Royal Icing Calendula

The official flower of October is the calendula, a member of the daisy family which comes in colors ranging from yellow to orange. And, like the daisy, it's very easy to pipe. All you'll need is stiff consistency royal icing in a golden yellow or orange, round tip #5, petal tip #101, parchment paper squares, a flower nail, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, a glue stick, 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. 

 Pipe the petals by moving your hand in a tight "U" formation, starting from the center, moving the tip out toward the edge, then back in again. Keep the narrow end of the petal tip facing outward and slightly upward off the surface, while moving the wide end along the surface. Usually I like to pipe four petals first in the 12-3-6-9 positions to keep the flower balanced; I didn't do that this time. I just made sure to rotate the nail steadily while keeping the petals basically the same length, and the end result was pretty even. Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and gently tap the center flat.

 Repeat, piping a smaller flower on top of the first one. Try not to line the petals right on top of each other; attempt to stagger them. Again, flatten the center with a dusted fingertip when you are finished.

 Pipe a cluster of #5 dots in the center. You can pipe them in a deeper color to give the center some contrast. Look at actual photos of the many varieties of calendula for inspiration when piping this autumn bloom!

Royal Icing Alpine Forget-Me-Nots

Alpine forget-me-nots are particularly noteworthy because 1) they're one of the only true blue flowers found in nature, and 2) they're the state flower of Alaska. All you need to pipe them is blue and yellow stiff consistency royal icing, petal tip #101, round tip #2, parchment paper squares, a glue stick, a flower nail (you'll be piping five petals so you might want to stick a template on the nail to keep them even), a Styrofoam brick to rest the nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 blend of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Start by sticking a parchment square to the nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

 Pipe the first petal with the #101 tip. Hold the tip almost flat against the surface with the wide side in the center and the narrow side facing outward. Move the tip in an upside-down "U" formation as you pipe; allow the icing to go just outside of the first circle on the template (the forget-me-not is on the small side).

 Repeat for a total of five petals.

 Allow the petals to firm up for a few minutes, then pipe a ring of yellow dots with the #2 tip in the middle.

 Flatten the dots slightly with a fingertip after touching it to the dusting pouch. Use clusters of Alpine forget-me-nots to decorate any Alaska-themed dessert (even a baked Alaska!) or treats for a shower for a baby boy.

Royal Icing Dahlia

Today's post is a bit of a departure from the "state symbol series", in that the dahlia isn't an official state flower. It is, however, the official flower of San Francisco, which is where my husband Bill and I got married 9 years ago today (and it was also our official wedding flower; fortunately, dahlias are common as dirt in August so we went a little crazy with them). Dahlias come in every size, petal shape, and color imaginable (except blue), so this one I piped today is sort of a typical specimen; it's not meant to depict any specific variety. Dahlias are a great excuse to use up a surplus of almost any imaginable icing color you may have lying around; in this case, I used some leftover fuchsia from Monday's wild prairie rose. You'll need a chrysanthemum tip like #79 by Magic Tip, a flower nail, a Styrofoam brick to rest the nail in, a glue stick, parchment paper squares, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 blend of powdered sugar and cornstarch. You might want to use a larger flower nail and larger parchment squares, if you're attempting dahlias of the "dinner plate" variety. Start by sticking a parchment square to the nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

Starting in the center, pipe an inch of icing with the #79 tip. Stop pressure and pull the tip away. 

 Touch your fingertips to the dusting pouch, and pinch the outer edge of the petal to taper it.

 Here's another view of the same petal.

 I like to pipe "compass points" to keep the flower centered, overlapping in the center.

 Repeat…

 …and repeat.

 Finish off with a few petals in the center that are angled more up than out. Allow this flower a good amount of time to dry before peeling away the parchment paper. Dahlias are also the national flower of Mexico, so consider them next time you make a cake or other dessert for a fiesta of any sort!