Happy Halloween 2010

First Cricut Cake Project

I used all the money I got for my 40th birthday and my next door neighbor and I went in halves together to get the Cricut Cake.  Our daughters play together and we thought we could have a ton of fun creating cakes and other projects together.  My first project was cupcakes for my daughters preschool and cookies for a Halloween party.  I broke it out for the first time at a Moms night in craft night at my friends house.  The other gals didn't even get any scrapping done.  We were just having fun talking and they were watching me try to figure this monster out!!!  I had some trouble figuring out the difference between fondant and gumpaste, but I did some research ahead of time online and got some good tips and tricks to working with them both.  I like to be prepared, sometimes over prepared.  My hubby thinks I'm crazy!!!  I think my friends agree!!!

My first cut was these darling little pumpkins from the Stretch Your Imagination cartridge with the Cricut Cake gumpaste.  I just added some Wilton gel based food coloring.  You don't want to use regular food coloring. It was soooooo different than cutting paper.  The gumpaste sort of moves a little while being cut, and some times it moves a lot and tears.  So, I would have to start all over, but that is the beauty of it..... if paper tears, it's ruined, if gumpaste or fondant tears, you can just ball it all back up again and start over.  It is frustrating, I will admit, but after I got the hang of it, it got a little easier

. I then tried a cut with fondant.  Boy was that different.  The texture is different.  I find good and bad features with both fondant and gumpaste, but so far I think I like gumpaste better.  I will post something in the future about my experiences between gumpaste and fondant and some tips and tricks that I have found and used.  I'm still learning about both!!  The cute little monster guys are from the Mini Monsters cartridge.  Wait til you see the final product.  I think they are my favorites!!!

The ghosts and skull and crossbones are also from the Mini Monsters cartridge and cut using the Cricut Cake frosting sheets.  I'm not all that crazy about them.  They are very thin and sort of stiff and not pliable.  Their taste isn't all that great either (not that gumpaste and fondant taste spectacular).  They are very convenient, on the other hand, but I will use what I have and probably not invest in any more, unless I'm in a pinch and need to save time because the others do make a mess in the kitchen and take way more time to knead the color in and roll it out and possibly tear..........you get my drift?

  The spooky little spiders are from the Mini Monsters cartridge and cut using fondant.  Do you notice how shiny the fondant is.  Strange!!!  Some of their little legs tore and I had to perform "surgery" to get them back together!!!  Wait til you see their beady little eyes!!!

Here's my daughter helping decorate the cupcakes before putting the decorations on. She just LOVES sprinkles!!!

TAAAAAAA DAAAAAA!!!!!  Didn't they turn out soooo cute?  Not bad for my first time, eh???  Instead of layering the little devils, I just used regular decorating frosting that you can buy in the grocery store for their little features.  I just love them!!!  My daughter and her classmates loved them too!!!  I was a proud mama!!!

I had to throw in a pic of my other crazy hobby.  Chocolate candy making.  My friends and I get together and go wild during all the major holidays making these too!!!  My favorite is the rat!!!  EWWWW!!!!!

Here's our babies!!!  We do all this crazy stuff like baking and scrapping and sometimes pulling our hair out to get it all done for these little beauties!!!  I hope my daughter takes on my love for crafting early in her life.  It took me about 38 years to find it!!!  Now on to the next project.......Thanksgiving???