If you want to call in for the show and do not want to register as a member of talkshoe…..call the number(724) 444-7444 then enter my call id 118935 then put in 1#. Thats all there is to it.

I took a Styrofoam ball and cut it in half then covered it  in fondant as well as both side of the cardboard….if you would like for the cap to be edible, you can use rice krispy treats formed into a half ball shape instead of using Styrofoam.

Here is the Graduation Cap all assembled….to glue the pieces together, just use a paint brush with water……

This is the play doh fun factory which is an easy way to create the tassel for the graduation cap…...

There are soo many who love making figures but have many issues so I have decided to start a show where you can call in a chat with me live and ask me cake decorating or figure making questions. Hopefully this will be of help to all of those who email me and are having soo many issues with their fondant, gumpaste and so on. The live call in chat will be on March 21st, 2012 at 6pm eastern time here in the United States.  I will answer any questions that I can, please know that I do not know everything but will do my best to help all those I can. The show will be 2 hrs long so that I can help as many as possible. I plan to do these chats with the public once a month. I am very excited to be able to do this for everyone….

I have had many ask if there was any way that I would ever do a chat so they can ask questions and finally I have everything figured out and found a great way to be able to do this. I am sure the first few times we start this it will be a little confusing but I know that things will smooth out and we will get used to how things work pretty quick! I look forward to talking with you and hope that you will be able to join me.

FYI….To make things as fair as possible we will need to limit the questions to one question per caller, so please have your question ready so that things will flow as smooth as possible. After your question has been answered you can get back in the que to ask another question, but be aware that we will stop promptly after 2 hrs which would be 8pm eastern time in the United States.

 March 21st, 2012 at 6pm eastern time here in the United States

We will be holding the chat over at a site called Talkshoe I have provided the link for you below!

I will do my best to get to as many peoples questions as possible during the call!!

The chat will be held at http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/118935

Call 1-724-444-7444 the day and time of the chat and enter my show ID which is 118935 and then press the # key

If you do want to ask a question you will have to press 8 and the * key to put yourself in line to ask a question

You can now purchase my new tutorial which will take you through the steps to create Fuzzy the Bear. This tutorial has color photos detailing each step, as well as some great info on fondant, gumpaste and so on. the price is $12.99 until Jan 1st 2012 and then it will go back to $14.99. For more info go to www.gumpastefigurine.com

Here is a photo of what I will be teaching…… this adorable little girl eating cookies, called ” The Cookie Jar”.

 For additional info regarding class time, cost and to sign up for the class here is the link…….  http://www.ohioices.org/classes.html

I do hope that some of you who have been asking for me to do a class will be able to attend……….I look forward to finally meeting  you in person. We will have a great time, and I will get to show in person how to do some of the more important aspects of creating figurines in person which makes it soo much easier when you see it done in person. Soo excited, cannot wait!!!

“The Cookie Jar”

In addition, I will be doing a demo on Sunday for all of those who plan to attend the Day of Sharing. My demo will show how I created my “Bruty Buckeye Guy”.  Here is a photo of him….many have asked for yrs how to create him, so I will finally get the opportunity to show just how its done!

“Bruty Buckeye Guy”

For those of you who are newer to cake decorating you may be wondering what ICES means, well it is the International Cake Exploration Society and let me tell you if you have the opportunity to sign up with your local Ices chapter, it is a great way to join a group of cake decorators that you can share with and learn from. I have not met a better group of people who are soo willing to share their tips, techniques and answer those cake questions we have all had. For additional info for the Ices chapter in your area check out this link…..http://www.ices.org/index.html

Well now I get to look forward to those cool nights sitting around a bon-fire with my family which is soo much fun. I cherish each and every moment I can with my family, you never know what tomorrow holds for sure. Make sure to live each day to the fullest. This summer a very close family friend passed away from cancer and it broke my heart to see such an awesome person leave this world. Me and my family will miss him  much, it is soo tough to know what to do with all the feelings and emotions that over take who we are when these sorts of things happen even though death is a regular part of life….to me I will never get used to loosing someone who I love! All I can do is keep his memory alive with all the great memories we created together over the years while he was alive. I must say that he (Mark) make a huge mark in this world while he was here with us….he never walked around complaining he was always an upbeat person which I think is what made the times with him soo great. If you were in a horrible mood you could not stay that way around him ever, he brought the best out of those around him for sure! Mark you will forever be in our hearts!!

I did some great projects over the summer that were a lot of  fun but I did not get to do as much as I had planned but you all know how that goes.  I hope that you are all doing well as we head into the fall season. Those of you with children, I hope that they all got back to school ok and are in the swing of things now. My youngest is in his senior yr of high school this year, it is soo hard to believe. Time just goes by faster each yr. His high school band was invited to perform at Disneyland in Orlando next spring I am soo excited about that. I know they will do a great job. My oldest son is planning to get married next yr (in the fall) so I will have a very busy year ahead planning the wedding with my soon to be daughter in-law whom I adore! Yes…I am going to be doing their cake, I thought long and hard about it and to be honest I cannot allow anyone else to do the cake for such an important day. I will have to plan things out so I don’t lose my mind that week,  haha….. The colors are going to be a dark purple color and a cream color, we have not really got into the specifics of the cake just yet but I will surely keep you all updated as to what they decide.  Who knows maybe we can tape the creation of their wedding cake, that would be fun, but I may get quite busy editing out the parts where I lose my mind….hehe. Well I guess that is all for now, just wanted to touch base and share a little of my summer with all of you.

 Have a great week!!!

