The Petalsweet Blog

Petalsweet Sugar Flower Classes {update for January 31}

2012-01-31T12:06:00.000-08:00

I'm thrilled to announce several more classes added to my teaching schedule this year...

First, I will be teaching two flower classes at Erica OBrien Cake Design in Hamden, CT in March this year. Erica is an incredibly talented designer known for her beautiful graphic and colorful cake designs (check out her website). She and I met several years ago as colleagues, and have since become wonderful friends and great supporters of each other's businesses. Erica recently relocated her fabulous business from Southern California to Connecticut, and graciously invited me to teach classes at her new studio! These are the only two classes I will be teaching on the East Coast this year, and I would love to see you!

Please see the class descriptions below...and please contact Erica for registration and additional information via her website or(203) 200 - 0350:

OPEN PEONY and PARROT TULIP:
Dates: Thursday and Friday, March 22 - 23, 2012
Location: Erica OBrien Cake Design, Hamden, CT
Time: 10am - 6pm both days

In this two day floral workshop, students will learn how to make two of Petalsweet’s signature flowers, the beautiful, over-sized Open Peony (with stamens) and the fun and fabulous Parrot Tulip. Corresponding buds and leaves will also be covered where appropriate. During the course, students will use modeling techniques to make flower centers, and then use cutters, veiners and specific techniques to create buds, leaves, and the many wired petals needed to form their large blooms. Once all of the components are dry, students will also learn Jacqueline’s signature coloring and dusting techniques, as well as taping, assembling, and finishing touches to complete their flowers. Class limited to 10 students. Tools and supplies will be provided for use in class, and a light lunch is included. Cutters will be available for purchase at the end of the workshop.

THE SOUTHERN MAGNOLIA and GARDENIA:
Dates: Saturday and Sunday, March 24 - 25, 2012
Location: Erica OBrien Cake Design, Hamden, CT
Time: 10am - 6pm both days

In this two day floral workshop, students will learn how to make two beautiful Petalsweet favorites...the Southern Magnolia and the Gardenia! Corresponding buds and both flowers' gorgeous, dark and glossy leaves will be covered as well. During the course, students will use cutters and creamy white paste to create the petals needed for their fabulous Gardenias. In addition, students will also use modeling techniques to create a Magnolia center, and then make numerous, large petals to finish their over sized flower. As time allows, Jacqueline will also share her techniques for making dainty pulled filler flowers. Once all of the components are dry, students will also learn dusting and coloring techniques, as well as taping and assembly to finish their flowers. Class limited to 10 students. Tools and supplies will be provided for use in class, and a light lunch is included. Cutters will be available for purchase at the end of the workshop.

You can see more details and register here...

I will also be teaching a flower workshop at Baking Arts in San Francisco, CA in early April. Richard Festen is an amazing host and classes are held in his beautiful studio in the city:

OPEN PEONY and FREESIA
Baking Arts, San Francisco
April 7 - 8, 2012
9am - 5pm both days

In this two day class, students will learn how to create Petalsweet's
beautiful signature Open Peony (with stamens), as well as the delicate
Springtime favorite...Freesia! Students will use modeling techniques to create their peony center, freesia buds and freesia blossoms, and then make the numerous curled and frilly wired petals needed to make an over sized peony flower. A peony bud and leaves will also be covered. In the second part of class, students will use petal dusts to bring their flowers to life, and finish with assembling a gorgeous
freesia spray and their fabulous peony! Tools and supplies will be
provided for use in class. Class size limited to 10 students. You can sign up for this class on the Baking Arts site here.

Thank you so much...hope to see you in class! More updates coming soon...

If you are interested in receiving updates about future classes and workshops in your inbox, please subscribe to our Petalsweet Newsletter below...

Subscribe to our newsletter

Copyright © 2011 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Petalsweet Sugar Flower Online Video Course

2012-01-14T08:24:00.000-08:00

I'm thrilled to announce my new online video course with Craftsy...Hand-Crafted Sugar Flowers!

In this course you will learn how to make two of my favorite sugar flowers - beautiful Hydrangea, and delicate little Filler Flowers. You've seen them a lot in my arrangements, and I'm so excited to be able to share them with you in an online workshop:

Craftsy is an amazing online crafting community featuring online classes about all different kinds of crafts, including knitting, crochet, quilting, paper crafts and sewing...and now sugar flowers! The site is full of fun craft projects and includes amazing courses taught by fabulous Instructors!

Here's the quick story about how it all came together:

The very talented team at Craftsy contacted me to see if I would be interested in working with them to create an online class as their first Sugarcraft Instructor. I loved the idea of being able to share my passion with as many people as possible..so I said YES! In November I flew to Denver, Colorado to film for three full days with an incredible team at their offices. And while it was A LOT of work, it was also a ton of fun and an incredible learning experience. Here are a couple of photos from the days were were filming:

I had a great time designing this course...especially since it features two flowers I LOVE to create and use! The course is broken down into 11 Lessons, including how to make gumpaste from scratch (many thanks to the fabulous Nicholas Lodge for granting me permission to feature his recipe), as well as how to create hydrangea centers, buds, petals and leaves...and then also pulled filler flowers, buds and leaves! I also included several variations of the pulled flowers so you can choose the version you like the best...I'm a bit partial to the 5-petal blossoms, but the 4-petal blossoms are pretty cute too!

In addition to creating your flowers, the course also includes my tips and techniques for dusting and coloring...and a lesson in my process for gathering your flowers for an arrangement. There are course materials available too, including a list of where you can find the supplies and tools that I like to use and give me great results!

The Craftsy platform is just brilliant:

*I get to interact with you by answering your questions and offering suggestions
*You can share photos of your finished projects for all of us to enjoy
*You can take courses at your own pace
*The courses are accessible at any time
*Your access to the course NEVER expires
*And they are 100% satisfaction guaranteed

You can sign up for my Handcrafted Sugar Flowers course NOW at a special introductory price...I'm so excited to meet you in class!

Click here to sign up!

If you are interested in receiving updates about future classes and workshops in your inbox, please subscribe to our Petalsweet Newsletter below...

Subscribe to our newsletter

Thanks for stopping by...x

Copyright © 2011 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Australia 2012 Update

2011-12-12T15:52:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update...outlined below are a few more classes I will be teaching in Sydney, Australia in 2012...the fabulous Faye Cahill has graciously invited me back to her new studio to teach two workshops that will run in late June. If you would like additional information or would like to register for either of the courses, please visit Faye Cahill's site here:

RANUNCULUS - SWEET PEAS - FILLER FLOWERS

Sat/Sun June 23 – 24, 2012
9am – 5pm both days
Class fee: $700

In this two day class, students will learn how to make Petalsweet’s version of the adorable ranunculus flower along with delicate sweet peas and pulled filler flowers. Corresponding buds and leaves will be covered as appropriate. The second part of class will cover coloring and dusting techniques, as well as taping and finishing touches to complete your flowers. As time permits, Jacqueline will demonstrate some of her favorite arranging techniques using the flowers made in class. Class size limited to 10 students.

OPEN PEONY TOPPER WORKSHOP

Mon/Tues June 25 – 26, 2012
9am – 5pm both days
Class fee: $700

In this two day class, students will learn how to make a stylized Petalsweet peony that has an open center with stamens, as well as delicate hydrangea and filler flowers, and corresponding buds and leaves. Once all of the flowers, buds and leaves have been created, students will use beautiful petal dusts to add color and bring them to life. In the last part of class, Jacqueline will demonstrate some of her techniques for arranging sugar flowers, and students will then arrange their own flowers on top of a single tier. Class size limited to 10 students.

Many thanks to Faye for the wonderful opportunity to teach at her new studio! I'm so excited to be returning to Australia! Hope to see you!

Also, as of this posting, there are only a few spots available in the classes I am teaching at Whimsical Cakehouse outside Sydney earlier in June next year. Please contact Linda or Guy Harden right away if you are interested in attending! Classes in Melbourne will be posting soon!

If you are interested in receiving updates about future classes and workshops in your inbox, please subscribe to our Petalsweet Newsletter below...

Subscribe to our newsletter

Thanks for stopping by...x

Copyright © 2011 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Petalsweet in Australia 2012

2011-11-28T15:37:00.001-08:00

I'm very excited to announce that I will be returning to teach sugar flower classes in Australia in 2012! I've hardly recovered from the amazing adventure I had there this past June and July, but I'm already missing my lovely new friends and colleagues, AND thinking about all of the amazing students I had the privilege of working with in my previous courses there...so I am more than ready to head back to Oz, and so grateful for the wonderful opportunity!

I had hoped to release ALL of my class and workshop dates at the same time, but some of the courses have trickled out already, so I wanted to make sure all of the details that are confirmed at this point were posted here for those of you who are interested...

First stop on the tour next year...the fabulous new Whimsical Cakehouse in Sydney! Known for their beautiful and luxurious location and small class sizes, I was thrilled when Linda and Guy Harden extended their invitation to me. I will be teaching the following three workshops at Whimsical Cakehouse:

SOUTHERN MAGNOLIA - GARDENIAS - FILLER FLOWERS
June 9 - 10, 2012
Please see a detailed class description and registration information here!

OPEN PEONY and PARROT TULIPS
June 11 - 12, 2012
Please see a detailed class description and registration information here!

(Gorgeous peony photo by the amazingly talented Erin Wrightsman of Nurture Nature Photography in Petaluma, CA)

PARROT TULIP SUGAR VASE
(photo coming soon)
June 15 - 17, 2012
Please see a detailed class description and registration information here!

I hope to see you in class...please let me know if you will be there!

My heartfelt thanks to Whimsical Cakehouse for your wonderful invitation to share my sugar flowers at your wonderful new location...the countdown to June has begun!

I will be announcing a few additional classes at a second location in Sydney, as well as several workshops in Melbourne at the fabulous The Cake School as soon as the details come together...which should be very soon! My apologies for the small bit of chaos...many thanks for your patience and understanding!

Thank you for stopping by! x

Copyright © 2011 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Goodbye Summer...and Southern Magnolia Sugar Flowers

2011-11-07T12:47:00.000-08:00

Just when I thought I was ready to think seriously about Fall and the upcoming Holiday Season, I decided I wanted just a bit more time with one of my favorite summertime flowers - the grand Southern Magnolia...

So I put together a few of the over-sized blooms with several buds, and a handful of the gorgeous leaves that are so striking against the flower's white petals. Here are the two-tone leaves before they were dusted and glazed:

And here they are finished...it's always amazing to me the difference with just a small addition of dark green petal dust and Confectioner's Glaze:

Open flower with buds and leaves:

Turns out I made these at the perfect time to decorate a small wedding cake design...clean and simple with a little green ribbon to finish:

Very soon after, I had the fabulous opportunity to teach this beautiful flower to a lovely group of students at Baking Arts in San Francisco! Each student made a gorgeous open flower and bud, and a pair of glossy leaves. In addition, we also made my favorite filler flowers...hydrangea and five-petal pulled flowers:

Many thanks to my wonderful students...you all did stunning work, and it was such a pleasure working with you! And thank you to my fabulous host, Richard Festen, of the Baking Arts studio - working with you is a joy - thank you for the opportunity!

I'm looking forward to my final class for the year, and am currently working on plans and details for new classes, workshops, instructional materials and supplies for 2012...so I'd love to know - what are the top 3 sugar flowers you would like to learn?

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Copyright © 2011 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Last Petalsweet Sugar Flower Class for 2011

2011-10-28T14:14:00.000-07:00

Greetings and Happy Fall!! Below please find details and information regarding my last group sugar flower class for the year. I will be teaching some of my Spring favorites this Fall so you can be ready to use them in the new season in 2012. I'm thrilled to be able to teach again at the beautiful Baking Arts studio in San Francisco, California:

*Gardenias, Parrot Tulips and Sweet Peas*

Dates: Saturday and Sunday, December 3 - 4, 2011

Time: 9AM - 5PM both days

Location: Baking Arts

Class fee: $595.00

In this two day class, students will learn how to make three different Spring favorites in sugar, including gardenias, parrot tulips and sweet peas. The first part of class will cover modeling flower centers and buds, as well as putting together the gardenia flower and sweet peas in various stages of bloom. Students will also learn how to make wired petals for the parrot tulip and corresponding leaves. The second part of class will cover all of the appropriate coloring and dusting techniques to bring the flowers and leaves to life, as well as assembly and finishing touches.

