Attn: Mo And Il Decorators.....
Decorating By Michelle104 Updated 30 Jun 2007 , 1:06am by STLdecoratingfool
Is anyone planning on going to the WOS at the Westport Sheraton on Apr 29 and 30th???
I am definitely hoping to go! Thankfully, it's not too far from home for me (I actually had my wedding reception at the Westport Sheraton!). I haven't been to anything like this before so I'm very excited. I just have to coordinate the dates and make sure it's doable. Are you going? How far of a drive is it for you?
I am definitely hoping to go! Thankfully, it's not too far from home for me (I actually had my wedding reception at the Westport Sheraton!). I haven't been to anything like this before so I'm very excited. I just have to coordinate the dates and make sure it's doable. Are you going? How far of a drive is it for you?
I live in crystal city. It's about 35 miles south of stl, down 55 so it'll take me about 35-40 minutes to drive there. I haven't registered yet but as soon as out taxes come in that is first on the list!!! I'm really excited about it but a little anxious too because I don't know ANYBODY that is going. I know I'm a grown up but I'm pretty social and don't usually do alot of stuff like that by myself. It's definitely not stopping me from going though. Are the demos first come first serve or do you have to pre-register for them?? I just can't stop watching the calendar!!! 
Michelle,
I am SO right there with you! I had the same thought that I am excited to go but intimidated by not knowing that many people in such a large group. If I am able to make it, we should plan to meet up and wander around together! Maybe we could even get other CC'ers to meet up at a specific time so we can all meet face-to-face!
Carol
Ok - you have my interest. What's the WOS?
week of sharing.....
WOS~ Weekend Of Sharing Kind of like an expo for decorators. Professionals and hobbyists. Demos and lots of vendors. I'm sure I'm not going to know what to do with more than half of it but I'm still so excited and I'm sure that won't stop me from spending money!!!! 
LOL!!
ckkerber~ That sounds great to me!! I was hoping that by posting this that a few of us, or whoever responds, could kind of get to know each other a little and then we wouldn't be so lonely up there!! It's so much more fun to ooh and aaah over something when someone else is there to appreciate it with you!!! 
I am hoping that I will be able to go. I am meeting with my Wilton instructor on Tuesday to get the information from her. I too am not crazy about going by myself, but I don't think I'm going to let that stop me.
craftynelson - where are you from? I'm from Ballwin, Missouri. If anyone is interested in meeting up (maybe in the lobby ahead of time) then let's plan to do that. I'd love to meet some of my fellow CC'ers and put faces to names!
you can get info. about the weekend of sharing on this website (this is one of the coordinators):
http://pat-t-cakes.com/
The info. about the ICES Weekend of Sharing is on the right side of the homepage.
Ok - you have my interest. What's the WOS?
week of sharing.....
Aaaaaahhhhh.....to be a WEEK!!!! NOW THAT WOULD BE FUN!!!!! 
I'm definitely interested in meeting in the lobby!! Do you have an itinerary? I guess you get one of those whenever you register? It would be nice if my brain would get off of cakes long enough between now and then so that I could get a little sleep. I'm not holding my breath though!! LOL!! It's seems like when I first got sugar under my fingernails for real was in Jan and now it's just getting worse every day!!!!
There's a schedule on Pattycakes website? TIA!
Thanks for the link! That sounds like a lot of fun. Have you all been to one before? It sounds like it will be a good learning experience, although a lot of it will be far more advanced than I am! I'll have to see if there's room in the budget to go....
Michelle,
I am SO right there with you! I had the same thought that I am excited to go but intimidated by not knowing that many people in such a large group. If I am able to make it, we should plan to meet up and wander around together! Maybe we could even get other CC'ers to meet up at a specific time so we can all meet face-to-face!
Carol
Count me in on this list too!!! I've not registered yet as I'm hoping for DH to find a job soon. He was an end of year job cut. Ugh! If not maybe tax money... I hadn't thought of that one yet. 
Thx!
Keep me posted if you guys set up a meeting place!!!
- Paula
No, I haven't ever been to anything except this website, (which IMO is a huge convention everyday!!! ) and my wilton classes. My last class of course 2 is this wed. So I'm sure that a lot of it will be way more advanced than me but I can learn and I can dream big!!! I am waiting for the tax $ to come in and as soon as it does I am sooo registered!!!! Can't decide yet if I'll stay up there or just drive back and forth. I guess it depends on how late things go on sun night. I really can't wait to meet you guys!!!!
