I When I glaze leaves using the liquid, I dipped them in the glaze, tap off the excess and hang to dry. I do it this way cause I didn't want to sacrifice any brushes. It's fast, easy and I haven't had any problems with it. Use a small, container that has an airtight lid. You can reuse the liquid.
The spray is best outside if possible. Where I live there is a constant breeze so spray paint anything is impossible. I taped together cardboard to make a quick and cheap little spray booth.
Both methods have their upsides and down. You gotta play to figure out what works best for you :)
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I When I glaze leaves using the liquid, I dipped them in the glaze, tap off the excess and hang to dry. I do it this way cause I didn't want to sacrifice any brushes. It's fast, easy and I haven't had any problems with it. Use a small, container that has an airtight lid. You can reuse the liquid.
I do it the same way, and if you use cheap Kleenex you can tap it on that to remove excess too. The glaze smells so nasty I tend to not use it at all, though, unless I need a waxy look to the leaves.
AI forgot to say earlier that I also dip my leaves in liquid green colour to get them darker before dusting, steaming and glazing them too. I keep a little pot of colour, dunk each leaf by holding it by the wire handle and then "spin" the leaf to remove excess liquid by twisting the wire in my fingers and thumb while holding it upside down in an empty yoghurt pot to catch the excess colour. Then stick them back in my foam to dry before dusting etc. It really gives a darker, more intense colour than you can get in the base paste and dusts.
Do any of you use the Crystal Colors dusts? I would recommend them for darker colors since they're more concentrated. here's a before and after of some roses I dusted using one of them, the link is ot the before and click on "previous" above the photo to see the after. https://www.facebook.com/acaketoremember/photos/pb.92855088670.-2207520000.1414343127./10152033511883671/?type=3&theater
I don't know how much shipping them outside the US would cost because the international shipping went up about 300% last year, but they're so much better than the other brands I've used. I don't sell them in my Etsy ship because I can get them at a SLIGHT discount from my wholesaler, but not much. It makes more sense to just order them directly from Beth at sugarpaste.com if you only need a couple of colors.
I'm putting my glaze on the leaves, and there's a few discoveries that I want to note before I forget.
I dropped a lid on a carnation and caught the edge of the little flower. It shattered. But it's ok and no worries or sorrow! It was a wonderful discovery about @costumeczars gumpaste. Her real gumpaste has cured hard like porcelain, and it was a nice shatter. My homemade gumpaste of tylose & fondant never got hard, it got firm but crumbly when I made snowflakes and flowers earlier. Also it just caught the edge of the flower so that will be the back side of the flower when I use them. All will be well.
It also occurred to me that because the leaves were so hard and not fragile, that I was just dusting and painting and I realized that I was able to handle them comfortably without having to baby coddle them. Nice.
The glaze did darken the color of the flower another shade or so, so that was nice.
The #28 gage wires that I used were a much better size than the #26 that I had used previously. That tiny bit of thinness really helped with inserting into the leaf. Wire size really makes a difference.
Spots. I found a few spots that would not take the dark dust as well, and finally puzzled out that it must be the glue that I used to glue the wire into the leaf. I dipped the wire into the glue, then wiped it on the back of my hand to get rid of the excess. so this time the wires stayed in good and solid. There has been no problem whatsoever with the wire. However I think that in picking up the leaf I must have had little invisible dots of glue on my fingers. Perhaps when I was pinching the end where the leaf met the wire that tiny bit of glue that was on the wire stayed on my finger. I'm going to have to wipe my fingers so I don't transfer any glue to the outside of the gumpaste.
Outdoor spraying would be a no-go for me. I looked out the window at the thermometer when I read today and it's 30 degrees f. (below freezing -1 degree C. ) so dipping looks the best.