Instructor will provide tools and supplies needed for class – and will have some cutters and petal dusts available for sale afterwards.

Both days also include morning coffee and pastries, a light lunch, and afternoon coffee and sweets!

Class size limited to 10 students. Registration is through Baking Arts.

Hope to see you in class...new class updates (both US and international) coming soon, including more flower-making workshops as well as workshops for arranging and decorating with sugar flowers. Thanks so much for stopping by...

Copyright © 2011 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

The Wedding Cake Class 2011

2011-10-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

I had the fabulous opportunity to teach at Richard Festen's Baking Arts studio in San Francisco a few weeks ago, where I co-taught a four day class that covered the construction and decoration of a beautiful two-tier wedding cake:

The concept of this class was conceived after my dear friend and colleague Viola Doyle of Project Sweet Stuff (Sydney, Australia) introduced me to the amazing cake designer Faye Cahill (also in Sydney) and her wonderfully talented staff.

While teaching sugar flower classes at Faye's cake studio this past June, I mentioned that I thought decorators in America would love to learn the Australian methods of using ganache and fondant to create a perfect canvas for finishes and sugar flowers. After an initial brainstorming session, Viola came up with a class idea that would incorporate one of Faye's cake designs with some of my Petalsweet sugar flowers. Our friend and colleague Richard at Baking Arts was contacted, travel details were quickly put in to motion...and the mock up of the final design was created on one of my last days at Faye's studio! Within a matter of weeks, Viola had worked with Mav Georgeson (Faye's fabulous lead decorator) to put together an incredible curriculum for a four day class...and the dates were scheduled for late September.

Fast forward from June to mid-September when Viola and Mav finally arrived in San Francisco several days before me to work with Richard on the final preparations for class. I arrived in time to unload and organize the flower supplies and get a good night's sleep before our nine students arrived the following morning.

My co-instructors...the wonderful Viola and Mav:

Welcome to the beautiful Baking Arts studio:

Prepping for Day One:

Mav, Viola and our wonderful host, Richard...Richard is an amazing pastry chef and teacher, and offers a wide range of incredible pastry classes at his studio. He also just happens to make a fabulous cup of coffee - the perfect way to start four very busy days:

Some of the stunning and delicious morning treats Richard made for all of us (photo by Annie Loo of Michael Muramoto Photography):

Starting to work on the cakes...filling them with chocolate ganache:

Students watching Viola demonstrate the next steps in preparing their cakes:

Starting the ganache process:

And the absolutely beautiful and perfect results:

Day Two started with modeling a lot of different buds and filler flowers:

And then covering the cakes with fondant:

Perfect and pristine...and ready for the next phase of decorating:

Day Three was a very busy one for the students as they learned how to stack their cakes, and then pearlize and add gorgeous stenciling to the fondant. In addition, I needed them to make LOTS of peony petals and leaves for the final design...

Stacking demo:

Making sure the top tier is centered:

Stenciling demo:

Sugar flower peony demo:

Explaining the peony petals and construction of the flower:

The Day Four morning session started with the students dusting all of their buds, flowers and leaves to bring them to life...and then in the afternoon they assembled their beautiful peonies:

Beautiful hydrangea petals, buds and leaves ready for one of the cakes (photos by Annie Loo of Michael Muramoto Photography):

The remaining class time was spent adding the ribbon finish at the base of the tiers, and arranging the sugar flowers on the tiers...here are a few photos that capture some of the fun and details of the afternoon (next 3 photos by Annie Loo of Michael Muramoto Photography)...

Arranging demo:

Beautiful student work:

Happy and grateful instructors...we absolutely loved every minute!

And finally a class photo featuring all of our gorgeous and wonderful students and their stunning cakes:

MANY thanks to my fellow instructors Mav and Viola for a fabulous four days of teaching and truly wonderful time together! Miss you - love you both!

A dear thank you to my friend and colleague Faye Cahill for sharing your beautiful cake design with our students...and for the great honor of letting me finish your design with my sugar flowers.

A huge thank you to our incredible host Richard Festen...we loved working in your gorgeous studio, and we thank you for all of your assistance in making this dream come true!

And finally, heartfelt thanks to all of our students for coming to this unique class and giving us the opportunity to work with you and share our knowledge with you...it was such an absolute pleasure - thank you for your kindness, thoughtfulness, hard work and endless smiles!

Thanks for stopping by...more updates and photos coming soon!

Copyright © 2011 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Petalsweet Class Update September 1, 2011

2011-09-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are interested in sugar flower classes...here is an update to my teaching schedule...

I am currently working on my class schedule for the remainder of this year and in to 2012. This is the first update to my calendar of flower classes...I will be adding more classes and workshops in the next few weeks, including some international venues. I hope to see you!

**Please note registration for all classes is through the venues where the classes are being held.

OPEN GARDEN ROSE WORKSHOP

*Sat/Sun October 15 - 16, 2011
*9:00 am - 1 pm both days
*Ro Z's Sweet Art Studio in San Marcos, CA
*Class fee is $185.00

In this two session class, students will learn how to make a large, open, garden-style rose, complete with buds and leaves. There are many different ways to make beautiful sugar roses! In this class, you will learn how to make a rose that is a mixture of a solid center surrounded by wired petals. The petals, buds and leaves will be made in the first session, and then we will color and dust all of the pieces and assemble the flower on the second day. Tools and supplies will be provided for use in class. Class size limited to 8 students.

======================================================================

SOUTHERN MAGNOLIA - HYDRANGEA - FILLER FLOWERS WORKSHOP

*Sat/Sun October 22 – 23, 2011
*9am – 5pm both days
*Baking Arts Studio, San Francisco, CA
*Class fee is $550.00

In this two-day workshop, students will learn how to create a beautiful Southern Magnolia flower, complete with a bud and leaves, as well as two different filler flowers, including hydrangea and pulled blossoms. Techniques covered include modeling flower centers and buds, wiring petals and leaves, and creating pulled flowers without using a cutter. The second part of class will cover dusting and coloring techniques that will bring the flowers to life, as well as assembling and taping to finish. All tools and supplies will be provided for students to use during class. Instructor will have some cutters and supplies available for purchase at the end of class. Class size limited to 10 students. Coffee/tea, lunch and afternoon sweets will be provided.

**I will be teaching another flower class at Baking Arts in April 2012…details coming soon!

=======================================================================

SUGAR VASE ARRANGEMENT WORKSHOP

*April 27 – 29, 2012
*9am - 5pm all three days
*Flour Confections, Pickering, Ontario
*Class fee is $625.00

In this three day class, students will learn how to make a stunning sugar vase arrangement which includes Petalsweet’s signature peonies, ranunculus flowers, hydrangea and filler flowers in a fresh green, white and pink Spring color palette. Students will take home an amazing sugar vase filled with flowers – the perfect topper to any cake! Tools and supplies will be provided for use in class. Class size limited to 12 students. Lunch will be provided.

If you are interested in private instruction in flower making, please contact me via email at jacqueline@petalsweet.com for more information. Thank you!

Enjoy the last few wonderful moments of summer!

Thank you so much for stopping by...x

Copyright © 2011 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Petalsweet in Australia Part V...Melbourne and Home

2011-08-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

I was very sad to leave my friends in Brisbane (read all about our fun in Part IV below), but it was getting close to the time I was due to head back home to the States, so I was also excited to get going to my last stop in Australia. I flew from Brisbane to Melbourne with plans to spend a long weekend in the heart of the city visiting new friends, and letting them show me all of the things they love about their home.

Melbourne is a gorgeous city with a lot of European influence. There is an incredible mix of beautiful old architecture and churches along with very modern buildings...but they feel and look as though they both belong. The streets and lane ways are filled with smartly dressed city-dwellers and hundreds of little outdoor cafes where you can enjoy time with your friends and the fabulous people-watching...

Beautiful churches:

Contemporary skyline:

The very modern Federation Square:...the civic square in Melbourne:

Cafes and lane ways:

My lovely and very gracious hosts were Mignon Daymond of Cake Face, and Kerrie Giannakis and her daughter Molly of Love at First Bite Cupcakes. I had spent the previous year connecting with them via our Facebook pages and was thrilled that they might have some time to show me the sites of Victoria. All are incredibly talented cake decorators and sugar artists, and it was such an absolute pleasure to spend time with them! Little did I know they would put aside most of their other responsibilities and take the time to share so many amazing parts of Melbourne! From sun-up to way past sun-down...for the entire three days I was there...we walked and talked and laughed and ate...and ate some more...and I loved every single minute!

Mignon, Kerrie and Molly:

Mignon had just moved in to her new cake studio...and I had the wonderful opportunity to spend some time visiting with her in her gorgeous new creative space:

Kerrie and Molly were excited to see Mignon's space as well...and we had a fabulous time talking shop, and sugar flowers, and all things sweet:

My heartfelt thanks to Min, Kerrie and Molly for taking such wonderful care of me while I was in the city...and for taking so much time to share beautiful Melbourne with me. It was such a pleasure to finally meet you...and I feel so incredibly blessed and grateful for our friendship. xoxo

Here are a few more photos of my weekend tour...

Walking along the Yarra River:

The beautiful Birrarung Marr Park on the north bank of the Yarra River:

The iconic Acland Cake Shop window in St Kilda - a favorite beachside suburb of Melbourne...and yes, we just had to "force" ourselves to go inside and try something yummy to go with our afternoon coffee:

Dinner and desserts in Carlton with another dear and gorgeous new friend Tish...the dessert counters and cake displays at Brunetti's are legendary:

In the amazing Cake Deco shop in the city...it's a tiny shop that is wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling cake decorating supplies...so fun! This was just one tiny corner:

I also had the great pleasure of finally meeting Fran McGregor, who is an amazing cake artist in Melbourne. Fran and I connected through our Flickr sites and social media, and I had been a huge fan of her beautiful work, Cakes by Francesca, for well over a year...

Fran is now working on an amazing project called The Cake School, and will be teaching and hosting many different kinds of cake decorating and sugar art courses. We had a wonderful breakfast meeting at the adorable Firehouse in Ringwood, and Fran graciously gave me a tour of the new facilities in progress at the school. Thank you so much, Fran, for the lovely day AND for sharing your exciting new adventure with me! x

And then...

Just like that...

It was all over and I was heading back home to San Diego...

My heartfelt thanks to all of my wonderful new Aussie friends and colleagues for all of your time and thoughtfulness, and for taking such amazing care of me during my 7 week adventure. And thank you so much to my many students who were eager and excited, and grateful and kind...and very talented! I hope to be back soon...

And thank you to my fiance, family and friends for their endless encouragement and support...truly, I am blessed.

Thanks so much for stopping by...

Copyright © 2011 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Petalsweet in Australia Part IV

2011-08-16T17:18:00.001-07:00

After teaching all of my classes in the amazing city of Sydney (please see Part III below), it was time to head north to beautiful Brisbane, Queensland! The weather was a bit warmer and the sun was shiny and bright...and I finally had a few days to relax and enjoy some of the gorgeous surroundings including...

The Brisbane skyline:

The Story Bridge (nope, I didn't climb this one):

The Mt. Coot-tha lookout:

The Roma Street Parkland which is located right in the Brisbane CBD and is filled with absolutely stunning flowers and gardens:

And, of course, my trip would not be complete without seeing some of Australia's adorable wildlife up close and personal. I had the incredible opportunity to visit The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary which is one of the world's first and largest koala sanctuaries...and where I got to meet and hold the very handsome "Wisely"...and yes, they are quite heavy for their small size, and their fur is very soft:

And feed and interact with a gorgeous group of kangaroos:

After a few quick few days, it was time to get back to work and back to class! I was thrilled to be teaching at Cakes Around Town which is an amazing cake decorating supply store (online too!) and classroom in Brisbane owned by my lovely new friends Cathy and Glenda. I was also hosted by my dear friend and fabulously talented Greg Cleary of Sweetums Designer Cakes. Greg is a long-time resident of Brisbane and is an incredible cake designer and sugar artist. He graciously took me all over the city to see all of Brisbane's beautiful sites! He also took on the role of my wonderful assistant for both of my classes...thank you so much, Greg!!

