That is the question. I think it would be so nice to read how different people got this hobby.
My story is kind of funny. First cake I ever made was my sons second birthday. I wanted to make train for him so I sat down had a toy train in front of me. Took me very long to do it. i had no idea about fondant. icing etc. I went to the shop and bought some tubes of ready mix ( god knows what it was, but it was for the cakes ) and i was trieing to cover the cake with it. it was a mess and it was so hard. Anyway i did it and my boy loved it. And i was proud of it. Then one girl told me about fondant. I tried to to few figures out of just for fun and also did my first big project called christmas cake. I showed them for one lady who makes cakes she liked them and ever since has been asking to make some figures for her. I have been doing this for a 5 years now.
To be very honest i had no idea about gumpaste til i started visiting this site (which is maybe a month ago) I couldn't believe it how much easier it would have been to make figures out of gumpaste instead of fondant.

so now i am sitting here and thinking maybe i should start someting on my own. But i don't have enough guts. I am a chicken. I am scared that my cakes are not good enough and so on. ( for god sake somebody who just found out about gumpaste sholdn't trie to open a business, should she?) I also don't have idea from where to start.

anyway, thats my story what is yours?

I had no interest in cake decorating at all, although I quite admired the cakes that my sister made for her children. When I was pregnant with our 7th, my mom gave me a whole Wilton cake kit for my birthday. She prefaced it with, "I thought that you'd like to make special cakes for your family since you certainly have enough birthdays to celebrate!" Meanwhile, I'm thinking, "Cake decorating?!? It's a lot easier not knowing how to do it and to just slap some icing on top of a 9X13 cake!" So, I took a little class from a local lady so I could at least learn how to use the tips and bags, etc. As they say, the rest is history!

I've only had a few "paid" cakes, and I'd love to get more practice but right now I'm pretty busy with family cakes as the need arises (nine children now). Someday when I have more time, I may venture out into a little cake business!

Liis,

Your work is beautiful...I only started decorating cakes about 6 months ago, because I didn't think I could possibly make flowers, etc. Anyway, I gave myself a birthday present of cake decorating lessons at a local cake supply store and I was hooked...Also, very proud of myself for trying something new.

I love to bake and had decided I want to do something in this field when I retire in a couple of years. Originally it was going to be cookies, because that is my first love. But since I started decorating cakes, it is now a toss up...

If you truly love what you are doing, I say go for it. You definitely have a gift (I looked at your photos). I always freak a little when I deliver a cake, worried they won't like it. But, that is just
my own self doubt running wild, no complaints so far.....

Cindy

When I was 8 my neighbour did the Barbie cake for me. I loved it. So when my older sisters b day came around I knew she liked mickey mouse and wanted to do a cake for her. My neighbour gave me all her equipment to use. I do not know how to explain this but, i made a 9x13 cake and traced a mickey head. then cut out the ears etc... to make myself like a template. I did not have Black (in those days it was the liquid food coloring my mom had) so I mixed all the 4 colours I had. It came out like pukey brownish green for his ears and eyes. LOL. anyways everybody thought it was great and for x mas all I got was decorating stuff...been doing it ever since... never did take classes.. I looked at a pic of that cake OMG thats hilarious..thanks for the jog down memory lane!!

p.s. I too did not know about gum paste till coming here....

Fun topic! I first started decorating cakes at my first job which was a Dairy Queen. I was about 16 & our cake decorator was leaving & she offered to teach me a few basics (ie: roses, borders, leaves, using the copy-cake projector & airbrush) and I could take her place. I absolutely fell in love with it & I always thought it was such a fun job. Although I realize now that I had it so easy, all the icing was already made & the cakes were icecream & already smoothed, so all I had to do was the decorating. But I never really did much more after I left there (a couple years later) and didnt decorate any cakes until this past couple years. My husband & I moved to a state away from both our families where neither of us knew anyone so he could go to graduate school & aside from my M-F job, I have all this time on my hands so I have gotten really into cakes & cookies. I now realize that I would be so happy if I could do this for a living.... but for now it is more of just a hobby! There is nothing like finishing a cake or cookies & then watching people enjoy it! Next......!

first of all...I just browsed thru your pics and they are awesome! Especially the figures...they're adorable! Second of all, the only thing you lack IMHO is confidence!!

