Flowers in White Hanging Vase

Every challenge lets me discover what I haven’t noticed before.   This challenge made me realize that I can tell names of flowers less than kindergarten kids can.

When I was a kid, I took some flower arrangement class (traditional Japanese one called Ikenobou) and I visit flower parks and botanical gardens occasionally.  I am sure I took lots of photos of them.  I saw all of the photos I took and I found out that most of them are sakura and cosmos!   Other blue ones and yellow ones…what are they?

Strawberries and blueberries at our balcony are for me to eat, I remember I even told my husband not to give me roses every occasion, I prefer good restaurants!  (oh my dear…I am hungry) No wonder I don’t make flowers for my cookies.  I am not that interested in flowers as I thought.  To make 3 types of flowers for this challenge was way too much for me, I confess.  Initially I tried to make three different looking cosmos. 

Cookie:  hanging vase
Flower paste by Arati Mirji:  bell flowers (kikyo), morning glories (asagao), nadeshiko (pink little flowers) and all leaves   
Royal icing:  stamens and pistil of all flowers
Wafer paper:  petals of cosmos

Hanging vase (cookie part)

Bake the cookie with a hand-made-aluminum-foil mold and hand-cut-out dough.  After the flooded white icing drys completely, it is covered with SugarVeil lace.

Bell flowers (kikyo)

Make the bud shape with colored flower paste, cut the top into five with a small knife, shape the petals with fingers,  make texture with something like chopstick-shape thing, put some colors on, make sepal with green royal icing then stamens and pistil   (easy to say, difficult to make,  it took 6 hours for me to make one five-petal kikyo!  I get better at the end) 

bud

Making buds of bell flowers is basically same as how I make the flowers.  After making five petals, I closed them with fingers.   

Morning glories (Asagao)

Instead of using colored flower paste, I use non-colored flower paste.   Make the pentagonal shape (don’t cut into 5 petals this time), from the center of it spread the paste to outer, make texture with a chopstick, color it then make stamens and pistil with royal icing.   Buds are made with flower paste.

Nadeshiko

Make a very small ball with flower paste, flatten it out, make texture with a chopstick, color the center, cut the hem of petal with scissors then make stamens and pistil with royal icing.

Cosmos (wafer paper)

This is the photo I took at cosmos festival some years ago.

White cosmos

Cut out 2 circles from wafer paper and cut one circle into 4 (total 8 pcs).  Cut the hem of them with scissors, put each on dry paper towel that’s on damp paper towel*.  Wafer paper starts curling itself then make corns.   After they dry, assemble them around the yellow icing.  Make stamens and pistil with icing.

* My wafer paper is too dry and easy to break.  First I try to work on boiled water but it was too hot.  Instead of that I prepare dry paper towel on damp paper towel.   If it is too damp, I put another dry paper towel on.

Pink cosmos

Color wafer paper with a wide brush quickly and dry it.  Cut out petals (the movement of brush should be up to down for the petal texture) assemble them then make stamens and pistil with icing.

This is how I made my flowers.  The question is where and how I get the idea how to make them.  I admit that I have seen how other artists make flowers on youtube actually, however I had seen how My mother and my sister had made flowers with textiles, clay and gum paste with wires and other materials.   They made thousands of them.  I always wonder whether it is fun to make so many flowers… I just don’t intrude their field.  So this is a secret project to them until now.  🤣

Now do I like flowers?   I like what I made a lot! 

Absolutely extraordinary! So beautiful.  Thank you so much for all of the details and photos. Wonderful tutorial. @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave. ❤️❤️🍪

@LisaF posted:

Absolutely extraordinary! So beautiful.  Thank you so much for all of the details and photos. Wonderful tutorial. @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave. ❤️❤️🍪

Thank you @LisaF for leaving comment and thank you for reading what I wrote 🌸

Oh Ryoko, what a stunning presentation! So feminine and delicate. I love the textured vase which just make your beautiful flowers stick out so vibrantly. Each flower is exquisite and make and awesome bouquet.

Thank you for such a detailed tutorial too. Each step is so rich in teaching. Thank you for documenting it all to share with us do generously!

Excellent work, my dear friend!♥️♥️

Stunning!