The charming classroom:

Cute stripes on the wall:

I taught peonies, hydrangeas and filler flowers to be arranged on a small tier...the class was two full days, and I taught the same curriculum for both classes (lots of requests for peonies!!). The class project looked like this:

Group photo from the first class:

Group photo from the second class:

Beautiful student work:

Thank you, thank you to all of my wonderful students for coming to class and being so completely fabulous...it was a pleasure to meet you and work with you!

And many thanks to my kind and thoughtful hosts Cathy and Glenda for providing a beautiful classroom AND a great visit after classes were over...so grateful for you both!

And I could not have done it all without my incredible friend Greg...thank you for all of your time and generosity, for making the classes run so smoothly, and for showing me your fabulous and unforgettable city!

Thanks so much for stopping by...stay tuned for the final stop I made in Melbourne before heading home to the States!

Copyright © 2011 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Petalsweet in Australia Part III

2011-08-08T12:23:00.000-07:00

The adventure in Sydney continues...

After an incredible round of classes at Faye Cahill's studio (see my blog post Part II below), I had a few days to prepare for a small, private class with some very talented decorators from all around Sydney. The class was put together by the owners of Cake Couture Classes and we spent a lovely three days working on a number of different sugar flowers including gardenias, magnolias, peonies, ranunculus, filler flowers, and phalaenopsis orchids.

Lots of peony and magnolia petals drying:

Dusting and assembling flowers:

All of our completed flowers below...thank you the very kind and thoughtful Louise, Sharon and Lilia for hosting me and putting together a fabulous class!

The last two weeks in June I had the absolute pleasure of being hosted by the wonderful staff at Planet Cake in Balmain, Sydney. For those of you who are not familiar with their work, I encourage you to pop over to their site to see their amazing cakes and the incredible classes they offer. With highly skilled decorators who are also jaw-droppingly talented artists AND amazing instructors, and a wonderfully kind and organized team in the office, Planet Cake is a leader in the cake industry, and they also run the largest cake decorating school in Australia. Sound pretty fabulous? Yep - they are!

The Planet Cake studio can be found along a quaint street in Balmain, just a 10 minute ride outside the bustling city. Love their entrance and windows:

Upon arrival, I was greeted by the fabulous Jess and Leslie who ushered me inside and gave me a tour of the facilities, and introduced me to the very welcoming Paris Cutler, owner of Planet Cake. Two gorgeous classrooms are set up next to a wonderful office and tons of storage, and a lovely lobby to welcome clients and students. Here is one of the classrooms, complete with adorable cupcakes and staff faces painted on the walls:

My first class was a three day workshop on making sugar flowers (peonies, hydrangea, filler flowers and ranunculus) and arranging them in a sugar vase. I had students from all around Australia, as well as New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia, and they all did a fabulous job on their projects!

Sugar vases drying:

Petals and buds ready to assemble and arrange:

Student arranging flowers in her sugar vase:

All of the gorgeous sugar vases:

And our fabulous class photo:

Many thanks to all of my students for coming to the class, and congratulations for doing such beautiful work..it was a pleasure to meet you and work with you!

Next on the calendar were two days of demonstrations covering six different flowers! Each of the demos was 2 hours long and included the construction and coloring of the specific flower, and a Q & A session. The room set up for demos:

And some of my flower prep:

Thank you to all of you who attended the demonstrations! It was wonderful to meet you and finally put some names and faces together!

Next, I had the pleasure of teaching a three day sugar flower jam session with the fabulously talented Greg Cleary of Sweetums Designer Cakes. Greg is a dear friend of mine, and an amazing artist who makes stunning wedding cakes and sugar flowers in Brisbane, Australia. We decided we would teach together to offer the students an opportunity to learn two different styles of flowers. Greg's style is more realistic, and mine is more stylized. Greg taught roses, cosmos and tulips, and I taught gardenias, hydrangea and peonies...

Here I am with Greg:

Gardenias drying:

Student gardenia:

Student work:

More student work:

Many thanks to all of our wonderful students for coming to class and working with both of us! I'm sorry I don't have a class photo to share...we ran short on time on the final day and some of the students had to rush off to catch flights home. Thank you, Greg, for an amazing three days, and for giving me the chance to work and teach with you...it was a blast!

My sincere thanks to Paris for welcoming me to the Planet Cake studio and for giving me the opportunity to teach in your amazing facility! And thank you to Leslie, Jess, Anna Maria, Cat, Emma, Kylie, Ritzy, Antony, Neen, Michelle, Naoko, and Margie...what an honor and a pleasure to meet you all - thank you for taking so much time to make my visit and classes a success!

The big finale in June was my climb to the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge! We could not have asked for a more beautiful day, and my heartfelt thanks to my friends Betty at Glasshouse Cakes & Supplies and Linda at Whimsical Cakehouse for joining me in the adventure!

The Bridge Climb facility:

It was an absolutely amazing experience...about 4 hours total including all of the preparation before climbing to the top of the bridge. Once at the top, our guide pointed out all of the beautiful sights in the Sydney Harbor, and gave us the history of the gorgeous surrounding areas. I'd do it again in an instant!

At the top of the bridge with the gorgeous Opera House in the background:

With Linda and Betty...thanks lovelies!!

Thanks for stopping by...stay tuned for the next stop in beautiful Brisbane, Queensland!

Copyright © 2011 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Petalsweet in Australia Part II

2011-07-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

After a fabulous first week out in the country in the Yarra Valley outside Melbourne (see Part I below), I flew to the beautiful and bustling city of Sydney, Australia for the next round of classes, and to visit some very dear friends!

Due to my teaching schedule, I was going to be in Sydney for just about a month, so I stayed in a wonderful high-rise apartment building in the middle of all of the excitement of the city...my view:

One little thing that made me very happy was the easy access to really good coffee...they take it pretty seriously over there, and I was thrilled to be on the receiving end of some really good mugs full of the stuff (thank you Viola!):

My first two classes in Sydney were at the lovely studio of the incredibly talented Faye Cahill, in a little suburb outside the city. Faye and her staff graciously hosted me for 4 days of teaching...and a few days of hanging out...and I loved every minute! If you are unfamiliar with Faye's beautiful and inspirational work...here are a few photos of her studio and cake designs:

The first class I taught covered some of my signature flowers including the open peony, hydrangea and filler flowers...all arranged on a beautiful little 6" tier. This was the class project:

Some of the teaching process:

Arranging demonstration:

And my students did a fabulous job creating and arranging their flowers:

Great class photo:

The second class covered some of my favorite Spring flowers...parrot tulips and freesia blossoms:

Students created numerous flowers, buds and leaves, and then dusted them with beautiful colors to finish. The petals and leaves drying:

Dusting:

A bit of pearl dust to catch the light:

Gorgeous student work:

Another great class photo:

Many, many thanks to ALL of my students for coming to class - it was such a pleasure meeting and working with you! And thank you to Mav and Viola for your perfectly executed assistance during set-up and class time...and for being your fabulous, kind and talented selves. And finally, my heartfelt thanks to Faye for hosting me and letting me teach in your lovely space...I truly loved it, and I can't thank you enough for the amazing opportunity:

And right after classes were over, despite a bit of rainy weather, I finally had my first glimpse of the gorgeous Sydney Harbor Bridge:

More Sydney to come...thank you for stopping by!

Copyright © 2011 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Petalsweet in Australia Part I

2011-07-18T22:01:00.000-07:00

So...let's see...what have I been up to since my last post?

Well, I've been doing a little bit of traveling...
in Australia...
for the past 7 weeks...
teaching sugar flowers!

Yep! I'm still pinching myself that it all happened, and it truly was the trip of a lifetime. I never thought my love of making sugar flowers would take me to another part of the world...but now it has...and I am truly grateful and feeling very blessed for such an amazing experience. It was an incredible, unforgettable journey...and I want to say THANK YOU to all of my hosts, colleagues, friends and students for making it such a very special trip!

I have been asked a lot of questions about the planning of this trip, and yes, it took a good, solid 9 months of emails, contacts, messages, research, list making, buying/collecting/shipping flower supplies, counting and re-counting, organizing and organizing some more, and making travel arrangements to put it all together. Even my lists had lists, because I wanted to make sure my classes ran smoothly, and that I had all the supplies needed for the students to be successful. In spite of a few manageable hiccups...the entire trip ran very well, and all of my students created really beautiful sugar flowers! I definitely could NOT have done it without so much fabulous help and support from home, and from all of my dear friends in Australia. Thank you so very, very much! xo

I landed in Melbourne, Australia on the morning of May 25, and was greeted at the airport by my lovely and very talented host Alison Thompson of Alison Louise Designer Cakes. Her gorgeous studio is located in Yarra Glen in the beautiful Yarra Valley...which is also wonderful wine country, and about an hour outside of the city of Melbourne:

Alison's studio sign:

With Alison:

Alison is a certified Pastry Chef and Chef, and has a very impressive resume, including authoring two books - one on baking and one on making macarons. And she is already working on a third book about sorbet and ice cream. Here are her beautiful books:

My two sugar flower classes were held at her amazing studio:

And my very kind, welcoming and talented students created a lot of gorgeous flowers including hydrangea, filler flowers, gardenias, sweet peas, peonies and parrot tulips:

Alison also treated us (spoiled us) to some amazing homemade lunches, AND stunning pastries for dessert and tea each day...yes...all made from scratch...sigh...

Fabulous class photos...thank you all SO much for coming to class and making my first stop in Australia so wonderful!

And finally, we can't forget about all of the amazing wildlife...here are a few photos from the Healesville Animal Sanctuary in the Yarra Valley...

Including a few adorable dingoes...

And me feeding a sweet kangaroo named Josie:

Many thanks to Alison for being such a wonderful host, and providing such a beautiful venue for the classes! All my best to you! x

Thank you for stopping by...stay tuned for Part II in Sydney!

Copyright © 2011 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Sugar Orchid Class with Ron Ben Israel 2011

2011-04-03T18:32:00.000-07:00

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to attend another sugar flower class with the fabulous and talented Ron Ben Israel! The class covered the construction and coloring of five stunning orchids, and took place at Minette Rushing's Custom Cakes in Savannah, GA. We spent two fun days creating orchid centers, petals, buds and leaves, and a full third day carefully dusting and taping our pieces together to complete our gorgeous flowers! Many thanks to Ron for his excellent instruction, great stories, endless patience and fabulous sense of humor!

As always, Minette and her staff provided a warm and welcoming classroom - complete with morning coffee and light breakfast, a catered lunch, afternoon treats, and her wonderful Southern hospitality. Thank you Minette!

Ron's class was full of students from all over the world...and it was such a pleasure getting to know them over the weekend as we discussed our businesses and our love for cakes and sugar art! Here are some photos from class...

Making buds and orchid centers:

Getting ready to dust:

Rack full of flowers drying:

Time to paint:

Ron posing with one of his Dancing Ladies (photo by the fabulous Kate Essenberg):

Ron and Minette dusting flowers (photo by Kate Essenberg):

Pretty pink Dendrobiums:

Some of my orchids...Phalaenopsis, Cymbidium, Denrobium and Oncidium (Dancing Ladies)...and we were working on the Cattleya orchid too!

Ron's gorgeous work...they look stunning all together on this tray:

What a fabulous three days...thank you for the wonderful hospitality Minette! And thank you, Ron, for sharing your incredible talent with us!

Thanks for stopping by!

Copyright © 2011 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Petalsweet at The San Diego Cake Show 2011

2011-03-23T18:32:00.001-07:00

The San Diego Cake Club puts on a wonderful cake show every year in early March. The show is a great fundraiser, and this year the money raised was donated to the incredible Ronald McDonald House which is part of Rady Children's Hospital here in San Diego. The event runs for the whole weekend and includes a judged cake competition for all levels of decorators, lots of different demonstrations, a huge raffle for some fun prizes, and a cupcake decorating table for kids of all ages! I love being able to give back to the local community, and it's always a wonderful opportunity to meet so many amazingly talented people who love the same things I do!

