Craft Test Dummies

Well… after much debate, I finally plunked down my cash for a CricutCake machine.

If you remember, I had attended CHA in January, and was supposed to receive one from Provocraft for free. (!!!) However, on the long trip home with kids and a side trip to Disney, I LOST my coupon for the freebie. I let the folks-that-be know, and I was assured it would still come. BUT, 6 months and many e-mails later, no Cake for me! Poo.

So, I plunked down my $299 plus tax and bought one from ConsumerCrafts.com. Yeah, I know, I work for them, but really it was the best deal, and I bought it when they were offering a free cart and free shipping promo. I even shopped around, and they ARE the cheapest!

The morning I opened the box, the kids (9 and 5) were bouncing off the walls. I think they were more excited about the Cake than I was! We even watched the whole video together on the couch before even plugging it in.

But, of course, the suspense was killing us and we had to get crafting! First we prepped the cutting mat with Crisco shortening. (I was told by Jinger herself at CHA that Crisco was THE best) I used a silicone pastry brush I already had:

Use a pastry brush and shortening to prep the cutting mat.

Then, we put the image overlay sheet on the machine, and put down the silicone overlay to protect the buttons from food debris:

Then, we decided to use the frosting sheets I got “comped” from ConsumerCrafts.com. (I’m working on a post for them, and they sell these frosting sheets that are ready-to-use.) For my first try, I thought I’d go with what seemed easier and more successful.

The frosting sheets are as thin as vellum!

Next, align the frosting sheet on the prepared cutting mat:

Then…CUTTING! (My kids almost fought world war 3 deciding who got to push the “cut” button!)

See those snowflakes?

And voila! Awesome! I cut 2 snowflakes to start, and felt like it wasn’t really cutting all the way through- so I increased the pressure. This, however, was the wrong move. The next cuts were so firm that it dislodged the little pieces on the interior, an they got stuck in the cutting blade, and then it botched the rest of the cut. Meh.

I set it back to the original setting and was happier with that. All in all, I tried shapes and some fonts, some plain and some fancy. I got about a 50% success rate with my first sheet. I noticed that some of the cutting issues were because there wasn’t enough Crisco on the mat.

About 1/2 came out perfect...

Also, I did lift the sheet after the first cut to remove those snowflakes- also a mistake. The next round, I pasted my frosting sheet down and then cut ALL my images- and got 100 per cent success! I’m so spoiled by paper and being able to lift the paper, remove my images, then lay re-stick the paper and cut some more. The frosting sheets take a little more planning.

For my first venture with the Cricut Cake, I was pleased. And these “monogrammed” cookies were the hit of the playdate we had later that day!

Coming up this week: a detailed post on Frosting sheets, trying out gum paste, and a Giveaway!

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