Floral Fantasy Fondant Imprint Mat

Thank you so much to everyone for participating. I realize there were some late entries, but I'm going to go ahead and include them since I really didn't do a great job of promoting this contest until the last few days. The entries trickled in slowly at first, and I feared it was going to be a total flop, but this giveaway ended up being my mot successful one yet! Okay, the winner is...

Comment number 33, which is deanna. Congratulations! Again, thanks to everyone who entered. Don't worry, I have more giveaways planned, so please check back. I wish everyone a safe and happy New Year!

Okay guys, here is another giveaway courtesy of free Wilton swag that I either have duplicates of or have no real use for. This one is the former, in that I bought both the Floral Fantasy and Leaves and Vines fondant mats when they first came out. Then later, when I attended an Wilton Instructor meeting, we were all provided with one or the other. I was handed a Floral Fantasy, which I stashed away when I got home, much like the poor, neglected Care Bear pan.

This mat has been comfortably resting on top of my kitchen cabinets ever since, and as my fondant mats that are already in use show no signs of needing to be replaced any time soon, I'm offering up this one.

  

Fondant imprint mats are an easy way to emboss a design over a large area. This one has a lovely floral pattern. Instructions on how to use it are printed on the back of the box, and some pictures on the front and sides display a few ideas.

Here is a close-up look at the texture. This is the pattern that is imprinted on the fondant.

So here's how to enter if you would like a chance at winning this Floral Fantasy Fondant Imprint Mat: Leave a comment below telling me your favorite flower. If you don't have a favorite flower, then make something up. I require constant amusement, you see. This entry is mandatory and must be done or else the other entries won't count. Yeah, I know. I'm nosy.

There are 7 ways to rack up bonus entries, but please be sure to leave a separate comment on this blog post for each entry so it counts.

• Follow Darla's Cake Blog via Google Friend Connect. 
• Follow Darla's Cake Blog via Networked Blogs.
• "Like" Darla's Cake Blog on Facebook. 
• Leave a comment on the Facebook page for Darla's Cake Blog.
• Follow @cakedarla on Twitter. 
• Tweet or blog about this giveaway, and then leave a comment on this post with the tweet/blog entry URL. You can use any wording you like, just make sure to include a link to this blog post (shortened URL: http://bit.ly/hAjA73) and @cakedarla. You get one entry per tweet, but only one tweet entry per day, please. Example: #Win a Wilton Floral Fantasy fondant imprint mat in @cakedarla's latest #giveaway http://bit.ly/hAjA73 #cake #decorating #rolledfondant
• Post a link to this giveaway on the social networking site of your choice (Facebook, CafeMom, etc.) and leave a comment on this post letting me know. 

And... GO! You have from now until December 30th at 11:59 p.m. to enter. One lucky winner will be chosen at random from all the entries on December 31st, 2010. If you're not on Twitter, Blogger, Facebook, or Google, please leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you. Good luck!

***Wilton has neither sponsored nor endorsed this giveaway.***

Ribbon Cutter Tool Fun

My son likes to decorate his own birthday cake. This is a tradition he started on his 4th birthday. I bake and ice a sheet cake, then he designs the top using food coloring markers and edible Rice Paper. This year, when we went to Sweet Wise to purchase the necessary supplies, the rice wafer paper was out of stock. Instead, we opted to cover the cake in FondX rolled fondant (don't worry, this brand actually tastes good!), and he then used the food coloring pens to draw directly on the top of his cake. He loves to play video games. Past birthday cakes have featured Guitar Hero and Rock Band instruments and Sackboy from Little Big Planet. This year, it's all about Crash Bandicoot. Here is the finished cake:

Originally he didn't want any kind of bottom border, but I suggested we have something to make the cake look finished, attention to detail and all that. He wasn't fussy about what went on the bottom, as long as it was red. Well, I'll take any excuse to play with my ribbon cutter tool!

First I tried using the striped embosser, but that made too wide of a ribbon.

You can see how short the cake is, and I didn't want to completely cover up the sides.

So, I tried using the zig-zag cutter with the 1/2" spacers.

But the zig-zag on the bottom didn't look right, and it was tricky positioning the ribbon around the cake evenly. Plus, the white bottom edge showed through.

So, I reloaded my ribbon cutter to make one edge straight and the other zig-zag.

This worked the best, and so that's what I ended up using.

It's a very versatile tool and a lot of fun to use. It's all about creative freedom, you know!