Over the past several years I have not been able to participate in the show, but this year I had the weekend reserved on my calendar, and I was very happy to work on my entry! The month of March is always so pretty here in San Diego and I love seeing all of the flowers as they start to bloom. They were definitely my inspiration this year... I envisioned Spring flowers, something pretty and delicate, and you know how much I love greens mixed with white and a touch of some other color...how about pink?

Here are some photos of the design in progress...

I wanted to use hydrangea...and those always start with lots of tiny centers:

Arranging flowers and buds (my mess!):

The bouquet on the lower tier:

And some images of the topper...

Close-up of some of the pink buds and filler flowers I added:

The parrot tulips from the top:

From the front - where the ranunculus flowers were more prominent:

And the completed design:

It was a lot of fun to see all of the other amazing entries, and such a pleasure to participate...I was very honored to bring home second place in the Professional Division this year! Thank you so much to the kind judges, and congratulations to all of the other winners!

Looking forward to next year...

Thanks for stopping by!

Copyright © 2011 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Petalsweet Class Photos - February

2011-03-10T17:54:00.000-08:00

I finally have a few moments to share some great photos from recent classes! It has been such a pleasure to have the opportunity to teach at the wonderful Ro Z's Sweet Art Studio here in San Diego, as well as at the fabulous Minette Rushing's Custom Cakes in Savannah. With classes filled with such talented, kind and fun students, I am feeling very blessed indeed!

The first group of photos were taken by one of my lovely students from the Savannah classes, Yoshiko Santoso. She was a student in my Ranunculus and Peony Topper classes, and this was her first time making sugar flowers! As you will see in the photos, not only is she a very talented photographer, but she is also now a wonderful sugar artist as well! She was gracious to share these with me and let me post them here...thank you Yoshiko!!

Pink Ranunculus flowers I made as an example for class:

Dusting the pretty green centers:

Demonstrating and working on flowers:

Yoshiko and our wonderful host, Minette Rushing of Custom Cakes:

Putting a peony flower together:

All of the components for the topper...ready to put together:

Starting the arranging process:

Adding more flowers:

Filling openings with buds:

The completed topper I made as an example for class:

A great photo with Yoshiko:

Class photo with their gorgeous toppers:

Yoshiko took this great photo of her beautiful topper once she got it home...and you can find more of Yoshiko's beautiful photography on her website here!

I also have a few great photos from my recent Peony class here in San Diego! Here is one at the end of the first day with everyone's peony petals drying:

Our completed flowers at the end of class, with the fun pop of yellow stamens in the center:

Fabulous students and their gorgeous peonies:

Many thanks to all of my wonderful students for coming to class and being your fun and fabulously talented selves! It was great to meet you and work with you! And thank you to my hosts, Minette Rushing and Ro Zinniger - I'm so grateful for the opportunity to teach in your studios!

Thanks for stopping by!

Copyright © 2011 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Petalsweet Classes in San Diego...

2011-02-04T08:14:00.000-08:00

I have just started teaching local sugar flower classes here in San Diego at Ro Z's Sweet Art Studio in San Marcos, California. Ro Zinniger, the fabulous owner of the studio, has a great space that is split into a retail side and a teaching/studio side. The studio is perfect for some of my flower classes, and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to use it! Thank you so much Ro!!

Ro also offers a lot of other cake decorating and sugar craft classes through her School of Confectionery Arts...be sure to check out her site for more information!

I wanted to share some photos from my most recent classes...first was a class covering Gardenia and Ranunculus flowers. Here is some of the set up prior to class beginning:

Student Gardenias drying:

Our finished Ranunculus flowers and a few Gardenias with their dark, glossy leaves attached:

I also taught a class on the filler flowers I use most...Hydrangea and little Pulled Blossoms. We worked over two sessions to make all the delicate flowers, buds and leaves, and then dusted them in beautiful colors, including a touch of pink in anticipation of Valentine's Day. At the end of class we taped all of our flowers and leaves together to create a small bouquet.

Student working diligently on the tiny pieces:

The color palette:

Our completed sugar flower bouquets:

Boxed up to go home:

We all had a great time, and my students did fabulous work!! I'm looking forward to the next two local classes including an Open Peony with Stamens and then my Spring Collection which includes Anemone and Freesia. More class information and registration is on Ro Z's Sweet Art Studio site.

Now it's time to prepare and get organized for my next set of classes at Minette Rushing's Custom Cakes in Savannah, GA later this month. Can't wait! Hope to see some of you there!

Thanks for stopping by!

Copyright © 2011 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Petalsweet Sugar Flower Classes - January Update

2011-01-18T12:09:00.000-08:00

Greetings and Happy New Year from Petalsweet!

I hope this message finds you well and having enjoyed a wonderful, joyous and restful Holiday Season! I wanted to share a quick post to give you an update on some of my sugar flower classes for the first quarter of the year! Local classes in San Diego are listed first, and then classes in Savannah, GA are listed second. I also added the classes I am teaching at Cake Love 2011 in Vancouver, BC in September since those have been officially posted on their website.

I will be listing additional classes in the next few weeks, and will blog another message as soon as I have all of the information finalized!

Please visit the respective sites for more information and class registration.

**SAN DIEGO CLASSES**
All of these classes are being held at Ro Z's Sweet Art Studio in San Marcos, CA (760) 744-0447

Ranunculus and Gardenia
Sunday, January 30, 2011
9am – 5pm
Class fee: $195.00 includes the use of all supplies needed
We will take a short lunch break (not provided)

Hydrangea and Filler Flowers
Mon/Tues January 31 – February 1, 2011
9am – 1pm both days
Class fee: $175.00 includes the use of all supplies needed

Open Peony with Stamens
Sat/Sun February 26 – 27, 2011
1pm – 5pm both days
Class fee: $195.00 includes the use of all supplies needed (see photo below)

Springtime Collection: Freesia and Anemone
Sat/Sun March 19 – 20, 2011
1pm – 5pm both days
Class fee: $195.00 includes the use of all supplies needed

**SAVANNAH CLASSES**
All of these classes are being held at Minette Rushing's Custom Cakes in Savannah, GA (912) 356-0072

The Ranunculus Flower
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
1pm – 5pm
Class fee: $85.00 includes the use of all supplies needed

Intro to Sugar Flowers (Gardenia, Quick Rose, Blossom, Sweet Pea)
Thursday, February 17, 2011
9am – 5pm
Class fee: $249.00 includes the use of all supplies needed (see photo below)**This class is FULL**

Peony and Hydrangea Cake Topper
Fri – Sun February 18 – 20, 2011
9am – 5pm
Class fee: $650.00 includes the use of all supplies needed and lunch each day

**Cake Love 2011 – Vancouver, BC**
These classes are being held at the Cake Love 2011 Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia
September 23 – 25, 2011
Please visit the Cake Love site for class dates, information and registration.

The Gorgeous Gardenia
Springtime Freesia
The Peony
Hydrangea and Filler Flowers
How to Arrange Sugar Flowers (demo only)

**Private Instruction**…please contact me for more details and information about private lessons. If you are traveling from out of town for one of my classes, please let me know if you would like to add on a private lesson to learn additional flowers, and to make the most of your time while you are here! I would love to work with you!

I hope to see you soon in class! Thank you for stopping by!

Copyright © 2011 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Starting the New Year with...Sugar Peonies!

2011-01-08T14:45:00.000-08:00

I think it's pretty fitting that the New Year has begun, and I'm already making sugar peonies like crazy! Ever since I attended a fabulous flower class with Ron Ben Israel several years ago, and he demonstrated the gorgeous peony, I have been absolutely smitten with them. They truly are one of my favorite flowers, I will always enjoy making them, and you can be pretty sure they will always be a staple in designs and bouquets at Petalsweet. And while a New Year may call for new flowers...I'm afraid I'm awfully happy with continuing to use peonies...but hopefully in new ways, and then taking lots of new photos of them to share with you.

Here are a few photos from the other day when I was putting some peonies together. These large flowers were made with quite a few petals, and had pretty yellow stamens in the center.

Here are the pieces that make up the pistil:

The stamens added:

Lots of peony petals ready to be taped together into flowers:

The finished product...I just love these:

And a little bouquet I put together to top a small tier...something fresh and sweet to celebrate a good friend:

Thanks so much for stopping by...Happy New Year!

Copyright © 2011 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

A Few Petalsweet Favorites from 2010

2010-12-28T11:21:00.000-08:00

I have been busy working on some exciting plans for 2011, and during the process, it has been a lot of fun looking back at photos and designs from this past year! I was definitely inspired by many different colors, flowers and textures in 2010...but all the while working hard to maintain the clean lines and simple style of Petalsweet.

I was also thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to work with so many creative, thoughtful, talented and wonderful students, and have loved sharing photos of their beautiful work. Many thanks to all of you for choosing to study sugar flowers with me!

Here are a few of my favorites from 2010...enjoy!

Photo slideshow generated with Smilebox

Wishing you my very best for a safe, happy and sweet New Year! Thanks so much for stopping by...and for making this such a fun and fabulous year!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Happy Holidays from Petalsweet

2010-12-24T08:32:00.000-08:00

My best wishes to you and your family for a safe, happy and very sweet Holiday Season!

Thank you for visiting here and sharing your lovely messages...I so appreciate your time and thoughtfulness!

xo Jacqueline and Petalsweet

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Practicing More Sugar Peonies

2010-12-11T17:47:00.000-08:00

OK...it's true...I just can't get enough of making sugar peonies. I am completely obsessed with photos of these gorgeous flowers, and find myself repeatedly drawn to any magazine or book featuring them. Along with the photo obsession comes this never ending infatuation with recreating any and all peonies in sugar! And it's not just me...the peony is one of the most requested sugar flowers for lessons and classes!

So...I've been busy. Practicing and practicing some more. It goes something like this:

1. Study photos of peonies
2. Swoon (a lot!)
3. Figure out how the flower is constructed
4. Cut petals (lots of them!)
5. Shape them to resemble petals in previously mentioned photos
6. Let dry (impatiently)
7. Tape all the petals together to form a (hopefully) beautiful peony
8. Dust and color to make it pretty
9. Repeat

Here is a peony with an open center I made just a few days ago. I'm using some of the tips and techniques I learned in a class taught by the always fabulous Ron Ben Israel. If you haven't had a chance to take a class with him...I'd highly recommend it. Not only for the learning factor...but for the fun factor too! He is truly an amazing artist and inspiration!

A close-up photo of the over-sized peony:

Mixed with hydrangea, filler flowers, freesia buds and leaves:

And the completed cake design...just a simple and single tier, but made fabulous with the addition of a handful of flowers:

Thanks for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Giving Thanks...

2010-11-25T10:22:00.000-08:00

Greetings!

We are celebrating Thanksgiving in the States today...and I wanted to express how truly thankful and very grateful I am for all of your support and good wishes - they mean the world to me. I love what I do, and it's a blessing to be able to share it with you. My heartfelt thanks for the time you take to visit here and read my blog posts, and your incredible encouragement and kind words - thank you!

My best wishes to you for a wonderful holiday season!

Jacqueline xo

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Sugar Ranunculus Flowers by Petalsweet

2010-11-19T22:27:00.000-08:00

Just when I think I have arranged enough colorful sugar flowers against a dark chocolate background, a new idea pops into my head, and I just have to make it happen!

One of my new favorite sugar flowers is the ranunculus. I used quite a few of them in a large bouquet and topper this past summer, and have had many requests from students wanting to learn how to make them! They are not difficult to create, but just a bit time consuming with all of their many rows of petals. The ranunculus flower is so unique, though...delicate and pretty, but very modern and sophisticated at the same time.

I just love using them mixed with other flowers:

And the complete design:

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

A Sugar Garden Rose Birthday Wish

2010-11-18T17:29:00.000-08:00

Just a quick little post today...I am wondering if a cute mini cake decorated with a large sugar garden rose will make up for missing a birthday? I'm hoping so...and sending all my best wishes along with it too!

Thanks for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Sugar Peonies on Pale Yellow

2010-11-11T14:30:00.000-08:00

I definitely find myself drawn to colors that go well with green. And I'm pretty sure green is my new favorite color! When I was growing up, I loved everything blue...and couldn't get enough of it. Now when I see ANY other color, I wonder how it might blend with different shades of green...it must have something to do with my love for anything floral!