@Heather Bruce Sosa posted:

Oh Ryoko, what a stunning presentation! So feminine and delicate. I love the textured vase which just make your beautiful flowers stick out so vibrantly. Each flower is exquisite and make and awesome bouquet.

Thank you for such a detailed tutorial too. Each step is so rich in teaching. Thank you for documenting it all to share with us do generously!

Excellent work, my dear friend!♥️♥️

Thank you @Heather Bruce Sosa for reading what I wrote and thank you for saying above.  You made me think that "hard work pays off"  ←　I hope my English is right 😅

@sylviawilson posted:

Stunning!

Thank you @sylviawilson   I really appreciate.  

Absolutely beautiful!  Love your description of how you worked through the various materials.  Thank you!

@E. Sherwood posted:

Absolutely beautiful!  Love your description of how you worked through the various materials.  Thank you!

 Thank you indeed @E. Sherwood

@Ryoko ~Cookie Ave. posted:

Thank you @Heather Bruce Sosa for reading what I wrote and thank you for saying above.  You made me think that "hard work pays off"  ←　I hope my English is right 😅

Perfect, like your flowers!!♥️

Hermoso y delicado !!! Me encanto ! 

Oh Ryoko, you do not believe how long I have been waiting for your contribution! And ... WOW !!!! It is amazing !!! Beyond stunning... Much, much nicer than what I expected! (and my expectations for your cookies are very high  !!) It's a absolutely masterwork!!
Ryoko, my dear cookie friend, your contribution is just a dream! The colors, the arrangement, the flowers themselves - all handmade and so realistic !!! I can’t get enough of it! Thank you so much for the detailed tutorial! The Cosmea is a hit !!! I would say... 1000%! ❤️
Wonder, wonder, wonderful dear Ryoko!!!! @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave.

OMG! This is spectacular! Love the unique flower combination. So adorable, realistic and delicate.💙💖💜

Dear Ryoko, @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave. This is the most wonderful hanging flower vase I have ever seen. Better than a real one.🥰

I was really really waiting to see your submissions. As you mentioned, I also don’t make flowers for my cookies. But You applied all of the techniques perfectly and the result is amazing.❤
And thank you so much for the wonderful, detailed tutorial.😘

@Yazz Ross posted:

Hermoso y delicado !!! Me encanto ! 

Muchas Gracias @Yazz Ross

@Icingsugarkeks posted:

Oh Ryoko, you do not believe how long I have been waiting for your contribution! And ... WOW !!!! It is amazing !!! Beyond stunning... Much, much nicer than what I expected! (and my expectations for your cookies are very high  !!) It's a absolutely masterwork!!
Ryoko, my dear cookie friend, your contribution is just a dream! The colors, the arrangement, the flowers themselves - all handmade and so realistic !!! I can’t get enough of it! Thank you so much for the detailed tutorial! The Cosmea is a hit !!! I would say... 1000%! ❤️
Wonder, wonder, wonderful dear Ryoko!!!! @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave.

Hi Gabi @Icingsugarkeks oh my dear, thank you thank you so much

My knowledge of my flowers is very limited and I really did detour because I misunderstood what we were supposed to make.... lots of excuses.... simply I did't know what I want to make and how.   What a relief!  I could post something. 

Thank you again, Gabi. 

@Kanch J posted:

OMG! This is spectacular! Love the unique flower combination. So adorable, realistic and delicate.💙💖💜

Dear Ryoko, @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave. This is the most wonderful hanging flower vase I have ever seen. Better than a real one.🥰

I was really really waiting to see your submissions. As you mentioned, I also don’t make flowers for my cookies. But You applied all of the techniques perfectly and the result is amazing.❤
And thank you so much for the wonderful, detailed tutorial.😘

 

Hi Kanchana @Kanch J 

Thank you so much.   Oh my dear, this one was another difficult one.  I went to florists but they didn't have what I wanted to make, sunflowers all over outside..... but they don't fit into my white vase.... 

It was soooo hard to cut thing into perfect 5 pcs.  pentagon and 5 petals are nightmare.  

I am glad that it's done.  🤣

Such a delicate beauty - and you nailed that white cosmos. So realistic! Bravo! I'm also elated to see you making such great use of Arati's gumpaste - a past Practice Bakes Perfect Challenge prize, if I am not mistaken?!

