Me 3!! I'd pick Michele Fosters over MMF ANY day! So easy to work with and the taste? Not even a comparison!!
Uh-OH! A LIL Tracy?!?!?! We're in trouble now!! 
I bet with Tracy as a Mama - she'll be the best little fondant designer around by the time she's 20!!! More compitition 
j/k!
Hi Tracy!
I've been trying to remember a link to a page I used when I was learning to do modeling chocolate - fondant thingy's etc. Eating supper tonight my DD said: "I sure wish this Chicken tasted like a Tootsie Roll" ... BINGO!
So Im sending you this link for you and your DD .. she'll REALLY like it, coz she can eat it when she's done practicing!!
It's exactly like modeling chocolate with the same stretch/feel etc & shapability as fondant. And its cheaper!! *BONUS* Great for practice!! (so is Play-Doh BTW!) Just dont eat it! *dont ask me how I know!*
HTH! Gaye
http://www.ehow.com/how_2311051_make-roses-out-tootsie-rolls.html
Here's a couple of threads that might come in handy as well:
http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-341813-chocolate.html+roses
http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-65833-.html
And a picture or two...http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo-270323.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo-888753.html
OOOPS!! Sorry for getting sidetracked -- I caught that answer about tootsie roll roses and just went to town with it, completely forgetting this is a monogrammed cookie thread... 
Oh well, it's all good! 
hi!
my writing is terrible! i use the tappit fondant/gumpaste cutters. i attached a photo of the "funky" alphabet that i used to make valentine's day cookies (and then i used luster dust to make the fondant shiny which the kids always love). these really work nicely and come in several styles/sizes.
diane
Drakegore those are beautiful! I sell the funky tappits in my cake supply biz at customer request and have been very curious how they work. If they come out that cool looking I'll have to actually get a set for myself! Great work!
Honeydukes, How thick do you make your icing for stenciling?...
For me, it works best about the thickness of sour cream. You don't want it too thin or it'll run underneath the stencil. Too thick and it won't soften into the design and look like flood-work.
The person to ask though, is cookiemookie -- she's the cookie Stencilin' Queen.
Thanks for the links, Jackie!! 
Thanks everyone for the thumbs-up on Michelle's Fondant! One question - once you form little figures with it, how long does is last air-tight?
Uh-OH! A LIL Tracy?!?!?!
Gaye - Oh, yes, she is indeed a little Mini-Me! She is going to fly by me in no time! I only do cookies and I can see that her interest is cakes and cupcakes. Thanks SO much for the Tootie Roll modeling clay link! Fantastic idea! She is already practicing away with Play-doh as Mommy hasn't had time to figure out making fondant. Gaye - Just for the fun of it, I am attaching a few of her little creations as she loved what you said (can't help it - I am a mom! ). She says to remember that they are only practice. Bear in mine she is only 9, but hey, she does a better job at it than I would! Heavens, I have about 20 sketches before I come up with a final cookie design and she just sits down and creates. Must be part of being a child. I am trying to make sure she doesn't lose that. I just took a peek at your profile and she could use fondant lessons from you! Your Lacye cake is just adorable!!
Bobwonderbuns - Whoo hoo! 
Thanks so much for posting those links!!! She will love this! Much appreciated!
Tracy ~ Airtight it should keeps for weeks - even longer. Just knead it everytime you use it ... that will loosen it up again. I just pull off a hunk and knead what I Knead
edited to say: I just realized you ask about the figures AFTER being done .. Fondant figures will last just a little while .. maybe a week or two then they start breaking .. unless you use a fondant/gumpaste mixture - 50/50 .. then they will last a very long time b4 cracking .. only gumpaste will last a lifetime provided no moisture or sunlight - (please someone correct me if Im wrong! - I often AM!!) .. HTH
Alexandra ~ 
You rock girl!! Those are awesome!! I've seen (and done!) ones that were not near as good as yours!!! They are cute as can be! Your eley is my favorite! I'm going to be keeping those pics in my files so I can learn how to do them myself! Yes ~ they are THAT good!! I needed it too, I have a baby shower cake to do next month & I wanted to put some little animals on it .. Now I can look at yours! Thanks for YOUR help!! 
Keep on doing what your doing ~ practice (with anything!) makes perfect!!
Tracy ~ Thanx for the compliment on the Lacye cake! That was sweet of you! The other kids (they are 9-10) got a big kick outta the crack for the monkeys b-hind ... *kidz* Thats ALL they talked about! So easy to please!!
Oh, Gaye - You are going to just make Alexandra's day!!! She was so excited to show you her figures and will be thrilled to see what you wrote. Thanks so much for doing that! She is so excited to get started with fondant and is even thinking of a Username so she can post when she is done. We got her gumpaste/fondant tools for her birthday and all I need to do now is make fondant! Thanks again for all of your help! One quick question - if you put gumpaste in it, does that make it pretty much inedible? I am not talking safety-wise, but taste/hardness wise. Just trying to figure it all out! It would be easier if she was into cookies!
Oh, for animal shape ideas, Alexandra loves to look at Aine2's work. If you want to see an example of her brilliance, here is a link to a tutorial on a eally, really cute sheep she did:
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=618132&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=0
Edited to add - Here is a link to her overall pics:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-photos-by-aine2.html
SUCH cute work!