Here is a three tier design in a pretty, pale yellow. And as usual, decorated with sugar flowers including a grand peony on the top tier, and a small peony bud on the lower tier. Both are surrounded by little white filler flowers, tiny yellow buds, leaves, and a sprinkling of green hydrangea to make it look fresh!

The arrangement on the top tier:

And the finished design:

Thank you for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Busy with Sugar Flowers

2010-11-09T10:52:00.000-08:00

I have been busy creating and teaching a lot of sugar flowers recently...and loving it! I just wanted to write a quick post to share photos of both some new flowers and old favorites...

A beautiful and graceful sugar Southern Magnolia:

A playful and bright red Poppy:

More green Hydrangea and white Filler Flowers:

A two tier chocolate cake design decorated with a deep purple Anemone:

And a bunch of gorgeous flowers from a recent private lesson...beautiful colors and fabulous student work including Peony, Poppy, Hydrangea, Anemone, Rose and Ranunculus:

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Petalsweet in American Cake Decorating Magazine!

2010-10-25T17:08:00.000-07:00

This past August, right after the ICES Convention, I was contacted by the wonderful and gracious Susan Schultz, Editorial Director for American Cake Decorating magazine. She and her team were putting together a "chocolate" issue for September/October, had seen my display cake at the convention, and wanted to know if I would be interested in having it featured in the magazine! I was thrilled and honored to be asked, and immediately said yes! I answered a bunch of great interview questions and submitted a handful of photos, and then had to sit on the good news until the magazine was published...which finally brings us to this week! I just received some copies of the magazine in the mail to save and show my family and friends...and I wanted to share some photos with you!

Here is the stack of magazines in my office (I can't stop smiling at this photo):

A scan of the cover...it features a close-up of the peony, filler flowers and leaves on the bottom tier of my cake design:

And here is a photo of the entire cake inside the magazine, along with a lovely editorial taken from my interview:

Many, many thanks to Susan and her team at American Cake Decorating for the fabulous feature and the wonderful opportunity! And thank you so much to all of you who followed along as I created my ICES design...and for your encouragement and kind words!

More news...more flowers...coming soon!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Yellow Tulip Sugar Vase

2010-10-20T14:48:00.000-07:00

Recently, I finally had the opportunity to make a few more sugar tulips...and also needed to put together a sample bouquet using the colors yellow, white and purple. I made the tulips first, and dusted them yellow with a touch of green at the tips. Then I added some white peony buds, green hydrangea petals and purple hydrangea buds, and lots of my usual filler flowers, buds and glossy leaves. The final result was a new sugar vase cake topper...perfect for a bride who is planning ahead for an early Spring wedding date!

Here is the top of the bouquet on my worktable...surrounded by a bunch of other flowers in progress:

And here is the completed sugar vase:

Class updates and more news coming soon! Thank you for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Petalsweet Sugar Flower Classes (update 10/1/10)

2010-10-01T17:06:00.000-07:00

For those of you interested in Petalsweet class information, here is a quick update...

SUGAR SEMINARS: I will be returning to Custom Cakes in Savannah, GA to teach my 3-day Peony and Hydrangea Cake Topper Class. In this class you will learn how to make a beautiful, over-sized peony flower, hydrangea and filler flowers, and all of the corresponding buds and leaves. You will also learn coloring and dusting techniques to make your sugar flowers look gorgeous, and then arrange them all into a stunning bouquet cake topper! The class project looks like this:

This class is scheduled for February 18 - 20, 2011. The cost for the class is $650 and includes the use of all tools and materials needed for class, and lunch every day as well! For more information and to register for the class, please visit this link to Sugar Seminars (you can find the list of classes just below Minette's photo, in the right side margin).

CAKE LOVE 2011: I am thrilled to be teaching four different flower classes and a demonstration at the inaugural Cake Love convention in Vancouver, BC, scheduled for September 23 - 25, 2011. Class registration will be open starting November 17th, 2010. Please visit the Cake Love 2011 website for more information about the whole event. It should be a lot of fun and a great opportunity to take some fabulous sugar art and cake decorating classes!

I hope to see you in Savannah or Vancouver next year! More coming soon...

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Sugar Flower Tulip Cake Topper

2010-09-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

I finally had the chance to make more tulips and incorporate them into a cake topper! And just as I had envisioned when I first made them a few weeks ago, I paired the tulips with green hydrangea and white filler flowers...all against clean, white fondant and simple grosgrain ribbon.

Here are some photos of my flowers in progress:

And a close-up of the topper:

And the final cake design:

More sugar flowers and some class updates coming soon!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Peony and Hydrangea Cake Topper Class

2010-09-17T15:11:00.000-07:00

I just returned from beautiful Savannah, Georgia where I taught a sugar flower class at the fabulous Minette Rushing's Custom Cakes. The class included instruction in making an over-sized peony, hydrangea, filler flowers and lots of buds and leaves, as well as techniques in coloring and arranging them. My students worked hard over three full days to create and color a lot of flowers, and then spent the last few hours of class arranging them all into a beautiful cake topper! Here are some photos from our class:

The paste ready to be turned into flowers, buds and leaves:

Our project for class:

Work stations:

Drying peony petals:

Drying leaves:

Students busy working:

Completed peonies...aren't they gorgeous?

The dusting color palette:

Demonstrating how to arrange all of the flowers:

And a wonderful group photo of all of us at the end of class...especially featuring my lovely, talented and gracious students and their beautiful toppers:

Thanks for stopping by...please check back for more information about future classes, as well as more photos of cakes and sugar flowers!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Practicing Sugar Flower Tulips

2010-09-05T20:04:00.000-07:00

I know I'm WAY off season for sugar tulips...at least in this part of the world...but I have been wanting to try my hand at some parrot tulips since I had the chance to take a sugar flower class with the very talented James Rosselle last month. I have made tulips before, but the petals were very simple...nothing like the fun and flirty petals for the parrot variety!

So after enjoying a thorough introduction to parrot tulips in class a few weeks ago, I spent part of a day practicing and re-creating them...

Drying petals:

Dusting the petals with color and pearl:

The finished tulip petals all taped together:

And a little peek at their centers:

I can't wait to try them in different colors and use them in a new topper...how about fluffy white tulips mixed with peonies and hydrangea? I don't think I want to wait until Spring for this one...so please stay tuned...and thanks for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Petalsweet Preparing for ICES Part III

2010-08-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Here is the final installment about the display cake I made for the ICES Convention 2010. I certainly appreciate everyone who has been reading and following along...thank you for your patience and encouragement! I hope you like the cake!

In my last post, I left off with photos of all of the flowers in different stages of being finished:

Stacked tiers covered with chocolate fondant... the sizes were 4 - 6 - 8 - 10 - 14 inches in diameter and most were 4 inches tall. The 8 inch tier was 5 inches tall:

Dusted hydrangea flowers and buds:

All of the flowers organized and close at hand on the day I made the cake topper and smaller arrangements. Ranunculus, peonies, hydrangea, freesia, filler flowers and lots of little buds and leaves:

Half of a Styrofoam ball that was used as the base for the topper:

The topper in progress...most of the larger flowers were in place and I was starting to add filler flowers and buds:

The completed topper with all of the flowers:

And here the leaves have been added to the base of the bouquet. The topper is almost 9 inches across:

I used my favorite chocolate brown/white stitching grosgrain ribbon around the base of all of the tiers. The original design sketch had green ribbon with white edging...but in the end, the additional color of that ribbon competed with all of the flowers, so I went with a more tailored and subtle choice...and I actually like it much better!

Keeping the back of the cake as neat and tidy as possible...with the exception of a few smudges:

The small arrangement for the cake:

The large arrangement for the bottom tier:

And at last...the completed cake design:

And a second view from the top so you can see more detail in the topper:

Again many, many thanks for stopping by, and for all of your wonderful comments and good wishes! And now that the convention is over...it's back to work on more flowers and some new designs...coming soon!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Petalsweet Preparing for ICES Part II

2010-08-05T08:32:00.000-07:00

The ICES Convention is about a week away now, and I am just about finished with all of the prep work for my display cake. I need to complete my peony flowers and buds, and will be dusting my freesia and hydrangea flowers today and tomorrow...and hopefully it will all be done just in time to create the floral topper and arrangements this weekend. Here are a few more photos from this past week!

Yellow ranunculus flowers:

The flower prep so far without the peonies and freesia:

Getting ready to dust the leaves:

Dusted hydrangea leaves:

Glazed hydrangea, peony and gardenia leaves:

Styrofoam order from last week...and somewhere in there are the specific tiers I decided to use for my display cake:

...and they have already been covered with fondant, and are ready to be stacked and decorated with the final elements of my design! I'm keeping things pretty simple to balance the tiers and the flowers...and I'm looking forward to having it all come together!

More photos coming soon...thanks for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Petalsweet Preparing for ICES Part I

2010-07-26T22:35:00.000-07:00

This summer the ICES Convention is being held in San Diego! For those of you not familiar with it, the International Cake Exploration Societe is an organization of over 4000 cake decorators, sugar artists and vendors from around the world!

I became a member earlier this year to have the opportunity meet and learn from other decorators and artists, and to plug into the ever-increasing network of people who love to do the same things I love to do. I also decided that I would attend the convention this year because it is so close to home. Many of my colleagues and cake friends are traveling to participate in the convention as well, and I am really looking forward to seeing everyone.

In addition to the many demonstrations offered and the vendor shopping, the convention boasts a room to display the work of the attendees. Anyone can bring a sample of their work....it's not a competition, but an opportunity for folks to share their craft. And because the logistics are very much in my favor this year (no long and precarious trip in a car or plane)...I have registered to bring a cake to add to the display!

I thought I might post a few photos along the way...I'm feeling pretty organized at this posting, and hopefully the process will continue to move forward smoothly. Enjoy the photos and let me know what you think as the cake takes shape! I'd give you a look at my final sketch, but that would spoil the surprise...

Sneak peek:

Filler flowers, freesia buds and hydrangea centers:

Leaves and more leaves:

White ranunculus flowers ready for final dusting:

Thanks for stopping by...and stay tuned for more photos!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Sugar Flower Ranunculus and Gardenias

2010-07-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

Although sugar flower peonies are still in very high demand, the flower that is currently holding strong in second place is the ranunculus! I have had many inquiries about this adorable flower, and have been so happy to have the opportunity to both make them and teach them!

I recently worked with two lovely and talented students for a full day of sugar flower private instruction. On the curriculum...gorgeous deep pink ranunculus flowers, and the always elegant gardenia.

Getting started...all the tools and supplies in place:

Work in progress:

The color palette for the day:

Dusting flowers and buds:

All of the beautiful ranunculus flowers:

Fabulous student work:

All of our completed flowers and buds:

Adorable and happy students:

And how cute is this? My student sent me a few photos of her gardenias...a beautiful close-up with the leaves attached:

And one of her gorgeous sugar flowers sitting among REAL gardenias...it looks amazing:

Many, many thanks to my wonderful students...it was a great day filled with laughter and some fabulous flower-making!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Sugar Flower Ranunculus Cake Topper

2010-07-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

I hope you are having a wonderful summer! I recently finished another sugar vase cake topper...this one was filled with white ranunculus, peonies and filler flowers, green hydrangea, and a variety of little buds and leaves. The final bouquet was in a color palette of white and different shades of green...perfect for a summer wedding cake!

Here are some of the flowers in progress:

The sugar vase in progress (I made a base too, but later decided I did not want to use it in the final design):

Styrofoam ball "glued" into the vase with royal icing...I arranged all the flowers in the ball:

And here is the completed topper:

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Modern Peony Cake

2010-07-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

I traveled down a busy and bumpy road this past June...one filled with many twists and turns that also took me away from all the fun things that make up Petalsweet!

One of the biggest turns looked like this:

And the amount of time involved was staggering! There is nothing quite like moving, right? But all is finally settled and in place, and I am grateful to have time to create again!

