Lilies - Check. Roses - Check. Irises - Lookin' Good!

As wedding season approaches, I find myself happily entrenched in new projects.  New cake pans and petal cutters arrive every few days, and my wallet is full of coupons for the cake isle at JoAnn's.

I was absolutely giddy when my iris cutter arrived in the mail the other day.  I've just completed the first step in constructing my iris - cutting, veining and thinning each of the nine petals, and they are drying nicely in my kitchen. 

These are the larger, lower petals.

It's easy to get lost in the details of creating a flower from gum paste.  But when the individual pieces come together and you finally see the finished product, it's delightfully satisfying.  I hope you enjoy these first few snapshots of my petals.  They appear much more blue than they really are...in my hand they are a lovely, rich purple.

I hope to get a more delicate look in future specimens, but I'm very pleased with how these first few have turned out.  Tomorrow I'll be able to dust the petals and bind them up with floral tape for the finished product.  Can't WAIT!

Mine will not be "bearded" - but this is the general idea.