Before they are transformed

When I start to make sugar flowers I get all excited to see the end result and visualize in my head what I want them to look like. I know beside making the flower itself I will need to add the extra details and colors.

When I first started to make sugar flowers and saw them at this stage, which is what I call the first stage I thought they wouldn't look like a real flower when they are done. There they sat drying and I just couldn't wait for stage 2...



gumpaste Lilacs drying



So, I thought I would post these lilacs at stage 1 in the Styrofoam drying and waiting for stage 2.. my favorite part to add the color and start to bring them to life.  This is a close up...

gumpaste lilacs

Adding the color requires mixing and matching dusting powders... deciding what part of the flower I want to add it to and how many different shades I want.. I can get caught up in it since it is sometimes like creating your own garden.

Friday Giveaway: "For Pete

Friday Giveaway: "For Pete

Not your every day sugar flower

I am always up for a challenge when it comes to making sugar flowers. Although other sugar artists have made all the same flowers I have we all seem to end up with just a different take on it. It is how one sees it or the flower we are modeling it after. Color has to do a lot with I have decided. I love tropical flowers and the unusual. Not that all flowers are great to add to a cake, but they look just great in a nice container.

It is the challenge of making those fragile petals that easily break, getting the right size on an overly sized flower, or just making a flower you have never seen or heard of. No matter what I make it is always a challenge to make it a bit different or better the next time.

Tropical gumpaste flower arrangement

This was the first arrangement I entered in a show. There are Moth Orchids, Antherium, Ginger, Bird of Paradise, Hibiscus, Star of Bethlehem Orchids.

Pink Peony

Pink Peony

This is a sample cake made for Colette's Catering showroom. This is one version or variety of the peony and pink seems to be the most requested color. I love to make these big bold flowers and are stunning on cakes if you want to make a statement.



Pink Peony close up

 This is why I chose this to demo at the Orange County Fair last year. It can be made with limited decorating tools and larger flowers are easier to learn than the small detailed ones I really enjoy to make..

Orange County Fair 2011

July will be here in no time which means it is time for the Orange County Fair from July 11th - Aug 14th. It is in Costa Mesa, California

Wondering why I am writing about the fair? It has a fantastic Culinary department with competitions in sugar art. I am doing my share to promote it, so those in the area hopefully will participate and help make sugar art a bigger part of the fair. It is great fun. They not only have contests and display but have demo's.

There was a wonderful display of featured sugar artists where they designed a rather large display to show what we can create in food and sugar. There was a butter sculpture, an entire section of different items made entirely of bread. Several cakes, cookies, sugar flowers were displayed along with fruit carving and  much more.  Last year they had ice sculptures and the line to view it was never short.

So, please pass the word to those you know to come visit even if you aren't entering any of the competition's.