I wanted to create a design that was fresh and modern, and I actually found these before I drew my sketch:

And I knew I wanted to use some of these:

This is the final result...two tiers covered with chocolate fondant, and decorated with over-sized sugar peonies and a scattering of leaves. Grosgrain ribbons finish the base of the tiers:

Thank you for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Peony Sugar Flower Vase

2010-05-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

I just had the wonderful opportunity to make more peonies...in peach and white...and mix them with green hydrangea, filler flowers, and a myriad of other little buds and leaves. This time, I used them in a sugar vase topper:

The vase itself was made out of a granulated sugar and water mixture pressed into a slender mug. Once formed and dried for a day, the edges of the vase were firm, but the center was still soft enough to be scooped out with a spoon.

I formed a small base by pressing the same mixture into the hollow base of the mug. Both were dried for an additional day until they hardened completely, and I glued them together with royal icing:

The base of the vase was covered with tiny strings of sugarpaste to give it a modern and polished look:

Finally, I used royal icing to glue a Styrofoam ball into the opening of the vase, and then created the bouquet by arranging all of the flower, bud and leaf stems in the Styrofoam. A few extra peony petals were added for fun:

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Petalsweet in San Francisco Part Two

2010-05-19T17:56:00.000-07:00

When visiting San Francisco a few weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet the very kind and fabulously talented Richard Festen of Baking Arts!

Richard has a degree in cellular biology, and spent the first part of his career in the biotechnology industry. Later, he graduated from the California Culinary Academy Baking and Pastry Arts Program in San Francisco, and began creating beautiful wedding and celebration cakes. In addition, he started teaching culinary and pastry classes. Now through his business, Baking Arts, he offers an amazing array of classes at his studio in the city. You can learn the fine art of chocolate, croissants, choux pastry, petit fours, macaroons, artisan breads, puff pastry, cupcakes, souffles, tarts, cookie and cake decorating and more! Check out his current class schedule here!

Richard is also very experienced in working with chocolate modeling paste, and has perfected the art of using it to create stunning cakes like these:

Wrapped cake by Baking Arts:

Striped cake by Baking Arts:

He offers Master Classes in both the wrapped and striped techniques, and I cannot wait to get back up to San Francisco to attend both sessions! I have limited experience working with modeling chocolate, and am looking forward to learning how to use it in such a beautiful way!

The Baking Arts studio is a gorgeous space, and Richard works there with small groups of students to make sure everyone gets plenty of hands-on practice and a good understanding of the theory behind the process. He also works with private parties...which would be a great idea for a group of friends! He is kind, thoughtful, patient, calm, smart, funny, experienced and knowledgeable...all attributes of a wonderful teacher.

And I couldn't help but smile when I first walked in...the studio is absolutely beautiful, and lends itself to a very relaxed and positive learning environment:

More examples of Richard's work:

Sign me up for modeling chocolate, macaroons and croissants...just to start! My next trip to San Francisco will definitely include a few classes! You can read more about Baking Arts here, and you can contact Richard here.

Thank you, Richard, for your time and gracious hospitality! It was such a pleasure to meet you!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Petalsweet in San Francisco - Part One

2010-05-10T17:53:00.001-07:00

I just got back from a wonderful long weekend in San Francisco! Such a fabulous city, and even more enjoyable when one is treated to spectacular weather, and wonderful opportunities to meet and work with some really amazing people! Here is the first part of my recap of an absolutely lovely couple of days!

I chose to stay in Mill Valley, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge...lush and beautiful and still really green this time of year. It's so different from the dryness of San Diego...and really close to where I grew up!

The view from my hotel...and Mount Tamalpais...which is still one of my favorite hiking spots:

Gorgeous view from the Marin Headlands as I drove into the city:

I had the opportunity to work with a wonderful client who wanted to learn more about several sugarpaste flowers, including hydrangea, filler flowers, Phalaenopsis orchids and peonies. Over two days we reviewed techniques and created flowers, buds and leaves, and then spent quite a bit of time coloring them and adding all the fabulous little details that bring them to life! Two really great days, and I couldn't have asked for a nicer and more hard-working student!

Peony petals and leaves drying:

Various filler flowers and buds drying:

Finished hydrangea, orchid buds and leaves:

Phalaenopsis orchids:

An over-sized white peony - it's gorgeous! And I can't wait to see how my client ends up using it on a cake:

Color palette for a second peony with an open center:

The first row of petals for the open peony flower:

I did not get a photo of the finished open peony...and am patiently waiting for my very talented student to send me one! I promise to share when it arrives!

I also finally had the opportunity to meet the very kind and fabulous Tracy Auseklis of The Buttercream Studio! We have been corresponding via email and Facebook for quite some time, and it was so great to actually talk to her in person! She picked me up after class one evening and took me to her wonderful studio for a quick tour:

Her cakes are incredible - she has amazing talent! Here are some of her beautiful display cakes in the consulting area:

One of my favorites...in pink and black:

And the ADORABLE Tracy herself:

After seeing where she creates all of her amazing cakes, Tracy took me back into the bustling city to one of her favorite Thai restaurants in the cute neighborhood of Lower Pacific Heights...and we talked shop (and everything else), for the remainder of the evening while we enjoyed a delicious meal! Thank you, Tracy, for your generosity and thoughtfulness, and for taking such good care of me!

MORE from this trip coming soon...I can't wait to introduce you to another amazing pastry chef who is creating beautiful work with modeling chocolate!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

A Little More Chocolate...

2010-04-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share another design...also with a base of chocolate fondant, and completed with a green and white palette. This was my solution to "tailored AND feminine"!

Initially, I had only the large bouquet of flowers on the top tier, but then felt it needed an additional bouquet to up the romantic and feminine feel of the design! Otherwise, it was looking a bit too formal:

Sugarpaste peony flower and buds, gardenias, freesia buds, hydrangea buds, filler flowers and leaves:

I'm excited to be working on an arrangement for a sugar vase, and some darker colored flowers as well...coming soon! Thanks for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Sugarpaste Roses by Petalsweet

2010-04-13T13:39:00.000-07:00

I've always loved sugarpaste roses...beautiful and elegant...and perfect for so many occasions. There are so many varieties and gorgeous colors - but sometimes it can be challenging to get the petals and overall shape just right. In fact, when I started working with sugarpaste, many of my mentors and teachers told me that the rose would be one of the simplest flowers to learn, but one of the most difficult to master.

So...I've been practicing...a lot...and thought I would share some of the roses I have created recently. Here is a simple open rose - I might use a bunch of these mixed in with other flowers in a bouquet:

A larger rose with a more vintage feel - I might use this on top of a small cake with some tiny white filler flowers:

And a very large garden rose - I felt this one needed to stand alone on the top of a cake with the addition of only a pair of rose leaves:

It was a lot of fun to make...and I'm looking forward to practicing more...but the next round will include lots of color! More coming soon!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, or post any of my photos, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Favorite Colors for Spring II

2010-04-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

Now for Part II of some favorite colors for Spring! I recently had the wonderful opportunity to create a cake topper...a beautiful little green ceramic vase filled with sugarpaste flowers. More green and white, but with the addition of a gorgeous shade of purple! Here is a photo of some of the work in progress...some little buds needing color:

And a table full of flowers, petals and leaves:

The finished arrangement in the ceramic vase:

Close-up of flower detail:

And presented on a set of stacked Styrofoam squares to review proportions for the final cake design - it needs another large tier at the bottom to balance the size of the vase, don't you think?

Thanks for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler - please respect copyright laws. If you want to link to my blog, please contact me - it would be great to have the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you!

Favorite Colors for Spring Part I

2010-04-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post a few of my recent projects to share some of the beautiful colors I am seeing and working with for Spring!

In this post, a little bit of the expected for this time of year...one of my favorite color palettes...the gorgeous and always fresh white-on-white with touches of green!

Here is a little square tier with an over-sized sugarpaste peony flower:

And a larger three tier design, perfect for an early Spring wedding, and decorated with sugarpaste peonies, hydrangea and filler flowers. I love the grosgrain ribbon in Lemongrass:

More of my favorite colors and photos coming soon!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler. Please feel free to use the ideas and concepts discussed on this blog, but please do not claim any of it as your own work. Thank you!

Sugarpaste Flower Topper Class at Custom Cakes: (September 12 - 14, 2010)

2010-03-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to announce that I will be teaching a 3-day class at Minette Rushing's Custom Cakes in Savannah, Georgia!

Dates: September 12th - 14th (Sunday through Tuesday)

Topic: Sugarpaste Flower Cake Topper

We will be creating a sugarpaste flower bouquet cake topper. Flowers will include a large, open peony, hydrangea and filler flowers, with corresponding buds and leaves. The first part of the class we will be making the focal flower (peony), and many hydrangea, filler flowers, buds and leaves. Once we have made all of the flowers, the emphasis of the remainder of the class will be dusting and coloring them - and then arranging all of your pieces to create a bouquet topper.

Here is an example of the project students will be working on in class:

I'm so thrilled to have the opportunity to teach at Minette's shop - she is such a wonderful and gracious host, and Savannah is a beautiful city!

For more information, please visit Minette's Sugar Seminars site!

Hope to see you there! I can't wait!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler. Please feel free to use the ideas and concepts discussed on this blog, but please do not claim any of it as your own work. Thank you!

Ron Ben Israel Classes - The Follow-Up!

2010-03-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

I promised I would post a few additional photos from Ron Ben-Israel's classes as soon as I received them...and the fabulous Kate Essenberg did not disappoint! Not only is she a great friend and fab cake decorator, but also an amazing opera singer, wonderful mom, and incredible photographer!! Thank you, Kate, for sharing so many great photos with me!

The lovely Kate and Ron:

I mentioned in my previous posts that I was too busy watching and listening to Ron during his demonstrations, and forgot to take photos of him in action! Kate captured his kind and whimsical spirit so well - I just had to post a few of my favorites...

Ron starting one of his flower demos:

Posing with his beautiful gardenia:

That's me getting a lesson from Ron about adding "bling" to a cake:

And Kate took this photo of me working on my "bling-less" cake...obviously I didn't learn Ron's lesson very well!

Here are a few more photos of completed cakes from Ron's Bling and Custom Silicone Molds Class - created by three of my fabulous and talented classmates!

By Elizabeth Solaru of Elizabeth's Cake Emporium:

By Callie Stingel of Callie's Confections:

By Dianna Tornow of Dianna Tornow Cakes:

Gorgeous work...thanks to everyone for letting me share your wonderful talent!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler. Please feel free to use the ideas and concepts discussed on this blog, but please do not claim any of it as your own work. Thank you!

Custom Silicone Molds with Ron Ben Israel 2010

2010-03-12T12:15:00.000-08:00

I have to be honest...the real title of this class was "Bring on the Bling"!! But, as you can tell from the lack of sparkly decor on my cakes, I am admittedly not much of a bling girl. It's not that I don't like bling...I absolutely do! It's just that I haven't really learned how to incorporate it into my design style yet. So what better opportunity than working with Ron Ben Israel to figure it out, right?!

This second class also took place at Minette Rushing's Custom Cakes in Savannah, Georgia. Be sure to check out her Sugar Seminars site for all the great classes she offers through her studio!

We began our class learning the properties of silicone and the fundamentals for using it to make molds. Ron gave some great demonstrations, and then we were off to our work stations to create multiple molds of little acrylic jewels.

Here are some photos from our first project...

Carefully placing and sticking our jewels to our boards...a painstaking process:

Silicone poured over the gems:

And the result of our labor:

When we filled these molds with sugarpaste...we ended up with these great little pieces:

Our next project was to take the individual gems we made and create a compound mold to be used on our cake! I struggled for a while putting the little pieces together until I finally came up with a piece that looked like a jeweled medallion. We poured silicone a second time, and I ended up with a mold to make the piece in the left of the photo:

Ron did a great demo on how to use the molds with melted Isomalt, and created some beautiful little candy gems:

We stopped working with the molds long enough to cover our Styrofoam dummies with fondant, and to construct and "bling" our sugarpaste poppies:

Our final project was to create a cake design using our newly created bling molds and flowers! We were also given gorgeous sparkle dusts in gold, silver, platinum and pearl to paint to our heart's content!

I need to let you know that I tend to work S-L-O-W-L-Y...and this class was no exception. I had GRAND plans to place my medallions on the cake, and paint them with pearl centers and antique silver details...and then add my poppies accordingly. What I ended up with is the following (no laughing, please!!):

And here's a photo of it after I had outlined the entire design with royal icing dots...thanks to the lovely Kate Essenberg for the wonderful photo:

I totally ran out of time...but fortunately, Ron really liked the design in white on white...and I actually did too. So much for trying out my first "bling" - sorry Ron!

