Royal Icing Mouse

It seems like the smaller the subject matter, the larger the number of page views. So, continuing the effort to give the people what they want, here's a teeny-tiny-little mouse. You won't even feel the weight of this creature when you hold it in your hand (which is sort of true for a real mouse, come to think of it). Here's all you'll need to pipe mice (in this case, albino mice)…

…Royal icing in pale pink, white, and red, a glue stick, a flower nail, parchment paper squares, a Styrofoam block (handy to stick the flower nail in when you're switching tips), a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch, and petal tip #101, round tip #1, round tip #2, and round tip #12. Start by loading the bag of white icing with the #12 tip. You probably won't need the flower nail for this step. Pipe the mouse's body, which is basically a teardrop, on a parchment paper square. Start by piping a ball, and when it forms, start moving the tip in one direction or another. When the shape and size is to your liking, stop pressure and pull the tip away. You may need to touch your thumb and forefinger to the dusting pouch, then use them to gently refine the tapered shape. 

 Here's a whole bunch of mouse bodies. I think that one on the lower right is the mousiest.

 After the mouse bodies have firmed up (leave them for a half hour or so; speed the process up by turning on a desk lamp over them), attach one of them (with the parchment square still intact) to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

 Using the small petal tip #101, pipe two ears. I practiced on my finger a few times, first. Keep the wide end of the tip angled out, and move the tip in a tight, upside down "U" motion. Touch your finger to the dusting pouch, and tap the base of the ear down so it smoothly meets the head.

 Switch to the #2 tip, and pipe a tiny ball for a nose. As you pull the tip away, it may leave a peak, which you can either leave if you like the look of it, or tap down gently with a fingertip.

 Pipe the tail, next. I rotated the nail while I piped to get that nice, smooth curve along the body. To form the tapered tail tip, stop pressure and pull the tip away.

 Finally, pipe the red eyes with a #1 tip. Obviously, you could change all these colors to pipe any breed of mouse you like.

Now, to pipe some royal icing cheese…