Hi, I am new to this. I used to decorate cakes years ago, but I see lots has changed. I have been reading up on a ton of stuff (an overwhelming amount). I have a cricut expression and have been reading some posts on gumpaste. I tried fondant rolled out and dried it for an hour prior to cutting. The result......a horrible disaster. Now I am left with the questions.... Can I use fondant or do i NEED to add tylose? How thin do I roll it? I do not own a pasta maker, so is it an 8th inch, 1/16th inch.....what? Where is the best place to buy tylose in canada? I live in comox valley bc. I love the thought of being able to use my cricut for this, but right now i am totally discouraged. Any info is appreciated...I am so excited about getting back into this. Lastly...what are the best (up to date) books and dvd's I should invest in? I don't have a lot of extra spending money so i am looking for the best bang for my buck.

Welcome!! Ok I hope some others can try to answer your questions too, but in the meantime I wanted to hit up the ones I know a little about. I have an Expression too and I have used it to make stancils and stuff in the past, now this new cutting fondan/gumpaste has opened a whole new realm. I finally sucked it up and ordered the DVD that started it all it is pricy, but seems to me it will be worth it to learn exactly how to do this without ruining a very expensive piece of machinery. I can't wait to learn this technique. You can read about it/buy it here:
www.deseretdesigns.com

Now for other DVD's that I have had first hand experience with and could not reccomend more, you have got to get the ones from Sugarshack! They are outstanding!! Again they are a little expensive, but I promise you, they are worth every penny! Sugarshack is a member here and she has some stuff on youtube if you'd like to check her out.
http://www.sugaredproductions.com/Sugar_Ed_Productions.html

Good luck!!

weird it removed the link, but in a post is how I found out about it, trying again d e s e r e t d e s i g n s . c o m without the spaces of course.

which one of sugarshack's is the most advanced?

There are a couple other threads here that discuss the Cricut in more detail, including what depth the blade housing is to be, what settings for the thickness of your gumpaste, etc. You might do a search for "Cricut" and see what threads come up in the forums.

A friend of mine uses her Cricut Expression to cut gumpaste and it took some practice but she has it down. You can also make some fabulous little gift boxes for your treats using the Bags, Tags, Boxes and More (the name may be off a bit) cartridge.

thank you to everyone who replied. I am going to get the video i think. It is on my christmas list anyway I am so excited to get back into this! The thought of being able to use cricut just amazes me. I have an airbrush too...... now i just have to figure out how to use it.