Ok someone, I'm so sorry so much going on I forgot who said it, but she suggested I make RI Snowflakes for this Winter Wonderland themed Dance I'm making cakes for....
I was wondering a few things....
- Can I flavor them without changing the color and if so do I use Wilton Candy flavors or what???? Lorann Flavoring? if so where can I order it from?
Can I make them strong enough to stand ontop the cake but still soft enough to eat without breaking any munchkin's teeth if they do want to eat them?
And how thick should they be to be able to stand without breaking?
I think that's it.. 
Thanks in advance everyone!!! You are my life savers! And I'm so happy to say "My friend on CC said to........." whenever hubby asks how I came up with something new lol. 
Also one more thing lol was suggested to use shimmer dust or whatever it's called by Wilton so I bought that tonight. They said to mix it with Vodka or Everclear.... wouldn't that make the kids drunk if they ate anything that had it painted on?? I'm lost on this concept as I've never done it before. The back of the package (I bought the 3 pack set of Silver, Gold, and Pearl dust/powder) says to dampen surface with water and brush and then sprinkle with powder....
Any help is greatly appreciated!!!!
Hello,
I'm sorry, I can't help with your snowflake questions, I just don't know the answers. But I use clear vanilla, not alcohol for my luster dust. Hope that helps!
~Beth 
I do know that the wilton dusts are different from the luster dusts that you can buy online. With wilton you just brush with water and sprinkle. With the other you need to mix with vodka, everclear or I use lemon extract. I have both kinds. There is a cake in the 2003 wilton yearbook that had snowflakes on it. If you want the patterns just pm or email me and I'll scan them and send them to you. I don't know about flavoring RI. The snowflakes get pretty hard, especially if you need them to stand up. Sorry not much help in that dept.
Here's a link to the Wilton pattern pages (they're on their website):
http://www.wilton.com/recipes/patternlocator/index.cfm
You can just type in "snowflake" in the pattern locater and there's two designs. HTH!!! 
I was wondering a few things....
Can I flavor them without changing the color and if so do I use Wilton Candy flavors or what???? Lorann Flavoring? if so where can I order it from?
Can I make them strong enough to stand ontop the cake but still soft enough to eat without breaking any munchkin's teeth if they do want to eat them?
And how thick should they be to be able to stand without breaking?
I think that's it..
Thanks in advance everyone!!! You are my life savers! And I'm so happy to say "My friend on CC said to........." whenever hubby asks how I came up with something new lol.
Also one more thing lol was suggested to use shimmer dust or whatever it's called by Wilton so I bought that tonight. They said to mix it with Vodka or Everclear.... wouldn't that make the kids drunk if they ate anything that had it painted on?? I'm lost on this concept as I've never done it before. The back of the package (I bought the 3 pack set of Silver, Gold, and Pearl dust/powder) says to dampen surface with water and brush and then sprinkle with powder....
1. FLAVORING: i have always understood that oils will cause RI to break down, and if i am correct the candy flavorings are oil based. I use clear extracts to flavor. A recipe will usually have a suggested amount for vanilla or almond, you could change that to suit your tastes.
2. HARDNESS: this drys hard but not rock hard, it will be edible and disolves with moisture, so do not worry about anyone's teeth.
3. THICKNESS: i would use a round tip no smaller than a 5. the next size larger that i have is a 12 round and it in my opinion would be too big. experiment to see what you like. just take in mind that you'll need at least 2 days to dry and longer if its really thick. I would make 2 or 3 times what you think you'll need because you'll have breakage.
4. DUSTS & PAINTING: shimmer dust is different than luster dust. shimmer dust is a small grained edible glitter and applied after brushing object with water. luster dust is a fine powder and not water soluble... it can be dusted on dry, or painted on using vodka, everclear or extracts high in alcohal. no, no one will get drunk LOL...it evaporates. the taste should as well (so i hear from those who use it.) the alcohal makes it easier to paint because it evaporates quickly, so the medium you are painting on will not become sticky. I use extracts high in alcohal...lemon and mint are good because they are about 85% alcohal. vanilla is more like 35% so it will work but not as well, and it will give a tint of vanilla color on white. do not try to use clear vanilla, it is imitation and has no alcohal in it.
5. SHIMMER DUST: sprinkle this on after piping each snowflake so it has a chance to stick, and you will not have to brush the RI with water, weakening its structure. (if you do brush it will water, the RI should be dry to do so)
I would make a practice batch ahead of time to see if you like it. if they turn out well, you can save them for the cake. I do not know the best storage method for RI decorations but someone will.... i do know that if properly stored, they will last quite awhile.
melysa
Here is wiltons recipe for Royal icing:
3 TB meringue powder (walmart wedding isle $4, michaels, hobby lobby)
1 lb.(4 cups) sifted powdered sugar
6 TB warm water*
Beat ll ingredients until icing forms peaks (7-10 minutes at low speed with a heavy duty mixer, 10-12 minutes with a hand held mixer).
makes 3 cups
*for stiffer icing, use 1 TB less water.
*can can substitute 1 tsp extract and 2 tsps warm water for 1 Tb water if a flavor is desired.
If you do want to buy luster dust (super pearl is a good one and very versitial) i purchase mine on ebay from jesterpartysupplies for 2.49 buy it now for 2 grams (last awhile) plus 4.05 for shipping any quantity. usually ships pretty fast.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Super-Pearl-Dust-Gumpaste-Decorating-1101_W0QQitemZ190026687364QQihZ009QQcategoryZ46281QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem
it would also be a good idea to add the snowflakes just before delivering or serving. i have been told the oil in the buttercream can break down the RI...although i dont know this firsthand, maybe someone else knows. better safe than sorry.
Thanks for clearing up my mistakes, melysa. You most definitely know more about this than I do!
~Beth
Thanks everyone!!! I was thinking of sprinkling with the dust as soon as I get done piping them while still wet, but I'm not sure if it'll give the effect I want. I want just a little glissen here and there not so much to turn it from a white snowflake to a silver one ya know.... So I may end up using the cake sparkles I have in white but I think they may be too big but they may also resemble fallen snow so I'm going to experiement this week ahead and see what I come up with. Thanks for all the great info and the link I love ebay and I love ebay stores that specialize in this stuff! 
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