I have never worked with Color Flow before and I have a huge birthday cake to do for this weekend and I started on the color flow tonight so that the outline can dry and I can fill in tomorrow. (I trimmed in black)

The client does not like color on her cakes and this is a Sesame Street Cake! So.......... I am trying to use Color Flow to get the color that is needed to make it a Sesame Street Cake.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. The outlining came out great but all I keep hearing is that they break. I am even considering leaving the wax paper on the back and just trim it close because I know the client will just take it off the cake before cutting.

Oh and I have to deliver this cake probably 55 miles away! Shoudl I put the color flow pieces on when I get there to set up? It is a three tier cake.

Thoughts, ideas, tips, encouragement, anything........needed. yikes!

bj

bj,
I've only worked with it a few times but I do know it can take some time to dry...other than that if you make sure everything is filled in and take your time removing it from the waxed paper its not too difficult. Good luck

I gues if she is just going to take it off anyway I would cut very close to the design, like with an exacto knife and then place on top of the cake. As far as waiting until you are at the site, I would just say, handle it as little as possible to decrease chance of breaking. If you have a safe way to transport it then wait, but it its' going to shifting or bouncing around I'd wait. Also make usre your cake is supported well because any little bends in the cake while moving it might break the design. The colorflow turns out very pretty but BOY is it fragile!

Thanks for the responses. I am filling them in this morning and they will go on the cake Sunday at around 1:00 (that is if Hurrican Dennis stays away ). Hopefully that will be enough time. From everything I have read it appears to be.

Thanks,
bj

Let's just pray that it Hurricane Dennis does stay away bj ... I have a wedding cake to do for tomorrow morning... I don't want this girl's wedding to be ruined and I surely don't want to have to do this cake again!

My client emailed me and moved the party to next weekend due to Hurricane Dennis........ Please tell me the color flow that I already started will last until next weekend?????

bj

I think that's even better. I like to dry mine for at least a few days...so just keep it in a nice, dry non-humid area to set even harder.

Yes your color flow will last a long time, just keep it in an air tight container after it drys.

I have a couple of birds that I made of color flow. I made those almost 2 months ago. They are still in good shape. Make sure to keep them in a dry cool area. GOOD LUCK!!! MC

OMG Non-humid!!!!!!!!!! Did you see where I live! Louisiana! ugh It is so humid here right now you cannot even walk out side without sweat dripping off you! Now, my mother would say that "us women glow, we do not sweat".

Well, I have the A/C running almost all the time and I have them laid out in the dining room where nothing can bother them until next weekend. I am glad to hear that they will be good until then!

Thanks for the quick responses! I JUST LOVE THIS WEBSITE!

bj

I must say San Antonio is humid but you have got me beat. Hands down. LOL now it more like Good Luck finding a dry area. LOL helps if I open my eyes to see what I am reading . MC

LOL Moviechick........... Hey, might be headed in your direction if Hurricane Dennis decides to take a western turn..... yikes

As much as I worked on those color flows I will pack them up with me and take them with me for safe keeping! LOL

Thanks again,
bj

I live in Houston where humidity is a constant concern too.

When I buy new shoes and purses, most of the time there is a little packet of silica gel, whose purpose is to absorb moisture. If you keep your color flow pieces in an airtight container with a packet of silica gel, it will be just fine. Just make sure the silica gel does not come in contact with the color flow piece.

Also, make sure to pillow your thinned color flow icing inside your outlines, almost to the point of spilling over. As the water evaporates from the thinned icing and the piece dries, it becomes flat. If you've not pillowed your icing nicely, it will be shrunken and too thin. Thin pieces = brittle pieces.

One more handy hint: once your piece is fully dried (I try to allow at least four days' drying time), pull your paper downward off the side of a table, slowly, so that the paper is pulled downward away from the bottom of your color flow piece and no stress or pressure is put on the color flow piece at all. When you're almost done, you can lift it off the table pull the remaining paper off the bottom. The trick is to not put any stress on your piece at all!

Hope that helps,
Sherri

If your worried about breakage you can make duplicates of each piece and i wouldn't put the colorflow on the cake till the last min .... because once you put it on it starts to soften and you can't take it off esp where you live... and since you live in high humidity i would reccomed putting it in a cardboard box to let it dry out and color flow keep at least a few months...

Kris10

Thank you so much for the great tips. Very, very, helpful.

I wonder if a piece of chalk would work too? I don't have any of the packets of silica gel. I have heard to put a piece of chalk in with your sterling silver to stop it from tarnishing - something about it pulls moisture out of the air??????????

Well, I came down stairs yesterday morning and one was broke!

Of course, my husand and three teenagers said, "I didn't do it"
I guess the outlining just jumped off the wax paper. (I had not filled that one yet)



Back to the drawing board with that one.

bj