Has anyone purchased these videos? I am thinking about buying the Advance Fondant Techniques by Marina Sousa and Modern Piping by Joshua John Russell. Wondering if anyone else has purchased them, are the worth the money?

Thanks!

someone on here posted today, that she loved marina sousa's . It was well worth the money. hth

I purchased those two classes and also the decadent chocolate cakes and topsy turvy.I loved them,to me they were worth the money.Just had a little problem with the buffering at first but they are working on fixing that.

I just purchased the Advance Fondant, Piping with Josh, and the gumpaste flower one. They are great! I was lucky enough to get in on their 50% off sale. I tried to post the sale here to let you all know, but couldn't figure out how to do a new posting since the change. Would someone please tell me where to find the "New Topic" button

I got all 4 of the cake decorating classes the other day when they were 50% off. I have finished adv fondant and it was great, a lot of new ideas and ways of doing things. I just started on the piping one today but it seems good also. I think they are all going to be worth the money

THANKS, APTI. I think I was just so excited to tell everyone about the sale that I had a brain freeze!
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No worries. I have brain freezes ALL the time......

Well I'm going to rock the boat here - I've had TWO refunds for craftsy classes - one for the topsy turvy and one for the supposed 'advanced' fondant techniques. I have screen shots of the really terrible fondant work from the advanced fondant techniques so that I could prove why it most definitely was not 'advanced' work. Squashing fondant in at the corners because you can't get it to look nice, is not advanced work - also gaping and I mean gaping holes at the bottom of tiers is also not advanced. I don't know if filming the craftsy classes is stressful or if they have a time limit in which to film everything but if you are advertising your class as advanced, I'd expect the fondant work to be at least as good as my own if not better.

I have the Jacqueline Butler class and the Piping course by Josh, both are really good, but Jacqueline's is the clear stand out winner for me. The other two I never even watched in full before asking for a refund.

There ARE DVD's out there where the fondant work and the stuff they are teaching is fantastic, I'd rather buy those than recommend the two classes I've had refunds for.

I did Jaqueline Butler's class - by far the best of all IMO. Modern Piping was OK, but a real pain to watch because of the technical side of the viewing, the videos would not load and I am on a 50MB internet connection. I didn't finish watching it. The Topsy Turvy was just not good content...one of his tiers did not even go on centrally making the cake look odd, and it was his construction/engineering/design fault. Didn't finish watching it either. It never occurred to me to ask for a refund for either of those but I might. Marina Sousa's looks good at first glance but if Nanefy is saying it's a bit sloppy I am now having doubts....

Thanks everyone! I might just wait for a 50% off sale.

I bought the Jacqueline Butler class and loved it. Haven't tried any of the others, and now I'm a bit scared to

I got the Jacqueline Butler class and it was dead boring, seriously put me to sleep! I think that you should really find out what skill level the videos are before you buy, because I didn't learn squat from that one and I won't be buying any more classes from them because of that. It's hard to decide because I can usually get SOMETHING from a class, but it's not always worth the money to get one tiny tip from it.

I took the Jaqueline Butler class and am enjoying it inspite of knowing how to make hydrangeas.She is very calm and precise with instructions, great for those who are new to gumpaste. I suppose every instructor must assume they are teaching a novice and go step by step unless the class is 'advance'.

I agree. There are SO many awesome, free teaching tutorials/videos on the internet. At this point in my hobby baking, I've decided that a class has to be FABULOUS before I will pay $$$.

An example: The aine2 (Lorraine McKay) tutorials were on sale for 50%. These are downloadable tutorials with step-by-step photos. I was very picky and chose one for a person and one for an animal. Each of these techniques can be tweaked to be used in many different ways. These were well worth the price for the detailed, precise, instructions. However, I would not pay $300 to take the class in person since nothing extra would be gained except getting to say hello to Ms. McKay and have a fun outing.

I put together a long, detailed thread on Wilton.com with my favorite links for the free videos, and information on fee-based classes/courses. You are welcome to take a look. I hope it is helpful. I have grouped each section under skill set level (New Decorators, Basic skills, Basic to Medium skills, Medium-Advanced, and Advanced skills.)

"How-To tutorials/videos for Cake Decorators"
http://www.wilton.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=8&threadid=160184

Wow - some of your guys are way harsh about these Craftsy online classes.

