Gingerbread display

When it comes to Nationals, you can start with a non-edible base like wood.  But everything that is applied to the base and above...has to be edible.  We knew going into this piece that we wanted our display to look like an old carved cupcake stand.

We started with a round piece of scrap wood measured out to 22 inches in diameter.  Rules state that you can not exceed 24 inches so we wanted to be cautious with any border we added.  

I started rolling out Grier's construction grade gingerbread to cover the top.  I used a metal ruler to make deep notches and then took clay tools and knives to make smaller scratches in between the grooves.  I allowed the gingerbread to air dry for a good 2 weeks and then you can sand to smooth out any uneven sections that may have popped up drying. 

I wrapped the edges in long strips of the same gingerbread dough.  Allowed it to air dry and patched any seams with gingerclay.  The next step was to add our entry number with edible tylose glue and figure out what border we wanted.  

We tried a few different silicon molds but decided to double up on the twisted border we loved. I combined gingerclay and white fondant to create the pieces around the edges.  Straight gingerclay didn't bend as well as needed in long strips.  The addition of fondant helped provide a little more elasticity so there was no breakage in bending the pieces. 

All the molded pieces were attached using tylose glue which dries in a few hours.  The gingerbread/ fondant-clay mix itself will take a few weeks to air dry.  I did take the opportunity, once the molding was dry, was to repair any patches or holes.  I did this by taking a small amount of fondant-clay mix and adding hot water.  It helps to create a "gunge".  It dries quickly and remains the color of the fondant used. 

Once the entire piece is dry, you can paint.  I used petal dust, cocoa powder, and vodka to create different "stains".