I Love Free Stuff

Being a Wilton Method Instructor definitely has its perks. One thing I always look forward to every year is the Annual Instructor Meeting (AIM) because not only do we have a good time and learn from demonstrations, but we always go home with a nice collection of free Wilton gear, usually items recently added to the product line.

This year they released a lot of new cake decorating tools, and they've revamped and improved some of their existing products. Here's all I brought back, minus a tub of 101 cookie cutters that just wouldn't fit right in the picture and a pack of butterfly stickers I totally forgot about. "Wilton Brands" also includes some scrapbooking and craft supply companies, and the stickers are from EK Success.

At some point I'll completely unpack everything and show more of the actual tools themselves, but that might be better done as a video, and I have the Sugar Play Day to get ready for in a few hours, so this is all I have time to post for now.

At the end of the meeting, the leftover display products were randomly given out to instructors via a drawing, and I got one of the new tip organizers. There are many reasons why this one is better than the old tip storage boxes, but the main thing is the top locks on really tightly, and the lid doubles as an angled base so you can more easily see your tips. Oh, and the little caddy up top is for storing large piping tips. This was a win.

I also got some butterfly sprinkles and stamens. Not the pearl stamens I was looking for, but lily stamens, which I can most definitely use. They gave us a new cake leveler, too. This one is much better. It's easier to adjust the wire, and it's more sturdy.

Wilton updated their icing bag holder, and in addition to having better sized holes, this new one isn't flimsy like the old ones. A totally new product is the Decorating Bag Sleeve. You get three in a box, and these remind me of the things you cook Hot Pockets in. They hold the bag upright so you can fill it with icing, and then afterwards, once the bags are all washed and clean, they prop them open so they can air dry.

The new fondant tools we received are pretty much improved versions of what we already have. There's a redesigned fondant smoother, and I'm really excited about the easier to use ribbon cutter and amped up embosser wheel.

Both of these tools come with handy storage boxes, which is a definite plus. Inside the boxes are little pegs to keep the bits and pieces organized and easy to find.

Oh, and here is the display piece I made, representing all of the Wilton 4-week courses. They were having a drawing for one of those new Ultimate Rolling Tool Caddy things, and if you brought in a display you were entered in the drawing to win it. Sadly, I didn't win. Something like this would really be useful, but I may wait and see if they put locking casters on the wheels before I get one.