My wonderful friend Sharon Alexander from Sweet Sensations was kind enough to take the unfinished cake back to her shoppe in Atlanta, and will treat it to the "bling-ing" it deserves!

Here are a few of the finished cakes from class...

My friend Lisa from Flour Confections...I loved the little square-shaped molds she made and how she put them all together:

My friend Tandra who is Pastry Sous Chef at The Capitol Hotel...I loved how her design had a Parisian feel to it:

My friend Blanca's gorgeous cake...I loved her molded pieces and how she styled her poppies:

And no surprise that my friend Kate and I get along so well...she loved the look of the white on white too! I loved her medallions and overall design:

There were so many beautiful designs in class...everyone did an amazing job! I'm hoping I'll have even more photos soon to write an additional post!

Thank you, Minette, for your wonderful hospitality and for taking such amazing care of all of us!

And thank you, Ron, for your time, patience and expertise, and for sharing your incredible talent!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler. Please feel free to use the ideas and concepts discussed on this blog, but please do not claim any of it as your own work. Thank you!

Southern Flowers with Ron Ben Israel 2010

2010-03-10T10:37:00.000-08:00

I'm just getting back from two wonderful classes at Custom Cakes in Savannah, Georgia...both taught by the fun and fabulously talented Ron Ben Israel! Working with Ron was an amazing opportunity - he truly is a creative genius - and he happily shared so many of his great ideas and techniques. Thank you so much Ron, for your time, patience and expertise!

I also had the chance to meet some lovely and very talented people from all over the country...and made a wonderful new friend who traveled all the way from London!

Minette Rushing, owner of Custom Cakes, took great care of all of us with her generosity, grace and incredible southern hospitality. Thank you so much, Minette...and thank you to your incredible staff and interns as well!

The first class covered sugarpaste Southern Flowers including gardenias, tulip magnolias, camellias, dogwood, and jasmine. We worked for three full days to construct our flowers and corresponding buds and leaves, and ended up with a box full of beautiful blossoms to take home!

Here are some photos from our class...enjoy!

My work station:

My first attempt at a camellia flower:

We had an entire baker's rack of camellias drying...everyone's flowers were gorgeous:

Beginning stage of the jasmine flowers - and a photo for inspiration:

The gardenia center:

Dogwood and gardenias drying:

My magnolia petals taped together:

Starting the coloring process:

Jasmine flowers and buds dusted:

One of my favorites from the week - the gardenia - with a touch of yellow-green at the center and pearl dust for a beautiful sheen:

My box of completed flowers:

Here are Ron's beautiful flowers...they all have his special touch - and are absolutely stunning:

And to give us an idea how the flowers would look on a cake, Ron arranged them all to create a gorgeous, over-the-top floral design:

I was so focused and busy during class that I did not take any photos of Ron while he was teaching! But I know several of my classmates took some amazing pictures throughout the week - as soon as they share them with me I will definitely add some of them here.

Please stay tuned for my post about our second class - more details and photos coming soon...

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler. Please feel free to use the ideas and concepts discussed on this blog, but please do not claim any of it as your own work. Thank you!

Even More Peonies...

2010-02-16T08:50:00.000-08:00

Wow! More and more peonies...it's wonderful to me how many people are just as in love with this flower as I am! I cannot get enough of them...in all colors...and all shapes and sizes!

Here is another cake topper made with an open peony and bud, hydrangeas, filler flowers and buds, and lots of luscious green leaves. I have worked with this color palette before, and really love it! Peaches, pinks, greens and creamy-white...all set against a background of dark chocolate:

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler. Please feel free to use the ideas and concepts discussed on this blog, but please do not claim any of it as your own work. Thank you!

Spring Dream

2010-02-11T14:43:00.000-08:00

With all of the cold weather swirling around the country over the past few weeks, I couldn't help but jump at the chance to create a little cake to help me dream about the arrival of Spring:

I started with a frilly white peony, gardenias, freesia buds, sweet peas and hydrangea:

Then I added a little bit of green and yellow ribbon, and mixed well with the creamy white flowers...then gave it a chance to sit prettily on a grassy-green ceramic cake stand:

Happy Spring dreams, and thank you for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler. Please feel free to use the ideas and concepts discussed on this blog, but please do not claim any of it as your own work. Thank you!

Something Blue

2010-02-06T16:17:00.000-08:00

The project I was working on this past week was a floral cake topper - created with a variety of sugarpaste flowers, and arranged on a dome of Styrofoam to make a bouquet. The flowers included white peonies, green and blue hydrangea, white sweet peas and freesia, filler flowers, buds and leaves. Lots of little pieces in this one!

Here are a few photos of the flowers when I first made them, but had not yet started the dusting and coloring process:

I wanted to add a little bit of blue, as this topper was designed to be used on the top tier of a large wedding cake, and a subtle "Something Blue" was an important element. A few small bouquets of pale blue hydrangea worked perfectly.

A look from the front of the bouquet - on a piece of Styrofoam for a better photo:

The flowers from the top of the bouquet:

Close-up of some of the flowers...and the topper is on a 6" Styrofoam round so I can get a good feel for how the final top tier might look:

Thank you for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler. Please feel free to use the ideas and concepts discussed on this blog, but please do not claim any of it as your own work. Thank you!

Sweet Miniatures

2010-01-28T16:35:00.000-08:00

Through the wonderful world of the Internet, I recently had the privilege of collaborating with the incredible Jocelyn Teo of AiClay Miniatures, who is based in Singapore. She is an artist who creates amazing miniature sculptures and jewelry out of polymer clay.

It all began with me swooning over her amazing talent on Flickr and leaving some comments about her gorgeous photos. She graciously commented back on some of my cake photos, and we bantered back and forth about our respective businesses. Jocelyn then asked if she could use one of my designs as inspiration for a cake in miniature, and I was both thrilled and very flattered! Several days later, she sent me some photos of her finished artwork...and I wanted to get it posted here as soon as possible!

Here is my original design...a small cake covered with chocolate fondant and decorated with grosgrain ribbons and a single white peony sugar flower:

And here is Jocelyn's version...a tiny cake in chocolate colored clay, decorated with a stunning peony:

And take a look at this second photo to see all of the details of her amazing talent. The ribbons are so tiny! This cake is only 1.7 cm in height, and 1.5 cm in diameter:

In addition to Jocelyn's blog and Flickr site, you can also find her beautiful miniatures in her store on Etsy!

Jocelyn, thank you so much for your time and for sharing your wonderful artwork with me! I'll be ready for my first miniature sculpting lesson as soon as I can get to Singapore!

HYDRANGEA TUTORIAL PART THREE by Petalsweet Cakes

2010-01-26T08:55:00.000-08:00

Here is the final piece of the tutorial...how to make hydrangea leaves to go with your gorgeous hydrangea flowers! If you thought Part Two was a bit long, prepare yourself now for Part Three...it's a bit lengthy too...but I hope you find it helpful!

If you have followed along through the first two tutorials, thank you so much for your time! If not, and you want to know what I covered in Part One and Part Two, feel free to take a peek...then come back here for leaves!

This post will include steps for making, coloring and arranging the leaves, but please also refer back to Part Two for more in-depth information about petal dusts and some of my basic arranging tips.

MAKING HYDRANGEA LEAVES

Here are the tools I use for making hydrangea leaves:

*CelCakes grooved board
*Rolling pin
*Ball tool
*Hydrangea leaf cutters and veiner
*Foam pad
*26g cotton-covered green wire
*Wire cutters
*Corrugated foam for drying (I also use scrunched up pieces of foil)
*Sugar glue
*Gumpaste (The color I used was made with Spectrum/Ateco Gels in Leaf Green, Avocado and a bit of Warm Brown)

Step 1: Cut your 12" wires into thirds. No need to hook them. I like having a little extra length of wire so my leaves can peek out from under finished bouquets of flowers:

Step 2: Roll out paste thin over a groove on the board. I let the excess paste hang over the bottom edge and use it as a tab so I can easily pick up the rolled paste:

Step 3: Imprint with veiner, being careful to line up the bottom of the veiner with the bottom edge of the board (not the overhanging paste):

Step 4: Pick up imprinted paste, move it to the smooth corner of the board, line up the bottom of the cutter with the bottom of the veining, and cut the leaf:

If you want to make MULTIPLE LEAVES at the same time, roll out a larger piece of paste to cover more of the grooves in the CelCake board. If you are cutting many leaves, keep them under some plastic wrap or in a Zip-Loc bag so they don't dry out:

** Whether you are making one leaf at a time, or multiple leaves at a time, the remaining steps will be the same for both **

Example of cut leaf front-side:

Example of cut leaf back-side with ridge:

Step 5: Dip the tip of the wire into the sugar glue and wipe off any excess. Hold the bottom edge of the leaf between your thumb and first finger, with the wider end of the ridge facing up, and the ridge against your thumb. This set-up will help you feel the wire as it moves through the paste. Gently insert the wire into the center point of the ridge, and then slide it further into the ridge 1/3 to 1/2 of the length of the leaf. Be careful not to poke the wire out through the paste:

Gently pinch the paste at the base of the wire to secure:

The wired leaf:

Step 6: Place your leaf on the foam pad facing up, and with the tip of the leaf facing towards you. Thin edges with the ball tool, following the contours of the leaf shape. I find if I use the ball tool in one direction, from the bottom edge of the leaf towards the tip, I am less likely to tear the delicate edges and tiny point:

Step 7: Place the leaf on corrugated foam (or scrunched up pieces of foil) to dry, which will allow it to take on a natural shape. Make a nice mix of both large and small sizes, and let them dry overnight:

COLORING HYDRANGEA LEAVES

Here are the tools I use for coloring hydrangea leaves:

*Petal dusts in Chartreuse, Moss, Lime and Plum
*Firm brushes and flat brushes
*CK Products Confectioner's Glaze and a small brush for application
*CK Products Confectioner's Glaze Thinner
*Disposable cup for mixing glaze and thinner
*Styrofoam or rack for drying

A QUICK NOTE ABOUT GLAZING: You can find several different glazing products online. They are considered food grade lacquers, and are used to extend the life of chocolate and sugar decorations and showpieces.

1. CK Products Confectioner's Glaze and Thinner (found here or here)

2. Confectionery Arts International Lacquer (found here) They now have lacquer in spray form...which sounds much faster to me...but I have not tried it yet!

3. If you don't want to glaze your leaves, you can steam them after dusting. This will give your leaves a soft sheen, but not the glossy finish of glazing.

Step 1: Prepare the colors of your petal dusts. For these leaves, I use three colors of green (Chartreuse, Moss and Lime), and Plum for the edges, but I don't mix them. I use them one at a time, and dust splotches of all colors on each leaf (kind of like camouflage). When I glaze the leaves, the colors blend a bit and make the leaf look a little more realistic. From left to right...Moss, Chartreuse, Lime and Plum:

Step 2: Using a medium-sized firm brush, dust large random patches of Chartreuse on the leaf:

Continue to dust the leaf with splotches of Lime and Moss to cover the leaf surface:

Step 3: Using a flat brush, dust parts of the edges of your leaves with Plum, being careful not to break the delicate edges:

Here is a group of dusted leaves:

I usually do not dust the back sides of my leaves unless they will be really visible. Most leaves have variations in coloring from top to underneath...so you can decide what is best for your particular project.

Step 4: In a small disposable cup, mix a small amount of glaze and thinner to total about a tablespoon. A little goes a long way, so start with a small amount and add more if you need it. I use a ratio of 50/50...but I live in a pretty dry climate. You may have to adjust the formula where you live in order for the leaves to dry thoroughly. The glaze can be sticky and messy, so I use a disposable cup for easy clean-up! With a small brush, lightly apply the glaze to the TOP only of your leaves with a dabbing motion until they are covered with the glaze. LIGHTLY is the key word here...if your leaves are dripping then you are using way too much glaze. When glazing, do NOT use a painting motion as this will cause streaks in the coloring, rather than blending:

Insert the wires into Styrofoam or hang to dry overnight:

**Many leaves are only glossy on the top, but you can change how you glaze them according to the variety you are making and your preference!

