On day 28 I finished the tragacanth sugar piece. The components I had cut a week earlier were now fully dried and firm, ready to be sanded and assembled. The next step was to glue the parts together with royal icing and, since I had left all the pieces white, to paint them in colour.
I created a stack of gift boxes in three different sizes and arranged them one on top of the other. Assembly required patience: each section needed support while the royal icing set and hardened, so I had to position pieces carefully and allow time for the joints to become strong before adding the next layer. After the structure was secure and completely dry, I painted the boxes in various colours to bring them to life.
Working with tragacanth and royal icing was rewarding. The sanding, precise placement and waiting for the icing to set felt a bit challenging at times, but the process was enjoyable and the final result made me very pleased.