How to make Gelatin Bows & Flowers - Page 6

I purchased the Butterflies kit like 2 weeks ago, and I loved the technique, my question is how do you make the bows bend after they are cut into strips??? do you put the strips in the microwave for a few minutes??

Thanks,

Rocio

ok, I am just dying to try this .. but I don't have an impression mat.. but have been thinking for 2 days now what I can use... How about using the florest foil with the floral impressions on it?? What do you think would that work.. ? If not.. anyone eles have ideas for us out there that dont have the impression matts yet... I just cant wait to try this... ))

Bob... did you make those cakes??? Beautiful... love the ribbon and bow at the base of the cake.. the possibilities are endless...

Thank you for sharing this technique. I'm a newbie to alot of this and can't wait to to try it.

The cakes I posted in this thread??? NOOOOO, those aren't mine. Those are done by Dianne Simmons and Michaelle Stidham, who invented/developed this technique. The one I did with the teal butterflies you can see in my pix. You're right though, those cakes are awesome!!

Just cut the strips with scissors and bend them (the gelatin is pliable) and tack down with more gelatin mixture. You need to hold it for a moment for it to set. Loucinda can give you more specific instructions though.

BWB is right - just use some melted gelatin. I clip the ends together with a paper clip to hold till it dries.....which is only about 10 or 15 minutes. Make sure you put about a tablespoon size round of gelatin on your work space (I use a plastic plate) to arrange the first layer of the bow loops on.

Why I can't see the photos?

I couldn't wait to try this and we don't have a Michaels here. I did go to the local craft store and they had some candy molds and I bought those to try. They were ok but the butterflies were flat instead of 3-D. Here is what I came up with because I couldn't wait for the molds to get back in stock:

I had a disposable roasting pan lid left over from lasagna I made for the school teachers. Eureka!!!!! That's plastic. That's obviously food safe because they sell it for food. Hmmmmmm I wonder.....

So I cut the flat portion of the plastic into strips about 3 or 4 inches wide and about 12 inches long.

I then took one strip of the plastic and creased it lengthwise on the corner of the counter to give it a "V" shape lengthwise. I then painted the gelatin on the inside of the "V" and waited about 5 or 6 hours until it dried. I popped it right off and cut out some butterfly shapes with my kitchen scissors. I painted them with gel colors mixed with water (next time I will mix into the gel before drying because they tend to melt a bit when you put water on them) and dusted on some of that purple Wilton sparkle dust stuff. I used some fondant to make little bodies for them and voila! Butterflies!

These aren't nearly as pretty as the ones I could probably get with the molds so I intend to order them ASAP. I know there are a lot of people like me that can't wait to try this though so maybe you could all play with this.

I do want to say that I was surprised with how hard the gelatin dries. It could easily stand up on its own and hold its shape. I am anxious to try painting some on the side of a 2-liter soda bottle and trying to make a rainbow to stand up on a cake like an arch. I am also thinking of trying a few flat ones to write on (Happy Birthday, etc) and use as a stand up topper for cakes I don't want to write directly on. It seems to me that there are a thousand ways you could use this technique and I thank you guys for introducing me to it! Happy baking!

OOOOOhhhhh-- I am setting here with a big ol' smile......what creative ideas you have come up with!!!! Thanks for sharing them - and glad you are having fun with the technique!

Rainbows......standing up letters......got to play somemore!!

You may have to click on the links in the thread. CC is undergoing some changes now so pix aren't showing up like they used to.

What do you use to spread the gel on with? Brush or sponge brush...?

Thank you so much for sharing.

I just used a regular paintbrush and a packet of Knox gelatin. It was fun!

You know another cool thing to do is to make the bows and as you are cutting the strips, use the fancy scissors found in the scrapbooking section -- that gives a great funky edge to the bow loops.