Just thought I'd share the following if no one knows:
Early Bird price is $120 for ICES members
ICES members after 4/1 is $155
Non-ICES members is $155
1 Day - Sat or Sun is $85
the contact is: Annette Molitor
[email protected]
Questions please contact: Deb Hennen: [email protected] or
Pat Jacoby at pattycakes4charter.net
The Keith Ryder Blown & Pulled Sugar and Nicholas Lodge Gumpaste Flowers classes that were being held after that weekend are all full up. That's all the info I have here... contact the above folks for more detail.
Hope this helps. I am dying to go!!!
- Paula
Paula~If you go are you going to stay up there or have you even thought about that? I live in Crystal City, about 15-20 min from you. I take my wilton classes at the Michael's in Gravois Bluffs. I hope you can go!!!!!
Paula~If you go are you going to stay up there or have you even thought about that? I live in Crystal City, about 15-20 min from you. I take my wilton classes at the Michael's in Gravois Bluffs. I hope you can go!!!!!
Hey Michelle, I had not thought of that yet. I'll probably just drive back and forth the 45 min. I too do the Gravois Bluff's Michael's What was your last class/when and who was your instructor... maybe we were in class together???
- Paula
No...I didn't have a Paula in my class. My last class for course 2 is this wed. I took 1 the four weeks before that on wed also. And 3 starts for me next week on wed and then 4 is consecutive on wed as well. That's a little confusing huh??? LOL!! My instructor's name is Samona Walker. She'll be the same for courses 1-3 and then for 4 we'll have a different one because she'll be out of town for a week and the store didn't want to put off the class for a week. I think the lady's name is Nancy that will be doing 4 with me.
Yeah~I was thinking that I'd just drive too but when I looked at the agenda it said something about Night of Sharing. Not sure what that is but it was from 9-11 pm I think. I know that I'm not going to want to miss anything.
WOW...I was looking at the events & this seems awesome! Im just joining in today & there is alot to go through. Have you all signed up & what sessions are you doing? Im trying to look over it all to see if this is something I can manage to do on such short notice & like someone said, it would be nice to do something with someone we know! I am in the Arnold area. I will try to catch up on this topic & many others but any info you can fill me in on would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks & hope to chat with some locals soon!
I had called to find out the details for this event. I would love to go, but I have another commitment that weekend.
Hey folks, I'm registered to attend Sunday only.
I will be attending the demo from Nicholas Lodge and then would like to try and pop in on the side designs on BC from Kathy Scott. After lunch (I hope that's included in our $$) its Topsy Turvy with Keith Ryder and Truffles and Chocolate Transfers and Keepsakes for Cakes. I'd Love to go both days but I just couldn't swing it. Time and $$. I'm also hoping to bring a showpiece... though I've never done one before so I'm more than a bit nervous.
Please anyone contact me if you are going I'd love to meet up!!! PM me and I'll get back with you ASAP!!!
- Paula
(Michelle - I think we were going to try and meet up but I can't remember... blame it on 4 kids! Talk to you soon!!! )
I can't go!!!!! We were supposed to be moving that weekend and we extended the close date by another month so I thought I was in the clear and I was so excited . . . but if we're going to be ready to move (things we need to do to the new house, packing up and moving out of the old one) I don't have any time to spare. I'm so disappointed! I was so excited about this. I've been looking forward to it for a year now (my Wilton instructor told me about it last spring!)
I'm so sad I won't get to meet you all - but I know there was another post about Missouri decorators getting together and I think we should follow through on our own mini cake club!
Sooooo ladies, how did this go? No one has posted about it I dont think! Im dying over here to know how it was since I couldnt get to go! Come on now, share with us.....puurrty please & thank you!
Sorry folks. I've been extremely busy and I was OOT this weekend to our church's annual Women's Retreat... guess I got to get back to the old grind.
Anyway, this was AWESOME!!! I've never had so much fun!!! (Other than my retreat!) I wish I could have attended all the classes but I took in what I could in the one day I was able to attend.
