Hi!  I joined this site just to ask this question, so I hope someone can help me out.  My 3 year old saw this cake and has her heart set on it for her party, so I'm going to attempt it.  I've covered cakes in fondant, but I've never worked with anything 3-dimensional.  

How should I make the lanterns? Do I do them with fondant and let it dry before gluing them? How do you dry fondant?  Do I need to stick them in really well?  Let me know what you'd recommend.  I'm planning on doing the purple and blue layers with MMF, and then doing the lanterns with Duff.  Any advice would be appreciated!  Not just on the lanterns, but on anything at all.  I'm sure you all have more experience than me.  :)  Thank you, you talented people, you!

Hi there Welcome!  What I would do is make the cylindar lantern and poke holes where you want the thread?  I can't see what it is they used to hang them.  Then once they are dried hard thread it in the holes to hang.    Hope this helps you.  

Some of them look like they are half lanterns. Just make the half and let dry around a pencil or pen of the thickness you want.

I always do 50/50 fondant and gumpaste for things like that. Dries completely in about 2 days depending on the humidity. Then use some royal icing to glue them on. Make sure they aren't too heavy or they will slide right off. 

ABct can I just ask what is the reason you 50/50 fondant / gumpaste just curious lol is it better than just using the both together ??

Ensure that your fondant has cmc in it. Cut out your different sizes in strips and then shape according to the sizes you want. The half lanterns can be dried on pencils or a round shape. Larger lanterns dry around a toilet roll. The full lanterns can be dried around a pvc pipe and ensure that the you have glued the two edges together. Make a small neat hole with a round nozzle . The wire that was used is a strong floral wire not sure what your sizes are overseas. attach the lantern to the wire and then roll the end of the wire with a pen to hold the lantern in place so that it does not slip off the wire. Where you are attaching the wire to the cake ensure that you have insurted a drinking straw into the cake to hold the wires in place so that your wire does not pull your fondant apart00.

Firstly I would ensure that you have put in a few drinking straws were your hanging lanterns would go. Cut a small hole for the straw and place this in the cake. To make the lanterns ensure that your fondant has tylose or cmc in it. Cut broad strips to make the half lanterns and then cut the sizes that you want. To dry the half small lanterns use a pen or any round long object for the larger 1/2 lanterns dry the shape over a toilet roll. The key to your lanterns being stable and staying on the cake is that they need to be dry. For the full lantern cut a strip to the width of the lantern , to cut out a hole for the wire use a round nozzle .Then wrap the fondant around a small roller and glue the edges together. Ensure that the lantern is 100% dry before removing from the roller. To ensure that the lantern does not stick to the roller coat the roller with wholesome then make the lantern. The wire that we would use to create the hanging lanterns would be thick flower wire. Bend the wire to form the shape desired. to hold the lantern wrap the end of the wire around a pen to form the round shape and then slide the lantern onto the wire. Hope that the advise will be of assistance to you. 

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ok thanks will have to try that.

If you want to be sure they will dry hard, I would use 2 t tylose (cmc) to 1 lb fondant. But not Duff's or marshmallow - something like Satin Ice. If you make them at least a week in advance, that will give them time to dry and be really light and they will attached easily to the cake and be light so as to not put too much strain on the wire. Those are not one color, btw, they look like they were airbrushed with orange.
 

Thank you all for your help!  I really appreciate it- extremely helpful!

AI have recently made lanterns on my daughters cake just like this, I used flower paste rolled thin and cut it into rectangles, i then wrapped it around a wooden spoon handle to dry. I painted on the suns but added extra details with an edible pen. I let them completely dry and stuck them on using edible glue and applying pressure so that they were embedded into the fondant. Good luck and post some pics up when your done.

I have attached a link to my recent cake so that you can see my lanterns. X

[URL]https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=395361970585053&set=pb.355575534563697.-2207520000.1372027353.&type=3&theater[/URL]

AHaha thank you! I own a chocolate fountain company called Augustus Gloop and started selling cakes too a few months ago. Augustus is my surname so my business was meant to be! ;)