"Tea Roses for Mother"

                               Gum Drop Roses

     There is no more delightful way to celebrate Mother’s Day than by hosting a lovely Afternoon Tea. There is a unique table decoration that is so easy to make, your children will want to get in on the fun as well. Sugared Gum Drop Roses are pretty to look at and tasty to eat, and they will make a charming place setting decoration or centerpiece (on a larger scale) for your Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea table.

       
To make these edible blossoms, you will need the following:
                    - Cutting board
                    - Rolling pin
                    - Gum drops
                    - Granulated sugar
                    - Toothpicks
                    - Tea cup and saucer
                    - Small block of styrofoam
                    - Florists sticky clay


  
       

    Begin by preparing the cutting board with sugar sprinkled over it to cover the work surface. You will need 4 gum drops of the same color per flower and one green gum drop per blossom for leaves. 
    The gum drops need to be rolled into ovals. Start by pressing the rolling pin down on top of a gum drop to flatten it, then roll it slightly to begin the oval shape. Peel the gum drop off of the rolling pin and rub it on the granulated sugar. This will cover the sticky area that is exposed during the rolling process. 
    Roll the gum drop again to create a larger oval. Peel it off of the rolling pin again and rub it in the granulated sugar to cover. The gum drops will be very sticky to work with, and they will leave your rolling pin sticky as well. Roll the rolling pin in the sugar as you work to cover the sticky areas. If you work slowly, they will turn out fine.

  
  Now you can start to form the roses. Starting at the short end of one of the ovals, roll up the flattened gum drop lengthwise as tightly as you can to form the center of the flower.

    Then, working with the same color ovals, wrap them one at a time lengthwise around the center spiral and squeeze together at the base. These will form the petals. You should have three petals per flower.

 
   When your flowers are formed, cut the green gum drop ovals in half at an angle across their width. 
    Wrap two of the green "leaves" around each of the flowers, wrapping the rounded side at the bottom of the flower, leaving the pointed end facing up.

                   
 

    To create a Sugared Gum Drop Rose bouquet for your Afternoon Tea table, adhere a small block of styrofoam to the bottom of a teacup using a small piece of florist’s sticky clay. 
    Insert toothpicks into the styrofoam to mount the Gum Drop Roses. Space them far enough apart to accommodate the size of the sugared flowers. 
    Press the base of the flowers with their leaves onto the toothpicks, and you are finished!

    Your bouquet of Sugared Gum Drop Roses are a treat for the eyes and the palate. Any lady would be delighted to sit down to Afternoon Tea and be greeted with these smiling blossoms of sweetness!

Photos:  Copyright 2007-2008  Lighthouse Literary, Inc.


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