Hey guys! Just needed an uplift today while a little under the weather and unable to bake at the moment! I submitted some new cake photos and want to know what you think of my designing progress! I feel like I'm getting better with each cake and would like to know from the best cake designers around what you think! Look on my photos and give me something to read please! Hopefully it's good! Thanks

I just commented on your round wedding cake. It reminds me of a garden trellise (sp?) with climbing roses. Very nice. The colors are great! Are the roses buttercream or fondant. Great job! (Honest opinion)

Hi Sweetneice!! I just took a look at your gallery and it's very impressive!! I did notice a progression in technique and yes, you are getting better. I loved that round wedding cake -- your roses are awesome!! Keep practicing and keep posting!! Cheers!

I don't know that I'm qualified to critique anyone's work, but here's my two cents worth.

Your white cake is beautiful, and your roses are lovely. I've never mastered those myself. I think the amount of green leaves and vining on some of your cakes really detract from their beauty. The red scroll work on the sides of one of your cakes is really excellent!! I think it would have been prettier without any green leaves on top.

I'm no expert on designing cakes. I copy a lot of the ones I see here because I haven't yet developed a good eye for how to place things and how much to put on, and I think I'm slowly getting more creative. I spend a lot of time studying the balance, color combinations, spacing, etc., on the excellent cakes I see here and try to learn with each cake I make. I think you may struggle with the same thing I do, which is to know when "enough is enough". I have to tell myself to just STOP and step away from the cake!!

It looks to me like you have some great skills, and that you're continuing to learn and refine them. For what it's worth, my advice is to lose that leaf tip (or at least hide it and only use it sparingly). I personally don't like the shell tip much, either, and I don't see it very often on the cakes I see here that I like the most. I think it's "out of style" for now. I see a lot more plain round borders that look like pearls or balls, so I use my #12 round and do that on most of my borders. I think it is a simpler, less busy look, but that's just my bias.

The most important thing is to try lots of new techniques and have lots of fun.

Thank you guys for all your critiques! I value them all!

Your work is neat, nice, well done.
I also think you go too heavy on the leaves and the color. Lighten up some

I'm with the rest on the leaves. Someone once told me that 3-5 leaves per flower were plenty. And the color of the leaves is a little heavy too. Maybe try some vines with the flowers.

Other than that they are great cakes.

Eisskween, the flowers on the round wedding cake with leaves are all buttercream!

WOW! Just buttercream. They are perfect! I thought it might have been candy clay. Very nice job!

Thank you very much! You're very kind

please, please, do share the secret to those perfect roses!! particularly the ones on the latest cake uploaded (covered with tons of leaves -- btw, i'm with the rest on the leaves, your color combos were perfect, tho!)

Thanks and I will try to tone down on the leaves. I guess I thought of that as my signature mark! Everyone has one, and greenery/flowers are mine!Lol, but I see where you guys are coming from. Anywho, I actually learned how to do roses like this from a pastry chef working at a local bakery a few years ago. I started doing the roses the WILTON way and I really didn't think it captured a real rose like hers so......she decided to show me. Here it goes......I'm not good at instructionals but I'll try! Forgive me if it sucks!

Make a closed petal for the base instead of a dollop of icing
Begin to start adding your petals one at a time
I don't do the counting of the petals, I just stop when it looks right
I used to and it didn't do it nearly the justice it does now!
Oh, and don't use super soft icing! They'll make it harder to work with
It can be done in the whipped but as I stated before it's a little harder to get the petals just right

I hope that made sense to you, if not maybe I'll do a pictorial soon for you guys, how's that?! For those of you who have trouble with roses, this will make it seem like you've been doing it perfectly for years, and it's fun, fast, and beautiful.!

Would love to see how you do your perfect roses... I always seem to have trouble. Love your cakes and yes would tone down on the leaves lol