haha..I love it leah.. Im so lazy with the cricut I bough it and still never used it.
Edna

Patty, judging by your pictures you do a lot of original work so you know that it takes some talent to figure out what medium to use to give a flat image some dimension, e.g., if it should be another layer of gumpaste, royal icing, hand painting, etc. It's not the same as running gumpaste through a cutter and slapping it on a cake.

I agree that the placement, choice of colors, etc., all require a good "eye" even with a Cricut piece. And I certainly don't claim that copying Pokemon exactly is very original (it's what the birthday boy wanted, and characters have to look exact or they're unrecognizable), but I stand by my opinion that cutting and assembling pieces freeform takes more skill and creativity than pushing a button on a machine and getting exactly the same thing as thousands of other people who'v'e bought the same pattern get.

I don't have anything against the Cricut. I just feel like the Cricut cakes I see look a lot alike. They have a mass produced look to me. Even if my pieces aren't as precise as machine cut ones, my customers like the fact that they are hand made. I can't imagine that they'd be as impressed if I told them I had a mchine do them.

I think "every" cake tool has it's place and can be used either craftily, noncraftily or badly given the "decorator"...of said tool... I've seen some "very" creative work done by the cricut by the two southern ladies, and although I "understand" that while competing on challenges some of the judges feel the machine isn't the same as "hand" done...a bride would have LOVED their cake.. You can be "very" inventive with the machine as I have seen.. I have bought it but haven't used it yet..but I see "possibilities"..