Bird house

You will need 

Rolling pin 

6 inch cake drum 

1kg sugar paste 

Fondant frill cutter 

Sugar pearls 

Heart cutter 

CMC/Tylo powder 

Progel food colours 

Royal icing ( stiff peak ) 

Parchment cone or piping bag 

Small hole icing tube nozzle ( optional ) 

Small paint brush

*bird house cutter

**owl cutter 

***paper template 

1: To begin add 2 tsp of cmc powder to all of the sugar paste and knead well. 

2: Colour enough sugar paste in your chosen colours for the walls approx 250gm and roll out to a thickness of 5 mm; cut out the front, back and sides of the house. Next using the frill cutter cut 2 lengths.  ( measure the length of the roof and cut the pieces to fit while they are still soft ) Cut the 2 roof pieces using a contrasting colour. Use the heart cutter to cut out a window. 

3: Once all the pieces are cut you will need to let them dry completely this will take anything from a few days to a week depending on humidity, lay the pieces on some parchment paper and keep in a card board box: turn the pieces over daily this will help them dry out evenly. 

( at the same time cover a 6 " cake board so it too as time to dry ) 

4: The pieces are cemented together with royal icing ( stiff peak ) a small hole nozzle can be used in the piping bag or just snip a tiny bit off the bottom of the bag.

5: Apply a line of RI to the bottom edge of the front piece and position on the board.  Next apply RI to one side of the side wall and along the bottom and position in place; you may need to prop the pieces up until dry ( food colouring tubes make good props.) when dry attach the second side wall and the back of the house and leave to dry. 

( clean any RI that as oozed out of the seams with a damp paint brush ) 

6: Once the 4 walls are completely set attach the roof using the RI.

7: When the roof is set add the roof gables and use sugar pearls to hide the seams. 

8: Cut and assemble the owl and leave to one side.  Make up some brown sugar paste and form tree branches use a Dresden tool to make lines to resemble bark. While still soft shape around the house with a little RI use props to keep the upright branch in place until dry. 

9: Cut out a variety of flowers and leaves and a small heart to decorate the house and branch and attach in place with RI. Position the owl on the branch and add some leaves around him for decoration and to help keep him secure. 

10: Make a lsmall simple snail from left over pieces of sugar paste.

* The bird house cutter is from Bein cutters

** The owl is also from Bein cutter

*** Alternatively there are plenty of free templates online of bird houses.  If using a paper template I recommend you use a pizza cutter or a sharp craft knife to get nice clean cuts this will help with the assembly of the pieces.