Royal Icing White Trillium

Tonight's state-ly shout-out is to Ohio, for which the white trillium is the state wildflower. This three-petaled flower is also known as the wake robin or the snow trillium. As you can imagine, it's quite easy to pipe; perfect for that last bit of icing (and even better if you don't feel like dealing with a whole bunch of colors and tips). You'll need a petal tip #104, round tip #2, a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 blend of cornstarch and powdered sugar, a flower nail, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, a glue stick, parchment paper squares, and stiff consistency royal icing in white and yellow. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

 Use the #104 tip to pipe a petal. Keep the wide side of the tip in the center, and undulate the narrow end up and down while you slowly pipe out a fan-shaped petal. Stop pressure and pull the tip away toward yourself.

 Touch your thumb and forefinger to the dusting pouch and pinch the edges of the petal so the shape is tapered to a point in the center.

 Repeat, allowing the second petal to overlap slightly toward the middle…

 …and repeat one more time for the third petal. You may find that working with a template decal on the nail under the parchment will help keep your three petals equal, but I think you'll be able to do this with practice (you should have seen my first effort for this flower; a total toss-out!).

 Finally, pipe a cluster of #2 stamens in the middle. Hold the tip against the surface, squeeze while pulling the tip upwards a short distance, then stop pressure and pull the tip away. Adjust the angles of the stamens with a dusted fingertip if you need to. Don't worry if they aren't all the exact same height; randomness keeps it real!