The Perfect Cut

In the DVD "Creative Designs: Silhouette" that comes with the Silhouette Cake machine, I show how to make the perfect gum paste, roll it out, store it and then get a very nice cut. Some people still have a difficult time getting a clean, smooth cut. Also, getting a soft, fresh gum paste to cut cleanly. Here are a few more tips to help cut your designs successfully.

First of all, the knife you use only needs to extend out the end of the  blade housing unit the depth of the gum paste. The replacement blades that fit the Silhouette housing unit are the Cricut Cake Blades or the deep cut blade. Notice that the Cricut Cake blade is slightly longer then the deep cut blade. If you need more of the knife blade to stick out then try the Cricut Cake blade.

The blade only needs to extend out of the housing the depth of the gum paste. This is true for any brand of cutter you use. You want to just cut the gum paste, not make deep cuts into the mat. This comes with some practice. Work with some gum paste rolled out the depth you would normally use and try different depth settings on the blade housing. You may also need to adjust the pressure setting. This can be a little tricky with the Silhouette. It was made to cut paper, not gum paste, so use some common sense for the settings. In the controller window I usually select a thick medium, such as card stock. I also usually select a heavy pressure. Again, getting the correct setting takes a few practice cuts. Once you feel you have the correct setting, make a note of it for future projects.

This blade holder is set to cut a frosting sheet. The knife is barely sticking out of the end of the housing.

This blade holder is set to cut a thicker piece of gum paste. You can see the knife sticking out of the end of the housing. Again, the depth of the knife would be adjusted to the depth of the gum paste. This knife is the Cricut Cake knife, and because it is slightly longer, it can extend a bit farther. Notice that this blade holder has a second O ring. I found that I needed to raise the blade holder up a bit in the machine when using the Cricut Cake knife.

Traditionally I roll my gum paste to a #7 or 8 with my Kitchen Aid pasta roller. I apply shortening to my mat and then put my gum paste on the mat. I use a paper towel to wipe away any excess shortening, smooth out any air pockets on the gum paste and polish the top of the gum paste. I don't want to rub the gum past so hard that it tears, but with enough pressure to help it stick to the mat. If you find that your gum paste is sliding around on the mat when you are cutting out designs you may want to try adding some "tooth" or scratch marks to the mat. Gum paste tends to slide around on a smooth mat. An older, well used mat works the best because of all the cut marks in it. These cut marks give the gum paste something to grab onto. You can achieve the same results with a new mat by scratching the surface with some 80 grit sandpaper. By lightly scratching the surface of the cutting mat you are taking away the smooth surface and the gum paste has something to hold onto and not move around.

If you are still having a difficult time getting the perfect cut, then you may want to try the paper method. I attach my gum paste or frosting sheet to card stock paper of the print and cut method. I get great results with my cut images and it just seemed logical that I would get the same great results cutting gum paste designs with the gum paste attached to paper.

First, the paper must be a heavy weight paper, such as card stock. I also use legal size manila folders and cut them to fit my machine. This is an area that as a cake decorator we use common sense. The majority of our food comes to use in some kind of paper container. Be sure you use clean paper, especially paper that does not have writing on it.

The gum paste is attached to the paper the same way you would apply it to your cutting mat. You need to apply the shortening to the paper in the area the gum paste will be put. Another method is to apply the shortening to the backside of the gum paste. I like this method because I am know that I am covering all of the gum paste surface.

I treat frosting sheets and gum paste the same way. The only difference is the depth of the blade. The knife only needs to stick out far enough to cut through the gum paste or frosting sheet. With this technique the goal is to cut my design but not cut through the paper. Practice to get the blade depth setting that gives you the correct cut.

Here are 2 frosting sheets that have a design printed on them. Use a printer with edible coloring. I have found that the Canon printer works the best with my method. When you apply a frosting sheet or gum paste to a piece of paper and try to run it through an Epson printer, the Epson sees it as a paper jam. My larger Epson photo printer works, but the smaller Epson does not. You can print just a frosting sheet, but not a frosting sheet attached to a piece of card stock.

The supplies you need are 1) soft bristle brush, 2 )shortening, 3) card stock or heavy paper, and a soft paper towel to smooth and attach the gum paste or frosting sheet.

The frosting sheet or gum paste attached to the paper.

The paper is placed under the rollers.

When you apply the gum paste or frosting sheet to the card stock, make sure it will clear the rollers.

Cut out the design and remove the excess gum paste. You can save the design on the card stock until you need to put it on the cake. I will cut out all my designs leaving them on the card stock, stack them on top of each other and store them in the freezer. When I need them, I take them out of the freezer and in a few minutes they are ready to apply to a cake. My gum paste recipe is very firm, so the designs are easy to handle. I have found with this technique I can use a softer gum paste and get the same great results.

A frosting sheet that has a design printed onto it. I treat the frosting sheets the same way I treat a piece of gum paste. When the design is cut out, I store it on the card stock until I need to use it.

