I have very little experience with the Cricut, let along the cake version of the machine. For my husbands cake I used, fondant and icing sheets. I have to say it was a lot of trial and error. I didn't have crisco on hand so I improvised and used butter. Bad idea. So, off I went to the store to buy crisco. This was a much needed change and my fondant was finally staying in place. Anyways, if you want your fondant to cut out well, you need to roll it out very thin. I will post a picture of the rolling pin I used and the little rubber bands that are placed on the ends to help keep the thickness equal throughout the fondant. I use the pink bands.
Next you want to make sure that your fondant is only in the white part of your cutting mat. I need to purchase a fondant smoother. I used the rolling pin to place it on the mat, but it would be easier with the fondant smoother that you use to smooth out the tops and sides of the cakes. Then if it's really soft, place it in the freezer for a few minutes. But not too long. I would make sure you have time and extra fondant when you first start as you are going to make mistakes and the machine is going to do things you don't want it to.
The icing sheets were not as easy to work with. When I first pulled one out, it was dry and brittle, so it was falling apart as the machine tried to cut things out. I placed a damp paper towel in the bag for a few days and that seemed to do the trick. However, one of the sheets got a little too hydrated, which made the machine tear the frosting sheet. So there is going to be some trial and error with this as well. The frosting sheets do have a 2 year shelf life, which is awesome. So when you get your sheets out be ready to either hydrate them with a slightly damp paper towel for a day or two. But don't over do it like I did or you will have to wait a day or so to use them after taking the paper towel out. Also, make sure your pressure is set higher to cut the frosting sheets, as this is a thicker material than the fondant.
Anyways, after you have cut out your people, trees, flowers, etc. then you can use them right away or set them aside to dry. If you want them to stand up on your cake, you will want to make them a few days ahead of time to let them dry. Gum paste is great too, but I haven't used it on my machine yet.
Then assemble your cake and you are done. Easy as that. Just so you know, everything in Green and Pink is Fondant, everything in Red and Blue is Frosting Sheets. The road is made out of chocolate mints.
