I need to decorate a cake dummy to "beef up" my portfolio. This is where my DIY question comes in...is there any way to create your own cake dummy out of Styrofoam without breaking the bank and without having to order online? There are numerous craft stores around here, so the choices are endless. Any tips or really great ideas on going about this? Thank you!

I don't have the answer for you, but I'm curious about this too. I was thinking maybe getting some regular styrofoam and using packing tape to cover it to make it smooth enough to cover with frost. I haven't tried this yet though.

I'm going to be honest. I tried to do the same thing thinking it would be cheaper to buy the styrofoam rounds from the flower arranging section at a craft store (Garden Ridge, Michael's, Hobby Lobby, etc.), and I actually wasted a lot of money doing this. First of all, I couldn't find all of the shapes I wanted, and the sizes were always a little off which was frustrating for me and can be for you as you want to make sure your dummies are in the sizes of pans you actually own so that you can replicate the dummy in real cake.

I would advise you to just order dummies online. You can order them in the exact sizes and shapes of your pans, and while you will have to pay the shipping (if you don't have a dummy manufacturer nearby), it may still be cheaper than buying from a craft store.

I use Dallas-Foam (www.dallas-foam.com), and their prices are really reasonable. In fact, I was shocked by how much money I was saving using them as opposed to craft styro.

Just my two cents. HTH.

I've heard you should avoid using craft styrofoam, as buttercream will slide off of it. I've not tried it myself, but I took the advice to heart.

I just recently bought some cake dummies at a pretty good price on E-bay from Dallas Foam.

I was going to suggest Dallas Foam as well. They have an ebay store too with awesome pricing. Good luck,

Can milissasmom or HRmeister PM me with the store you are talking about they have blocked it?

Taylor Foam allll the way. They have the dummies with rounded edges, so your fondant has less chance of ripping and stretching! Love them! A 5 tier set for like $20!

Why do they block certian sites when we post them on these forums?

It doesn't make since we are here to help each other and they are doing it in our best interest!

Probably cause Global Sugar Art is a sponsor of the site. Notice how that is highlighted and stands out, and links you there?

I really recommend www.dallasfoam.com. I just ordered rounds this morning - 2 6x4, 2 8x4, 2 10x4 and a 12x4 and with shipping, it was less that $25. Definitely much cheaper than the other places I've checked.

Regarding the site that is blocked, well, there is a reason. A while back, may a year or so, alot of people were having problems getting orders from them and getting really bad customer service. The owners and managers then started badmouthing Jackie, Heath and all of the cake central members. At that point, they were blocked from CC including all references to that site. It has nothing at all to do with Global Sugar Art. HTH!