Royal Icing Doves

As amazing as the 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony is (I'm watching it as I type this), I can't get the amazing images of the Opening Ceremony out of my head, namely the doves riding bicycles (dove releases have been a part of the Opening Ceremony since the end of World War I). I don't dare try to pipe a bicycle, but I can attempt a dove. You'll need stiff consistency white royal icing, parchment paper squares, a glue stick, a flower nail, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of cornstarch and powdered sugar, round tips #12 and #8, petal tip #101, and a black AmeriColor Gourmet Writer. Start by sticking a parchment square to the nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

 Hold the tip #12 at a 45 degree angle to and just above the surface. Squeeze out a ball to anchor the icing, then move the tip away and upwards for about half an inch. Stop pressure and pull the tip away. Touch your fingertips to the dusting pouch to neaten the end of the upturned shape if you need to.

 Switch to the #101 petal tip and pipe the tail. Hold the tip diagonally, with the narrow end facing outward. Jiggle the tip in and out in a gentle sawing motion to form the "tail feathers."

 When the body has firmed up a bit, pipe the wings. Hold the petal tip flat against the body, and squeeze while pulsing the tip in and out to build the icing up enough to support the wings and stand them up. When the wings are about half an inch long, stop pressure and pull the tip away. Neaten the wing tips with dusted fingertips into points.

 Here's another view:

 Switch to the round #8 tip to pipe the head. Hold the tip against the body, squeeze out a ball, then pull the tip away and stop pressure. A peak should remain, which will be the dove's beak.

After the head has firmed up, add dots for eyes with a food-safe marker like an AmeriColor Gourmet Writer. Not a bad generic little bird; you could pipe it in any color if you wanted something more vibrant than doves! 

Royal Icing Safety Pins

Tonight's post is short and sweet, mostly because I don't want to step away from watching the last full day of the Olympics for more than a few minutes, and also because I'm running out of icing! One of my favorite exports ever to come out of England is punk rock, especially the DIY fashion associated with it. Read about Dame Vivienne Westwood, if you want a punk fashion primer that pre-dates Hot Topic. I haven't left the house without an assortment of safety pins on hand in over 20 years; they've served every purpose from decorative to functional. And yes, they really do come in black (or you can paint them with nail polish):

Getting down to business: all you'll need to pipe safety pins are round tip #5, petal tip #101, royal icing in any color you like (if you're going for silver, use white or gray then dust it with a product like silver Pearl Dust when the icing is dry), a flower nail, parchment paper squares, a glue stick, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of cornstarch and powdered sugar. Start by sticking a parchment square to the nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

 Using the #5 tip, pipe the "spring" portion of the pin in one continuous stroke, with the tip at a right angle to the surface. Pipe slowly; you don't want to move the tip too fast and "stretch" the icing.

 Here's another view; you can really see the layers of the spring.

Neaten the ends with a fingertip that you've touched to the dusting pouch, if you need to.

 This part is tricky, and I think I could have done a better job of it. Switch to the #101 tip and pipe a shape a little smaller than a half-circle, starting from the inside and rotating the tip outward, with the wide side of the tip facing out.

 Pipe the other side in a similar fashion, but try to make this half-circle even smaller. Use the end of the #5 tip to punch that hole in the center, if a hole isn't there naturally. Keep a few of these on hand for crunching into, any time you need to win a few bar bets (um, no; don't do that). Pipe a bunch to decorate petits fours for your next punk rock tea party!

Royal Icing Flax

Yet another symbolic flower from the United Kingdom: flax is the emblem of Northern Ireland, and even appeared on the reverse of the British one pound coin in 1986 and 1991. I'm intrigued by it, because it's one of the few truly blue flowers I've run across. I used Sky Blue, along with a trace amount of Royal Purple (both by AmeriColor). Along with this light blue stiff consistency royal icing loaded in a bag fitted with a #101 petal tip, you'll also need yellow icing in a bag with a #16 star tip, a glue stick, parchment paper squares, a flower nail, a Styrofoam brick to rest the nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch. If you'd like to cheat a little to get those petals really even, stick a template decal for the apple blossom and primrose to the flower nail. 

 Stick a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

 Hold the petal tip almost flat against the surface with the outer, narrow edge angled up slightly. Pipe a petal while moving your hand in an upside-down "U" motion, while jiggling your hand to create the ruffled texture. The outer edge of the petal should be somewhere between the two circles on the template, and the petal should fit inside one of the five wedges. Keep the dusting pouch handy in case you need to touch a fingertip to it to neaten up any of the petals.

 Pipe the second petal in the same way…

 …and the third…

 …the fourth…

 …and the fifth.

 Pipe a #16 yellow star in the center and flatten it with a dusted fingertip. Flax flowers remind me a lot of the cherry blossom, and can also be found in red.

Royal Icing London Underground Sign

Still on a roll with projects inspired by the 2012 London Olympics, tonight I piped a royal icing London Underground sign (a request from my husband, who's very fond of anything to do with all forms of public transportation). This is definitely one of the easier projects I've piped lately. All you'll need are stiff consistency royal icing in red, white, and blue, round tip #12, flat ribbon tip #44 (by Ateco), a glue stick, parchment paper squares, a flower nail, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of cornstarch and powdered sugar. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

 Hold the #12 tip just above the surface, and slowly pipe a circle, overlapping the beginning with the end slightly.

 Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch, and gently tap the "seam" flat. It should blend fairly evenly, like this:

 Pipe a #12 mound of white icing in the center. I buried the tip in the icing as the width built up almost to the inner edge of the red circle.

 Pull the tip out at a right angle and tap the mound flat with a fingertip.

 Allow the red and white icing to firm up for a while, then pipe a #44 stripe in blue icing across the middle of the whole shape, overhanging the edges slightly (if your icing is stiff enough, this seemingly gravity-defying maneuver shouldn't be too difficult to pull off). Neaten the edges with a fingertip if need be. I'm not sure if I trust myself with a tiny #1 tip enough to write an actual station name in white on the blue stripe, but if you can, go for it! This would also be a great spot for some other significant sentiment (grad year, birthday guest of honor's name, etc). I think these would look very cute on cupcakes (without looking like too much of a ripoff of Sprinkles Cupcakes, hopefully).

Royal Icing Thistle

A few days ago I piped a Tudor rose, a traditional floral heraldic symbol of England. I really enjoyed doing that, so tonight's post is a thistle (the national emblem of Scotland). 

All you'll need to pipe thistles are green and purple stiff consistency royal icing, a flower nail, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, parchment paper squares, a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch, a glue stick, and round tips #12 and #3 (two of each size, if you don't want to have to constantly wash and switch the tips back and forth). Start by sticking a parchment paper square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick, and pipe a green base. Hold the tip at a right angle to and just above the surface, squeeze out a ball about the width of a dime, then move the tip upwards while still squeezing. When the shape is about 3/4" tall, stop pressure and pull the tip away. The shape will be reminiscent of a Hershey's Kiss.

 Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and tap the point flat. Pipe as many bases as you'll need. Remove from the nail with a gentle dug of the paper…

 …and pipe the purple tops. Hold the tip similarly, but pipe a ball. Squeeze steadily until the tip is about 1/2" above the surface, then stop pressure and pull the tip away. Tap the top into a round dome with a dusted fingertip.

 Place the pieces on a cookie cooling rack and put the rack someplace for them to firm up, like under a desk lamp, under the hood of an electric range, or on top of a gas stove that isn't turned on.

Move one of the green bases by the paper to the flower nail with a fresh dab from the glue stick…

 … and pipe #3 spikes all over it, except for the flattened top. Hold the tip against the surface, squeeze while moving the tip away a short distance, then stop pressure and pull the tip away. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

 I prefer to start from the bottom and work upwards, angling the points outward slightly.

 When the purple top is firmed up enough to be handled, stick it to the green base with a #12 dab of icing. Pipe #3 spikes all over it, except start in the middle and work your way outwards. I have lots of experience with this maneuver, because it's (almost) EXACTLY how I do my hair. These spikes should stand more upright than outward.

 To speed things up you could probably pipe the spikes with a grass tip, but I prefer the precision of piping them individually. I think the thistle will probably be strictly decorative; it's probably about as much fun to bite into as the hedgehog.

Royal Icing Stuffed Bear

During the Olympics, there was a story about Harrods, and how the stuffed bear that inspired Winnie the Pooh was bought there. This bear also looks suspiciously like Paddington, so I thought I'd better give this post the generic name of "stuffed bear" so neither of them would feel left out. All you'll need to pipe a stuffed bear is brown stiff consistency royal icing, round tip #12, oval tip #57, a flower nail, parchment paper squares, a glue stick, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, a black food-safe marker or a product like AmeriColor Soft Gel Paste in Super Black, toothpicks, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 blend of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

 Hold the round #12 tip just above and at a right angle to the surface. Squeeze, then pull up for just over half an inch. Stop pressure and pull the tip away straight up.

 Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and use it to tap the peak into a rounded shape. Pipe as many bear bodies as you'll need and set them aside to firm up.

 Pipe as many teardrop-shaped heads as you can fit on a parchment paper square. Hold the tip just above and at a 45 degree angle to the surface, squeeze out a ball, then pull the tip away at an upwards angle. Set them aside to firm up.

Switch to the oval #57 tip to pipe the limbs. Start with the legs. Place the tip against the body about halfway back, pipe alongside the body for a short distance to firmly anchor the leg to it, then bring the tip upwards when you stop pressure to create an upturned foot.

 Next, pipe the arms. Stuffed anthropomorphic bears tend to have surprisingly long arms. Start at the shoulder, and end at the leg. For all the limbs, tap them into place with a dusted fingertip. You'll want to tap the top of the bear where the arms begin flat, as that's where the head will go.

 When the heads have firmed up, pipe the ears with the tip #57. Flatten the ears slightly between your fingertips so they aren't just a couple of balls.

 Once all of the pieces have firmed up sufficiently enough to be handled…

 …stick the head to the body with a dot from the tip #57.

 You can either draw on the nose and eyes with a food-safe marker like an AmeriColor Gourmet Writer, or dab them on (like I did) with a toothpick dipped in AmeriColor Super Black Soft Gel Paste (flat for the nose, round for the eyes). These would be darling cupcake toppers for any Teddy Bear's Tea Party or high tea for dolls.