How Long Have You Been Decorating?

Decorating By Elserj Updated 30 Oct 2007 , 12:48pm by katwomen1up

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chrissy410 Posted 28 Oct 2007 , 5:29am
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I started last summer but I haven't had too much practice yet. I love making cakes!

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dragonflydreams Posted 28 Oct 2007 , 5:30am
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how long I've been decorating and how many cakes I've decorated are quite different . . . approximately 27 years ago I started making birthday cakes for my son . . . but as he got older I figured he lost interest . . . and I hadn't made another cake until this past August . . . when he and is fiance asked me to make their wedding cake. I guess in total I have perhaps made and decorated a dozen cakes.

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cakesbybert Posted 28 Oct 2007 , 6:12am
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?Wow how long has it been? In high school made my graduation cake with help of friend. Made cakes for family mostly simple 9x13 cakes still in the pan. Actually was decorating cake for Easter dinner when went into labor with first baby. After three kids, took wilton classes I,II to get out of house - that was 15years ago - made Grandparents 50 anniversary cake for the price of all the pans, tips and ingredients - giving me my first offical pans and correct tools. Boy are my aunts & uncles surprised at what they helped start. And they thought the three tiered cake with over 200 BC roses plus two full sheet cakes was expensive just paying for the pans & etc.
So maybe 15 years, but less than 10 cakes a year and many years only my childrens b-day cakes. Except for the wilton courses and one gum paste flower class everything self taught.

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Kiddiekakes Posted 28 Oct 2007 , 2:07pm
post #34 of 68

I started seriously about 7 yrs ago!! Love it ever since!!

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MimiFord Posted 28 Oct 2007 , 2:15pm
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Self-teaching (just a few months). Unfortunately, live in rural area - closest Wilton class is 2 hour drive round trip. Local vo-tech only offers a cake decorating class in the spring, which hasn't worked around my regular job's schedule for several years now - so I just bought some books, and slowly but surely I'll get there. I've done hobby cakes for friends and family, who don't expect anything fancy, but just started doing paid for cakes - so we will see. Goal (hope) is to open commercial kitchen/bakery downtown before the end of 2008.

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Jessmar Posted 28 Oct 2007 , 2:39pm
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I've been decorating for just over a year. I am self-taught but books and Cake Central have been a huge help along the way! I first became interested when I was about 9 years old - my mom had a lady who decorated cakes come to our house to show my sister, our friends and I how to decorate a cake. We each had our own cake (which we baked ahead of time) to decorate. I wish I kept a picture of the cake - that was my first and only cake I had decorated until about a year ago, when I decided I really wanted to give it another try... and I love it!

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mccorda Posted 28 Oct 2007 , 5:39pm
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I took a Wilton class in the fall of 1980 and made many cakes back then for my mother-in-law to take to work. I've only done a handful of cakes each year since. Graduations, birthdays and a few wedding cakes. The last couple years I've done a lot more.
Since watching Ace of Cakes and the Cake Challenges, I wanted to know more about some of the stuff they used and did a search for pastiliage this summer and found CC and I've been hooked! I want to learn more and try new things. I even found out fondant doesn't have to taste nasty! (but I still haven't used it much yet)

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springlakecake Posted 28 Oct 2007 , 6:02pm
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It will be 2 years in February. I keep thinking to myself that I wish I had started 10 years ago!

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kakeladi Posted 28 Oct 2007 , 6:23pm
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In March 1980 I made my dd's wedding cake *never having decorated a cake before*.
It was 4 tiers w/2 satalite cakes connected w/bridges, cornelli lace (which I called squiggles and didn't do 'properly') and fresh flowers.
3 days later I was asked to help make a wed cake for another couple.....then 3 weeks after that to do another wedding cake. I loved it so much I took classes and have never looked backicon_smile.gif That is until last winter when my life changed forever and I had to close my sh op and move again icon_sad.gif

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jessi01 Posted 28 Oct 2007 , 6:32pm
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about 5-6 months... although I've been making my kids birthday cakes for the past 9 years and even then I tried to give them what they wanted.

