Nothing much has been happening this past few days. Just resting at home, trying to catch up on sleep and tv. Got a message from a friend requesting for gumpaste roses urgently. So I sat down in my kitchen and made these roses, while watching endless Malay, Indon and Spanish soap operas. (wish I have Astro in my kitchen !) Anyway, here are the roses :

And the colour & petal dust used.

The colour is about RM20 plus which I bought from Pastrypro, Kepong (Chefmaster, “Red-red” Aqua gel colour). I got the petal dust online from Sugarflaire.

Before I sign off, here’s a lovely poem on Roses. (very unlike me, to have poem in my blog..well, there’s always a first time.)

Valentine’s Roses Author Unknown

• Red roses were her favorites, her name was also Rose.

  And every year her husband sent them, tied with pretty bows.

  The year he died, the roses were delivered to her door.

  The card said, “Be my Valentine,” like all the years before.

• Each year he sent her roses, and the note would always say,
  “I love you even more this year, than last year on this day.”
  “My love for you will always grow, with every passing year.”
  She knew this was the last time that the roses would appear.

• She thought, “He’d ordered roses in advance before this day.”
  Her loving husband did not know, that he would pass away.
  He always liked to do things early, way before the time.
  Then, if he got too busy, everything would work out fine.

• She trimmed the stems, and placed them in a very special vase.
  Then sat the vase beside the portrait of his smiling face.
  She would sit for hours, in her husband’s favorite chair.
  While staring at his picture, and the roses sitting there.

• A year went by, and it was hard to live without her mate.
  With loneliness and solitude, that had become her fate.
  Then, the very hour, as on Valentines before,
  The doorbell rang, and there were roses, sitting by her door.

• She brought the roses in, and then just looked at them in shock.
  Then, went to get the telephone, to call the florist shop.
  The owner answered, and she asked him, if he would explain,
  Why would someone do this to her, causing her such pain?

• “I know your husband passed away, more than a year ago,”
  The owner said, “I knew you’d call, and you would want to know.
  The flowers you received today, were paid for in advance.
  Your husband always planned ahead, he left nothing to chance.”

• “There is a standing order, that I have on file down here,
  And he has paid, well in advance, you’ll get them every year.
  There also is another thing, that I think you should know,
  He wrote a special little card…he did this years ago.”

• “Then, should ever, I find out that he’s no longer here,
  That’s the card…that should be sent, to you the following year.”
  She thanked him and hung up the phone, her tears now flowing hard.
  Her fingers shaking, as she slowly reached to get the card.

• Inside the card, she saw that he had written her a note.
  Then, as she stared in total silence, this is what he wrote…
  “Hello my love, I know it’s been a year since I’ve been gone,
  I hope it hasn’t been too hard for you to overcome.”

• “I know it must be lonely, and the pain is very real.
  For if it was the other way, I know how I would feel.
  The love we shared made everything so beautiful in life.
  I loved you more than words can say, you were the perfect wife.”

• “You were my friend and lover, you fulfilled my every need.
  I know it’s only been a year, but please try not to grieve.
  I want you to be happy, even when you shed your tears.
  That is why the roses will be sent to you for years.”

• “When you get these roses, think of all the happiness,
  That we had together, and how both of us were blessed.
  I have always loved you and I know I always will.
  But, my love, you must go on, you have some living still.”

• “Please…try to find happiness, while living out your days.
  I know it is not easy, but I hope you find some ways.
  The roses will come every year, and they will only stop,
  When your door’s not answered, when the florist stops to knock.”

• “He will come five times that day, in case you have gone out.
  But after his last visit, he will know without a doubt,
  To take the roses to the place, where I’ve instructed him,
  And place the roses where we are, together once again.”

From p_jp55′s photostream at Flickr

I’m not good at remembering flower names. I like gardening but to identify the flowers, let alone to remember the scientific name is like going through the agony of taking my Biology exam all over again. This flower I’m making, it’s called Gerbera (that’s what the PME magazine says). It got me confused with sunflowers . Well, they look the same to me. Only thing the sunflower’s center is bigger. Thankfully, you could use this technique I’m going to show you to make both gerbera and sunflowers.

The cutter I’m using is from PME. Other items needed would be a wire, semolina flour, egg white, modelling tools, foam, black powdered colour, round cutter and a calyx cutter.

First, colour a small round piece of gumpaste brown. Mould it into a cone shape to fit the middle of the cutter. Take a hooked wire, dip it into egg white and insert into the cone.

Prepare to make the gerbera’s center. Colour the semolina flour with some black powdered colour.

Dip the cone into egg white and smother it with the darkened semolina.

Colour the gumpaste. Cut out a few round shapes.

Frill the edges with the modelling tool. Smooth the edges outwards to thin it. Use lots of cornflour to avoid the gumpaste sticking and for easier frilling.

Make at least two. Then, brush the surface with egg white.

Slide it up to stick to the bottom of the cone.

The gerbera’s center will look like this :

Now prepare the petals. Push in with the modelling tools to get the vein impression.

Thin the petals edges and then press the middle so it would curve up. You will need two layers of petal to make one gerbera flower.

Brush with egg white and slide up the wire.

Then prepare the calyx.

Secure with a small round piece of green paste.

The flower is ready !

Looking back at this gerbera, I think it would look better if the center is slightly smaller, don’t you think ? Maybe I’ll try that next time…

Anyway, to make a sunflower, just omit the frills and make the cone bigger. Have a real-life flower picture next to you for easy reference.

Till the next post, Happy Ramadhan (fasting month) to all my Muslim friends and visitors, all over the world. Thanks Sri for this lovely card, which simply translate – ” keep smiling, keep shining, during Ramadhan” .

And thanks to Yozora for this award :

Really appreciate it. Take care, all.