There's Always Time To Eat...(the in-between of a busy artist's life): March 2013

MY WORK STATION AT HOME

FIRST OFF -- HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

   I can't believe the month of March has already started, and I've only been able to post the first blog post, this month! Crazy, but blessed because I have been non stop since my last post, and when I found breaks, I took them! Something my family and friends constantly tell me to do. It's a "New Year Resolution" of mine, and I'm trying to keep it!

   I have so many post to explore with you all (more will be fired out soon). I've had the opportunity to do a dessert table for a wedding, more birthday orders, "just because" orders (my favorite), currently in the process of working on a store front window display, and I even took on the challenge of doing a "Valentines Cakes for Two" orders, let me tell you--WHAT A CHALLENGE THAT WAS! One thing is doing a cake for an event, the other is making a bundle, to be due in a two day period! I couldn't have done it without my mother and sister. I learned a lot for future bulk orders, and plan on shedding some light on that crazy experience.

NOW ONTO SUGAR CRAFTING...

   For now, I wanted to tell you about my sugar craft making! I still have only been able to make it out physically to one local class! ONE, but the great thing is that they do happen to pop up more frequently than ever! So hopefully I can expand my sugar craft making and more hands on training with professionals!

Early Roses.

Early Sugar Flowers.

   My first class was on, SUGAR ROSES. To me, if you can perfect that flower, your cakes really go up a notch. Being the flower obsessed Virgo, I'm always looking to improve my sugar flowers, and really obsessed with cakes covered in them (it's kind of ridiculous).

  So many kinds of roses to make, but before I could explore the many different versions of roses, I wanted to understand the make-up of the rose in a hands on class. After playing with enough gum paste and attempts on making the sugar rose, I felt they weren't delicate enough. They had a sweet whimsical feel, but I wanted to capture that life like touch. Although YouTube and books helped, I felt that I needed that classroom environment.

   Before you take a class or tutorial you will need the following supplies:

Petal Pad, Paint Brush (gluing/also help curl in petal edges), Ball Modeling Tool, Small Rolling Pin

Petal/Leaf Silicone Veiner, Plastic Cones (for the base), Floral Wire, Plastic Spoons (for forming the petals), Petal cutters, Gum Paste Storage Board (to keep pre-cut petals from drying out), Cutting Mat Board/Surface (available at your local craft stores, i like mine with measurements on them.)

   So I did my research, and some of my favorite cake supply stores in Miami, happen to have "in class", tutorials. One even had a teacher who host airbrush classes and when I saw the cakes he did, I recognized my brother in law's groom cake! So I was sold at ,CAKE ART MIAMI, located in the greater part of Miami, DORAL,Fl, and just recently opened a KENDAL, Fl store. This "Sugar Rose" class was a two day course, a total of 6 hours of rose making. Check their calendars on their site frequently, for there are always a variety of sugar flower classes offered and many other useful classes for caking!

  At CAKE ART MIAMI, all of the teachers have a variety of training and are very passionate in what they do. My teacher Cristina, Owner of LA MENINA SWEETS just so happen to have graduated from my alma mater, F.I.U. THEATRE, and then later on continued her schooling at, LE CORDON BLEU MIAMI, followed by an internship at one of my favorite sugar craft artist's studio, RON BEN-ISRAEL CAKES. Learning that when I came to class, you could only imagine how eager I was to learn the tricks of the trade from her that was passed down from the "Sweet Genius" himself!

I would love to share with you step by step process photos of what I learned, but one-- That would be wrong (this is a business after all!) and two, I highly recommend going in a taking a class like this one. There is something about the hands on experience that is needed. Not only do you learn from your teacher, but you also learn from your classmates on what they experience as the hours pass. It was a great experience overall. I'm looking forward to the next sugar flower making class!

Adding petals...

First steps...

(curling in the edges)

(forming the wired petals)

End Result From Class!!!

WORKING AT HOME

Not in Miami, or don't have a sugar rose class available? Well,you do have a computer! Please tell me you have heard about CRAFTSY?!?!?!? It's a craft lovers best friend! Imagine the best Designers/Teachers/Artisans of all aspects at your fingertips! The cake decorating section is superb and yes they have a sugar rose tutorial! NICHOLAS LODGE, teachers the class and although I have not purchased "The Ultimate Sugar Rose" course, currently on sale for 29.99, I did purchase his "Classic Sugar Flowers: Anemone, Peony, Tulip" and he's just amazing with his tutorials online, so i can only imagine how great his rose tutorial is! You get a course syllabus on all the items you need, you get to interact with students who are also taking the course, and he even responds to your questions! Best part is, it's yours for life. You can reference back to it as often as you like! Thanks to my odd work hours-- this is ideal!

Are you on a budget?!? Well, here are some images/links to some of my favorite "FREE SUGAR ROSE TUTORIALS" on PINTEREST. I'm always updating my boards with tutorials and cake inspirations, so feel free to FOLLOW ME and get them on a regular basis...