What exactly is the difference in gumpaste and fondant?

I think I see a lot of people making the flowers and decals on the cakes out of gumpaste. Can you make your own gumpaste at home? I make my own fondant, the marshmallow fondant. Is there a recipe like that for gumpaste?

Is is expensive or hard to work with gumpaste? I am a stay at home mom and I want to really get in to making and decorating cakes. I just don't have 'boocoos' of money to invest, wanted to start off slow. If there are any women out there with advice, please share! You could also email me at [email protected]

I am just curious.

you can make your own gumpaste - nicholas lodge (i think it is) has a popular recipie.
gumpaste is very similar to fondant to work with, i find, only it dries much faster, so you have to be able to work quickly, and be really strict with keeping any spare bits covered.
i buy my gumpaste, and because a little goes a really long way, it doesnt seem too expensive. i think the expense comes from tools, wires, colours, cutters, the little bits that all add up! but i love it, and the end results look great too. if you are working with fondant you can still end up with a lot of tools, but with either case, you can use a lot of what is at home already.
xx

I was actually going to ask this very same question, I'm glad I found it!

I have noticed, however, that when I go to pick up the fondant that I have cut into various shapes they stretch and look terrible. Does gumpaste do the same thing, or am I doing something wrong with the fondant? I use the Ultimate MMF recipe.

it sounds like your fondant hasnt dried all the way through, and its the skin on top thats cracking? gumpaste dries much quicker, so its better for shapes you want to stay solid. but also means it wont move, it will just break!
or do you just mean you cut the shape, and move it right away, and it becomes mishappen? in that case, you just need to change how you are picking it up i think! (a little pallet knife is good) gumpaste will do the same thing if it hasnt dried.
id say i would do flowers in gumpaste, figures in either or a mix, shapes (like circles) in fondant.
xx

Thank you for the tip brincess_b! I will try the pallet knife technique next time!