G U M PA S T E B L A C K B E R R I E S , L E AV E S A N D

B L O S S O M S T U TO R I A L
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I’m absolutely thrilled to be sharing with you an amazing new flower paste/gum paste. Created
by my friend and fellow sugar flower artist, Arati Mirji of Sweet Symphony, this sugar flower
paste was gifted to me to try and I think it’s absolutely fabulous. It’s incredibly easy to work
with, rolls out very thin and allows ample work time before drying. This paste doesn’t dry right
away and will stay flexible, much like a bean paste, for a short amount of time. Compared to
other name brand pastes, Flower Paste by Arati Mirji   is considerably softer than what I was
used to, but I found that it wasn’t at all sticky, it stretches beautifully and holds veining
exceedingly well. It took me no time to get used to it. It also holds color, gel and petal dust,
better than any commercial paste I have used in the past. Even dry, the thin petals seemed strong
and light, and I even dropped one when assembling with no damage. This paste is perfect for
both beginner flower makers and advanced, and has quickly become my favorite.
For a recent sugar flower collaboration,
Still Life Sugar Flowers, hosted by yours
truly, I created an autumn, moody inspired
arrangement filled with poppies,
ranunculus, David Austin roses, nasturtium,
forget me nots, cosmos, dahlias, leaves,
vines and blackberries. I love making gum
paste blackberries as I think they look
amazing in sugar arrangements. Today, I’m
sharing with you a tutorial on how to make
my gum paste blackberries, blossoms and
leaves using Flower Paste by Arati Mirji.

Supplies:

Gum Paste/Flower Paste  (I used gel food

color to tint the paste.): dark purple, moss
green, magenta, dark green, pale yellow and
white, Floral Wire : 22, 26, 28 gauge (green
or white), Moss green 1/4 width floral
tape ,  Small rose petal cutter  (1/2- 3/4″
size), Rose leaf cutter , All purpose leaf
veiner , Firm foam pad , Groove
board , Rolling pin , Jem veining too l, Small
craft scissors, Small seed head
stamen , Petal dusts: moss green, blush pink,
plum, mocha, golden yellow, rose leaf green, aubergine, Paint
brushes, Clear alcohol – such as Everclear,   Confectioner’s
glaze , Ball tool, Craft pliers, Sugar glue, Piping gel

To make the green, pink and dark purple gum paste blackberries:
1. Form a piece of paste the size of a small gumball into a cone shape.
2. Bend the end of a piece of 22-gauge wire into a hook with craft pliers.
3. Dip the hook into sugar glue, wiping of the excess. Insert the wire into the thick end of the
cone shaped paste.
4. Twist the paste onto the wire, removing any excess paste. Set aside to dry for a hour or so.
5. Roll a bunch of small balls, (4-5mm) to create the detail of the blackberry.
6. Working with one blackberry at a time, brush a liberal about of piping gel onto the cone
shape. Working from the base of the cone at the wire, place the gum paste balls working around
the cone and up towards the top.
7. Once the cone is completely covered with the balls, carefully and lightly squeeze the
blackberry so that the balls flatten slightly and fill in any small gaps on the cone. Take care to
keep the blackberry shape while flattening. Set aside to dry completely.

To make the gum paste blackberry

leaves:
1. Roll out a piece of dark green paste
over the groove on a groove board.
Remove the paste and lay the paste
groove side up on the board.
2. Center the rose leaf cutter over the
center of the groove and cut out.
Remove an stray pieces of paste by
running your finger along the edge of
the cutter.
3. Dip a piece of 26 gauge floral wire
into sugar glue, wiping off any excess.
Insert the wire into the groove of the
leaf.
4. Place the leaf into the double sided
veiner and press firmly to vein. Set
aside to dry on bumpy foam.

To make the gum paste blackberry

blossoms:

1. Fold 9 double sided seed head stamen

in half and secure with floral tape.
2. Make a hook at the end of a piece of
26 gauge floral wire. Using the pale
yellow paste, roll a small piece into a
cone shape. Dip the hooked wire into
sugar glue, wiping off excess. Insert the
wire into the tapered end of the cone
shape. Work the paste onto the wire so
that it’s firmly adhered.
3. Make small cuts all over the cone
using small craft scissors. Set aside to
dry completely.
4. Once the center is dry, fan out the taped stamens into a circle shape. Insert the wired center
through the stamens and tape with floral tape down the wire.
5. To make the petals, roll out a small piece of white paste over the groove of a groove board.
Remove the paste and lay groove side up on the board.
6. Center the cutter of the top of the groove on the paste and cut out the petal with the small rose
petal cutter. Remove an stray pieces of paste by running your finger along the edge of the cutter.
7. Dip a piece of 28 gauge floral wire into sugar glue, wiping off any excess. Insert the wire into
the groove of the petal.

