Just finishing up some xmas shopping for my better half.  How many spatulas/offset spatulas would you guys like to have?  She only has 1 offset.  

Also, those wider spatulas for cake lifting, are they good to have as well?

Besides colors, any other suggestions you would add to stocking?  Thanks for the earlier tips as well..

Also, cricit cake maching or edible printer (Canon MG5320).

thanks

Pretty much any tool or spatula. I can never have too many! Cutters, bags, embossers, embossing mats, gift certificate so she can go pickn what she needs, and the list goes on. Just go stand in the cake aisle & if it fits in the stocking....

Icing tips, #1, 2 & 3 nice to have a few of each.

6-8 offset spatulas

1-2 large offset spatula

3-4 straight spatulas

Wilton Cake Lifter (though that may not fit in the stocking)

Fondant cutters

Couplers

Small Acrylic Rolling Pin

Embossing Rolling Pin 

...and a few of the small rubber spatulas

Thanks.  Guess I'll be picking up some straight and offset spatulas and cake lifter and extra tips...

Any thoughts on the printer and crikit machine?  I have no clue. 

my hubby got me a cricut two years ago and it has been out of the box four times--so unless you know for certain that she really, really wants one...  For me, I'd much rather have the printer, though an airbrush is ranking higher than that this christmas.  

I also love the bench scrapers.  Not a dedicated cake tool as you can find it easily at Bed Bath Beyond, but for me it is my must have cake tool.  

My daughter did a wedding a few years ago for a friend and I was her consultant but she did the work. To christen the ocassion, I gave her a little block of styrofoam, maybe 4x4x2 or something like that and inserted some pearl head pins, hat pin length-- that as a decorator I cannot live without for so many reasons. Nicking off little tails of errant over pipes,  taking off mispellings, drawing, poking holes in air bubbles, trimming lines of decor, etc. Oh yeah, cleaning tid bits out of tubes. I mean tons of things.

To me it was a 'coming of age' type passing the baton type gift. Just a thought.

If she uses wet strips around her cake pans she can put her t-pins in there.

So the foam block is just a 'storage' place for necessary things that gives great security and great accessibility.

AI would NEVER, NEVER, NEVER buy a cricut in a million billion years. They used to be able to run design software from other companies, so you didn't have to spend a fortune on cartridges and so you could cut other things that weren't on the cartridges. Now you can't. You have to use cartridges, which is a huge investment, and you can't cut anything you don't have a cartridge for, because cricut sued the software companies.

Google Linda MC clure and deseret designs and the silhouette cameo. You can use your imagination, cut wingdings and fonts and trace pictures and make custom designs for unique people, not just prefabs.

But I use my edible images often too! It is verybpopular for graduations and celebration cakes. If she is planning on doing more birthday then wedding cakes, get it! But if she'll do more wedding than birthday, get the cutter, but not the cricut.

The cricut will be cheaper, but you will make up fir it in cartridges. The silhouette costs more but you wont have to spend any money on any designs, ever.

And if you go with a printer, get a new Canon printer from a discount place online. But make sure you can get cartridges for it from icingimages. Best ink and edible paper, ever! Shipping will kill you, but the other papers are terrible by comparison.

Google Linda MC Clure and deserete designs

ASorry that's so discombobulated, I am using my phone and it really stinks to use it on here!

Thanks for the ideas. I loaded her up on spatulas (straight and offset) and cake lifter and some good carving knives (looking for tips).  She has the airbrush already (last xmas).  Thanks for the tips on the cricit.  I will stick with the printer.  When you say the new Canon, I am guessing you mean the the 5320? If not, which one?  

Also I probably should have checked before but I got her the back issues to this site and a subscription, someone tell me I didn't  waste my money on that?

Also, I read a bit from icingimages so good to know which brand to go with as I from what I read you get what you pay for on those items.  If someone can confirm the recommended Canon model that would be great.  

AI think by new Canon printer, she meant a brand new printer which could be used for paper but make sure the ink cartridges can be replaced with edible ink cartridges. Basically ask icing images or browse their site to see which printers their cartridges are compatible with. It has to be a brand new printer so you can ensure that the non edible ink hasn't been used in it.

About the subscriptions... So long as it is online viewing there shouldn't be an issue, but with the hard copies there were a lot of problems getting them shipped. I'm not sure if they stopped doing the hard copies or not??

AThere's also Craftsy, which is an online tutorial site, they are having a sale today on classes, or you can get them on fab.com for $20 until tomorrow too.

AYes, any new canon that has compatable ink cartridges from icing images. You can find new, slightly older model ones from tiger direct. com for super cheap sometimes. I got an all in one that I love for $80.

Ive worked many places with regular decopac icing sheets and there was a struggle, but it was the only option. With the icing images premium paper, they work great and you can pull them off the plastic and handle them without them falling apart, and my kids eat the scraps, because it has a good taste. They don't crack or bleed or stick to the backing or shred. But shipping was killing me, because I can get decopac icing sheets with free shipping, so I did, and I used about 3 of them before I wanted to tear my hair out. Nothing but problems, and they stink and taste funny.

Canon doesn't have a whole lot of different cartridge types, so if you find a printer you think will work for you, on sale or clearance, check with icing images for comparability if you don't see it on their website. If you do some research on the types, you can figure it out, but the cartridges aren't returnable, if you get the wrong ones.

The Silhuoette cameo with Linda mc clures blade is an awesome buy, but she may not need it for a while, if at all. I got my Silhuoette for $210, shipping included from overstock.com, and ohmycrafts.com will often have 50% off an item if you sign up for their emails. (But they are relentless, email every day or two)