Throw away those spatulas girls, I have discovered the perfect smoothing tool.............


And it was right there in the tool section at the hardware store.

A 6" putty knife !!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't remember where I read about it (it may have been here) but someone suggested getting a large putty knife to use as a smoothing tool, it works better because the edge is sharper than a spatula.

So I tried it.......and I had a 14', a 12', a 10' and a 6' all smooth a perfect in less than an hour this morning!!!!!!!!!!

I'm amazed at how much time it saved me.

You've got to try it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got mine several months ago. Love it.

LOL, welcome to the wonderful world of using other tools for cake decorating.

I was SO mad when I walked into the kitchen one day to find my husband patching a hole in the celing with mine. I had a white plastic 6 inch one and I LOVED it. Well he bought me a brand new one that was metal and everything. LOL. It really is the BEST tool for straight edge top's with no borders.

Home depot is a cake tool store for me.. Hubby goes in one direction, I head to the paint section.

I was in the scrapbooking store yesterday and saw a plastic template and thought, "I could use that on a cake. Cool!" Everything can be used for cake...as long as it's food safe, of course.

I've been using a spatula for about 2 years now. I used to teach cake decorating and would tell my students that it was a great tool to use. You could use just about anything (with a great imagination) around the house or other places for use in cake decorating. I am at ICES convention and noticed a few demonstrators using PVC tubes to roll out fondant, because its lighter than a regular rolling pin. I'm going to have to try that one.

you can also use the molds in the clay section of the art stores for fondant use as long as you don't use them for clay again.

i absolutely LOVE those clear acrilic stamps for "scrapbooking"-you can get some really great designs-i even saw some at walmart by MARTHA STEWARD!! can you believe that?!!? some really nice scrollwork that would look great on fondant!! think multi-purpose...of course, don't use it for scrapbooking again-gotta keep it clean

I love using painting tools. I was taking a pastry class and my teacher looked at some of my tools and said " I feel like your coming to paint in class". It's funny when you get those reactions, but there is really no limit when it comes to secrets of decorating.

Yes, they work beautifully, don't they? I've been telling everyone I can on here about the putty/plastering tools for years now!

I have a few different molds from the clay department and they work fantastic and so much cheaper than the fondant/gumpaste ones. I just made 18 people out of the mold with heads, feet and arms. Such a time saver! I want to go to other stores to see what they have to offer in clay molds! I am off to Home Depot though to get me a putty knife!!

This is my favorite drywall tool -Great for taller cakes, has a ruler on the short end, I can use it to smooth sides of sheet cakes (over a viva pptowel, does great corners etc. $2.00

Isnt it true!! anything that is not anchored down around me, I try and use for cakes...lol, I go into crafts, into tools depts, even material dept..looking for rugged fringes or material to use as a mat...you know those little peg boards for plastic beads in crafts..yup...used those also...in flower, the leafs...as long as its safe...honey said ok..your watching Duff...then honey saw the tools for cutting boards etc...said Ok...thats it, your not gonna have more tools than I am!!!! Thats not fair...lol

I know what you mean, I go into a store, and I start searching what can I use that is not anchored down...if its not bolted down, watch out cake...here I come. Ive used anything I can get my hands on. Honey saw Duff with me the other night and said "ok!! thats it, your not gonna have more tools than me!"...lol duff was using saws, and drills...

I look for anything I can find a design with and use it and try it...

Yup! Works like a charm!

I like to use the metal spatula because then I can run it under hot water and dry so the heat helps with the buttercream, instead of the plastic one. This weekdn I saw a cake decorator use different household items to texturize fondat. She was demonstrating how to do "under the sea" cake. Different corals. She used a comb, dishwashing brush, sponge, embroidery mat, balled up aluminum foil. I was in awe. I immediately went out to get seom more dishwashing tools, which I will never use for dished LOL. If you haven't already been doing this - you'll never walk through Michael's or any hardware store again the same way.