{ps: like I said I'm going at a snails pace and work at this when I have free time. It's one of the things that have made sugar paste fun. It's like knitting, I can sit it aside and go.}
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Spots. I found a few spots that would not take the dark dust as well, and finally puzzled out that it must be the glue that I used to glue the wire into the leaf. I dipped the wire into the glue, then wiped it on the back of my hand to get rid of the excess. so this time the wires stayed in good and solid. There has been no problem whatsoever with the wire. However I think that in picking up the leaf I must have had little invisible dots of glue on my fingers. Perhaps when I was pinching the end where the leaf met the wire that tiny bit of glue that was on the wire stayed on my finger. I'm going to have to wipe my fingers so I don't transfer any glue to the outside of the gumpaste.
This happens to me sometimes too, and I think it might also be Crisco that gets on the surface. I haven't tried to find a way around it, I just put some extra dust on those spots, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. but it could definitely be dried gum glue too.
We got moment of sunshine at noon and photographed some grocery store roses, for future sugar paste rose making references. Put my little sugar rose in the Styrofoam cup next to the real rose. I'm thinking really great thoughts about all of you ladies that got me to this happy place, and sending out good wishes to you all.
http://www.cakecentral.com/g/i/3299502/gumpaste-rose-next-to-real-rose/sort/display_order/
{ ps: how do you like my socks? lol. My photo editing software & new computer are still on the way. It's walking here from the Lower 48 I think.}
It only lasted for about 5 minutes, bright and white and streaming in the French doors....just long enough to get a photo. 
Most importantly if the Messy Baker from Alaska can do it, anyone can !!!!! Today is taping the wire stems day, and it's much easier to roll that tape on, with the leaves hanging down than standing upright. duh. I had to kind of hold everything like I would for crocheting and then I got the hang of it and it went rather quicker than I had imagined.
Oh, yes I found out the down side of painting on the vodka/corn syrup glaze with a paintbrush. I didn't see it when I was painting them, however after sitting and drying there are big light colored streaks where the petal dust had either drifted off by flowing with the glaze, or I just brushed it off the leaf while applying the glaze. So I'm definitely convinced that the dipping method, using a container of commercial glaze will be best. When I've painted v/cs home made glaze on fondant previously it was not dusted with powders, so it worked perfectly.
Live and learn, it's always something.
Your rose look great! Love the color. Petal placement is very nice and your center is tight.
I can't tell if the sunshine washed it out, but are you veining the petals?
Your socks look nice & clean - hehehe or they were :)
I took a bit of the dark red petal dust, when it arrived, and put it on the center area and the edges of the petals. I just thought that it was so serendipitous that one of the roses in my bunch of assorted colors from the store was so close in the tint. I probably spent more time pressing in and arranging those first two petals tightly than anything else.
No I didn't vein these petals, but I now have a First Impressions veiner for the 5 petal quick rose, and a silicone veiner for single petals. That will be part of the future adventures in roses.
Isn't it amazing at the tiny little veins and the perfect blends of tiny bits of different colors in the real petals. Fascinating things roses are.
And I'm positively committed to going thinner, thinner, thinner with the gumpaste. Good Catch, Yes I did have clean socks on. I miss my 'Crop' feature in photo editing. I laughed at myself when my eyes finally came to rest on the big fat foot in the photo.
I love the varied colors in real flowers and foliage. And when you are ready, you can begin to achieve that coloring through dusting. You would start with white petals and go from there. A member, EugenieS is the most amazing sugar artist. I'm always in awe of her flowers and dusting talent.
Well hell......no one has wanted any fondant cake..... I guess I should have never learned to make such yummy SMBC. lol
So I made myself a Christmas cake with my favorite color, rose, & lace. Thank you to @costumeczar, ( as I bought the nice red berries & lovely holly leaves from her store acaketormember.com )
I made some marshmallow fondant, and of course had to try something different with the recipe so I put a teaspoon of glycerine and a tablespoon of glucose and what a stretchy batch it made.
I'll brew up a nice cup of Kona Coffee and have some cake for a Holiday treat at home. I'm happy. Again I thank all of you darling generous decorators who coached me.
Ok so now I need your designers eye, as I'm blind to design.
which looks better, the one with the leaves on the right of the rose, or the ones without the leaves on the right of the rose????