Using the paper method has several advantages. First, you will get very clean cuts. You will be able to cut very intricate designs. You can store your designs on the card stock. This is handy because you do not need to remove the designs from a cutting mat and put them on another mat. Because you are using the paper as your carrier sheet, you do not need to worry with cutting mats.

If you are using a Cricut Create, trim the paper to the same width of the cutting mat. Be sure that the gum paste is applied to the mat so the rollers will not roll over the gum paste. If you are using a bigger Cricut machine, you can tape the paper with the gum paste attached to a carrier mat. Make practice cuts to get the best results. In my class the students use the Cricut create machine. I have found that if the pressure is set on medium and the blade housing is set on 4 we get the best results. The same applies to the other Cricut machines.

If you are using the Silhouette Cake machine and the Make the Cut program a few settings in the print preference window need to be changed.

In the Specify user Size window, select the length at 10.75 and do not check the carrier sheet. Whatever paper size you use, make sure you select a size just a bit shorter then the actual size of the paper. The paper is acting as your carrier sheet.

Practice with this technique. Your goal is to set the knife depth to just cut through the gum paste and not the paper. You will be able to cut very intricate designs in any size with this technique.

Silhouette Earns Top Honors

The Silhouette Cake machine has earned top honors for electronic cutters used in cake decorating. The machine was awarded a first place ribbon, trophy and gold medal. In a competition with the other electronic cutting machine, the Silhouette Cake machine consistently placed first in every category.


Size: The Silhouette is light weight and takes up very little work space, the competitor is big and bulky.

Ease of use: The Silhouette only has 3 buttons, the competitor has several and can be very confusing trying to figure out what each one does.

Cost effective: The Silhouette was the favorite in this category. The only thing required for designs is a computer. The competitor requires costly cartridges with most of the designs not what the cake decorator needed.

Print and Cut feature: The Silhouette was alone in this category. In fact, this is the category that put the Silhouette ahead of the competitor. The print and cut feature allows the decorator to print any design on to gum paste or a frosting sheet and the Silhouette will cut the design outline.

Customer service: The Silhouette service is outstanding, from the the company that sell the Silhouette Cake

to the Silhouette corporate headquarters.

Jessica said "I love my Silhouette. It cuts great and I can make amazing cakes using the print and cut feature."

Jeni said "I love not having to spend all my money on expensive cartridges. I use my Silhouette for cake decorating and scrap booking."

There you have it. An award winning machine with all the features to help you make amazing cakes.

Linda McClure, the inventor of the cricut cake machine and developer of the Silhouette Cake machine said, "I am so happy for the Silhouette Cake machine. This award means so much to me. Our goal is to share this great technique with the cake decorating world. The Silhouette Cake machine will change the way we decorate cakes in the future."

Changes with the Make the Cut program

If you have taken a class with me you know that I use the Make the Cut program. I have used another program, but I decided to go with Make the Cut. It works great with all the electronic cutters. I teach you how to create your own designs for your cakes using Make the Cut. This is great because you never need to buy cartridges for designs. You create your own unique designs for each cake you make.
Recently, the Make the Program was updated. It is still very easy to use, but a few of the icons were moved. I am putting a link to a page to show the old program and the changes.
http://creativedesignsclasses.com/photo.html

Teaching a class for Spanish speaking ladies

One of the best experiences I had was the opportunity to teach a class for a group of Spanish speaking ladies. I do not speak Spanish so this was going to be a challenge. Maria Kovacs was the transulator and she did a fantastic job. A couple of times she would start speaking English to the group and turn to me and speak Spanish!

The ninas ( that is girl in Spanish) did very well and we were able to cover a lot of information. They were very motivated to learn this new method and are excited to be some of the first people to be using it in their Latin American countries.

ICES 2010 Convention

Linda, Dee, Suzie and Jeff st the ICES banquet

I know that the serious cake people know what ICES is. It is an international organization for professional and non-professional cake decorators and lovers of all things cake. I have been a member for many years and actually got my start in cake decorating because of ICES. Jeff and I were able to go to San Diego, Ca. this year for the convention. We had a vendor's booth and I did a demo.

The area where all the vendors were was great. Everything you would want as a cake decorator was there. Not only were the products we love and use all the time present, but there were some great new products on display. I have met several of the vendors at previous cake shows so it was great to see these friends again. I wish them all great success with their businesses.

One of my more interesting experiences was the demo I gave. I was told that I could not say the word Cricut. This was going to be a challenge because I invented my method using a Cricut. It seems the cricut folks were unhappy with the competition.

Speaking of Cricut's competition, we had a great time telling people about the Silhouette. This machine can do things the Cricut will never be able to do. I only had an hour for my demo, but I was able to show some of the great things you can do with it. The print and cut feature of the Silhouette is great.

Several of the Louisiana ICES members were able to attend the convention. There was a lovely banquet Saturday evening. I was amazed at how well the waiters were able to get food to almost 2000 people! It was a fun evening and we enjoyed the company of the people who sat at our table.

One Year Anniversary!

