Tuesday, April 7, 2009

UTEE & Cookie Cutters

O.k....now that I got that sweet confession off my chest - time for today's technique ;)

UTEE & Cookie Cutters!

This is a fun and really easy technique once you learn what NOT to do - LOL!!

All you will need is some UTEE (color of your choice); metal cookie cutter; Melt Pot; Non-Stick Craft Sheet. That's it!

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Instructions:

1. Pre-heat the melt pot for approx. 5 minutes - pour in the UTEE & melt. I normally work in small batches so you don't get any darkening of the UTEE which occurs naturally with prolonged heat.

2. Pour a bit of UTEE out onto the Non-Stick Craft Sheet. You'll just have to practice judging how much you will need depending on the size of your cookie cutter. If it helps you can lay the cookie cutter along side where you are planning on pouring to help determine when you've got enough poured out.

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3. Immediately - before the UTEE cools, place the METAL cookie cutter into the hot UTEE and leave it cool...do not try to move it until the UTEE has cooled to a luke warm temperature! (Remember - never touch hot or molten UTEE - it burns!) I know that some people suggest to coat the cookie cutter but you do not need to coat the cookie cutter with anything ~ not embossing powder, not spray silicone, nothing. As long as you're using a metal cookie cutter and place it into hot UTEE then let it cool you will be fine.

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VERY IMPORTANT TIP!!!! - Now, I learned this the hard way....trust me on this....never under any circumstances pour the UTEE "INTO" the cookie cutter!!! It basically freezes in there and you have a heck of a time getting it back out again! I destroyed a tag cookie cutter by doing it that way. Someone said you could use a "release agent" and just pour it in.... not so. That sucker was stuck tighter than a well diggers...well, never mind that ~ it was just a mess ;)

Always press the cutter into the hot UTEE, never pour it into the cutter.

4. After the UTEE has cooled to a luke warm temperature carefully remove the cutter. There are normally two ways the cutter comes out...either it pops right out and it will look like this ...

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in which case you just peel off the excess UTEE....

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OR

The whole piece comes up. When it does, just push the cutter through the excess as shown...

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Push off the excess then push out the center. Really easy!

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Now, just think of all the fun things you can do with this....

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Not only can you make basic shapes ~ check this out....

Use multiple colors of UTEE and cutters to create all sorts of fun and funky shapes. If you would like add a hole do so by inserting a piece of a bamboo skewer to the molten UTEE -

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Check it out....

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Neat huh?

These are so much fun and so very easy too! Now just think of all those cookie cutters or poly clay cutters that you may have in your stash....all of the cool holiday cutters, specialty shapes, etc. Just make sure they are metal and you'll be all set!

Now, another give-a-way time....

I have an extra tag cookie cutter that I thought I'd share with you...

all you have to do is tell me what your favorite Easter candy is. If you're not into Easter which I know many people aren't then tell me what your favorite "special" candy is...not something you have every day ~ something special you save for honored occasions or that only are available certain times of year.

You will have until 4-18 to post at which time I'll draw one lucky winner!

Good Luck Everyone!!

34 comments:

  1. I think i have a favorite Easter candy for every day of the week-but today it is Cadbury's caramel eggs. Oh, yum!!!!!

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  2. Where did you get all of those cookie cutters? You'd think they'd be everywhere, but I have the hardest time finding them.

    Funny you should ask...I was just thinking about jelly beans today. Hmm, I'll have to say Brach’s Fiesta Malt Eggs. Ooooh, those are good. Oh and those little chocolate bunnies filled with marshmallow! Ooooh, now you've got me going! I need to go buy myself some easter candy! YUM!

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  3. My mom allways got us big huge Rocky Road easter eggs when we were kids. They were YUMMY!

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  4. When I was little my dad and I would "fight" over the black jelly beans. Now, my favorite all time candy is English Toffee!

    Linda

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  5. Hi Roni,

    My favourite Easter candy is Red Tulip Easter Egg chocolate. I don't like any other chocolate but that so I have to wait until Easter each year to have some. It just has a different flavour to it, don't know what it is cannot put my finger to it or in this case my taste buds lol.
    Regards
    Michelle
    Bohemian Gypsy

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  6. Hi again...If I could only find utee in colors...cuz I still don't know if you can add reinkers to it to color it? These are so cute..of course I have a zillion cookie cutters...but...mostly plastic so guess they are out huh? I have never seen a tag cutter tho...but for sure I would use it on this! Now...my fav candy..this will show my age...is still Hershey's with almonds. My kids get me that giant bar lol...and I have the hips to prove it! ty for the chance..Cher

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  7. omgawd!! I totally *heart* that circle charm it's awesome! I hope you can/will wear it.
    Easter candy.... hummmm, I guess it'd be whoppers. Chocolate covered malt balls or in this case eggs.

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  8. Sweet Tart Bunnies and Chicks! I nibble them for a long time to make them last!

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  9. Hmm - Easter would be Lindt bunnies, but overall my favourite special chocolate is Alte Ise - extravagantly wonderful chocolate in the shape of key, coated with bitter cocoa, and only available in the German speaking part of Switzerland around the New Year. Mmm!

    For the lady who likes toffee - the best toffee you can buy in the UK (where I live) is Thorntons - try some sometime if you can!

