Days Forty-Eight &amp; Forty-Nine

I spent Thursday and Friday making pulled sugar, and then using the sugar to make apples, pears, and birds.

Attempting to make apples, pears, and birds, I mean. All I was able to make were some balls. They would make lovely Christmas tree ornaments.

You take the sugar and wrap it around a copper tube, connected to a little pump, and then pump air into the sugar to create an object.

I did not make these birds; my friend Melina made them. I wanted to show you what I was supposed to make…. she did a good job! I’m sad I didn’t get to make a little goose of my own.

Eventually, I did make an ugly apple and pear.

We threw together our sugar showpieces on Friday, using cooked isomalt as the glue.

So we had a bunch of elements that we worked on all week, but they didn’t really go together at all.
We had: an “organic” sugar shape, the apples, pears, birds, roses, pastiallage sticks, microwaved pastillage and stones, the bases, and the dome.

Too many elements for such a small showpiece! I put the sculpture together the best that I could. I think it looks kind of cool. Kind of ugly, too.

Sugar showpiece week is over, and I’m kind of torn. This was the most difficult week for me so far; part of me is happy to move on, and the other part wants another week to continue working so that I can improve and get more comfortable with sugar work.

This was the first week of school that I didn’t do my best, and I hate myself for not trying harder and not asking more questions. I think my work schedule was the cause of that. I was absolutely exhausted last week. I’m not going to put myself through that again. I have to remember that school is my number one priority.

I did get the chance to rest up this weekend. I slept a lot, ate a lot of Mexican food (I had my first sopaipilla !), and baked brownies, muffins, and scones. I have some good recipes coming your way soon! Pumpkin season is back.