@Julia M. Usher posted:

Such a delicate beauty - and you nailed that white cosmos. So realistic! Bravo! I'm also elated to see you making such great use of Arati's gumpaste - a past Practice Bakes Perfect Challenge prize, if I am not mistaken?!

Thank you, Julia   Arati's gumpaste is the best thing I got.  It is sooo easy to handle and I could make very thin leaves with that prize💕  Regarding flowers, I need to practice more to make thinner petals.  

I have learned some more names of flowers, too thanks to this challenge😁

Gorgeous work!!!Tanks for many photos how you did your project❤️❤️❤️

I always look forward your comments that accompany your entries. The are interesting and informative, and bring a smile to my face.  Your floral entry is equally wonderful. The colors are beautiful and the lace compliments the flowers perfectly.

@Petra Florean posted:

Gorgeous work!!!Tanks for many photos how you did your project❤️❤️❤️

Thank you, @Petra Florean for leaving a comment and reading what I wrote❣️

@Sweet Prodigy posted:

I always look forward your comments that accompany your entries. The are interesting and informative, and bring a smile to my face.  Your floral entry is equally wonderful. The colors are beautiful and the lace compliments the flowers perfectly.

Christine @Sweet Prodigy initially I planned to make something that's far from what I was supposed to and sticked to the idea nearly one month.  After I saw some entries I realized, "I am wrong" then 3 kinds of flowers....   Detour😱  I saw my photos through, went florists, book store to learn about the details of flowers....  I made my white vase first, that's I really like and I had to make flowers to fit in it....  hustle and bustle😅  I see many flowers have 5 petals.  I started thinking if I make 5 petal of this flower and different kind of 5-petal flower, is it counted??   if I make flowers by different way, it might be counted...

I was haunted!  😂

Absolutely stunning dear Ryoko @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave.!! Every single aspect of your design is done to perfection. The flowers are gorgeous and look so real. I absolutely love the white flower . I read your description and saw the extra pictures you posted...you amaze me with your attention to detail and your fearlessness in trying new techniques!! I always look forward to seeing new posts from you because I KNOW that whatever you've created will be well thought out and beautifully executed. And I absolutely LOVE the fact that you always explain the process in great detail. What worked, what didn't and just how you created your masterpiece ❤️❤️❤️. Be safe and well my friend. Hugs...

Beautiful 

@Cookies Fantastique posted:

Absolutely stunning dear Ryoko @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave.!! Every single aspect of your design is done to perfection. The flowers are gorgeous and look so real. I absolutely love the white flower . I read your description and saw the extra pictures you posted...you amaze me with your attention to detail and your fearlessness in trying new techniques!! I always look forward to seeing new posts from you because I KNOW that whatever you've created will be well thought out and beautifully executed. And I absolutely LOVE the fact that you always explain the process in great detail. What worked, what didn't and just how you created your masterpiece ❤️❤️❤️. Be safe and well my friend. Hugs...

Thank you Carol @Cookies Fantastique  ❣️

That white one!  When I saw the real one, that really amazed me.  Nature shows me far beyond my limited imagination often, you know, the combination of colors, shape, size....  but I cannot live in nature like Tarzan😅 I rather prefer shopping mall....

@Tina at Sugar Wishes posted:

Beautiful 

Thank you, Tina 💕

beautiful cookie

@PUDING FARM posted:

beautiful cookie

Thank you  @PUDING FARM 

Wow! What a variety! I am so bad at flower names as well and I was wondering about the white flower as I have never seen one in person and then after reading your comment and seeing the picture.... well you nailed it! It is always so entertaining reading through your comments. The vase looks real!

@Manu biscotti decorati posted:

Wow! What a variety! I am so bad at flower names as well and I was wondering about the white flower as I have never seen one in person and then after reading your comment and seeing the picture.... well you nailed it! It is always so entertaining reading through your comments. The vase looks real!

@Manu biscotti decorati   🤣🤣  Good to have friends to laugh together ❣️ We had many blueberries at our balcony this year, too.   And of course, I ate them all.   They were sweet.   I can imagine how blueberry looks but not the flower of it.    

Good thing is that I also attached the photo of real white flower (cosmos) otherwise who is going to believe this flower with corn shape petals??  Now I start wondering some other flowers can be seen only in Japan and people cannot tell whether they look real or not.   OMG bad choices....  I made...  

Pretty flowers perfectly arranged