I started with Nickolas Lodge's class with Patchwork cutters. He demoed how to make a small fondant covered purse from a Rice Krispie Treat and used the cutter to texture the fondant wraping the treat in a quilted pattern. He then demoed a pearl string mold, lettering including monogramming correctly, and the clematis patchwork cutter that does more than just a clematis. He made a dogwood and a small rose from it. Being all new to this I was totally impressed. The best tip I walked away from that class with was how to roll a long sausage or snake of fondant equally. I don't know about you all but when I do it I end up with one end that is larger or smaller than the other. To avoid this he used one of his round tools that was similar to a pencil and laid it down next to a sausage that he wanted to even up. Using his practice board he put it on top of both the fondant sausage and the tool. Rubbing back and forth like you would when rolling out a sausage keeping the tool as a guide. He shortly had an evenly rolled piece of fondant. Worked great for me. The funniest two things were 1.) Everytime somone sneezed he'd say 'bless you' and 2.) Then whenever he was pointing at something in the camera he used a little pointer with a little tiny hand pointing so as not to have his big hand in the picture. This brought everyone to a roaring laugh everytime he pulled it out. He also demoed a tool that was called a pump brush!!! Wow!!!! I love this thing. I took 4 pages of notes...
Next it was a class from Kathy Scott on designs on butter cream. It wasn't anything super spectacular as she was mostly demoing a lot of new impression mats... however I picked up two great tips, some of you probably know this. In making your pearls and coating them with luster dust. Use the "Shake N Bag" method. In go your dried pearls, plain, and then add a little pearl or luster dust of choice, a few drops of alcohol and shake! Next was how to get those on your cake. After drying with your luster or pearl dust put just a small amount of corn syrup in the bottom of a plate and not enough to swamp the pearls mind you, just enough to put your pearls into and coat their bottom. Place your plate next to the cake you are working on and using a tweezers pick them up one by one and apply them to your cake. They've already got a sticky back to adhere to the cake. Ok, some of you probably know those but I was impressed.
Next it was lunch, and I totally forgot to mention that I met CC member Pinkbunny from the Destin area in Florida. She's originally from STL and came in to visit family and take some classes as Nicholas was doing some classes after the conference. Keith Ryder had done one the Sat before too. I dont' remember if she said she took that one too or not. Anyway we had lunch together and Nick and his assistant were in line in front of us.
After Lunch I attended Joe Bushnell's class on Chocolate Transfers and Truffles. I learned how to use the magnetic truffle molds, very interesting but I was hoping for more on the Transfers with how to apply and wrap around cakes. We got samples!!! It was good, and I learned something new but it wasn't what I thought it would be.
After that I headed over to Keith Ryder's Topsy Turvy class. he demoed how to construct a topsy turvy cake. A lot of you probably already know this but I was delighted to find that he is the BKeith here on CC that posted the instructions for the Topsy Turvy cake. He plugged CC and was telling folks for the full instructions as everyone was frantically taking notes and photos that there was a full set with step by step photos on CakeCentral.com!!! He was really cool and very comical!
Last, and certainly not least, was Norm Davis and his demo on a smaller scale of his Food Network Jungle Challenge Cake. He used a regular sponge/foam painter for walls to 'sponge' paint with food color paste the fern background on his fondant covered cake. His main tip for everyone was if you see something you think you'll use then buy it! If you go back for it, it may be gone. he was describing how long it took to find a Gorilla for the top of his cake to make a mold of. He'd seen something and thought Oh I'll never need that and I have so much already. When he needed it and went back it was gone. Afterwards I had time to meet and talk with him, and he is so down to earth, just a regular person like you and me and was so excited to look through the small photo book I had been lugging around all day in my bag and offer wonderful compliments and encouragement.
Needless to say after meeting all these people and attending their demo's I was on cloud 999!!! I was in cake decorators heaven for a new person in this wonderful field. I took 147 pictures. I scrunched it down to 40 on Kodak Easy Share or member share, whatever but i don't' know how to list the link... is it as simple as copying the link and posting it or will you all need a password? I know I've been able to send a link to people and then they can login but I don't know what would happen if I just posted the link... anyone have any comments/suggestions???
Dinner was wonderful and each table had it's own uniquely decorated cake (dummy) and they were later put into a silent auction. When I left there was one that had a $50 bid!
At the Sharing part at the end of the evening I saw a demo on how to make 3 in 30 min of Fondant Lilies. Very quick and very easy... I can't wait to order my cutters and molds for the buds and a new cell board and.... I can keep this list going on for a while.
It was very informative and like I said in the beginning I wish I could have done both days. There was a lot of other demo's I would have loved to attend. If anyone else was there that want's to fill in the blanks --- Please do so !!!!
- Paula
Awesome! Thanks for sharing! Glad you had a great time & was able to attend. I soooo wanted to go but the funds just werent available for me to go at the last minute like that. There will be another one I can attend foresure!
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