So I'm looking through silicone molds and such, and the big fat lace border molds are all at least $28-30 ... I'm a hobbyist and just want the lace detail for one cake, so it's just not worth it to me to spend that much on this one tool. However, I would loooooove to know if anybody has had any success actually using lace itself as a mold somehow? Or something else a little more pocketbook-friendly? I know I can make my own silicone molds, but then I have to invest in the equipment for that as well, and again, just not worth it for me.

Thanks for any tips!

I can't answer your question, but I know what you mean.

There are so many cake toys that I would love to play with (such as Cricut Cake, unique molds and cutters and pans, a honkin' big fondant sheeter, an Agbay, etc.), but I have no real use (or storage space) for. I don't have a business, so it's just not practical. My husband would buy them for me for my birthday or Christmas, but I really wouldn't get much use out of them. (And then the mechanical things would probably freeze up from lack of use, like my edible images printer, and not work when I really need them.)

I hope someone has an answer for you.

Well, if you want exacting results, you have to use exacting equipment, otherwise you're only getting "so so" or "uhhh, not really results".

I'm with you on this too. Actually trying to figure this out myself. One thing that I have done in the past that worked was I embossed fondant then went back with an exacto knife and cut it out to make a sort of lace applique. Worked well enough for what I was trying to accomplish.

This is what it looked like:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/trishacakes/4974703270/

Did the trick, but I think with practice it could work even better.

You might take a look at the tutorial that's been at the bottom of the home page here for months now, called "How to Make Your Own Lace Molds" or something like that. If you can't find, or don't want to invest in that particular product, it might give you some ideas for how you can make your own molds for those times when you want something for just one cake. There are other things you can use to make the molds from. You just need to be sure that whatever it is is food-safe. Best of luck!