Cake

687a7b6c6a 6bFor the hydrangeas:Steps 6a-c.For the centres of the flower, cut 20-25 x 22 gaugegreen wires. Take your needle nose pliers and bend thetips to create a small hook. Colour the gum paste withJuniper Green and roll out a small ball. Dip your hookedend of the wire into the gum glue and gently insert intothe ball. Pull and twist the gum paste downwards andpinch off the excess.For the buds, use a larger pea sized ball and repeat thesteps above. Gently cup the centres/buds betweenyour fingers and make four small indents into the topof each bud.Once firm, dust Peony Pink petal dust on the tops. Hangto dry overnight.Steps 7a-c.Continue with the same green gum paste, use thehydrangea cutter and cut out five flowers at a time.Press into the hydrangea veiner, and then lightly thinout all edges on the foam board using the small balltool.Steps 8a & b.Coat the back of your buds with the gum glue, insertwire through the centre of each petal and gently pressthe back of the flower to the bud. Hang one half todry and the other half in an egg carton, as no flowersare perfectly alike and this gives them a more naturalbunched look. Let the flowers dry overnight.Tip: Punch tiny holes in the bottom of an egg carton andprop on top of something to allow the wires to hangthrough, letting the petals dry in a cupped form.Steps 9a & b.Once dry, take the Irish Moss petal dust and lightlybrush colour on the back and middle of each flower.Dust the backs of each larger bud as well. Take thePeony Pink petal dust and shade the edges of eachflower, pulling in towards the centre.Steps 10a & b.Assemble all the flowers into a bunch and fill any spaceswith the larger buds. Use the floral tape and gentlywrap all the stems together. These make amazing fillerflowers but they are very fragile, so be very cautiouswhen assembling on the cake!Tip: Once you have completed the hydrangea bunch,wrap a skewer along the stem with the floral tape, thiscreates a sturdy stem and is much easier to insert intothe cake.7c8a 8b9a 9b10a 10b