Royal Icing Tulip

Getting this project "right" is still a work in progress; the notion of piping a tulip came to me after a fairly exhaustive online search that turned up nothing (nothing 3D, that is). I started by piping a bunch of loose petals with stiff consistency royal icing on a parchment paper square with a tip #97 (the tip with the "S" shaped cut used to pipe the Victorian Rose). Hold the tip almost flat against the surface, and while squeezing move the tip in a small upside-down "U" formation with an end that tapers to a point. I used 5 of these 7 petals; it's always good to make a few extra for breakage/rejects/snacking. 

 Pipe a base for each tulip. Switch the tip to a round #12, hold it just above the surface of a parchment square, and squeeze until the icing is the size of a dime. Continue to squeeze and pull upwards at a 90 degree angle. Stop the pressure and pull the tip away after about 1/2". It should look like a tall Hershey's Kiss.

 Allow the petals and bases to dry for at least an hour. You can start assembling the tulips when the petals peel off the paper easily.

 Switch the tip to a small round tip, like a #2 or #3. Squeeze a small amount on the backside of a petal at the wide end…

 …and stick it to the base, point up. Repeat with more petals, overlapping, until the base is covered.

 Allow the tulip to dry completely, until the paper can be peeled away easily from the base. These would be especially cute if piped with a striped edge.

 Don't worry; I'll get started on wooden shoes soon!