Thanks again for your wonderfully nice and encouraging words to Alexandra! She wants to be a baker when she grows up, so this is a start! (Well, her plan is to be at her bakery very, very early in the morning, do all of her baking/decorating by noon and then go to her job as a veternarian in the afternoon. Geez, I thought I took a lot on! Ah, to be young again!)
Well, break over, back to cookie-ing!
Well, she should be VERY proud of what she's doing! I thought they were awesome! And she should totally get her OWN username .. please let us know when she does so we can keep an I out 
There is even a gallery for just kids cakes! When she decides to go all out!
Yeah ~ actually no ... ya cant eat them when gumpaste is added .. really nasty, you wouldnt want to .. and ROCK hard too! Not good for the teeth! But then again, fondant pieces are nasty to me too, and hard .. Ive SEEN ppl eat um but NO - NOT me! *ack* 
Thanx for the links!! - She is one of my favs! Like YOU being MY Cookie Hero .. SHE is my Fondant Hero! *amazing*
OK .. we hijacked this thread long enuff (So Sorry my Fl friend!!) 
Have a good day Tracy!
Gaye - Oops! You are right! I will let you know when she is ready to post as any encourgement would be wonderful!
Back on topic (without any more hijacking Sorry about that! ), I just saw under the Articles section that they have a video on "How to Stencil on Cookies Video - Great for Monograming". No time on this end to watch it, but here it is, if it helps:
http://www.cakecentral.com/article180-How-To-Stencil-On-Cookies--Video---Great-For-Monograms.html
Also, Rose (Cookiemookie) has posted info here and there over time on using stencils. I haven't tried it yet, but have kept notes. She is a queen at stenciling. Here is what she has written:
First off I want to thank everyone for the nice comments. It means a lot. I havent been at this very long.
Here is a quick how to.
First I flood my cookie (I use Antonias Icing which I thin for flooding) I let this dry several hours or overnight.
Then I use another batch of Antonias Icing. I barely add any water to the original recipe. I used a thick consistency for the stencil part.
I positioned my stencil where I wanted on the cookie and carefully held it down. When I first started I held it too tight and cracked the flooded icing. I then used a palate knife with a long head and took the icing and used a long sweeping stroke to apply the icing over the stencil. I tried to always go the same direction. When all areas were covered, I carefully lifted the stencil and Viola!
While the icing was still wet, I sprinkled it with cake sparkles or sanding sugar to get a different effect.
The only suggestion I would offer, especially if you are doing a lot of these is to have more than one stencil of the same design. You have to wash and completely dry it before you do the next. That was the most time consuming part of it.
I looked through some of my scrap booking supplies and found some stencils that I have never used.
You can also get stencils at www.culinarystencils.com I got the heart stencil (came with a cutter and 3 designs) www.kitchenkrafts.com
I highly recommend the culinary stencils simply because they are made well and not flimsy. Some of the other kind bend very easily and will make it much more difficult.
http://www.designerstencils.com/videos.shtml for some video how tos
Hope this helps.
Cookiemookie(Rose)
Here is a link to a posting that I saw that mentioned stenciling. I just opened it and Cookiemookie has helpful info there as well:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cak.....21256.html
Hope this helps! You may also get more info if you open her profile pics to see what she says when people ask her questions. She is pro at stenciling! [
I started using my kopykake recently, after reading some COOKIE girls at CC use it... what was I thinking, never using it for COOKIE decorating before?
I use it all the time now... what I love is that you can use any font, design, you name it...
here is a link to some COOKIES I made... hope you like them
http://cancuncookies.blogspot.com/2009/02/cancun-riviera-maya-wedding-destination.html
I started using my kopykake recently, after reading some COOKIE girls at CC use it... what was I thinking, never using it for COOKIE decorating before?
I use it all the time now... what I love is that you can use any font, design, you name it...
here is a link to some COOKIES I made... hope you like them
http://cancuncookies.blogspot.com/2009/02/cancun-riviera-maya-wedding-destination.html
Okay, so Im confused on how you're using the software... 
Do you print the monogram onto frosting sheets, put them on the flooded cookie, and then pipe over the image?
The cookies are adorable!
Alagoas- Where did you buy your projector? Im looking at the KK1000, but I dont know if it's worth it to buy one from kopykake. com and spend $100+ more to get the design set. It's $475 to get the one from kopykake, and about $350 to get it from Madison Art Shop
@chefjulie,
I use the projector in the dinning room which has no direct sunlight but is not a dark place at all... and from what you tell me about not seeing past the shadow of your hand, I think your required an extension rod and to adjust the lens... see? I had the same problem until my DH got that rod from Home Depot... now all I have to do is slide the projector up or down, and adjust the lens to focus... images are very clear...
when my design is not too clear after adjusting, I just outline with a black marker and voila!!
I'd go with the Kopykake Projector. I dont actually have one yet... That's my next big purchase
You definitely dont want to go with one of the cheaper models that require little to no light (shadows are a b****!). The Kopykake is designed for caking so it's already set up to shine straight down onto your cakes/ cookies.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!! I had no idea that even existed!
Now y'all have me excited to get a projector!! (Yet another research project in the works!)
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%