12: Enhancing with Embellishments Lilies in VS .NET

Printing Code 128 Code Set C in VS .NET 12: Enhancing with Embellishments Lilies

Although it may look complicated, this flower is surprisingly easy to make with gum paste Just follow these steps, and check out Figure 12-3: 1 Tint the gum paste to your desired shade (or buy some already colored) 2 Roll the gum paste out to a thickness of 1 16 inch With a cutter or small paring knife, cut out five leaf-shaped petals that are 21 4 inches long, 3 4 inch wide at the center, and taper at the ends 3 Wad up a small piece of aluminum foil into a tall cone shape Sprinkle cornstarch on the foil (so that the finished lily doesn t stick to it), and place a small ball of colored gum paste (the same color as the lily) at the top of the cone Use a pastry brush to cover the ball with pasteurized egg white 4 Affix the petals to the ball one at a time, overlapping them slightly and making sure that they stick to the ball In the overlapping, use a bit of egg white to make the petals unfurl from each other Bend the petals slightly outward at the bottom of the cone so that it looks like the flower is opening when it is inverted 5 Let the lily dry on the aluminum cone for 24 hours before gently twisting it off 6 Adhere artificial stamens, which are available at craft stores, to the ball inside the lily, or sculpt some out of thin white ropes of gum paste with tiny yellow or brown spheres attached to one end 7 Attach the stamens to the ball either by inserting them into a few dots of royal icing piped onto the ball or by lightly brushing the ball with egg white and sticking them to it

The most popular gum paste cake flower is also probably the most difficult to make, so be patient with the process Your persistence will pay off, I promise! For a single rose, you need the following materials: gum paste, four sizes of petal cutters (small, medium, large, and extra large), a dogbone tool, pasteurized egg white, and a 6-inch length of 24-gauge wire The following steps and Figure 12-4 outline the procedure: 1 Tint the gum paste as desired 2 Shape a small ball of paste into a miniature cone that s approximately 11 2 inches wide at its base and 1 4 inch wide at its top point 3 Make a hook at one end of the 6-inch length of wire, and insert it into the base of the gum paste cone, driving it up almost to the tip Let this dry and harden for 24 hours

4 Roll out a small piece of gum paste, and cut two petals out of it with a small cutter Soften their edges with a dogbone tool 5 With a little egg white, attach the first petal to one side of the cone, wrapping it halfway around the cone Holding the wire, twist the cone to your right (if you re right-handed; work the other way if you re lefthanded), and attach the second petal so that it s slightly higher than the first petal and overlaps the first petal s edge Molding these two petals around the tip of the cone creates the center of the rose 6 Cut three medium size petals out of the gum paste, and soften their edges Attach each one to the first layer of petals with some egg white, overlapping them slightly on the sides such that the first petal is tucked inside the second petal and the second inside the third Pinch the tops of the petal outward a bit to resemble a rose in full bloom 7 Repeat Step 6 with four large petals, then with five extra large petals, and finally with five more extra large petals When you re done, five layers of petals should surround the cone 8 Dry the entire rose overnight