Moulded to perfection

1. Mix together equal parts from both components of the silicone putty. The putty activates when they combine, so make sure you use two different tools, such as wooden craft sticks, to scoop out the desired amount. To help ensure accuracy, use a scale to weigh each part. 2. Twist the two components together; continue kneading until they are completely incorporated and the two colors have combined with no streaking remaining. 3. Press the silicone into or over the object you want to mould, such as a martini glass. Make sure the object is thick enough to create a sturdy mould. 4. For the martini glass, you need to make a mould of both the interior and exterior of the glass to create the three-dimensional effect. You can work on any type of surface, except silicone mats. Silicone does not stick to anything except silicone. 5. Silicone cures in 15 to 30 minutes, so you need to work quickly. And, you may want to have a few additional items to use to mould, such as the drops off the glass, if you have silicone leftover. Make sure that it is set completely and very firm before unmoulding it from the object. Once cured, it is ready to use. 6. Silicone also works well for a variety of impression moulds. 7. To create lips, use some sort of container, such as an oval cutter, and press the silicone in it. Then, press your object, a pair of lips in this example, into the silicone. Allow the silicone to cure. 8. Once the silicone is ready, press gumpaste, fondant or chocolate into the mould to easily create lips. Like many girls of her generation, Ashley Vicos' love of baking began at age 5 with an Easy-Bake Oven. That love has become her career as she now owns Atlanta-based Sweet Ashley's, a commercially licensed cake studio, where she creates custom cakes and teaches cake decorating classes. Vicos stars in her own show–Have Cake, Will Travel–airing on the Food Network, and has competed in several televised decorating challenges. You can create unique cake decorations by making your own silicone moulds to offer truly custom cake designs. Moulds, impression mats and leaf presses are easy to make using silicone putty, available from suppliers. The putty has two components, which when kneaded together creates silicone that sets in 30 minutes. Silicone is durable, and you can use a variety of products in the moulds, such as fondant, gumpaste, cream cheese mints, isomalt, chocolate, etc. Silicone moulds work best to create flat or two-dimensional decorations, but small three-dimensional objects also can be created. You can use almost any item to imprint the silicone to create a mould: buttons from a bride's dress, magnets, and jewelry or even sculpt your own pieces to use.