Just got my new sugar flower DVD by Jennifer Dontz and couldn't wait to pop it in and watch it! It covers the cymbidium orchid and realistic looking ivy. OMG, wait til you see this! Her easy to follow teaching technique is good for any skill level. The orchids and ivy are SO realistic. Some of the best I've seen out there. Just wanted to share this with you all in case you are looking for quality DVD's. I got mine through Jen's website.

Jen is a great instructor and wonderful person. I have taken two of her classes and would highly recommend them. I also have some of her DVDs.

How does she do the ivy? With the gumpaste or the soft method?

In the DVD Jen uses a cel board for the ivy, but the process could easily be adapted to use the soft method.

Good! I'm not at all a fan of the soft method. Glad to hear it! I'm ordering the DVD today!

What is the 'soft method'?

It involves platnium paste instead of gumpaste -- it allows for a longer dry time and such and a method called "twiddling" to get the paste on the wire as opposed to just sticking the wire into gumpaste and forming.

I am a HUGE fan of the soft method. In my opinion, it is the very best way to form flowers to their natural shape. With this method you can sit and play with the flower for quite some time....shaping it to it's natural shape. If you dry the petals on formers, you really can't do that. The petals are shaped to how the formers shaped them, which most of the time, really is not exactly the way you would have liked them or to their true natural shape in nature. I also LOVE the Australian gumpaste with the twiddle method. The combination of those two methods is a real winner in my book.

Jennifer

Actually both methods can work to make the Ivy. I have used both methods and for the Ivy I prefer the cell board. If you follow Jen's step by step instructions on the DVD you will end up with beautiful ivy! Good Luck!