I hope someone can give me some tips on how to use this thing properly. I purchased it years ago, tried it several times and gave up on it! The fondant just wanted to stick in the plastic cutter. When i finally got it out the petals were either broken or distorted. Any tips on how to use it?
I hate wasting money and this tool has been sitting in my bins for waaaay too long unused. Anyone?

This is the cutter set i'm talking about..
http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cakesbysam.com/store/images/43-C203_LG.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cakesbysam.com/store/cart.php%3Ftarget%3Dproduct%26product_id%3D22133%26category_id%3D268&usg=__VfJ7e6ShsIUDN5yrqRXC741dDG4=&h=371&w=400&sz=24&hl=en&start=9&um=1&tbnid=MpJIIOymP--o-M:&tbnh=115&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dfmm%2Bdaisy%2Bcutter%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

I have used this several time and never had a problem...once I dusted it and the mat with cornstarch...I also wiggle it just a little when cutting..I also you the end of flat ended paint brush to push it out of the mold if it sticks...hope this helps you

With these type of cutters with intricate/thin cutouts you have to roll out the gum paste or fondant very thin and let it sit for a few minutes to let it dry a bit. Don't forget that PS also!! Put it on both sides before pressing the cutter in. Later on after you're finished you can simply airbrush the daisies with vodka to remove the PS. I have also found that patience is key!

when using fondant I always use Crisco on my cutters.

If you take some shortning and rub it on your mat - then take the cutter and wiggle it back and forth in that shortning - cut your piece, and again, wiggle the cutter some while cutting, it makes a nice clean cut usually. (I sometimes turn the cutter upside down and run my finger all the way around it to get any of the little "fuzzies" off before poping it out of the cutter too.

I used that cutter to make the daisy cake in my pics (it took first place at the fair here!)

Thanks everyone for the tips. I'm gonna try and give it a go tommorrow. Loucinda..those daisies are beautiful..very realistic. I hope mine turn out as nice.

Thank you! And if you have any questions, just ask. It is my favorite cutter to use - and not hard - you just have to get the hang of it!

Well, i had another go at it this evening...geesh lots of work. I tried just putting the powdered sugar on the cutter and while some came out, others did not. Some of the petals broke..ugh. It seems that the area of the flower that connects to the middle is soooo thin making breakage easy. I found thinning the petals a bit of a challenge too. I'm gonna give it another try in the morning and see what happens..perhaps i'll try the crisco instead.

ETA.. i used gumpaste

Second attempt at using this cutter, not that great either. UGH

While i was able to get the daisies out, it sure was alot of work. It seems to get really stuck around the middle part of the flower. I tried the crisco tonight instead of the PS but that was just a big mess. I aborted that idea real quick and went back to PS. Definitely not loving this cutter. There has to be an easier way. I think i made enough to make the cake work but i decided to just make a one layered petal instead of putting a couple of daisies on top of each other to look more like a gerber. I just don't have any more time to play with this. I will post a picture when it's all completed.
Still not love'in gumpaste flowers..so much work and such poor results.

I use the same technique I use with tappits. I just make sure is gumpaste and rolled thin. Grease your cutter lightly too so the gumpaste doesnt stick.

Can you explain how you grease it with crisco? There are so many crevaces on this cutter. When i tried greasing it i just kinda wiggled the cutter in the crisco but it picked up way to much of it.

Here is the cake with the daisies on it. They are pretty pathetic. They were supposed to be multi layed like a gerber but i was getting too frustrated with the cutter to make more. Plus four of the large daisies broke yesterday when a tupperwear container fell out of the cabinet onto them. I'm almost embarrassed to show you them, but i guess we all have to start somewhere.

Those are beautiful!! You did a good job with them.....stop beating yourself up.