I understand that you can cut gumpaste with the Cricut....... For you that have one and use it ....can you please give me a few pointer on this...... is it worth the investment. I know it does an excellent job on paper stuff, how is it on gumpaste......
I have a cricut - I use it for paper but after reading the info CC i did try using it to cut gumpaste. Some have had trouble doing it but I must have had beginners luck because it worked out great for me on the first attempt. To be honest I haven't tried it again since - but that is only because I haven't needed anything cut out since then.
If you live in the US then i'd suggest waiting until the Black Friday sales - I'm sure you can pick one up for dirt cheap. Their are 2 sized - the big and the small. And yes there are a few 'variations' but I wouldn't worry about that, I'd focus more on which size you want and if you want one.
Once you get the hang of it you can cut out letters and shapes but I would not recommend it for small details. It works best for larger more basic shapes or pictures.
And keep in mind that the machine is only one aspect. You will then have to invest in the cartridges OR get software that allows you to cut SCAL files. Having both, I'd recommend SCAL - only because once you get it you can use it to cut out any font that is on your PC and any wingding or dingbat that is a font (there are tons you can download for free off the internet). You can also find some images online for SCAL (basically any SVG file). But there aren't too many of those. If you are adventurious you can download free software (inkscape) and and learn how to take any JPG image you find online and make it into a cutable file (SVG) for the cricut maching (vis SCAL).
I know that's a lot of info but just ask me if you need any clarification.
What it comes down to is how much (how often) and for what purpose do you want to use the cricut to cut out gumpaste for your cakes? For letters and basic images it's great but for anything beyond that it gets tricky - not impossible but tricky.
Here is a link to a file of Dora that i found online. http://cloesspace.blogspot.com/2009/09/first-svg-cut-file-dora-in-floral-dress.html I used Inkscape to make it into a file that SCAL could read and then used my cricut to cut it out ON PAPER. It worked. Now to cut it on gumpaste i'd only consider it if I made Dora about 8" or more tall. anything less then that and the details would get hairy.
I took some pics of my one and only test using the cricut and gumpaste but haven't uploaded yet. Will do so if you like but probably wont' be able to until Tuesday.
If you do a search here on CC and just type in 'cricut' you will find some pictures that others have uploaded as well as the threads that discuss using the cricut to cut gumpaste.
Hope this helped.
Thanks for the reply and all the info, it is a big help. Another questions......how did you prepare your gumpaste for cutting.....how thick, how dry, etc.....any suggestions.....and I never thought of the Black Friday sale.....will check that out also........
I do a lot of crafts but want it mainly for fondant/gumpaste work.
I buy fondant from Walmart (cheapest source around here) and use it for the 'decorations' on a cake. I usually use buttercream to ice since I don't like the taste of too much fondant. Alternatively you can make marshmellow fondant... it tastes better but I'm too lazy to make it just for decorations.
I then add some Gum-tex to the fondant to turn it into gumpaste (about 1 tbs per lb of fondant). by the time i roll out the gumpaste (using a pasta machine) and put it on my mat and clean my hands it is dry enough to use in the cricut. It's trial and error.... i was just lucky and it was fine the first time I tried it. you want it just dry enough to hold it's shape but not so dry that it cracks or isn't at all pliable.
I was just testing things so I just used the back of a cricut mat (didn't want to ruin one by removing the sticky stuff on the good side).... add a little crisco to it so the gumpaste will stick - just a thin film spread with you fingers/hand.... as far as the thickness of gumpaste goes - as thin as you can get it without being able to see through it when you hold it up.... on my pasta machine that was a #6, others said they went to #7 but mine was too thin at #7. Start off at #1 or 2 and work your way up.... then just place on crisco mat and cut.... keep in mind that the rollers on the machine will leave lines on your gumpaste - which if you are making small cuts wont' be an issue - just plan your cut between the rollers, if you are making a larger cut you will need to remove (cut off on the smaller cricut) or move (on the larger cricut) the rollers.
Let me know if I missed any questions or you need more info.
Linda McClure has a dvd set you can order where she spells out, in great detail, all the ins and outs of using your Cricut to cut gumpaste/fondant. You can put her name in on youtube and see some videos, but if you go to her site you can see what she's done and order the dvd, it is very helpful and answered all of my questions, from ow to prep the mat to how to attach items to the cake.
http://deseretdesigns.com/index.html
Also there are a few awesome post going on here about using the Cricut for cakes! And with Black Friday right around the corner, it could be your chance to snag a great deal. I have an Expression and LOVE it beyond words, I'm actually thinking about getting a smaller Cricut just for caking if I find a good deal this week! Best of luck!
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-648533.html
a post on the weekend said Michaels will be selling theirs for $99 but joann's has theirs on for $74.99 .
These are the black friday sales.
I'm in Canada though so I'm jealous!!! Michaels is advertising here for $127.99.
Oh and I think the machine is the "personal" I think that is the cheapest one but I'm not sure about that.
I could be wrong, but I the large cricut expressions is the only one you can use the design studio or scal with. these are especially useful so you can interact images or change the size around.. you see it on the screen so it is helpful. you can changes sizes with the dial, but I have found useful for putting letters in a shape or merging shapes together. Still playing with mine, but I love it. I have 2 of everything, one for food, one for paper. I do it on paper first to see what it is going to look like. then have been keeping a notebook, so I know what i have done. Linda recommends this on her video. She is coming out with a new video that will go into more detail of the design studio and scal. It is almost double for the exspressions but well worth it. I did notice that there were some great deals on ebay. You could get the machine 2 or 3 cartridges and tools for 250.00 This is better than gettting the machine alone at walmart.
I could be wrong, but I the large cricut expressions is the only one you can use the design studio or scal with. these are especially useful so you can interact images or change the size around.. you see it on the screen so it is helpful. you can changes sizes with the dial, but I have found useful for putting letters in a shape or merging shapes together. Still playing with mine, but I love it. I have 2 of everything, one for food, one for paper. I do it on paper first to see what it is going to look like. then have been keeping a notebook, so I know what i have done. Linda recommends this on her video. She is coming out with a new video that will go into more detail of the design studio and scal. It is almost double for the exspressions but well worth it. I did notice that there were some great deals on ebay. You could get the machine 2 or 3 cartridges and tools for 250.00 This is better than gettting the machine alone at walmart.
You can actually use scal with all 3 machines and the design studio can only be used with cartridges that you own so unless you have lots of them that you want to be able to manipulate to make a different design (from the designs they already have) it's not to helpful imho. I found that using Satin Ice with tylose worked really well with the cutting.
Just bought mine at Michael's tonight...they have an "Online-Doorbuster" Sale for $69.99...I really couldn't pass it up for that price...The one they have is the "Personal Cutter" (I think it's the smaller one)...this price is for the 26th and 27th only...they also have all their cartridges on sale at 60% off
in case anyone is interested and hasn't heard yet, cricut is coming out with a new machine called the CricutCake - specifically designed to cut out images with fondant/gumpaste. I used my regular machine but if don't have one yet this may be an option if you are interested.
I have links to videos of it and the cricut site on my blog: http://www.cloesspace.blogspot.com/
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