I just got into cake decorating in June of this year...I have always baked decent tasting cakes/desserts but they always looked very "homemade." I wanted to learn how to make them a little more professional and/or creative looking. I am finishing up course III next week and I just took a 2day gumpaste workshop. I achieved my first goal which was to do my younger daughter's b-day cake (strawberry shortcake) in Sept. which came out quite nice, if I do say so myself. My next goal is to do a a 10 yr anniversary cake for a really good friend of mine in 2 weeks....and a fondant babyshower cake for another one in about 3weeks. (My husband's been travelling with the digital camera so I haven't had a chance to download anything onto the computer and this website but will shortly...) I don't have professional aspirations, just a personal hobby. I like creative stuff, painting especially, so this hobby combines painting with my sweet tooth!!

My wife and I were watching a show on Food Network last year where they had a pastry contest. Lots of gum paste flowers, beadwork, strings. I told her that anybody could do that stuff if they set their mind to it. Well..... she told me that I couldn't do that stuff. I set out to prove that I could. The photo under my nick is of some of my gumpaste flowers. I entered a cake in the Illinois DuQuoin State Fair and placed best in show. I am close to retirement and am now looking forward to decorating cakes to help suppliment my pension.

In july 05 I wanted to buy a really nice birthd cake for my party she wanted to charge me $75.00 to do a ballon cake( 4 9-inch 1 layer cake with 1 color done with the number 16 or 18 tip).I thought that was to much ( I know better now)so I set out to do my own cake.The cake turned out really nice, and before I knew it other people started asking me to make cakes I still have a long way to go but over all I think I am getting better.

I've watched my mother bake since I was a toddler. She didn't decorate the cakes, but from the day that she trust me to use the oven, I've been slightly obsessed with baking. A little over a year ago I took a Wilton I class and I've been hooked on decorating ever since...although it is often difficult to find time to do it.

I have always enjoyed baking and trying new recipes. My need for decorating cakes came more of necessity then desire. I own my own catering business and my business partner was the cake decorator. Things didn't work out and I needed to learn to cake decorate so I wouldn't have to rely on her and pay the high prices that individuals charge (not that I don't agree with the hard prices -- the cakes are worth any amount of money!!!). I just don't want to have to pay for them out of the budget for my jobs. Now I do them myself along with everything else for the parties & events I handle.

Liis, your work is beautiful and you should have more confidence in yourself. Anyone that can make those figures can do anything!!!

I started playing with cake decorating about 25 yrs ago as my neighbor did cakes. She had a class at the school and I took it. Well, I missed the night she taught roses, so I decided to teach myself. No luck. I finally gave up. I did well enough to do cakes for my kids but never for anyone else. Over the years I admired my neighbor's work. Believe me, she was fantastic. I sent everyone to her. She did my daughter's wedding cake (she picked it out when she was 5 and played with the neighbor's daughter). Jeannine never forgot her picking it out and always promised to do it. She didn't charge me a dime. I just had to buy the ingredients. Anyway, she finally moved away after all those years and I had to start doing my own again. My daughter and I took the Wilton classes but I was bored with it. My daugher, however, stuck with it and is now doing cakes for people. I still do just for family and friends. In my old age, my carpal tunnel and arthritis get the best of me. I"m afraid to commit to doing something for someone and then not being able to do it. I love cooking and baking so I get my share of it but I'll leave the important decorating to my daugher!!!!!!

I have always wanted to learn how to decorate ,I took bakery in High School and we learned basic stuff ............
We made the stand up bear and covered it with the stars tip 16 and we learned how to make a rose and just the basic shell border .

