Merry Christmas To Me!

I used some of my Christmas money to do a little cake shopping from my never ending cake tool wishlist. Trying to decide which items to get now and which to wait on was hard, but this is what I finally chose. I received them all, except for the clay gun it was on backorder from SugarShack. It was definitely one tool I was anxious to get for sometime.

A rose bead mold. Can't wait to try this on a cake! I love roses and this was perfect.





Daisy Cutters by Jem Cutters. I needed a different style of flower and this one hopefully will be a nice addition to my collection.










Multi Flower Veiner.







I love my other veiner, but needed some variety in styles. This should be a nice addition to go with my new daisy cutter and others already in my collection.

Set of Fondant Smoothers (as featured in Sugar Shack's DVD "Flawless Fondant"). This set is a lot larger than the Wilton one I have been using. I am hoping this will improve my ablity to get fonant on my smoothly.









A Claygun for making all kinds of special decorative edging. I have heard a lot of decorators talk about this and have been wanting to get one for a long time. After watching Sugar Shack's new video (see below), I have a dozen reasons to put it to use.










And a brand new DVD by Sugar Shack:



















From Sharon's Website:

"Looking for inspiration and want to enhance your design skills? This DVD is a video slide show of some of Sharon Zambito's favorite creations. Sharon narrates this beautiful on-screen display that is set to pleasant background music. As you view over 120 photos her most popular cake designs, she discusses some of the techniques and tools used in each design. Hear helpful hints and ways to avoid pitfalls. The cakes are grouped into seven categories so you can watch just the section you want to at that time. A great source of ideas for decorators of all skill levels.

Please Note: This is not an instructional DVD, and does not give a complete description of every technique used on each cake. It is intended to be an idea source for cake designs, to help you spark ideas for your own creations."

I have to admit I was a bit skeptical at purchasing a DVD that wasn't going to really "teach" me anything. However what I found was not only are Sharon's Cakes absolutely extraordinary (as always!) you can see the details, and you can really study what the cake looks like. As she states not everything on every cake is discussed. What I did learn was a couple of new techniques that I can try out and others I can improve on. Sharon has another DVD coming out soon, so you will want to check out her website and blog to find out when it is available.

Between the new DVD and my tools, I can't wait to get started on a cake. Which one will it be? If you haven't voted for the January Design it's not too late! (Voting is on the right hand-side, just click on your favorite).