Hi,
I am doing a wedding cake that the bride wants everything off white. Buttercream roses will be used to boarder 14".10" and 6" cakes. Royal Icing Apple blossems will be used as fillers. The bride wants a little shine added to her cake.
I have read alot about luster dust. Can some one tell me if this is the shine I am looking for, if so could you tell me how to mix it and how to apply it.
If there are other suggestions--please advise--also please include instructions how to mix/apply.
Thanks so much in advance
Deb
luster dust is a good thing to use. i use flavored oil and all it takes is a couple of drops and a fine paint brush for edges. i have also used it dry. and wherever you use to mix it, dont through it away because all you need to do is add a drop to use it again. you can get a painter platter or something like that to keep you dried mix. remember luster dust is very consentrated. but always try in advance to see your outcome. hope this helps.
Does she want the whole cake to be shiny? In that case you just brush the whole cake with luster dust with a brush. I did a cake where I brushed the whole cake in silver luster dust. It looked awesome. You can view it in my photos.
Thank you! That is so sweet! It's so nice when someone other than family and friends likes your work.
Have a great day!
Deb~ I use luster dust all the time on my flowers - mostly the ones that in nature would have a natural sheen to them. I always do my flowers with dry lusterdust because there is enough shine to it, I don't need to delute it. Then, steam them (I hold mine about a foot away from my teapot and twirl the flowers to make sure they don't get too much in one place). The steam will allow the petal dust and luster dust to set and really brings out the colors! Check out some of my cakes - the bridal shower cake with the hibiscus is a good example. If you plan to luster dust the whole cake - remember only on fondant - and use a big artist's brush to put it on dry, or mix with vodka (or oil) and apply with a sponge.
Hope this helps!
Tara
Heavenaly Cakes-- Your cakes or the most beautiful cakes I've seen. Thanks for the luster dust information--I dought I will ever be able to have the same effect that you do--Do you have a web site? Your flowers a breath taking. How do you make these?
Thanks again,
Deb
I love your roses too Heavenly Cakes.....that cake was simply breathtaking!!
Thanks ladies! Sometimes my cakes surprise me with how they come out! I draw them in my head, then on paper and use it as a guild for the final results. As far as my roses go, I don't do anything different than what anyone else does... I'm not sure if you work with gumpaste, but you're taught to start with a teardrop shape of gumpaste on a wire (I use 18g). Then I just roll out my dough, vein it, cut it and thin the edges with my ball tool. I guess that's my secret?? I try to look at real roses when I'm forming them - or a book with gumpaste roses in it - as a guide while I'm making them. A good book to look at is Alan Dunn's Sugar Roses. He has a few other books as well, but this one is specifically geared toward this one flower.
You may want to check out using Petal Dust as well. I have Petal Dust and I have Luster Dust. I find that I like using the Petal Dust SO much more. It is more expensive but it is so much smoother and when I mix it with a little vodka I can use it just like paint. The luster dust did ok when I mixed it with vodka but nothing like the petal dust. Petal Dust also works beautiful for making pearls.
Maybe someone out there can explain the difference between luster dust and petal dust. 
bj 
The difference between the two is that one has sparkle to it - Luster Dust and the other is a flat color - Petal Dust. If you want to add shimmer to your flowers you use luster dust or sparkle dust. Mixing it with vodka works the same as mixing it with petal dust, except there is shimmer left when it dries... which petal dust does not give you.
Gaut - I think for what you want, you would use luster dust.
just and FYI - you can buy Artist's Pastels and grate them to a fine powder and use those to color your flowers dry (like peal dust) or mix with vodka and use it to paint. Petal dust colors are basically just pastels ground up. Just make sure they are NON-TOXIC. You can buy packs of like 48 colors for around $10. Also - you can mix a little super white sparkle dust with any color to add some shimmer to it.
That is right.... I have Pearl Dust which has the shimmer. I had the saved the following and just now found it:
[i]Petal Dusts are used to achieve deeper hues with a matte finish. When brushed on petals of white or pastel gumpaste flowers, a realistic effect is created. Add a blush of color to gumpaste flowers or emphasize a feature with a tiny brush mark.
Pearl Dusts produce a shimmery luster. Use Super Pearl on flowers made from colored gum paste. When dusted on white petals, the other pearls in the range exhibit a subtle colored sheen by reflection, although displaying no apparent color. Add an iridescent hint of highlight color.
Luster Dusts give subtle color with a sheen finish. In the dry form, use them for dusting. They may be used on their own, or mixed with similar colored dusts to create a lustrous sheen without lightening the color. Brushed on white, they exhibit color and sheen. Mix with alcohol or lemon oil for painting or highlighting.
Sparkle Dusts have a larger grain size with a sparkling finish. Gives gumpaste flowers a wet or dewy look with just a touch of color.
Disco Dust (or Pixie Dust) add sparkle & flashing highlights of color to your pieces. Use this when you REALLY want to sparkle.
Highlighters are non-edible and have a high sheen finish. For decorative use only.[/]
Hope this helps.
bj
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