I loved it I wanted to try so many thing but we were getting graded on just those things so I kept telling my teacher were can I learn more and all she would say is find a wilton class !!

So ten years later here I am I have taken the wilton courses but I have to say that I have learned soo much more from this site !!!
It is really great being a part of this everyone is so willing to share and you always get great ideas and inspiration !!!

I have always loved baking and cooking, but I had never decorated. I April of this year my son informed me that he wanted me to do his wedding cakes....they wanted 3 different cakes instead of a tiered cake. I told him I couldn't do it and he said he knew I could...I do all kinds of crafts, everything but knitting...so I went to walmart and bought the basic decorating kit and a beginners pamphlet and jumped in! I baked and decorated at least 2 cakes a week and in between cakes I sat and practiced making roses. Well June came and I made the cakes for the wedding and everyone loved them and my son and new daughter-in-law were very proud of me. I then bought more tips, pans and went ahead full steam ....I sell several cakes a month and hope to do more for extra income. I just love it and I am learning more and more daily....I do a pretty good job decorating but I have a long ways to go and a lot more to learn. I learn so much from reading the forums and from the other members....Thanks to you all for sharing.
Debbie

Well, I always loved to be in the kitchen. I honestly don't remember exactly what started it, but I remember when my oldest turned four she wanted me to make this unicorn cake. It turned out great and really got me interested. With two children and not much "me" time, I was at JOANN shopping and picked up one of there class newspapers. I decided it would be great to fill both, "me" time and learning to decorate my kids cakes. The first two classes were great experienced but the third was with a different instructor and it was TERRIBLE. So bad that I thought, I could do better than that, well, now I do. I love to teach and still love doing my kids cakes. I haven't been able to sell many cakes, but hope in the future that will become a reality.

Well, I always loved to be in the kitchen. I honestly don't remember exactly what started it, but I remember when my oldest turned four she wanted me to make this unicorn cake. It turned out great and really got me interested. With two children and not much "me" time, I was at JOANN shopping and picked up one of there class newspapers. I decided it would be great to fill both, "me" time and learning to decorate my kids cakes. The first two classes were great experienced but the third was with a different instructor and it was TERRIBLE. So bad that I thought, I could do better than that, well, now I do. I love to teach and still love doing my kids cakes. I haven't been able to sell many cakes, but hope in the future that will become a reality.

I never reallly thought of myself as a baker .... and as for artistic, I thought my brothers had all the talent.

When my daughter was just over 2, I was in Michael's arts & crafts store looking for stuff for a christmas project i was working on. We wandered into the cake aisle, and they had those dummy cakes, decorated, on the display. My DD asked if I could make a cake like that. I told her I hadn't done anything like that before. She picked up a POOH pan and asked me if I would make it for her.


My neice's birthday was coming up and figured that i could make the cake for her .... and its been downhill ever since .. hahaa ..

Actually, I decorated on my own, on and off, for about 2 years, then took courses I and II almost back to back in the summer of 2003. I finally had the time to take Course III and finished it 2 days ago!

I've only sold 3 cakes in my "career", and hope that maybe now with a little more training under my belt, I may be able to do some more ...

J

Liis...your figures are really good. You seem to be very talented with molding skills...I think you could definitely start up a business if you wanted to.

I have always loved baking...but I got into the decorating part after my daughter turned one. I never seemed to like the grocery store b-day cakes and wanted to create something unique. I have been hooked ever since!

traci

Sound like most of us got started doing cakes because we have children. Maybe we need to buy cake decorating kits for baby shower gifts. LOL It certainly beats buying cakes at Walmart or the bakeries. At least we know how fresh they are and how sanitary the conditions are when they're made.