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jenwright Posted 28 Oct 2007 , 6:37pm
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It's been 11 years since I did my first cake (at Kroger). The lead decorator taught me, then they sent me to Wilton Course 1 after I'd been decorating for nearly 6 months. The class really didn't help with the basics, but I wish they'd sent me to the other classes! After decorating there for 1.5 years, I left and did a few cakes on the side within a year, then took a break. I had my son in 2002 and started doing cakes again. This past year has been a biggie for me: 1st fondant covered cake, 1st carved cake, 1st paid wedding cake...it's been a blast! It seems like I'm doing at least 2 cakes a month, and I want to do more! Once I found CC, I was hooked and awed by all the amazing cakes on here. I keep a window open with CC at all times at home and work icon_redface.gif

I'm also very envious of all the amazing decorators here that have been doing cakes less than 1-2 years and their cakes look as if they've been doing it all their lives! icon_surprised.gif

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sweetlycreative Posted 28 Oct 2007 , 6:41pm
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I have been doing it for about 21 years, the last 10 years out of my home.
I am self taught, except for the course they gave us in school on borders, and roses, I was told by my teacher that I would never be a cake decorator. That was 21 years ago, and here I am today and I am proud of how far I came. icon_biggrin.gif Thanks to CC I get very inspired and learn lots of new things, Thanks to all!!

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manda52 Posted 28 Oct 2007 , 6:43pm
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My first cake was July 2007. I made a Ace of Hearts for my cousin and fell in love. I'm still learning but CC has helped. So thanks to all of you on here!! You're all are great!!

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Luffie Posted 28 Oct 2007 , 6:50pm
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I've been baking since my kids were little (20+yrs)...But decided in all my brilliance to try my first "biggie" last year, by making my daughter's wedding cakejavascript:emoticon('dunce.gif')
Duh!

Many many many trips to the library and online and I managed to figure it all out...Pretty sure the buttercream was about 6inches thick trying to get a smooth finish lol...it did turn out great, but gawd what I wouldn't have done to have all the tips I've accumulated over the past year!

She loved it and I've been cak-ing ever since...4 weddings, dozens of birthdays and odd celebration cakes over the past year I'm hooked!!!!

I retired just over a year ago and needed something to keep me busy...I have to laugh, I went from a 70k+ job to making $50 here and there with cakes...the joy and accomplishment I get over the $50 here and there is so much more satisfying than the weekly pay from fighting in the corporate jungle!!!javascript:emoticon('icon_smile.gif')
Smile

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Sandra80 Posted 28 Oct 2007 , 6:50pm
post #45 of 68

i started as a kid decorating cakes for family parties and holidays. i made my own cupcakes for my class birthday parties (that sounds awfully sad reading that back now) i made cakes for my friends birthdays and and teachers through middle and high school. when i had kids i got more into it and discovered fondant and now i am hooked. i have never taken a cake decorating class. most of my skills come from art classes i took in highschool and college where i focused on sculpture and ceramics.

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SScakes Posted 29 Oct 2007 , 11:31am
post #46 of 68

2 years this past August.....for other people that is.

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bashini Posted 29 Oct 2007 , 11:52am
post #47 of 68

Well, I have being cake decorating for a long time. But started as my own business since last year. No cake class, just self taught. I read lots of books and not fogetting aine2's tutorials and all the help from cc members.

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Kahuna Posted 29 Oct 2007 , 11:55am
post #48 of 68

It's been almost 2 years. I just used the end of some of the first icing colors I bought and it made me think of how far I've come and how much I have yet to learn, I've got a long way to go. I wish I could take some classes, also maybe when DD is in school full time! For now will keep reading up and leaning on CC for all of the wonderful help and advice.

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bashini Posted 29 Oct 2007 , 12:12pm
post #49 of 68

Yeah you are right Kahuna, I also can't take any cake class because my second son is just 20 months old. The elder one is in year 1 now. I have to say that I take lots of ideas from cc. There so much of talented people here. And they sooooo helpfull. I'm so glad that I became a member.