I think they are great value - mine cost under $25 - Marina's under $20 - look out for deals & discounts on other cake sites

I don't think there is any comparison with FREE youtube videos - these are professional done and it shows! there is no cat walking through the background or screaming kids watching TV.

To take a face to face class with cake decoraters of this calibre (and by that I mean able to command International Class Fees in excess of $1,000) is just not on the "possible" chart for a lot of people - to have access to this for less than 1/60th is indeed something to be appreciated.

I am not a novice decorater - started over 30 years ago - never been a full time business for me and have chunks of that time where cakes were put on hold to allow for different priorities (eg children) I can honestly say I have learnt more in the last 5-10 years than in the entire time I have been decorating - there has been a flood of cake 'stuff' enter the marketplace - tools, products, etc - all bringing with them the challenge of re-learning what you thought you knew.

I'm not sure what people are expecting for twenty bucks these days but I think anybody considering purchasing these WILL get their monies worth.

I have purchased 3 - Jacqueline Butlers, Marina Sousas and Joshua Russell

TOTAL spent - less than SIXTY DOLLARS !! - to do a class with Jacqueline and Marina when they were recently here in Australia would have set me back close to $3,000 (and yes Aussie Dollar is at parity with yours now) - think this represents GREAT VALUE!

As for Jacqueline Butler being boring? Don't agree with that, but if you find that with anything on the internet you have the option to fastrack and for the rest that enjoy the in depth information - its there for them TOO!!

Craftsy gets a big thumbs up from me

I wish you had actually watched the entire course... You would have seen that the "gaping" holes were covered nicely with borders and embellishments. Isn't it awesome that Craftsy offers refunds? Glad you took advantage of that opportunity!

While I tend to be a perfectionist I find when teaching it's not about perfection it's about not being judgmental of yourself while learning new techniques! It is just cake after all

I'm thrilled with Craftsy and am so excited that they have made such amazing courses affordable to the masses they've got some awesome new classes in the works!

If anyone would like a discounted link please feel free to email me personally: [email protected]

Enjoy! -Marina

For beginners they are probably useful. For costumeczar and people like me who have been decorating for 15+ years, some of the videos are probably not as beneficial. At the end of the day it all comes down to practice. I don't do much string work because I haven't practiced it in so long, and truthfully no one asks for it. So I probably will not purchase any of the videos because there is nothing that I haven't heard or seen before.

I took both Josh's class and Marinas. Josh's was fantastic and I did learn a lot. He's a great teacher. Can't wait to watch it again. There was a couple technical glitches but nothing major. I've been decorating for 16 years and got a lot out of his class. Now for Marina's class. First, must be my computer because the course halted every 10 seconds and Marinas face turned into little squares. Terribly frustrating so I had to watch it in small segments. This didn't happen with Josh's class. Marinas course for the most part was for beginners but I did get a couple good tips out of it. And I take exception to the person reporting that her work had gaps at the bottom. Until I can decorate a cake backwards, and within a certain time frame............... Some of the bottom edges of her boxes were rough but come on, they were going to be covered in a fondant ribbon anyway so who cares. I also agree that they should grade the classes for beginners, intermediate and advanced. Can't wait for more.

I took the Topsy Turvy class and it was a disaster! the construction part (which is the most important part for a topsy turvy) involved a lot of eye balling and it did not turn out like the guy was showing on the video. I did signed up for the pipping class and I'm curious to see how that one is but I definitely do not recommend the topsy turvy class. I didn't know I could actually get a refund so I might try to do cause I was very angry I had paid for that crap, so disappointing!.

I took the Advanced Fondant with Marina Sousa- and I was THRILLED!!! I would have paid double for it!!! I thought Marina's teaching style was well executed- I'm a teacher, and it's a lot harder than many think.

I was very appreciative that little hic-cups occured- Marina was able to demonstarte how to rectify them- and even when everything went perfectly she would point out how things could go wrong with solutions and suggestions.

I really learned so much, enjoyed the format- can't wait to take more classes!

Thanks Marina and Craftsy- job well done!!!