8. Thin and widen the petal using the ball tool. Vein the petal using the veining tool, giving the
edge a slight ruffle for movement. Set aside to dry completely.
9. Repeat the steps to create (5) petals total for each blossom.
Dust the blackberries:

1. For the unripened green

blackberries, dust the berries
liberally with the moss green
petal dust.

2. To add some variation and to

resemble a ripening blackberry,
dust some areas, like the tip of
the berry, with the plum petal
dust.

3. For the ripening pink

blackberries, dust the berries liberally with the plum petal dust.
4. To add some variation and to resemble a ripening blackberry, dust some areas with the
aubergine petal dust.
5. For the deep purple/black ripe blackberries, mix a bit of the aubergine dust with a few drops
of clear alcohol to create a paint. Paint the blackberries for a dark, saturated blackberry.
6. Dip the blackberries in confectioners glaze to give them a glossy, realistic appearance. Dry
completely.

Dust the leaves:

1. Liberally dust the leaves with the rose green

petal dust, concentrating on the edges and
center of the leaves.
2. Tape the wires of the leaves with floral tape.
3. Steam the leaves to set the color. Set aside to
dry completely before assembling.
Dust and assemble the blossoms:
1. Dust the stamen and the center of the
blossoms with golden yellow petal dust.
2. Dust the top of the center with a little bit of
moss green dust.
3. Make an edible paint with the mocha petal dust and clear alcohol. Brush the tips of the stamen
to add a little bit of color. Set aside to dry.
4. Dust the base of the petals with the blush petal dust.
5. Place the petals one at a time, spacing them evenly around the center, and taping with floral
tape all the way down the wire.
6. Steam the assembled blossom to set the colors and let dry.
Assemble the arrangement by taping the components with floral tape.
I hope you guys try this paste and love it as much as I do. For any questions regarding the
tutorial or additional products used, let me know in the comments. Also, check out my  Essential
Tools for Making Sugar Flowers post  for more information on supplies.

If you make gum paste blackberries, leaves and blossoms using my tutorial, let me know! Leave
a comment in the comment area below and be sure to snap a photo and tag it
#littlevintagebaking on Instagram. I love seeing your Little Vintage Baking creations!

BERRY EXCITED!
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2012

Yup, I've been extremely busy lately. I'm working on a very special wedding cake.... it's for my
son! He's the first of my children to get married. So I'm pretty excited about making his cake!

Today I've spent most of the morning making little gray berries. They're pretty simple, and you
can make quite a few in no time at all. So I thought I'd put together a quick tutorial on how to
make these cute little berries.

You'll need: gumpaste, wire, a small circle

cutter, a rolling pin with spacers, gum glue,
and an umbrella tool. (Yes, that's what the
green tool is called.... I'm not sure why. I didn't
know it's official name so I had to look it up....
"umbrella tool"? Strange... I would have
named it something special like "that green
pointy thingy"! )

Roll out the gumpaste to an even thickness...

using spacers on your rolling pin makes this
quick and easy. Cut out some small circles. The circle cutter makes the gumpaste pieces
identical so all of your berries will be the same size.

Roll the gumpaste into a small, smooth ball.

The heat from your hands will make this a little
easier.

Push the point of the umbrella tool about 1/3 of

the way into the ball. I used the point with 5
lines.
 

This is what it looks like. Pretty simple isn't it.

Dip the end of your wire into the gum glue.

Most of the time, I bend the tip of my wire to
keep flowers from spinning and falling off. But
these berries are small and not very heavy, so I
don't think it's necessary. I'm using a wrapped wire so this also helps to keep the berries in
place. 

 Push the dipped end of the wire into the bottom

of the berry. Sometimes the berries will get a
little squished, so use your fingers to re-shape
them. 

After the berries are dry, I will brush on just a

hint of color. This really brings them to life.

 Then before you know it.... You've made

dozens and dozens of those cute little things!

 Give it a try... you'll be "berry" excited too!  ;)