Dilute a bit of blue or rose color paste with two or three drops of water or frosting, and gently fold it (do not beat it) into a small portion of ornamental frosting. In the same way color a small portion with leaf green, adding a tiny bit of blue if the color is not good. Color another portion with yellow. Make two stem tubes and one leaf tube of tough thin paper.

Put blue or pink frosting into a stem tube, and force five tiny spots in a circle on the object to be decorated. Put green frosting into the two remaining tubes, and with the stem tube make a stem to the flower, and with the leaf tube, two forget-me-not leaves. Put a bit of yellow in the center of the flower with the point of a toothpick. It is well to have a blossom or a picture as a guide in making the design.

Wild Roses

Color portions of ornamental frosting rose and green. Put rose colored frosting in a leaf tube, and make four or five broad petals radiating from a center. Make stem and leaves with green frosting, and put a bit of yellow frosting in the center of the flower. For a double rose make a smaller group of petals inside the first group.

Large roses may be fashioned two inches in diameter, dried slowly in a cool oven, and used for decorating a dish of candies.

Sweet Peas Color portions of ornamental frosting pink, red, lavender, and green, and put in leaf tubes.

Make one broad petal by forcing frosting through a leaf tube, then force two upright petals on center of first petal. The petals may be shaded by putting white frosting on each side of a tube and a colored frosting in the center, and forcing them out together. Add stem and leaves.

Violets

Color portions of ornamental frosting violet,green, and yellow. Make three broad violet or

white petals that meet in the center, put a bit of yellow where they join, and add stems and leaves.

Lilies of the Valley Color a portion of ornamental frosting green. Make with stem tubes a curved stem of green ornamental frosting, with five or six tiny blossoms of white frosting depending from it. Add one or two long narrow green leaves made with leaf tube.

Jonquils

With stem tubes make three tiny petals of yellow ornamental frosting, add a green stem, and two or three long slender leaves.

Decorated Peppermint Bars Make After Dinner Mints, page 123, shaping the candy, when pulled, in bars four inches long and one inch wide. Let stand in powdered sugar until sugary, then decorate with a spray of roses or sweet peas made of ornamental frosting.

Decorated Mints

Make Plain White Mints, page 79, one and one half inches in diameter, and decorate with a single violet, forget-me-not, tiny rose, or holly berries and leaves made of ornamental frosting.

Decorated Marshmallows Dip marshmallows in melted fondant, and decorate with tiny flowers made of ornamental frosting in different colors.

Edible Place Cards

Make Wintergreen Wafer mixture, page 163, roll thin, and cut in pieces two by three inches. Put ornamental frosting in stem tube, and write the name of each guest in the center of a card.

Use at a childcares party.

Marshmallow Baskets

Dip marshmallows in fondant, and when firm insert a piece of fine wire to make a handle. Fill stem tubes with ornamental frosting of different colors. Make a lattice work of frosting on the sides of the marshmallow, and cover the handle with frosting. Decorate with tiny stems and blossoms of contrasting colors, to make it look like a basket of flowers.

Orange Butter Frosting

1 cup butter

1 cup powdered sugar

4 tablespoons orange juice 1 teaspoon grated orange rind

Mix orange juice and rind, let stand half an hour, and strain through cheesecloth. Cream butter in a warm but not hot bowl. Add sugar gradually, and beat until light. Let orange juice get slightly warm, and add drop by drop to first mixture. This may be used for frosting candies or large or small cakes. Portions may be colored, and used through paper frosting bags for decorations. Keep in a cool place until needed.

Japanese Frosting

¼cup butter

Sifted confectioners' sugar

Whites 2 eggs Flavoring

Color paste

Cream butter, and add gradually half a cup of confectioners' sugar, beating constantly. Beat whites of eggs until stiff, and gradually beat in one cup of sugar. Combine mixtures, and add enough more sugar to make frosting stiff enough to hold its shape. Color and flavor as desired, and with paper tubes use to ornament candies or cakes. Keep in a cool place, that it may remain firm.

Christmas Tree Cake

Bake a cake two inches deep in a dripping pan. When cool, cut out in the shape of a Christmas tree on a standard.

Cover cake with Japanese Frosting, colored green, and flavored with orange flower water. Sprinkle with long shredded cocoanut colored green. Decorate the cake with tiny candies put on to imitate toys and candles. Place at the base toys fashioned from almond paste. Serve on a lace paper doily on a large plate or tray. Individual trees may be made if preferred.

Fondant or Almond Paste Flowers Color fondant or almond paste to match the flowers that are to be made, using enough confectioners' sugar to make the mixture stiff enough to hold its shape. Model each petal separately, and fasten directly to the soft frosting of a cake, or complete the flowers and buds before frosting the cake. They may be kept several days before being used. Tiny birthday candles may be set in the center of each bud and flower if desired.