68
7a
7b
6c
6a 6b
For the hydrangeas:
Steps 6a-c.
For the centres of the flower, cut 20-25 x 22 gauge
green wires. Take your needle nose pliers and bend the
tips to create a small hook. Colour the gum paste with
Juniper Green and roll out a small ball. Dip your hooked
end of the wire into the gum glue and gently insert into
the ball. Pull and twist the gum paste downwards and
pinch off the excess.
For the buds, use a larger pea sized ball and repeat the
steps above. Gently cup the centres/buds between
your fingers and make four small indents into the top
of each bud.
Once firm, dust Peony Pink petal dust on the tops. Hang
to dry overnight.
Steps 7a-c.
Continue with the same green gum paste, use the
hydrangea cutter and cut out five flowers at a time.
Press into the hydrangea veiner, and then lightly thin
out all edges on the foam board using the small ball
tool.
Steps 8a & b.
Coat the back of your buds with the gum glue, insert
wire through the centre of each petal and gently press
the back of the flower to the bud. Hang one half to
dry and the other half in an egg carton, as no flowers
are perfectly alike and this gives them a more natural
bunched look. Let the flowers dry overnight.
Tip: Punch tiny holes in the bottom of an egg carton and
prop on top of something to allow the wires to hang
through, letting the petals dry in a cupped form.
Steps 9a & b.
Once dry, take the Irish Moss petal dust and lightly
brush colour on the back and middle of each flower.
Dust the backs of each larger bud as well. Take the
Peony Pink petal dust and shade the edges of each
flower, pulling in towards the centre.
Steps 10a & b.
Assemble all the flowers into a bunch and fill any spaces
with the larger buds. Use the floral tape and gently
wrap all the stems together. These make amazing filler
flowers but they are very fragile, so be very cautious
when assembling on the cake!
Tip: Once you have completed the hydrangea bunch,
wrap a skewer along the stem with the floral tape, this
creates a sturdy stem and is much easier to insert into
the cake.
7c
8a 8b
9a 9b
10a 10b