I recently made a Shoe Box Cake along with a Gum Paste High Heel with a Zebra Print decoration…..this was a fun cake to create and the first time that I created a zebra print shoe. I made this cake for a very good friend of mine who has been going through some tough times in life and I was so excited to make a cake that was all about her. She is one of those people that loves shoes!!!  I created a label for the shoe box from my edible printer and attached to the end of the cake. To add a little pizzazz to the box shape I decided to add edible sugar diamonds across the front side of the cake and I think that it turned out pretty cute. There were some areas on the cake that I was not too happy with but overall I guess it isn’t too bad. To create the zebra print….I rolled out black Satin Ice Fondant and took an exacto knife to cut squiggly lines and placed those shapes into place on the shoe which you can see in the pics that I have attached.

I purchased the edible sugar diamonds at www.globalsugarart.com for those who are interested……

Shoebox Cake With Sugar ShoeGumpaste Zebra Print High Heel

Here is the link for those who are interested in purchasing this product…i will say it is kinda pricey at $24 however a little goes a long way so it should last you quite a while.

http://www.shopchefrubber.com/product.php?productid=15816&cat=1186&page=1

Question—-Hi Donna, I love these onesie cookie baby shower favors and elected myself to make 40 for a baby shower next weekend. I have tried to make them already and it way harder than I thought (way harder!) I used already made sugar cookie dough and did not roll it out so 4 out of 10 cookies looked like a onesie where the remaining cookies shape were hard to figure out. Then decorating was tough – I used frosting in a bag with the wilton tip. My question is it will take me a long time to cook and decorate, how far ahead can I make the cookies so they won’t be stale? Thanks and any other advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Gerri Dando

Answer—-It can be very tough at times to get started trying to create something that you may have found on a website or in a book, but with the correct information and tools you should be right on your way to creating the best looking cut out cookies, regardless of the shape. I usually try to make my cookie up about 3 to 4 days ahead of time so that I will have plenty of time to decorate them and making sure that they hold their freshness. I store them in a container with a sealed lid until I need them for a special occasion or an order.

Getting started with cut out cookies……

1). It doesn’t matter if you use a pre-made cookie dough or one that you made from a recipe. It is entirely up to you.

2). If  you’re using a cookie recipe allow your dough to sit in the fridge for about an hour, because when you go to work with the dough the heat from your hands with make the dough too soft. You need dough that is cold for the best results!

3). Split your dough in half, leaving one half in the fridge while you prepare to make your cookies.

4). You will want to prepare your work surface…..you can use your counter top area, (just make sure that you wipe it down very well before beginning) or you can use a silicone mat that is specially made for baking. Both ways work just fine. I will say that if you have a tough time picking up the cookie shape and transferring it to the cookie sheet then using the silicone mat may be the best way for you to cut out your cookie dough.

5). Lightly dust your work surface with flour or powdered sugar (confectioners sugar) which I use.

6). Dip the  edges of your cookie cutters into some flour (I actually use powdered sugar instead, it is up to you as to what you use). This will help to prevent your cutters from sticking to the dough.

7). Lightly flour your rolling pin also and begin rolling out your cookie dough. 

8). Its best to always begin in the middle of your dough and roll outward towards the edge areas.

9). If you begin to notice that your cookie dough is a little sticky, try lightly flouring your work surface and/or rolling pin a little more, depending on where it is sticking. (FYI–Do not over flour your dough, use as little as possible because the additional flour will affect the final taste of your cookies).

NOTE: How do I get my dough level….I use a product called Perfection Strips, really all they are is 2 strips of a flexible plastic material that I laid on each side of the dough and you roll your rolling pin over the dough to get the perfect thickness and level piece of cookie dough to create the perfect sized cookies. These plastic strips come in pairs with the following thickness: 2mm (1/16″); 4mm (1/8″) and 6mm (1/4″)…..Now if you don’t want to purchase this sort of product which is available as a set of 3 different thicknesses. You could try using a piece of flat trim cut into 2 pieces. I have inserted a picture so that you can see exactly how to use the perfection strips below.

10). Cut the shapes into your dough by applying even pressure with your entire hand on top of your cookie cutter, making sure to press all the way through the dough with a nice even cut around the entire edge for a perfect cut. Before lifting the cookie cutter away from the dough, give it a little twisting motion which helps to give you a very nice clean edge to your cookie shape, honestly this makes all the difference for achieving perfect cut out cookies……

  11). Use a thin metal spatula to carefully lift your cookie cutout off your work surface. I dip my spatula into a pile of powdered sugar  ( or flour if that is what your using) so that the cookie dough will not stick to it…….. Try to slide the spatula as far under the cookie as possible to help maintain its shape when transferring to the cookie sheet. Place the cutout cookies on a cookie sheet.

IDEA…..I leave the cookie cutter around the shape I have just cut out so that I don’t loose the shape of the cookie as I transfer it to the cookie sheet!

Once your cutouts are on the cookie sheet, place your cookie sheet into the freezer for approx. 10 minutes so that the cookies can firm up…….then into the oven to bake.

NOTE: If you would like to use a silicone baking mat you can roll out your dough right on the mat itself, then after cutting the cookies out just leave them in place and remove the remaining cookie dough. Once you have cut out all the cookie cutouts just transfer the baking mat to the cookie sheet. Anoher way of doing this is to roll out your dough on the mat, when finished transfer the mat to your cookie sheet, and finally cut out your cookies shapes with your cutters and remove any excess dough from the mat, then place the cookie sheet into the freezer for approx. 10 minutes allowing the dough to firm up. Then you can bake as usual, following the baking directions.