A Few Petalsweet Favorites from 2010

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!

A Few Petalsweet Favorites from 2010

Happy Holidays from Petalsweet

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!

Happy Holidays from Petalsweet

Practicing More Sugar Peonies

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!

Practicing More Sugar Peonies

Giving Thanks...

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!

Giving Thanks...

Sugar Ranunculus Flowers by Petalsweet

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!

Sugar Ranunculus Flowers by Petalsweet

A Sugar Garden Rose Birthday Wish

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!

A Sugar Garden Rose Birthday Wish

Sugar Peonies on Pale Yellow

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!

Sugar Peonies on Pale Yellow

Busy with Sugar Flowers

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!

Busy with Sugar Flowers

Petalsweet in American Cake Decorating Magazine!

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!

Petalsweet in American Cake Decorating Magazine!

Yellow Tulip Sugar Vase

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!

Yellow Tulip Sugar Vase

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

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!

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

Sugar Flower Tulip Cake Topper

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!

Sugar Flower Tulip Cake Topper

Peony and Hydrangea Cake Topper Class

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!

Peony and Hydrangea Cake Topper Class

Practicing Sugar Flower Tulips

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!

Practicing Sugar Flower Tulips

Petalsweet Preparing for ICES Part III

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 III