Hi! Im new to cookie decorating, but not cookie baking 
Just wondering what supplies are essential to start out w/? Also- would a store like michael's carry most of this stuff- i know they have a baking aisle. Anything else a newbie should know about before attempting to decorate??? Any books or sites to read beforehand? Thanks!!!
For starters, a Wilton cake decorating book is good beginning. They have basic recipes, measurements and models. Most Michael's stores carry lots of Wilton products. For some things, there are better sources, but for a start, you can't beat the convenience.
Michaels stores often offer Wilton Method classes in three segments. These are usually not expensive and give you an excellent start.
There are kits for the classes, that include starter equipment, but if you find somehthing you want to try, Wilton gives a list of what you need.
Also, look at WWW.bakedecoratecelebrate.com this is a Wilton site with lots of the basics and some of the "fancy" stuff.
Caution: this can be highly addictive.
You should take the classes at Michaels. Even if you don't you can buy the course one book and it tells you lots of essentials you need to start.
does michael's sell the coursebooks? I couldnt find it on barnes and nobles site
Go down a few posts and check out the one "Just getting started" 2 GREAT links to tutorials there ...
1/4 inch square dowels (Lowes/Home Depot) for rolling out dough
parchment paper
tips 2, 3, 4
I use disposable decorating bags at this time to ensure grease free
extra cookie sheets ! 2 just was not enough
Squeeze bottles for cookie icing. flooding, etc..
You should take the classes at Michaels. Even if you don't you can buy the course one book and it tells you lots of essentials you need to start.
does michael's sell the coursebooks? I couldnt find it on barnes and nobles site
Michaels does not sell the course books, you get them for free when you take the class.
But, if you are not going to take the class, Hobby Lobby and JoAnn Fabrics sell the books or you can get them on ebay.
You said that you're new to cookie decorating, right? The classes michaels offers (wilton) are all for cake decorating. So I didn't know if that's what you were looking for. There's a lot of helpful links on here, for different types of icing, royal and more, as well as tons of ideas. I think the cake classes would help, but if you're only doing cookies, I don't think icing a cake smooth is going to be much help. Maybe I just misunderstood.
Ami
You said that you're new to cookie decorating, right? The classes michaels offers (wilton) are all for cake decorating. So I didn't know if that's what you were looking for. There's a lot of helpful links on here, for different types of icing, royal and more, as well as tons of ideas. I think the cake classes would help, but if you're only doing cookies, I don't think icing a cake smooth is going to be much help. Maybe I just misunderstood.
Ami
Yes- i'm new to decorating, but not baking. I'm going to start off w/ cookies, move to cupcakes then finally cakes. So I'd like to learn different icing techniques etc, even if its not for cookies. But for now, I'm going to be doing mostly cookies.
I also use sandwich baggies for filling. They are cheap and sometimes I feel like I waste some icing when I use the squeeze bottles.
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