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?

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.