Jacqueline Butler - Modern Sugar Flowers Volume 2

Ever since learning how to bake at a young age Ive been in love with cake! I also love delicate, meticulous details and flowers, so its not a surprise I ended up building a business in wedding cake design. Petalsweet was formed after my own journey studying cake decorating and sugar flowers and has been followed with years of practice to create my own modern, stylized aesthetic.

Writing my first book, Modern Sugar Flowers, was an amazing opportunity to share some of my favorite processes for making beautiful sugar flowers that are both achievable and profitable within a cake business. Thank you so much to all of you who purchased the book, and for sharing your beautiful flowers and cakes!

Thoughts about writing volume two began with the few flowers that didnt make it into the first book, and from there it didnt take long to put together a new list of flowers I was excited to share. So, here youll find my favorite new flowers and my most trusted staples broken down into simple, easy-to-follow steps. And a small spotlight on greenery and berries, which can be used to give arrangements a more relaxed, organic feel. The cake projects are a fun mix of little cakes and single tiers, and a few more elaborate designs that I hope will inspire you to try something new.

My simple, signature and fool-proof formula for putting flowers together is still the same. Begin with a pretty base of green and white, and then add some pastels to complete the look. Its easy to do, and always looks fresh. Ive expanded my color palette a bit to include a few deeper colors and I hope you enjoy the additions.

I hope this book not only teaches you the tips and techniques to achieve new sugar flowers, but also gives you the confidence to create something beautiful for your clients or to share with loved ones. Enjoy the process, and happy flower making!

Jacqueline x

Each flower lesson begins with a list of the specific supplies you will need. Please read through all of the instructions before you start, to make sure you have all of the necessary tools.

Groove board: a non-stick sugarcraft rolling board with grooves for making wired leaves and flowers

Petal protector or acetate sheet to keep rolled paste and cut petals from drying too quickly

Needle tool

JEM veining tool

Mini palette knife

Tweezers

Set of sugarcraft modeling tools

Mini Celpin

Celpin

Knife/scribing tool

Dresden tool

Metal ball tools in variety of sizes

Foam petal pad

Small straight embroidery scissors

Sharp scissors

Toothpick (cocktail stick)

Wooden skewer

Small non-stick rolling pin

Mini rolling pin

Wire cutters

Pliers, for making hooks in wires, and to aid in flower arranging

Vegetable shortening (white vegetable fat)

Sugar glue and a small brush

Cornstarch (cornflour)

Detail paintbrush

Flat and round paintbrushes for dusting and detailed work

Styrofoam balls in a variety of sizes

Petal dust

Gel food colors

Silicone leaf veiners

Metal petal cutter (petunia)

Plastic half sphere molds

Hanging rack

Acoustic "bumpy" foam for drying petals and leaves

Silicone petal veiners

Cotton sewing thread

Styrofoam buds (CelBuds)

"Pollen" created with unflavored gelatin mixed with petal dust (see )

Floral tape

Silcone leaf veiners (all-purpose)

Metal petal cutters (small rose petals)

Metal petal cutters (multi-use for petals and leaves)

Stamens

Florist wire

Waxed dental floss

Ive gathered the essential information and techniques that I use in my flower making and put them all together in this chapter. You can refer back to this section whenever you need a refresher, or if you are trying a technique for the first time.

A soft, pliable sugar dough made with an added gum agent, gumpaste is perfect for making beautiful and delicate sugar flowers. The gum agent makes the paste elastic and allows it to be rolled very thinly. There are a lot of wonderful pastes available from homemade recipes to ready-to-use commercial brands. As with other aspects of sugarcraft, gumpaste is sensitive to weather conditions and different environments, so I encourage you to try several varieties to find what will work best for you.

When working with gumpaste, use a small amount of cornstarch (cornflour) on your fingertips or your work surface if the paste feels sticky. Use a bit of vegetable shortening if the paste feels dry. When using cornstarch and shortening, use very small amounts to prevent the paste from drying out or becoming greasy and separating. Always keep your paste tightly sealed in a bag or container to prevent drying out. Homemade paste is best kept in the refrigerator when not in use for more than several days. Bring it to room temperature before using. Homemade paste can dry very quickly. If I need more working time for a specific flower, I will mix homemade paste 50/50 with commercial paste to slow down the drying time.