how do you make the numbers stand up? and what do you make them out of? please help!!!!!

I use 100% gumpaste, so that they dry rock hard. After I make my number I stick a couple of toothpicks in the bottom and lay flat to dry. Once they dry, the toothpicks are nice and secure and can be inserted into the top of the cake so they stand up. In my photos, you can see a cake I did with a '1' gumpaste topper.

HTH.

same here - gumpaste and tooth picks - I did find that they stay more upright if you put a cut drinking straw into the cake and then put the tooth pick into the straw and the base of the number should cover the straw.

I will say that I have had the most trouble with the # 6 standing up - I guess that curve is just too heavy.

Hope that helps!
Janel

I just tried one last week using fondant with tylose powder added. I only let it dry for 2 and a half days. It looked beautiful on the friday night when I put in the cake, but it had snapped off by the morning! I think gumpaste is best and let it dry for quite a while!

I used gumpaste and lollipop sticks for the numbers on the Prince 1999 cake in my photos. I rolled the gumpaste thick to hide the thickness of the sticks, then let them dry for about 3-4 days.

I've used chocolate but you have to be careful of the whole melting problem!

You could make number shaped cookies. Use lollipop sticks glued with chocolate to the backs of them, to make them stand up. Decorate the cookies and stick the lollipop sticks into the cake.