cake board cover (wrapping paper??) - Page 3

Yup i've tried the lay it sticky side up on the table but the problem is when I go to take off the backing of the contact paper. The darn thing curls up and attaches itself to itself. Then i have to scrap the whole thing. I tried pulling the backing off ever so slowly but still i have this problem.

First: No, contact paper is not considered food-safe.

Second: I use it ALL the time for my cake boards.

Third: A second pair of hands makes this job SOOOO much easier.

Fourth: If you're alone, try to to just uncover a corner of the contact paper and putting it in place and then pulling the paper off so that as it does, the sticky sits down where it's supposed to. So you're only covering a portion at a time. (does this make sense? ) It still takes practice and I don't get it perfect every time, but it helps.

Can I just say THANK YOU!!!! for starting this post. I have always wanted to find a cheaper way to make the boards look nice without taking too much time. I never thought of using wrapping paper before. Thanks for the great idea.

Shawna

I use remnant pieces of fabric for my wedding cake or formal cake presentations.

I visit the fabric stores frequently anyway and I always go to their "flatfold" or "remnant" table. The ivory or white satin works great for wedding cakes, I've also used raw silk or taffeta. The fabric is plenty wide enough since it's usually at least 45" wide. If I want to get real fancy, I lay a colored fabric over the board and than lay a piece of lace over that and the color shows through. If I can ever figure out how to get my non digital photos on here you'll be able to see what I mean.

Oh, I don't put the cake right on the fabric covered board obviously, I place the cake on a cakeboard like you would if you were using wrapping paper to cover it.

That stuff gets out of control, doesn't it? I had a piece of contact paper curl up and stick to my arm. Needless to say, I had to scrap that piece and start again. I just started covering my cakeboards with a couple layers of tissue paper (comes in every color and design you can think of) then I cover it with contact paper. Looks a whole lot better than the cake foil I was buying and it's a whole lot cheaper too.

When I cover my boards with contact paper, I start by peeling one side of the contact paper backing back about half way. I stick the edge to the counter top and center my board underneath it. I then slowly attach the portion of exposed contact paper to the board and smooth it. Then I hold the cake board and peel the rest of the backing off. As I do that, the contact paper automatically grabs the cake board and is smooth. Does that make sense?

Contact Paper Tip: Expose about 1" of the sticky end (the first part off of the roll), then attach it to a formica (or other suitable) tabletop or counter. It will hold itself in place so you can slide the cake board under it. You keep one hand on the roll of contact paper while you slide the cakeboard under with the other hand. Place cake board far enough away from stuck edge so you have enough contact to go around to back. When the cake board is in place, peel back the rest of the protective paper, and smooth it over the board. Then unstick it from the table, fold the edges under, and neaten it up. You don't need four hands to do this.

Maybe this is too simple, but it's worked for me......cut off the length of contact paper that you need. Before you take the paper off the back, roll the contact paper back up in the opposite direction. Then peel the paper off the back. This helps the contact paper not to curl as much, and it will lay pretty flat.

totally NOT lame!!!! That is awesome!!! make sure you get a good deposit for your work, though!

Okay, I will try and explain how to attach the contact plastic to the top of your cake board smoothly.
1. Let's start using a board no wider than the width of your contact sheet. Peel about 1" of the paper off the back and fold it onto itself, away from the sticky side. Carefully center and attach the 1" sticky side to the top edge of your board, smooth down with your fingers so it is adhered securely. Now, here is another use for a credit card. Reach under the contact sheet and get a hold of the loose end of the backing paper. As you pull it off, very slowly, use your credit card as a squeegee and using a bit of pressure rubbing towards the paper backing, rub the plastic down onto the cake board. Continue bit by bit until it is all down smoothly. Flip the board over onto a cutting surface and with a sharp exacto or craft knife, cut along the edge of your board to get rid of the contact sheet overhang.

2. If you need to use 2 widths of contact sheeting to cover your board, start from the center of your board with the first sheet and work to the outer edge. Do the same for the other side with a 1/8" overlap.

On another note, if I am doing a large cake I like to use a styro foam base, after I cover it I hot glue on a width of ribbon on the vertical edge the same width as the board thickness. makes for a nice looking board and hides the creases and overlaps of the surface paper.

Okay, I will try and explain how to attach the contact plastic to the top of your cake board smoothly.
1. Let's start using a board no wider than the width of your contact sheet. Peel about 1" of the paper off the back and fold it onto itself, away from the sticky side. Carefully center and attach the 1" sticky side to the top edge of your board, smooth down with your fingers so it is adhered securely. Now, here is another use for a credit card. Reach under the contact sheet and get a hold of the loose end of the backing paper. As you pull it off, very slowly, use your credit card as a squeegee and using a bit of pressure rubbing towards the paper backing, rub the plastic down onto the cake board. Continue bit by bit until it is all down smoothly. Flip the board over onto a cutting surface and with a sharp exacto or craft knife, cut along the edge of your board to get rid of the contact sheet overhang.

2. If you need to use 2 widths of contact sheeting to cover your board, start from the center of your board with the first sheet and work to the outer edge. Do the same for the other side with a 1/8" overlap.

On another note, if I am doing a large cake I like to use a styro foam base, after I cover it I hot glue on a width of ribbon on the vertical edge the same width as the board thickness. makes for a nice looking board and hides the creases and overlaps of the surface paper.

sorry about the double entery above. My computer froze up and I didn't think the first reply posted, guess I should have checked.

Do icing on your board instead of paper. Do royal or just your buttercream or fondant then you can make the details fit with the cake always loved that look! HTH