Hey all!
I was lucky enough to be able to attend a Collette Peters class this past weekend in New Jersey. The class was "Cake Sculpture" and we carved styrofoam and decorated them. The class itself was really interesting and Collette was great. I walked in feeling very nervous about meeting her but she is very down-to-earth and funny! She doesn't seem to realize that she's a major celebrity to alot of us!! There were 12 of us in the class and I was able to meet another member from CC who also attended the class.
I tried my hand at the pillow cake. I'd never done any kind of painting with luster dust so wanted to try that. I ran out of time before I could finish all of the details on my cake, but was pleased with what I accomplished.
For those interested, the school has added another session in August because there was a wait-list for this one. Check Collette's website or pvcrafts.org. The venue is by no means state of the art. It is in the middle of nowhere and the accommodations are rustic, to say the least.

On a side note, on Saturday evening, all of the instructors were asked to present slides of their work. This school has classes in woodworking, ceramics, paper, photography, jewelry, blacksmithing. Several instructors presented and then it was Collette's turn. People were blown away by her stuff. I guess that most had never heard of her (can you imagine??) and people were saying, "What class are you teaching here??", "Is that cake??" She definitely got some new fans! The next day, she auctioned off 2 of her books in the faculty auction and the books went fast! And not to people in the cake class! The other students and teachers came into our studio to check out what we were doing and again, were blown away. They kept asking if everything was edible! (other than the styrofoam, it was!). And for some inexplicable reason, I had several people ask if they could touch my cake!
If you get the opportunity, I highly recommend taking a class from Collette. It was a fun experience. She taught us many different skills and she even decorated her own little cake while we were doing ours. That was wild to watch! We told her all about Cake Central and she jotted down the website to come and check it out
My pillow cake is in the gallery,thanks for looking.
Cindy

I AM SO JEALOUS! I am living in Italy right now so classes like that are impossible for me. I can't wait to get back to the states. I am glad you had so much fun! Oh, and great pillow cake! It is beautiful!

Wow Cindy, what a great opportunity especially since the class was so small. Great job on the cake and all your cakes are really beautiful.

Lucky you - I am SOO jealous - great pillow cake and what an opprotunity that was!

Thanks for sharing your experience! Your cake looks great (actually all of your cakes look very nice).

I was able to meet Cindy at the class. It was a terrific experience overall. Colette is helpful, friendly, down-to-earth and it's obvious she loves what she does. It's pretty amazing to watch her bring something to life. I recommend this class despite the rustic conditions! I'm sure the August class is close to full so if you want to go, call soon. My cake was okay, I am a novice to say the least; it was my first time using fondant so I played it safe. I don't have my photos uploaded yet, not sure if I will post it! Everyone did a great job, there were alot of people who have been making cakes for awhile and were more advanced than me. Despite that, I was not going to pass up the chance to take Colette's class since it was so close to me and I'm glad I did. Now I will have to start practicing the techniques we were shown.

Zamode, your cake was very nice..you should definitely post it. And considering you'd never touched fondant before makes it even that much more impressive.
Anyone considering taking the class should not hesitate to get info..they were working off of a waiting list for the August class.
It was a great class and a real pleasure to spend 3 days with people who are as interested in cake as I am. I know my husband was happy for the break..3 days of not having to hear about cakes!
Cindy

WOW yall. Thats so neat to share you experience with us. Cindy your cake is stunning!

Zamode you should post your cake. I would love to see it.

abosolutely stunning cake cindy!

com'on Zamode - *chants* post, post, post, post

I"m SOOO jealous!
Your pillow cake is awesome!!

I'll have to think about it! I wasn't happy with it, you know how that goes. I expected to leave there with a stunner but Colette wasn't making the cake, I was!

I thought it was a stunner..
And at least you remembered to put the top back on the luster dust..

POST Zamode! You have to post. We all have those cakes we are not so proud of, but not many of us have cakes that Colette Peters taught us with. My first Fondant cake was not really my best by far but I have it posted. PLEEEEEEEEEASE?

I am also jealous!!! I live in Canada and will probably never be able to take one of her classes........a girl can dream though!

Wow, Zamode, great cake...you girls were so lucky to be in the presence of the Great "C". Awesome opportunity and something that will last a lifetime. Continue to learn and stretch...your work shows it!

Zamode thank you for posting. Your cake looks great!! I would have NEVER guessed this was your first time working with fondant. Great job!

Hmmm.....I wish MY stinkers looked that good.

You did great! I love it. You should be nothing but proud!