My mom made all our cakes for us as kids- whatever we wanted, she could make, when i had my own i started doing their b-day cakes(my oldest are 5 years old now) about 3 months ago, i thought, this is a hobby i could do something with. so, i told my friends and family that i was available "for hire" so, i've suddenly been very busy with cakes lately! my one neighbor has ordered about 4 from me over the past month and a half. it's fun. i decided to go ahead and take the wilton classes, just to get out of the house i've done level one and two, can't wait for level 3, since thats stuff i really don't know how to do.

I started last April when I was suffering from a severe case of cabin fever. I'm a stay-at-home mom of two young children with no transportation during the day. I was able to convince my husband to spring for the Wilton classes to give me a creative outlet... wasn't sure I'd even like it, but had a lot of fun. I found a good excuse to get out of the house and found a new hobby at the same time. : )

IN 1978 when I couldn't find a birthday cake cute enough for my baby girl.

So, I got my hands on a wilton year book from the back of a parenting magazine. Fell in love with the Holly Hobby cake..changed her hair from blonde to brunette..and the rest is history!

My sister was pregnant with my 1st niece in 1980 and I wanted to learn to make "those neat cakes" for her. So I signed up for a Wilton course at a hobby store (closed since then). Only took Course II about 2 years ago--didn't learn too much at that one that I hadn't already figured out. Don't know if I will take Course III but I do want to learn to make gumpaste flowers that look so real, you can smell them.

For me it was unintentional. My cube mate wanted to take the Wilton classes and didn't want to take them by herself. We took all three classes and a cookie class. I don't have any children yet so it was hard finding a reason to make them. Luckily word got around and now I get to practice on my friends and co-workers. After the Wilton class cakes, my first cake was the 3D dinosaur that someone asked me to make for their child's birthday this past January.

It is still just a hobby for me. I charge for my creations but only so I can buy more stuff. I would love to open a bakery but I don't think it will ever happen. I have a really difficult time with pricing. Everyone that gets a cake from me usually gets a bargain.

I have my first wedding cake in December and I am extremely nervous. I will be glad when it has come and gone.

Liis, your stuff is great. If you have the opportunity, I would go for it. If you lived by me, I would consider joining up with you.

Terri

My mom did most of our cakes as kids as well as the candies for holidays to save money as a single mom of 4. From that, she made the wedding cake for 3 of our weddings. So I guess I got it from her . I've always liked to bake and somewhat cook (like cooking more now). I finally got myself into taking the wilton courses to learn about fondant and making flowers. Now I invite my mom to come watch/help me when I do cakes because she has never done some of the stuff I've learned. My mom is 68 and I'm 30, but she takes pictures of my cakes and brags about them to everyone! You would think I just got my first A!!

I've loved baking for as long as I can remember. About 11 yrs ago, I made my first cake for my aunt's baby shower. I went to the local bookstore and found a cake decorating book to get some ideas. I saw a picture of a baby shower cake that looked like a knitted sweater, bonnet and booties. I thought it was adorable so I made it. I got an order the day of the shower for a train b-day cake. My next cake was my cousin's wedding cake. It wasn't very good, but they liked it. I have made several of the knitted sweater, booties and bonnet baby shower cakes since then and lots of wedding cakes, as well as other cakes too. I have never taken any classes, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I just 'discovered' fondant when I joined this website.

Great topic!

I've been cooking and baking forever! My grandmother would pull a chair up to the counter for me to stand on and let me help her with whatever she happened to be cooking up at the time. She and her sister owned a catering business, so by the age of five they had me stuffing cabbage rolls and breading chicken pieces. I'm sure they were violating more than a few child labor laws, but I loved it! I really got into baking though, when I was in high school. I would bake for our church festivals and get rave reviews and people would ask me to bake stuff for them for holidays and parties. It's taken me until now, well into my 30's, to actually turn it into a business. I'm "half way" legal (still waiting on my home inspection)! Wish me luck!

