Sugar paste decorating experts. Advice needed please!!

[trixymalixy]

DDs birthday is in August and I want to make her a birthday cake along these lines, although probably just with the top decorated as that is a bit ambitious when I have never done sugar paste flowers before!!

I have bought some cutters, my questions are, how far in advance can I make the sugar paste flowers, how do I store them ( I believe air tight containers are bad) and do you have any recommendations for what sugar paste to buy?

[Thinking11]

If you want them to dry really hard then florest paste is best but its a little harder to work with and doesn't taste too fantastic. For that cake for a child I would use coloured fondant icing. I have a foam drying tray for flowers to give them the 3D effect and for butterflies I cover bent card with clingfilm or use laminated card which has been folded which you put the butterflies on to dry so that they dry bent.

I wouldn't think twice about making a week in advance and leaving in a cool dry place.