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  10. My favorite Easter candies are Cadbury cream eggs and the caramel eggs. I just have to have at least one of each every day this week. I wish they were available all year long.

    Marie M.

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  11. My favorite.. PEEPS..!!

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  12. I love fudge! I know its not special to Easter, but I only have fudge very few times year, because I would EAT IT ALL IN ONE SITTING. What is my favorite fudge flavor? All of them.
    Donna S.

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  13. Wow these cookie cut UTEE embellishments are really cool!

    My favourite Easter candy will be Kinder Bueno Egg with a little surprise in it :P

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  14. Hey Sweetie!!

    Cool cutters. :)

    My fav Easter candy has to be: Cadbury Cream eggs. Yummy!!

    Hope you're doing well. I've missed you. Can't wait to get a copy of your book! :)

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  15. Reeces peanut butter eggs are the best! They have more peanut butter than chocolate--love them.

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  16. My favourite would be Cadbury Cream Eggsss... yummmzzzz

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  17. Love the colored UTEE - so vibrant!

    My fav special candy is... ALL? LOL OK, ok... I am a totally sweet tooth so anything goes with me. Candy corn for Halloween, choc covered cherries for Xmas, convo hearts for Valentine's day, and milk choc foil covered eggs for Easter - I think they are made by Hershey but you can only get them this time of year. They melt in your mouth. Yum!

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  18. i have two favorite chocolates, royce and leonidas. yumm. :)

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  19. My favorite candy is Starburst jelly beans.This year I gave up candy for lent so I won't be able to eat anu until Easter Sunday.

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  20. I just found your blog through Tim Holtz and am LOVING it!!!! I can't wait to try some of these UTEE things!

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  21. Oops, I forgot my fave candy! Sorry, but I definitely have to go with Cadbury's Mini Eggs - I sure hope you guys get those in the States?!

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  22. I love the robins eggs. That's my vote for today!

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  23. my very favorite candy ever is See's lollypops--chocolateto be exact. They are only available to me by mail order so they are a real treat to get them when i do.

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  24. Cher told me about your site.......awesome........and my fav candy is (talk about dating someone) SUGAR BABIES....MMMMMMM, GOOD!

    Chris Beresford
    berries53@comcast.net

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  25. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, my favorite is the Solid Little Chocolate Eggs that are wrapped in Foil from a candy maker, not from Wal Mart or such.....I would always take care in not ripping the foil so I could use it for something crafty, lol...That was wayyyyyyyyyyyy back as I'm in my fifties and I carried on the tradition with my kids so I still get a few!! And yes, there is a difference between store bought candy eggs and a candy store. Now, my candy store is Ester Price Candies, yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Kay @ dreamartst52@yahoo.com

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  26. My favorite Easter candy is the Reese's Peanut Butter egg. Yum, Yum! Just found your blog and love all the things you're doing with Utee. I especially like the necklace pendants. Thanks for your great ideas.

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  27. Hi Roni,
    This is my first visit to your blog - Suze Weinberg has a link in her own blog (today's post, I think).

    You have such great ideas - I know I'm going to have fun exploring them. I wanted to tell you that I've found a way to pour melted UTEE into cookie cutters without having it permanently stick to the cutter. I use clear embossing ink - the kind that comes in a bottle. I put some on my finger and smear it all over the cutter, on both sides. Then I pour the UTEE in, wait for it to harden, and remove the cutter. It has to be pretty cool for the cutter to come off; until that point it won't budge. And you have to pay attention to how much you're pouring; you can make some really thick pieces this way (which may or may not be what you want), and they take longer to cool.

    I'm not sure you need to put the embossing ink on both sides, but I'm not taking any chances - the first time I tried this I didn't put enough on, and what you talk about happened - there's still UTEE on that cutter! Although I did manage to get most of it off with a heat gun, so the cutter is still useable.

    I hope this helps. It's actually about the only UTEE technique I can say I'm any good at!

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  28. Hands down, my favorite Easter candy is one my mother made when we were kids. We we so poor, that we didn't get an Easter egg each, instead we got 1/2 with a few small mice around the "half nibbled" eggs. Those little mice were made of fondant icing (oval) with chocolate button ears, a 1/2 jellybean nose and a licorice string tail. I looked forward to those yummy mice WAY more than the 1/2 egg. I now make them each year for my kids.

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  29. My favorite Easter candy is chicks and eggs that are made of the same stuff that makes circus peanuts. can't get enough-good thing Easter only comes once a year.

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  30. I think a tag cutter is so cool.
    When I was a kid my mom ate all the black jelly beans now their all mine. So black jelly beans are now my favorite.

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  31. Peeps! Love the inspiration! I will definitely try this!

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  32. When I used rangers utee it worked fine putting it into the cookie cutters. I then got a much cheaper brand, which was the same except for it got stuck in the cutter. I melted it out and spent a while cleaning it up and then did some research. What I found was glycerine. If you brush this around the inside and outside of the cutter is acts as a releasing agent.
    Works great x

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  33. SMEKAT - sounds wonderful and I have finally found a use for the old bottle of glycerin !

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  34. I love dipping shrink plastic in UTEE! Can't wait to try with cookie cutters. My favorite candy is Lindent choc bunnies and Cadbury eggs! Reeces peanut butter eggs are a close runner-up.

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Thanks for your thoughts and comments!