Cookie Cutter Tutorial

The above little beauty is the team logo for the San Diego Chargers or who we San Diegans affectionately know as the Bolts.

Due to a couple of football party cupcake orders I have for this weekend, I'm going to be needing a few of these cut out of fondant. Instead of manually cutting them one by one, I thought it would be a good idea to use a cookie cutter. One problem: Where was I going to get a Charger Bolt cookie cutter in the size I needed?

I figured the best way to go would be DIY. Armed with incredible ingenuity and an over-inflated sense of self-confidence, my ECA and I headed to Lowe's for material ideas. We ended up buying some metal duct pipe that ran us about $3. I had the ECA borrow some tin snips from our onsite property manager and cut the piping in 1" wide strips that ran the length of the pipe (Come on, that's a man's job. I just bake cupcakes.)

Below is a step-by-step of how we made the cookie cutters:

1. Here's the ducting with the crimped ends trimmed off (thanks baby!)
   
2. One of the 1" strips.
   
3. The templates/guides I used for the cookie cutters.
   
4. I began by folding/bending the strip of metal around the shape of the bolt.
   
5. I used my thumbs to work out as many of the wrinkles in the edges as I could.
   
6. Of course, ECA couldn't let me have all the fun. He had a go at it, too.
   
7. Once you're done shaping your cookie cutter, you might be left with a tail.
   
8. Use the tin snips to cut it off but leave a little bit at the end to fold over and glue.
   
9. Wrap the extra bit over the raw edge and use a bit of hot glue from a glue gun to seal.
   
10. Ta-da! The finished products. ECA's is on the top and mine is on the bottom. It's OK, you can say his is better. It'd probably just serve to stroke his male ego. Oh fine I admit mine looks more like Sonic the Hedgehog than a Charger Bolt but COME ON, it was my first try!!
    
11. Look, I made a football, too :)

I've got a bunch of strips left that I can't wait to fold into other fun shapes. Perfect activity to do in front of the TV when you're watching something like, oh, say, Willow. Not that that's what I was doing or anything. Noooo... not at all...

I'd love to see some cookie cutters that you made! If you get a chance, post a pic!