mjw15618, I know what you mean. My dad used to bring guys home from work (he was a roofer) and he'd have me make biscuits for them to show them how I could cook. I was 5 years old. Stood on a chair to reach the cabinet. I scarcely remember not cooking. By 8 years old I was putting supper on the table as my mom always had to work one or two jobs. My brothers did alot of the cooking until they left home and then it was me. I never minded doing it as I loved cooking then and I still do. People ask me how do I make bread all the time. I tell them it is like getting up and putting on a pot of coffee to me. Nothing hard about it. Most people that swear they can't cook have just never tried. My girlfriend tried to make my Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip cookie recipe the other day and totally screwed it up. She finally confessed that she melted the butter in the microwave and lacked a cup of oatmeal from having what the recipe called for. DUH! I call her Betty Crocker now. Everyone has some sort of talent if they just look for it. I am horrible at crafts and creating things but I can cook good old country cooking with the best of them. I can do a fair job on cakes but do not have the creative mind that so many on CC have. I need a picture and instructions!!!!!

I've always been dabbling in something over the last 20 years or so. I was doing dark chocolate bags and cups with white chocolate mousse before it was ever the in thing to do. I use to pull leaves off my rose bushes and paint them with chocolate to make chocolate leaves for the tops of my cheesecakes when I was 17 or 18. I've always been creative. Somewhere along the way, I started catering weddings with a friend. For one wedding, the bakery dropped off a white cake and a hour later the florist showed up with a box of red and white roses, dropped them and ran. The mother of the bride assured me that I could handle it just fine. And I did. I started chatting online in a foodnetwork chatroom a couple years ago which lead me to eGullet where the head of Carymax made an offer for a huge discount on tuition for the 2004 World Pastry Forum. I went that year as a student and returned this year as a volunteer. Watching so many of the foodnetwork competitions has totally stirred up my creative juices so I've gone back to working on the basics. I'm taking basic cake decorating classes now and starting to work on my chocolate skills as well. I'm working on a book on taking all the different types of art that I dabble in and applying them to pastry. This addiction just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

I STARTED WHEN I WAS 16 YEARS OLD WHEN I WAS WORKING IN MY NEIGHBOR'S ICE CREAM PARLOR. IT WAS A HOT DAY AND THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS WORKING AND IT WAS STILL HOT. IT WAS RAINING AND WE WERE SLOW. THE WOMAN WAS DOING THEM AND SAID HERE YOU TRY. IT WAS A 1\\2 SHEET ICE CREAM CAKE AND THE ICING WAS MELTING OFF AND IT WAS A BIG MESS. THE CAKE WAS MELTING AS WELL AS AND I SAID I WILL NEVER DO THIS AGAIN. THAT OF COURSE WAS A LIE. I LEARNED HOW TO MAKE CLOWNS THAT DAY TOO AND HAVE NEVER LOOKED BACK. 16 YEARS LATER I WAS STILL DOING ICE CREAM CAKES AND THAT WAS ENOUGH FOR ME. NOW I JUST DO REGULAR CAKES AND I LOVE IT. THE KIDS NO LONGER WANT ME TO MAKE CUPCAKES BECAUSE ANYBODY CAN DO THAT, I HAVE TO MAKE CAKES FOR THEIR CLASS PARTIES. I WOULD LOVE TO TRY MMF AND GET BETTER AT DECORATING COOKIES WHEN I HAVE THE TIME. WHO KNOWS WHEN THAT WILL BE! NEXT....

Good question!

I always loved baking cakes - my mom is a chef and I learned in her kitchen. I was making buttercream flowers as a child (my grandparents are European immegrants and didn't know from playing legos and barbie - my grandma would have flower making sessions with me instead whenever she babysat us).

So I baked cakes and gave them away for years ... everyone said I should sell them....and then one day I didn't have enough money to buy my boyfriend a birthday gift. I have a day job that I love, but it doesn't pay well....so I decided to cash in on the baking thing and took classes, etc and opened a biz. I studied under this gumpaste "master" (who is INSANE but great with gumpaste) and did a master cake decorating class at the New School in NYC (it was fun and I miss it!!). Anyway - did all that to brush up on my skills and here i am....