I do better when given full creative freedom rather than being told "I want 'THIS' cake"!
As for the ladybug on top, her body is a Rice Krispie Treat covered in fondant. Her head is just a big ball of fondant! I knew for the size of it that it would be easier to do that then try to cover a RKT with fondant.
I know this is way too late for an answer for you, but I found this cake and thought it answered your question quite well:
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1701747&done=2
I know this is way too late for an answer for you, but I found this cake and thought it answered your question quite well:
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1701747&done=2
Wow! What a beautiful cake! I never knew you could do that much to BC!
Thanks for the link! It's never too late! Always something new for me to learn for the future! 
I may try to paint on a cake I'm doing in a couple of weeks!
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%