Decorating a cake

I don't think you can really. If you're using buttercream, you can scoop up the failed efforts (pipe them onto foil or baking parchment) and use the icing again if it doesn't dry out. Piping things like flowers does take practice. You might find you're good at it and not waste a lot of icing. I'm rubbish and stick to simple stuff ?!

That's very brae. I buy them from a cake decorating shop. Please show us the results!!

Use instant mash! This works really well.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201704/medium-153348-plungers.png https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201704/medium-302755-flowers.png https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201704/medium-141514-fondant-flowers.png

I use a cheat's foolproof way of making cake decorations, using plunger cutters and moulds. I bought a job lot on Ebay, not only flowers but all sorts of other shapes for any occasion. Good luck with your efforts.

Potatoes?????

Or buy fondant icing from Hobbycraft and
play with mould it like Playdoh. Rubbish ones can be squashed and re-moulded. Do them individually and add to cake. Less messy than icing straight on.

Sorry meant to add - google Making roses with fondant icing for a demo on YouTube.

shysal they're beautiful! I especially like the cup cakes.

Joy, just to make it clear, I got the photos from Google as examples, not my own work! The plunger fondant cutters are so simple anyone can do it though.

Ebay is such a great source of all things creative. Those cutters and moulds you bought Shysal are lovely. I'll be keeping my eye out for similar. At the moment I'm trawling for silicone stamps, decoupage, and a myriad of crafty stuff to begin (or should I say re-boot?) my inner craft person. I have found lots of craft markets in my new life in 'Village England'. When I was doing the circuit in the '70 Google( and home computers)were unheard of...now through the likes of Youtube we can get so much inspiration. The internet can be the 'devil in disguise', but where would we be without it ?

shysal I bet yours are even better!