Mo

I also purchased the Marina video.. using a discount and was thrilled as well! She is a good teacher, chooses her words carefully and showed exactly how she was doing things. I have to politely disagree that there were "gaping" holes at the bottom of her fondant work. Marina anticipated the final look of her cake and knew which areas would be covered with borders, decorations etc.. When a glitch happened, she would point it out and show how to fix it and she would also explain how problems could potentially go wrong. I really felt that I got my money's worth. I've only been caking for several years now but consider myself to be intermediate or slightly higher in skill level. I haven't done many gumpaste figures ie shoes.. and advanced fondant techniques such as gift boxes. But I do good work. I would recommend this course to anyone here at Cake Central.

Also, for people who are having problems with buffering/streaming/downloading the craftsy vids.. You MUST have a high speed internet connection for these. DSL, Cable or better.. Do not get online with some rickety dial up and expect the videos to run smoothly. These issues are beyond the control of the instructors and craftsy.

I thought the classes were great for the price, but Marina's was my favorite. (Didn't bother with Richard's-not my thing, but I got the other three.) I don't think it was for beginners and I actually learned a lot. Marina-to you and your video-WELL DONE!!

I purchased three as well - Jacqueline Butler, Marina Sousa and Joshua Russell. My background is limited in the cake world to WIlton classes and any free videos I have found online. I do have an extensive background in clay and sculpture.

I paid less then $20 per class. Marina's was $14.

Joshua's class gave me lots of tips and tricks I have found handy to use. His style and mine are very different so I did not go through making the projects. I am still practicing a few things.

Jacqueline's was very helpful in flower techniques and using products other then Wiltons. I love the hydrangeas. I am using the skills to branch off into other flowers. Her fondant lessons were especially helpful and the fondant I am now able to make for flowers is the best I have used.

I have yet to watch Marina's course. I started last night.

My advice would be to look for sales. I get some from Cakecentral and some straight through Craftsy, so sign up for email from them.

Another tip - When you take the class watch it once through before buying supplies and participating. I had confusion as to what I really needed for the first two classes and spent more then I needed to.

I just purchased and watched Advanced Fondant ($20), and I can easily see both sides of the argument about that particular class.  A few comments...

Ms Sousa doesn't go into a lot of detail in some areas that I felt really needed more info.  For instance, when painting on the fondant or dusting, she didn't mention anything about making sure your dust is meant for consumption, as some of them aren't.  Now, it may be that since the course is advertised as ADVANCED that she assumes her audience already has such knowledge, but reading through the questions, it was very obvious that a lot of cake newbies are watching the course.

Also, at the end when she's assembling the cake, she shoves those wires right into her cake.  Of course, hers were dummy cakes, but she made no comments about protecting the cake from wires etc.  

The fondant work she did *was* somewhat sloppy.  The worst was the little single tier.  Personally, if I covered a cake and it came out looking like that, I'd pull the fondant off and re-cover it.  Yeah, it was bad.  I think some of it IS just that she's being filmed (which is nerve-wracking).  Her fondant also had been sitting out in the air too long because she was having to explain her steps etc.  That stuff looked like leather.  And the bottoms of a couple of her tiers DID look really bad, but again, I wonder how much of that is just that she's trying to hurry, a bit self-conscious because she's being filmed, and she's working with fondant that's been sitting out a bit too long because of the filming process.  In the finished project, you could see many places where there were nicks in the fondant, fingerprints, uneven surfaces, uneven joins, etc.  

I think I (and many others) am spoiled by Sugarshacks DVDs.  I've seen her work in person and yes, her cakes are as flawless and excellently executed up close and in person as they appear to be in her dvds.  Sharon is a machine lol!  Also, I think that Sharon is better at actually TEACHING, not just doing.  She has a wonderful way of communicating both the abstract parts of caking (design, etc), and the practical aspects (measuring, etc).  For instance, on the first paneled box tier, Ms Sousa doesn't really explain the order for attaching the panels or the lids pieces.  There IS a specific order these can be done to minimize seams (back, then two sides, front last), and Sharon explains why.  Didn't really get that from Ms Sousa.  It's little things like that that really make the finished product shine.

I can say this...I feel a LOT better about the work I do LOL!  If she charges $12/serving for her work and it has visible flaws like that, then I certainly feel better about the quality I can achieve.  

I won't be asking for a refund or anything.  I watched the entire class, learned a few things, and generally felt like I got my $$$ worth.  No way I'd pay $40 for this class, though.  I agree with a pp...wait for a sale.