Rose Designs for Tea Parties

Butter Roses (shown right) At my last tea party I made butter roses by filling plastic rose molds with softened butter. Freeze them, then pop them out before party time.

Another idea is to use plastic molds for sugar shapes :
Add 2 teaspoons of water to 1 cup of sugar, and combine until it's the consistency of wet sand. Pack moistened sugar into plastic mold trays (with shapes 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide), available at kitchen-supply stores. Scrape level with a spatula, then immediately turn out molded shapes onto a parchment-lined tray. Let harden overnight. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to a month. (Food coloring may also be added to the water.)
My daughter sent me this sugar idea from Martha Stewart.