What did you think of the zils? That was a new technique for me- to get the shiney. Expensive, though. I went through about 4 canisters of material to do it. It's like this powdery shiney stuff. If you mix it with vodka, it becomes paintable. Then you paint it on one little stroke at a time.

Cool technique, if time consuming.

You think this Tribe is quiet? I started a Candymaking Enthusiasts Tribe, and it is as silent as the grave, with a whopping 4 members.

I guess Candymaking is becoming a lost art.

It was a buttercream frosting. That's pretty much the only thing I know- I mean, I can modify it to be vegan or flavored or whatever, but that's the medium I'm most comfortable with. I let it sit overnight and when it hardened a little, it was paintable. I haven't taken classes since the first ones- in highschool.

I made an awesome mocha frosting for the violin. It was basic buttercream, with all the flavoring left out and using 1/3 cocoa powder to 2/3 powdered sugar and 2-3 T (?) instant coffee crystals per pound of butter. Very tasty.

I'd like to learn how to work with fondant, and how to make little figures. Mostly, it's been trial and error on my part, seeing what works and what doesn't.

I just graduated from my doctoral work- and being a doctoral student doesn't leave much time OR money for classes. So now it's a whole new world. :)