I just was going to put this cake away, and it caught my eye. So I pulled those two leaves off and the rose seems to stand out more. Maybe it doesn't matter that much 
Ajust a couple thoughts -- but first to answer your question -- looks better without additional leaves --
the holly in that inverted 'v' formation would look better as the bottom border with the rose flying solo on top -- then you could add the extra holly by the rose --
if you want the holly on top laying flat i'd use smaller holly leaves in a 'v' formation with the holly berries along the outside top edge would look better and three smaller berries would look better than one because otherwise each single berry competes with the single rose --
for an even more dramatic look keep the inverted 'v' move the berry/berries to the outside edge and angle the leaves so they stick into the fondant and hang off the edge pointing up more so it becomes more of a crowning of holly in 3-d
ok wait -- i couldn't see the beautiful lace piece in the center on my phone last night in bed when i couldn't sleep -- geez that's pretty -- now i get the way you did the holly -- duh on me -- use my suggestions only if you had a cake without the pretty lace in the middle 
Honestly, MB it works both ways. In the version with the leaves the only change I would make is leaf placement. Try putting the two under the rose closer together with one a bit shorter than the other pointing out towards the cake instead of the top and bottom look. Leaves don't have to be symmetrical. :)
@-K8memphis I never even considered the things that you said, and I could see (with my mind) what you meant when you described it. I tried to pull the decorations all off, but I'd managed to stick it on pretty well. It's just for me so practicing is ok with this one. I'd love to have a "Spock from Star Trek" style of mental transfer and put some of that great decorating knowledge that you have in my brain. Thank you.
@JWinslow so I was on the right track with the extra leaves, that's encouraging. I'm going to have to shop for holly leaf cutters. And learn how to make nice round little balls, there are so many flowers in gumpaste that use small round berries or buds like that size. Thank you.
It's a long trip from making a entire design out of piped buttercream stars from a number 18 tip. 
you're so sweet, mb! but a mind meld w/me would be hazardous to your health hahaha -- maybe if we can just isolate the cake genes idk
Ok just as I was getting ready to cut the cake, I decided that it would be a good chance for me to put my carnations & carnation leaves to use. I ripped everything else off, and yes you can see it in the photo, oh well. Practice cakes can get ripped up lol.
These were the first and only carnations that I've made.
I tried not to place them so symmetric, but I just wanted to see what they'd look like on a cake. I think that I can surely dust them much darker on the edges. I was a little shy with the color. I looked for photos of carnation cakes and didn't really find much. I think that more greenery of some sort would be helpful with carnations. Now I'm going to have cake & coffee, no more experiments today.
I love the carnations! I tend to do asymmetrical arrangements because to me they're just more interesting. The style of everything being so lined up and precise on cakes now just feels stiff to me. On the first one, though, I would probably have left the rose off and had the lace section be the focal point. Either that, or I would have done a big arrangement of the flower and leaves on one side and not all the way around. Either one or the other. But the rose is so pretty I'd probably have used the rose, it gives you a nice pop of red.
I also agree that greenery is important. I get a lot of brides who don't want any green leaves because it doesn't go with their color scheme, but the green just makes the flowers look better.
that's really beautiful, mb -- just a nice big controlled floral explosion -- the coloring is so pretty -- looks natural -- and kudos for keeping the eye of each flower looking the right direction -- some people have them looking all over the place --
one fine point for you -- pure minutiae -- elevate that center carnation just a bit so it's not in the shadow of the one beside it -- like just a blob of fondant underneath -- or if they are piped flowers i just plant blobs of buttercream and set the flowers onto those -- also making half sized flowers where you just plain leave off some of the outer petals can really enhance a spray -- buds too -- because then it handily plays into the same high low effect -- oh one last stray thought -- tendrils -- y'know wrap a skinny continuous fondant sausage around a cornstarch dusted dowel -- let it dry -- break off what you need or just pipe -- i love me some tendrils
i like the amount of greenery you have there
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