ARRANGING HYDRANGEA LEAVES:

There are many different ways to use leaves...and here are a few examples of how I use them most frequently...

All throughout a bouquet:

On one side of a single flower:

Or peeking out from underneath a bouquet:

Hydrangea leaves are usually visible from underneath beautiful bunches of their flowers, so here is how to arrange them that way:

Here are the tools I use when adding leaves to a hydrangea bouquet:

*Florist tape in moss green
*Completed hydrangea flowers
*Completed hydrangea leaves
*Wooden skewers
*Wire cutters
*Styrofoam (to hold bouquet stem while working on the arrangement)

Step 1: Gather your completed flowers into a bouquet, and tape together. I used about 25 hydrangea flowers for this one. To prepare it for using on a cake, you can tape your flower wires to a skewer:

Cut off any extra length of wire from the flowers:

Step 2: With the bouquet in the Styrofoam, lay the leaves around the base to visualize where you want them to be added. I tend to use leaves in ODD numbers, and put small groupings of them together instead of making them all perfectly spaced. And keep in mind they can all be moved around however you wish, even after they are taped:

Here's how I want it to look from the top:

Step 3: One at a time, tape the wires of the leaves to the main stem, varying how much leaf is visible from the top:

The taping is all completed:

And this bouquet is ready to be used on a cake:

That's all I have...for now! *smile*

I hope you have enjoyed this last installment! Thank you for your time and for reading the whole darn thing! If you have any questions, please let me know. If you have used this set of tutorials to create a hydrangea bouquet, I would really like to see it! Please send me a note and include some photos too - I'd love to hear from you! And if you'd like to receive Petalsweet updates and class information, please sign up for our Newsletter using the link below...

Subscribe to our newsletter

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler. Please feel free to use the ideas and concepts discussed on this blog, but please do not claim any of it as your own work. Thank you!

Color Inspiration

2010-01-24T09:17:00.000-08:00

I was in a small book and stationery store in The Village a few weeks ago, looking for a birthday card. This particular store has a great selection of unique cards, and I always end up bringing extras home to use at a later date. This trip was no exception, and while I was looking through all of the displays, I happily came across this card:

I would like to say I was drawn to it because of its lovely sentiment (I am a sucker for anything even remotely romantic), but I actually picked it up because of the color palette. Green and pink is a favorite combination, and I loved the particular tones featured on the card. My next thought was how I might reproduce the colors in a cake design...and it didn't take long after I was home to make a quick sketch of my vision.

I didn't want to wait for someone to order a cake with these colors, so I quickly put together a display cake to see it all together. I made the flower topper, and added some grosgrain ribbon and a few extra hydrangeas to complete the look:

Here is the bouquet topper made with a peony, hydrangea, filler flowers and leaves:

The peony was an extra that I had in my flower stash, and it was originally white. I dusted the base of the petals with a pale yellow, then colored them all over with pale tones of soft pink and tangerine. Once the petals were done, I added a touch of deep pink to all of the petal edges to give the flower some depth:

Thank you for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler. Please feel free to use the ideas and concepts discussed on this blog, but please do not claim any of it as your own work. Thank you!

Back to Class with Ron Ben-Israel

2010-01-16T12:44:00.000-08:00

In early March this year, I will have the wonderful opportunity to return to Minette Rushing's Custom Cakes in Savannah, Georgia! I am happily taking two classes with the incredibly talented Ron Ben-Israel! The first class will be a Masters sugarpaste flower class, where we will be studying Southern Flowers, and making camellias, dogwood, jasmine and magnolias. I have made only several of these flowers before, but it was a long time ago, so I am really looking forward to Ron's presentation and the hands-on practice. Second, I will attend a class entitled Bring on the Bling! where we will mix and make custom silicone molds! You know how gorgeous Ron's cakes are...and he uses a lot of custom molds for lace, architectural details and beautiful jewelry pieces. I haven't used a lot of these elements on my cakes before, but I can't wait to try them!

Last year, Ron's class was a lot of fun and a great learning opportunity, I met some wonderful and very talented cake designers and sugar artists, and Minette was the most gracious host ever. In short...it was a really fabulous three days!

I just heard from Minette, and she told me there are several spots left in Ron's Bring on the Bling! class on March 6th, 7th and 8th!! If you are interested, contact Minette right away to get signed up! There are more details about Ron's class, as well as all of the wonderful classes Minette offers, at her Sugar Seminars site.

Some of Ron's flowers from the class last year:

A photo with Ron at the end of class:

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler. Please feel free to use the ideas and concepts discussed on this blog, but please do not claim any of it as your own work. Thank you!

HYDRANGEA TUTORIAL PART TWO by Petalsweet Cakes

2010-01-12T12:42:00.000-08:00

Get comfortable...this post is a bit of a beast! It's long and detailed...so thank you ahead of time for sticking around to the end!

Alright...with all of your hydrangea flowers made and dried, it's time for Part Two of the tutorial, including coloring and arranging! Just so you know, I do all of my coloring by hand with petal dusts and brushes. I know a lot of fabulous sugar artists who use an airbrush effectively and end up with beautiful results. I don't have enough experience with an airbrush (yet!) to create the effect I like on my flowers, so this tutorial will only cover using dusts.

SOME NOTES ABOUT PETAL DUSTS: There are many different brands of dusts on the market, and I haven't used all of them, so I will only be featuring the brands I have used with success here. I rarely use a color straight out of the jar, except for very small accents on particular flowers...I frequently blend them, or make them lighter or darker before using. Also, I always have greens and yellows on hand, as they both bring life and brightness to any flower. I suggest playing around with color variations as much as you can...it can really make a big difference in your final product!

Below are the brands of petal dusts I have used. I buy the Linnea's petal dust at my local cake decorating store, and the rest I have found online. If anyone has used additional brands they really like, I'd love to hear from you!

*Sunflower Sugar Art
*CK Products
*Linnea's Inc.
*Squires Kitchen
*Crystal Colors
*Sugarflair

SOME NOTES ABOUT THE COLORING PROCESS: A tip that has helped make coloring easier for me is using plastic paint palettes (seen in the first photo of the post), or plastic lids from containers, for mixing and saving colors of petal dusts. I have separate palettes for different color families (one for greens, one for pinks, one for purples, etc.) so that I don't accidentally cross colors AND so I can save custom colors that I really like. I simply cover the palette or lid with foil, label it, and save it for the next batch of flowers. I can always add a different hue or lighten/darken the colors before I use them again, so I know the dusts won't be wasted. As an example, I make so many green hydrangea that I have a palette just for those colors...it's a great time-saver. Brushes are the same way...I have different jars for my color families so that I don't accidentally brush a dark mossy green on my pink peony. Finally, I usually approach my dusting as an assembly line...dust all my centers first, move on to do all the base color, add the highlights, then apply pearl dust to all the flowers as the last step.

Here are the tools I use when coloring and arranging my hydrangea:

*Dry hydrangea flowers
*Petal dusts
*Pearl dust
*Brushes (two types: soft brushes in small and medium sizes...and firm/flat brushes in small sizes)
*Palette, plastic lid or paper towel for mixing colors
*Moss green florist tape
*Toothpicks or wooden skewers
*Plastic floral tubes/water picks

COLORING HYDRANGEA:

Step 1: Prepare your colors. For this tutorial, I used the following colors:

*Crystal Colors in "Kiwi" (added white and pale yellow for BASE color)
*Crystal Colors in "Lime" (used as is for edges only - see below)
*Crystal Colors in "Holly: (used as is for edges only - see below)
*Crystal Colors in "Ginkgo" (used as is for edges only - see below)
*Crystal Colors in "Fuchsia Carmine" (used as is for edges only - see below)
*Sunflower Sugar Art Pearl Dust in "Super Pearl"

As well as:

*Linnea's "Daffodil" (added white to make a soft lemon yellow for the centers)
*Sunflower Sugar Art in "White" (to lighten the other colors as needed)

Step 2: With your colors mixed, use a small, soft brush to dab the hydrangea center with pale yellow. Don't cover up those gorgeous little white centers you made...just use a touch of the yellow to add some brightness:

Step 3: With one of your flat brushes, dust the front of each flower with your base green color, starting at the edge of the petals and working towards the center. I do not color all the way to the center...I think leaving a little ring of the pale green gumpaste visible is really pretty:

Step 4: With your same base green color, turn the flower over and dust the back of the petals, again working from the edges towards the wire. Don't worry about completely covering these petals unless they will be seen. I usually dust about half way down the petals:

Step 5: OK...so here is one of my BEST tips for hydrangea! Once all of your flowers are dusted with your base color, divide them into four equal groups. Pick three new colors of green dust, and a pink dust as well. Pick the first group, and using a flat brush, dust only the edges of the petals of each flower with your first new green color. Try to vary the number of petals you dust so they are not all exactly the same. Finish the first group, then change green colors and start with the second group. Change green colors again and continue with the third group, and then use your pink dust on the fourth group. You are using only ONE new color on each group of flowers, not all four (that would take forever)! AND, you are only dusting the edges of the flowers, not the petals. In this photo, one flower has edges with a lime green, one has edges with a grass green, and one has edges with pink:

And here is a larger group...nice variation in color, and all of the flowers look a little bit different:

The little extra touch of the different colors will really make the final bouquet look beautiful! This technique can also be re-created when you make the other colors of hydrangea...just pick a variety of colors that are in the same family of your base color and use them on the edges of groups of your flowers. I use a touch of green dust when making all other colors of this flower (white, pink, purple, blue) so that some of the petals still look like they are young and in bloom.

Step 6: Once all of your flowers are dusted with color, use a medium-sized soft brush to dust them lightly with pearl dust, front and back. This will help soften any harsh brush lines, blend the variations in color, reduce the powdery look after dusting, and give the flowers a very delicate and natural appearance:

NOTE: Please do not be heavy-handed with the pearl dust...if your flowers look frosty or shiny, then you have used too much. We're going for a soft glow! Steaming is another option here...it can be a great way to set and deepen your colors. I prefer the look of the light pearl effect most of the time, but will occasionally use the steaming process. If you want to know more about steaming your flowers, OR you use steaming frequently and love it, please contact me! I'm happy to share my experience, and I'd love to learn more!

ARRANGING HYDRANGEA:

Step 1: Gather a small group of your completed flowers. I always use mine in odd numbers. Due to the different shapes and sizes of your flowers, move them around a bit until they fit together nicely like puzzle pieces. Because they are all individually wired, you can also gently twist and turn the actual flowers as needed.

Also, group your pink-edged flowers together - it will look like a section of your bouquet is in the middle of changing colors!! Your other green-edged flowers should be mixed randomly for the best overall effect:

Step 2: Begin taping the bottom third of the wires together with your green florist tape. Leaving the top two-thirds of the wires loose allows you to move the individual flowers around easily in a larger bouquet and fill any small openings or holes:

Step 3: Once you have the taping started, you can add a toothpick or skewer (if you are using the flowers on a cake), and finish taping by covering the ends of the wires:

Step 4: To arrange hydrangea around another flower, make several small groupings as outlined above, but omit the toothpick until you have all of the hydrangea wires attached to the central wire of your main flower. Once you have your bouquet made, you can tape on a toothpick or skewer as needed:

Here is the bouquet from the top...and with the flowers being on individual wires, I was able to turn and bend some of them in different directions to fill the spaces around the gardenia:

If you are making a large bouquet, another great option is to arrange and tape your flowers, and then insert the thick stem of taped wires into a plastic floral tube. This tube can be inserted into your cake:

If the bouquet stem is smaller than the floral tube and rattles around in it, you can put some fondant down into the tube and then press the stem into the fondant...it surrounds the stem and keeps it firmly in place.

We're done! For those of you who made it here to the end...thank you for your time!! Please enjoy, and be sure to let me know if you have any questions! Oh...and is anyone interested in hydrangea leaves?

If you would like to receive Petalsweet updates and class information, please sign up for our Newsletter using the link below...

Subscribe to our newsletter

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes. Content of this blog (including text, photographs and layout) is the property of Jacqueline Butler. Please feel free to use the ideas and concepts discussed on this blog, but please do not claim any of it as your own work. Thank you!