I just got an order for a birthday cake for a 27 yr old woman who's favorite thing on earth is her pet parrot. He is grey with a red tail.
So I had planned to sculpt a parrot and somehow incorporate it on a fondant covered cake. The Possibilities were not a problem. Here is the problem: She now has told me that she doesn't want fondant, but wants her Aunts buttercream receipe to cover the cake.. I am best w/ fondant and sculpting, but not so perfect, with piped decorating. Creatively, i'm stuck. This is for the birds..lol! Got any suggestions?

Tell her that.

Well, I made a buttercream cake in the shape of a bird (a kingfisher) a few years ago - I used the Wilton Partysaurus pan. I just used different tips to make different textures for the feathers, wings, etc. I just added sugar cookie cutouts for the crest and tip of the wing. I don't know if this will help you at all...

Seems to me, Wilton did a buttercream parrot- very colorful- in one of their last couple yearbooks. 2004, 2005 or 2006. It was done in buttercream. Might help even jsut to take a look at it...

you can go ahead and make i parrot out of fondont and make like i tree or some thing like that out of fondont too and just place it on top of the buttercream covered cake you know like a topper and tell her that she can save the parrot and tree in a clear plastic box as a keepsake she'll love it !!!!!!

Hi! and thanks for some really nice cake suggestions! - I'll have to dig out my back issies of Wilton yearbooks.
I deceided to make a pattern..using a pic of the woman's parrot. And use color flow to make mosiac tiles. ie: Flat "puzzle" pieces on top of the cake. It would look like the top of the cake had a tiled, medallion of a parrot.... I still have to think this thru!

That parrot is called an African Grey. It is Grey from the head down to the tail. The tail is a brite rich red.
Pretty birds. If you color flow it, it will look great.