By gum, I think I'll do it

K's birthday arrives in five days. Between now and then, I will finish making a handful of small gum paste people for her birthday cake. I know this because every time she sees the various people parts, she begins calling them by name: "Wendy! Elmo! Baby! Dora! Bob work." (That's right, everyone, Bob's at work. Because I had to draw the line somewhere.) Her excitement is enough to keep me going.

However, it doesn't really do anything about the fact that I know nothing about gum paste, have never worked with gum paste (or anything like it) before, and that my only tools are an exactoknife (stolen from my scrapbooking kit) and a box of toothpicks. But I didn't know how to sew when I made Baby, and now she's on a cake. What do they say about lightning striking twice? Wait, I don't think I want to know...