The July ICES meeting was the one year anniversary of the first public demonstration of the Cricut Expression cutting gum paste. I first presented this new technique to the Louisiana ICES in July 2009. Everyone was amazed and excited with the new cake decorating possibilities. We had just started selling the first Creative Designs DVD and at the time had no idea that this technique would soon go global.

In the October 2009 issue of the ICES magazine the first printed article was published about the Cricut. At the end of October the first demonstration of using the Cricut for cake decorating was presented to Provo Craft. The people attending were amazed at what I was able to do with sugar and a Cricut.

At this years July ICES meeting I was able to give a Cricut Cake machine to Ms Lillie. Tickets were passed out and she had the winning number. Congratulations Ms Lillie, I hope you enjoy your new toy!

OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW!!!

Considering all that I have been through with Provo Craft, I still tell people that the Cricut is a great machine. Any one of the Cricuts will do a great job cutting gum paste if you use my method. I use the Cricut Create in the classes I teach, but any electronic cutter with a mat and blade will work.

What is new? By chance I discovered one of the other electronic cutters. Last year someone emailed me and asked if the Silhouette would work. I told them I thought so, but decided to try it for myself. I ordered one from ebay and was able to cut some designs using the Make the Cut program. I emailed the person and told her that yes, the Silhouette would work. I put the Silhouette aside and continued to use my Cricut and also the Gazelle.

In the meantime, I had discovered how to use my printer to print on gum paste. I was able to print gum paste sheets just like I would a frosting sheet. Now I can cut out designs with printed images. I began watching youtube videos to learn more about the different electronic cutting machines and found a video about the print and cut feature of the Silhouette. This sparked my interest, so I got the Silhouette and began experimenting. It didn't take long to figure out how to cut out gum paste images with the Silhouette. This was great! I could scan any image, print it on gum paste and the Silhouette would cut it out.

I now had a new respect for the Silhouette. I also discovered that it did a great job cutting out my regular decorations. I was delighted to find that I had a machine that performed as well or even better then the Cricut and it was able to do something that the Cricut cannot do. I knew the print and cut feature would be something that cake decorators would love.

I worked with the Silhouette, found a cutting blade that worked great and decided to contact the Silhouette people to show them what I was doing with their machine. I was careful to not let what happened with Provo Craft happen again. I am protected legally because this method is patent pending. I met with the folks from Silhouette and they were interested in what I was doing. Silhouette is a great company and I hope we will be able to work together to come out with great new products that cake decorators really want and will use.

At the July ICES meeting we also had a drawing for a Silhouette. The winning ticket belonged to Ms Geneva. Congratulations! I hope you love using the Silhouette as much as I do.

In the mean time, I have a blade, an instructional DVD and can sell the machines. Jeff will be putting this on http://www.creativedesignscakes.com/ web site.

So, Out with the old Cricut and in with the new Silhouette!!

MEET ETHAN

Quite a few people have asked me how I came up with the idea to use an electronic cutter to cut decorations for cake. This is where Ethan comes in. Almost 2 years ago, Jessie, my oldest daughter was expecting her third child. I had been with her with the first two, so I planned on being with her for number three. Her husband had been transferred to Omaha with his job, so Jeff and I had to make a two day trip from Louisiana to be with her when the baby arrived.

When we stopped the first night Jeff took Molly, our yellow lab puppy, out for a little walk. I turned on the TV to see if there was anything interesting to watch. The TV turned on to a station that was playing an infomercial. I had no interest in what was being advertised so I started to change the channel. I couldn't get the remote to change the channel, but while I was punching the different buttons, I started watching the show that was on. The ladies were cutting out some paper decorations with a machine called a Cricut. I knew Jessie had one of those machines and creates beautiful scrapbook albums. When the design was finished cutting, the lady removed it from the mat and showed a beautiful scroll design. As a cake decorator, my first thought was "Wouldn't that be beautiful on a wedding cake?" Now my full attention was on the TV show. I tried to see how the machine was cutting out the paper and wondered if it could cut gum paste.

The next morning I called Jessie and asked her if she thought her Cricut would cut gum paste. She said she did not think it would. I told her that I wanted to try with her small Cricut and if I ruined her machine I would buy her the new Expression. She readily agreed, thinking she was going to get a new machine out of the deal.

When we arrived at her house I gave her a hug, patted her belly and told Ethan we would see him in a few days and then asked her where her Cricut was. She had some powdered gum paste mix, so we made it and then began our first trial cut. It wasn't very successful, but I saw the potential. With a little bit more trial and error I got some letters to cut out and they looked pretty good.

Ethan was born and we spent Thanksgiving with Jessie and her family. I bought an Expression at Wal Mart for $188.00 and a couple of cartridges that looked like they had designs I could use on cakes. I had several wedding cakes coming up so I was able to really put this new technique to the test. The cakes I made were beautiful and I knew this was going to change the way cakes would be decorated in the future.

So if it were not for traveling to welcome Ethan into the world, I would not have seen the infomercial that sparked my interest in the Cricut. Thank you Ethan.