Hi, first, just wanna say I'm learning soo much here! thanks so much to everyone 
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I'm very new to this and would love to learn more, but I don't know anyone close that is more experienced who I can learn from. My boyfriend keeps telling me to ask if local bakerys will take on an intern, but i don't think they would take me seriously because i didn't go to culinary school (which there are plenty of here in philadelphia). I'm just scared they will all be very stodgy.
I think I would be better off just teaching myself at home, but I also live very far from all my friends and family so I can't use them to practice on...poor boyfriend is gonna weigh a ton!
So, stay at home, or find a bakery? any advice?
Thanks
Have you done any Wilton classes? Can you learn from a book?
One way to practice is to use a basic shortening based icing (no eggwhite or meringue powder). It is safe at room temperature for days, provided it is well covered to protect it from drying out. If you use all white, you can use the back of a pan or a cake dummy. When you are done, you can scrape it off and start over.
You never know what the bakeries will say until you ask. But it will help if you know what it is you want to learn.
Often times Adult Schools or community colleges offer cake decorating courses, perhaps ask them? I'm not sure as to what they have in Philadelphia but contact your local WMI and ask if he/she would be willing to give private lessons at his/her or your home?
Hi! I was the same way, wanting to learn, but not knowing how to go about it. I'm going to take some Wilton classes, but for what I've done thus far, I just sifted through photos, and posts here on CC, and if I found something I liked, I went for it! I would pm the person and ask for directions, or do a search, and once I found out all the information I needed, I ordered supplies, and just dove right in. Tonight I'm trying MMF. Wish me luck!
P.S. Try the local Michaels in your area. Hopefully there's more than one, and they should offer Wilton cake decorating classes on different nights. Goodluck!
I'm not looking for someone to start from the very beginning with me, I have already tried; fondant, MMF, Piping flowers, chocolate colorflow, & all my cakes are from scratch. If you look at my pictures, i don't think that they are too bad, specially since i'm only on my 6th cake (i know i still need to practice alot!), but i'm worried that if i continue doing this in my home, i wont be able to practice as much as i'd like to because my boyfriend is on a diet so i can't make him eat all my work. I don't know anyone where i live to give them to. If i was home, i would be able to make practice cakes for all my little cousins, & friends & whatnot.
I'm more looking for a way to practice w/o eating it myself.
I would love to do it with cake dummies like JoAnnB suggested (thanks, it will work better for somethings like flowers, i hadn't thought of that) but if i want to try sculpted cakes, castles, topsy turvy, & the like, would it be worth it to work for someone else to do these things under their supervision, & someone can eat it???(& pay for it) Or should i just suck it up & give the cake to the birds when i'm done with it just so i can practice???
sorry if i wasn't making any sense 
Ok, I'm stumped lol. The cake shops around here are very nice, and don't mind having interns that aren't in a program because you're basically helping for free! Hmmm, how about checking meetups.com or craigslist.org to contact other cake decorators who may be more experienced, and won't mind volunteering some of their time.
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