Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Check out the project that Melissa Capyk completed with our mirror mold.


Hi! My name is Melissa Capyk and I am the owner of Wild Cake in southern Ontario.

For my first project, I chose to work with the absolutely gorgeous Hand Mirror mold!

To remove your piece from this mold requires patience! It is a very large mold, so go slow! I pulled the mold away from the sugar bit by bit all the way around the frame, and released the handle as well (that's the easy part!) The section that is actually the "mirror" is a little trickier, as it is sort of suctioned to the mold. Gently but firmly pull at the mold from different angles... eventually you will get a spot to let go, then you can ease the rest of it off!

I first casted it in white candy melts. First attempt resulted in 3 pieces. I was a little too aggressive trying to get the middle section to release. 2nd attempt worked like a charm though! The detail is really pretty on this mold; I dusted the mirror section with silver luster dust, and then the frame in a pearl ivory color to hi-light the details and make it look like old ivory.

Then, I tried clear isomalt. Brought the isomalt up to 335 degrees F nice and gradually so it stayed clear. I did get a little bit of bubbling from the mold, but that is likely due to the fact that it is brand new, and hasn't had a chance to off-gas (I only had it out of the package a few hours before I started to play!!) I popped the mold into the fridge for a few minutes to make sure it set well (no more than about 10 minutes though, or the sugar will start to get sticky!)

For this version, I also experimented with some silver leaf I had purchased a while ago. VERY touchy stuff! That's a whole other tutorial which is better explained by people who have done it frequently, but I will say you must hold your breath while using this stuff; even a slight puff of air will send it flying! I very slightly dampened the area I wanted the leaf to stick to and applied it, then buffed it with a large soft makeup brush. If you get any stick to any part of the frame; stop and remove it immediately as it will start to stick very quickly. (you can scrape it off though!)

Then I used the ivory dust again on the frame; this time it was a much more subtle effect.

Next I painted the jewels in the frame very quickly with a combination of turquoise dust and confectioner's glaze.

After that, I added some green around the edge of the mirror & on the handle for some additional interest. This was a little too much on the translucent frame, but I suspect would have worked well if I had painted the frame a solid colour.

I also experimented with gumpaste, but I had some issues with it moving in the mold and making a double impression. The issue may have been my gumpaste, so I have made a fresh batch and will experiment with that soon! Because this is such a large mold, there is the opportunity for it to stretch as you roll out the gumpaste into the mold. I believe my gumpaste was a bit too stiff, so I was having to roll it too hard.

Thank you Mel for the chance to play with this mold!

Melissa Capyk
http://www.wildcakes.ca/

Products Used:
Jeweled Hand Mirror