Kaye Hartman of Petal Crafts shows each step to create these realistic flowers from gumpaste. The same techniques can be used with polymer clay, cold porcelain, and other modeling materials.

Gumpaste flowers are hand made edible flowers placed on wedding and celebration cakes as decorations. The words "Gumpaste, sugar paste and sugar dough are interchangeable and they all mean the same thing. This dough has a special ingredient added called carboxy methyl cellulose. This essential ingredient makes the paste or dough stretchable, elastic and pliable just like chewing gum, hence the name. Because of this characteristic, the dough may be rolled paper thin, even see-through thin.....and this is what makes real-life looking petals for these flowers. This type of dough dries hard that if you don't break your creations, you can keep these flowers forever.

For tools and supplies, visit our website, www.petalcrafts.com

Happy decorating!