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katwomen1up Posted 29 Oct 2007 , 12:57pm
post #50 of 68

My one year mark was in September.

Kat

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Erdica Posted 29 Oct 2007 , 1:04pm
post #51 of 68

I have been doing this for 3 years at the end of October. But I took a year off because we were moving and I had 2 babies 11 months 6 days apart. After my girls were born I was going back and forth about really plunging back into the cake world. Then I just started getting inspired and decided I really want to do this. So I'll start advertising next year and I'm doing a bridal show in January. I have my first wedding of the year booked for Feb. And I have a cake for 450 people for the weekend of Nov 11th. And I am getting some people coming to me word of mouth. So things are moving along. I have a goal of 5 - 6 years (when my youngest starts 1st grade), to build a shop. So that's my aggressive plan. Sorry for the long post. LOL.

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bashini Posted 29 Oct 2007 , 1:05pm
post #52 of 68

Oh kat! is that your little one in the photo. He is so cute.

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chovest Posted 29 Oct 2007 , 1:09pm
post #53 of 68

I made my first cake 11 1/2 years ago for my oldest DD first b-day. (I ended up running to the store to get one to serve guests though!) I'm not sure if that counts as when I started decorating or not, as I only made one cake a year (for her b-day) for quite sometime. It wasn't until July of 2005 when my fourth DD was born that I really started decorating regularly. I have went from making only their b-day cakes in previous years, to making cakes for everyone and everything I can for the last year! Although, I have never been paid for a cake, so I guess it depends on what you consider a starting point. icon_wink.gif

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Denae Posted 29 Oct 2007 , 1:11pm
post #54 of 68

i have been decorating for almost 9 years, even though it doesn't look like it. i actually just got back into it this past march, working with fondant. i ran a Sam's Club bakery for 4 years and i had 6 decorators on staff, so i really never had to decorate, unless they needed me. we were an extrememly busy club. so, i have been out of it for about 4 years, doing little things here and there. I've always worked with buttercream. but fondant is so much easier. i love it. thanks to a real good friend of my miss jwong, i would have never found this site of really starting working with fondant!

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bashini Posted 29 Oct 2007 , 1:11pm
post #55 of 68

I haven't done a wedding cake yet. I would love to do one. well, I might have to do one next year for my cousin's wedding. And I'm going to do two cake sales next month. Hope its going to boost my business a bit more. I do cakes for most of my freinds. But I want more to keep me really busy.

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Tiababe Posted 29 Oct 2007 , 1:12pm
post #56 of 68

I have only been decorating for four months now. I am not even confident enough to post any pictures yet!! Have taken one Wilton class...considering taking some more. I feel like I am learning so much here at CC; but sometimes I learn better when I actually see someone else do it versus me reading about it. Right now, I am basically making a cake for anyone having a birthday and of course, the upcoming holidays! Practice, practice, practice.....

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jibbies Posted 29 Oct 2007 , 1:13pm
post #57 of 68

26 years as of October 21st

jibbies

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Memie Posted 29 Oct 2007 , 1:15pm
post #58 of 68

I made my first decorated cake 38 years ago when I was 10. It was the Candy House Birthday Cake from the old orange Betty Crocker Cookbook. It was for my sisters birthday. I took the 3 Wilton classes 2 years ago and just did my first (and probably only) wedding cake.

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cinderspritzer Posted 29 Oct 2007 , 3:46pm
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about a year and a half, intermittently. i learned some basic drop flowers from my grandfather who decorated cakes for almost 50 years, and took the wilton 1-3, the rest is trial and error and little tips from cc

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PhishTech Posted 29 Oct 2007 , 3:56pm
post #60 of 68

I have been decorating about 9 months now. It all started because my mom volunteered me to make a friends wedding cake. I thought...sure, no problem, white frosting and some fresh flowers...but no, she handed me a picture from Martha Stewart, so I took Wilton I & II and started practicing. I think I made 3 or 4 trial runs of the top tier alone. I have been hooked ever since.

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