June 19, 2013

The wedding season is upon us, and I have been extremely busy designing, creating & decorating wedding cakes.

I usually find it rather therapeutic when making my roses and flowers, especially when I have to make lots and lots of flowers to decorate a five-tier wedding cake, which I’m creating at the moment for a very special Bride and Groom who is getting married in Cornwall this weekend….. Pics to follow shortly 🙂

So, whilst knee-deep in making roses for my tilted wedding cake yesterday, I started to reminisce on my journey into the world of sugarcraft and cake decorating. And what a wonderful journey it has been so far.

I have been asked often by beginners to the sugarcraft world “Your roses are so beautiful and delicate. I’d like to learn how to make them but I don’t know where to begin”. Well, here are just a few pointers to help you along:

1. Attend Classes
I cannot stress enough how important it is to attend classes on the craft. You not only learn so much more but you have the added experience and skills of your tutor. Having a tutor show you and share tips and tricks will help you improve by leaps and bounds.

Classes are available in many different locations and at times suitable to your schedule; From daytimes to weekends to evening classes. I often teach classes with One Of A Kind Cake Co, so please feel free to head over to their website and check out the workshops and classes available.

2. Watch Online Tutorial
Videos are another great source of educational information. I find lots of great videos on making sugarcraft flowers on online sites such as YouTube and Vimeo. They are great for beginners. Here’s one by Lorraine McKay showing you how to make miniature rolled roses.

3. Extra, Extra….. Read All About It
Books and magazines are another great way to develop your sugarcraft skills. They also provide plenty of inspirations for your creations. Buying books can be an expensive process especially when you are starting out, so invest wisely by buying books that are specific to what you want to learn rather than a generic “How to decorate a cake” type of book. Magazine subscriptions are also an inexpensive alternative.

4. Clubs And Societies
Join as many clubs, societies and Guilds as you can. Clubs and Guilds such as the British Sugarcraft Guild conducts regular classes, workshops and meetings for their members and you will learn so much from the experience of your fellow members, sharing tips and tricks.

Furthermore, these clubs tend to host regular events too. As you know, I belong to and am currently a Trainee Demonstrator for the British Sugarcraft Guild, and earlier this month attended The British Sugarcraft Guild Region 8 Exhibition 2013. It was so much fun and very inspiring too!!!

As a Trainee Demonstrator for the British Sugarcraft Guild, I was able to display one of my favourite designs – my lovely Butterfly Fairy!

Practise Makes Perfect
Yerp!!! Practise, practise and more practise!!! It is as simple as that – The more you make and create, the better you become at it. I remember when I first started making sugar Roses. I couldn’t wait to make another rose and any opportunity that I can get to make them….. whoosh!!!! I’m straight on it !!!

I hope you find this little post helpful. Please feel free to write me a comment and share your thoughts. I would love to hear them.

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Tags: Sugar Roses, Sugarcraft, Sugarpaste, Sugarpaste Roses, Wedding Cake