Which recipe are you using??? I like the recipe that uses 1/2 crisco and 1/2 butter. I like to add mexican vanilla, butter and almond extract. I thin my icing a little at a time with half and half or milk. For frosting a cake smooth...I like it thin enough to spread easy. I add less liquid for making borders and other decorations. I believe the recipe is in most Wilton yearbooks...but it is the recipe that uses part butter and the other part crisco. Hope this helps. 
What have you tried? I use the 1/2 shortening 1/2 butter recipe and always get good results. If you tell us what you have tried maybe we can go from there with troubleshooting!!
Happy Thanksgiving!!
~luraleigh~
What have you tried? I use the 1/2 shortening 1/2 butter recipe and always get good results. If you tell us what you have tried maybe we can go from there with troubleshooting!!
Happy Thanksgiving!!
~luraleigh~
i tried three frosting recipes from this website last night on a cake, one buttercream frosting,
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-1999-2-Butter-cream-frosting-1.html
a whipped cream frosting,
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-2019-28-Whipped-Cream-Buttercream-Frosting.html
some other one...how do you get frosting to be like the kind you can buy from the grocery store that is really good and fluffy?
I am not big on whipped cream frostings...they just do not work well for my decorations. However...I have noticed when I use hal and half or a little heavy cream as my liquid the frosting seems more fluffy. Sometimes you have to experiment until you find a recipe that works best for you.
I use the 1/2 butter 1/2 crisco recipe. I use Wilton's vanilla flavoring, merique powder and water. I use Wilton's buttercream recipe but I changed it to 1/2 butter. I add about 2 tablespoons of water to start off with. I add a little powdered sugar at a time and then I adjust it with a little water. Practice, practice, practice, that is the way I learned. I hope this helps. Good Luck. 
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