CC friends...I need your help!!! I would like to make the topper and bow inthe following link. How would I go about it, so that it does not topple over? This will be for friends of my son's girlfriend, I sure would like to make them proud, they both believe in me. (I do not know the people of the request ), but I know I can do it, it would be for this Saturday.( I know it is short notice, but I want so bad to do it!!!
http://howsweetbakery.com/Album/pages/first_birthday_cake_jpg.htm

Thank you in advance for your time and help.

Ciao

Well first of all I'd make them out of pre-made gum paste. I use Wilton's and it works great. Dries faster and lighter than fondant. Color it like you would your fondant items.

To make your number topper either stick a thin wooden skewer in the gum paste number, or glue it to the back. You can glue it with melted chocolate, or as I do in some cases, just hot glue the thing. No one will eat the number and you can always tell them not to just in case. Make sure your skewer is long enough so it will be far enough in the cake to not fall over.

The bows are just strips that are folded over and while they are still pliable, I would put a toothpick at the base and squeeze the ends together so after they dry you may stick them in the sides of the cake as shown. You can also secure the strips with extra buttercream.

Roll up some paper towels or something--even a dowel and place them between your strips so that the bow part is rounded and open. You'll find it dries fairly quickly. For the corkscrew look just take a strip of fondant and wrap it around a straw, or a wooden dowel in whatever size you want. Let dry and I would just stick that directly into the cake.

I hope this is what you were talking about. You might also look on Google and do a search on how to make gum paste bows. Lots of tutorials out there.
The main thing is to use gum paste. I used it for a topper on a cake I did recently...polka dot cake with quilled flowers. A big 'P'. That one I hot glued to a couple of clear plastic skewers. HTH!

carmijok... thank you for your reply! It sounds very doable, the way you do it. I will do the same, gumpaste and HOT GLUE , I never would have though of that. BTW I saw your work, beautiful!


Ciao