I thought I’d take a moment today to share some of my favorite Sugar Flower supplies. There are SO MANY options out there now so I’m only recommending the tools I actually use (and I’m really picky). Heads up, most of these are affiliate links to Amazon.
So these are the things that make my life as a sugar flower artist (and occasional cake decorator) easier, and hopefully, they can help you out too!
Quick note → Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. That means I get a small commission if you purchase through this link. However, I make it a point to only share tools and resources I truly love and use.
The BEST ball tools
I’ve never had these rust or get ragged on me, they’re just as smooth and perfect as when I bought them years ago. The wooden handle and chrome plated ball tools were hard to track down but I finally found them at the World of Sugar Art, and they have a ton of veiners & cutters I use as well. Definitely a good website to bookmark for your Sugar Flower supplies!
PME glaze spray
I use this spray to set the gold highlighter so it doesn’t make a mess everywhere when it dries, and to make my leaves look glossy and real. I recommend spraying outside though, this stuff can get everywhere! And it’s very sticky, too. When I forget to wear gloves it’s a pain to clean off.
Stainless Steel Rose Petal Cutters
I’m pretty picky when it comes to cutters as well, I want something metal but strong not flimsy (my husband has crushed some flimsy ones) and these rose petal cutters from Oasis do the trick. I’ve had them for years (from the beginning of this shop at least, 5ish years ago) and I finally had one break a couple months ago. I have a few backup sets just in case, that’s how much I love them.
Confectionery Glaze Thinner
This product is primarily used when you’ve got liquid confectionery glaze and you want to thin it out to make it less shiny (I usually do a 50/50 ratio) but I’ve recently started using it when painting some flowers, too, because it dries even quicker than the grain alcohol. You definitely don’t want to drink this stuff but it is food safe once it has dried. And then once the flowers have dried, I did them into the 50/50 glaze to set the color.
Shiny gold highlighter
This guy is super shiny, super gold, and definitely non-toxic. It’s not recommended for consumption but since I use it on sugar flowers (which should be removed prior to eating cake anyway) it’s the perfect color. you can dust it on dry, but I prefer to mix with alcohol to create a paint. I really like using the ones with super high ABV like grain alcohol because they dry a lot faster.
Silicone molds
These are some super high-quality molds! Don’t waste your time buying the cheap little pink silicone molds on Amazon, they’ll rip and tear faster than you can finish your cake. But this brand is amazing and they have some really creative options. I also love the pinecones, acorns, antlers, and filler flowers.
Acoustic foam
Y’all, this makes leaf making super-duper easy. The texture of the bumpy foam makes leaves look more life-like when you lay them on here to dry. I like to take a sheet of foil, crumple it up a little and smooth it over the top of the bumpy foam so there’s not TOO much texture, and then it’s like 2 tools in one!
Crochet hooks
I know what you’re thinking: did you get your arts and crafts mixed up? Nope! I love these tiny crochet hooks for curling over petals to make them look more life like. They’re super thin so you get a really nice delicate curl. And if you’re gonna buy crochet hooks, you’ve got to get Susan Bates. They. Are. The. Best. My grand-grandma used them decades ago and I inherited hers and they’re still amazing (I made baby Theo’s hat and booties with them, and his blanket, and his Easter hat, and I’m probably going to make him a winter hat for Christmas).
CAI Tylose Powder
If you’re going to make gumpaste from scratch (which you should! It’s easy!) you’ve got to use this brand of tylose powder. It’s super strong and flexible and makes working with the gumpaste a breeze. It’s the only brand I use in my sugar flowers. (And I use the gumpaste recipe from Nicholas Lodge as the basis of my recipe)
So these are some of my favorite go-to items when I’m creating new sugar flowers. I’d love to hear what some of your favorites are too! I’m always on the lookout for the best, most useful items to use. You wouldn’t believe how many peony veiners I’ve gone through, trying to find the one. I don’t think I’m quite there yet… But when I find it, you’ll be sure to know!
Quick reminder about the links: some of the links are affiliate links. I may make a small commission when you click on the links & buy something but it won’t cost you anything and I will only recommend products I love to use!
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