I did a 6" square the other night for a dummy for a bridal fest coming up and was very disappointed with the way it turned out--it was drying and hardening before I was done smoothing it! Can I sand it or something?

Should I just ice them in crisco bc, so I have more time to work with the icing--that royal dummy is sitting on the counter making me feel like an incompetant.

I haven't tried it, but i would attempt to sand it with very fine paper. Most likely, the styrofoam sucked up all the moisture. Maybe a thin coat of piping gel first??

Thanks Joann, what do you think of just doing crisco bc (the wilton class stuff) and then I can take my time and have them look right.

I always do display dummies in royal. What you might try is adding a bit more water to make it more spreadable. I make it more meringue like so it is fluffier. Try giving it a few spritzes with a squirt bottle until you are done icing it. I have used sandpaper before, but it has to be completely dry, like 2 days. A putty knife with a 4-5 inch blade works wonderfully for a quick once-around smooth.

I do my dummies with bc or fondant. At some point bc does get a rancid smell if the air is stale in the room. I have some in my show room from 4 years ago with bc.

If you want to redo them you can tightly cover your dummies with saran wrap, makes it easy to take icing off and make refreshed design

Lora

Thanks Lora, I think I'm going to do the rest in crisco bc--bag the MMF and the royal...the show's in 3 weeks, and I have such an easier time with bc! Ready to rock tomorrow, now...

Be sure to let us know how you do in this show

Lora

I will.

At this point, if I pull it off, it will be nothing short of a miracle.