Just got home today from Cake Camp that was held in Las Vegas this year.

What a blast it was! It was so fun to meet some of the people here on this board.

The classes were all wonderful! I got to take classes from Nicholas Lodge, Debbie Brown and Colette Peters as well as several other wonderful decorators.

Then there was the banquet. I almost fell over. Turns out it was my lucky night because I won 5 of the prizes. I got three bags filled with tons of great items. Then I got a Wilton wedding cake floating tier stand and a chocolate melting pot.

I was able to share with the great people at my table and still came home with a car full of stuff. It was a value of several hundreds of dollars.

Then to top it all off I won over $1100 on a slot machine so I bought tons of stuff. I got the leveler I wanted. It has to be shipped but thankfully I no longer will have to use this silly Wilton one anymore.

If anyone gets a chance to ever go to one of the Cake Camps I say GO! Don't even give it a 2nd thought. Sign up as fast as you can. You will not be sorry.

Glad to be back though. I was starting to have CC withdrawals

I am totally jealous!!!! Do you know where the next one will be? I am so glad you had a good time. Did you actually make cakes in the classes?

I am making plans to go to the ICES convention when they have it in Orlando in 2008.

Cindy

tells us what you learned inquirig minds want to know I have to save all my change so i can go next year it sounds fun but expencive. Did you have to pay for each class or wasd it all one big price?

I'm totally jealous too!!! Please do share, we need details lol

I was hoping someone would post about the cake camp. Does it happen every year? My understanding was that it just happened once every two years.... Please, do share and post pics.

Inma

I'm also interrested in finding out information.Is it held every year,how much was it, and where and when do you have to sign up. sounds like you had a great time.

You can go to www.cakecamp.com and found out everything you need to know!

You can pick as many or as few clases as you want to go to. It does cost a bit though. However, it is cheeper then going to some of the big guys classes they hold at their own schools.

There are several vendors that you can buy from. Some have specials for the Cake Camp only and some don't but then you get to save on shipping so that alone saves $.

The only thing I can honestly say I didn't like about it was having to lug all your stuff to class. Some instructors did supply everything and that made it so much easier! Nicholas Lodge was one of them. Thank goodness because you need lots in his class.

After class most had supplies you could buy so you could do the items you just learned at home. Some had DVD for sale so you could take their class at home. Which I bought several as it is much cheeper to do it that way. Then you can watch it over and over and go step by step at your own speed.

No real cakes were made. Some classes used dummy cakes and some you just used a practice board. Some classes you took home what you made. Like it Nicholas Lodge's class we took home the poppy and grapes we made. Also in Debbie Brown's class we took home the Sylvester and Tweety Bird we made.

While in her books she mades cakes we only made them as cake toppers. We used fondant and gum paste rather then cake. As I was walking down the hotel/casino so many strangers stopped me to ask what I was carring and when I told them they were in shock. They thought it was wonderful which of course made me feel super good. At first I was just happy they knew who it was. LOL.

I will post it in my photos and the poppy. My grapes got wrecked as I didn't let them dry completely before I put them away.

Cake Camp is every two years. I'm not sure where it will be next time. In between years they do a cruise. On the cruise they have some great instructors but they are all demos. No hands on. Then of course you get everything else the cruise line has to offer and the sights to see.

I would love to go ICES next year also. Is ICES all demos?

I hope others who went to Cake Camp will post here too.

Joanne

This all sounds like fun. I am new to this whole cake thing. I will have to check out that website you posted. Thanks =)

Sounds like you had fun. congrats on the prizes you won.

Wow! Never heard of 'cakecamp' before...sure sounds like fun! I would so LOVE to go on that cruise too!!!! Congrats on your winnings!!!

I am so jealous! Have to start saving to go in 2 years, thought the cruise sounds great!

Stephanie

It really is fun. There are about 300-350 fellow cake decorators. It was a blast being able to talk about cake decorating with someone who loves it as much as you do.

I'm saving my money now so I can go to the next one. I would love to do the cruise but not sure if I can afford it.

Joanne

I'm also jealous! I heard about it in the American Cake magazine, and got so excited about it, but it just didn't work out for me to go this year.

I'm glad you mentioned the difference for the cruise - my husband and I would love to take a cruise to Alaska, and I thought, what a great time to do it - I could do cake stuff, and my husband could spend time in the casino or something. I'm much more of a hands on person, so I don't think I would enjoy the demos as much. However - I know I could enjoy anything on a cruise! ha!

Glad to hear it was fun, and I'll definitely be saving my change to go to the next one!! Thanks for sharing

I was thinking the same thing. I am not sure if it is worth the big bucks to see the demos. Even though I'm sure they will be super good and full of great ideas. Plus like you said, anything on a cruise will be fun.

I guess it's to hard to do hands on when you are on a ship and not sure if the ship with be rocking and rolling very much. Plus they most likely don't have a room big enough for everyone to do hands on.

I'm still thinking about it. But I know for sure I'm going to the next Cake Camp no matter where it is.

Joanne

Sounds like that you had a great time. Congratulations on winning the prizes and money.

JoanneK Congrats on winning all your prizes and I am so glad you had a GREAT time.


ICES is all demos. I attended last year and this year.

I'm jealous too. I am glad you had a wonderful time. I'm sure it was a great experience.

sounds like a great experience....glad you got to go. I dont think I could ever justify it since this is just my little hobby...but it sure sounds fun.

I got home from "Camp" last night. Boy, did I have a great time. Many of the instructors are also competitors at the OK Sugar Arts Show and I had the pleasure of taking classes with some of them. I was a really busy bee for 3 days and I can't wait to go again!

I haven't posted all of my photos as yet, but here are two of my favorites:
Bride & Groom with Debbie Brown and Soft Method Flowers with Dianne Gruenberg.

Rae

Those came out great! I can't wait until next time. I only wish it was longer and there was more time per class. I missed out on some great classes so I will be sure to sign up early next time.

Didn't you have a blast?
Joanne

Joanne.....I hope you come to SAOC next Monday. I LOOOVVED Cake Camp.....sounds like you scored on the slots & I witnessed your winnings at the Banquet! I can't believe you only bought $20.00 in raffle tickets! Felt that I ran a marathon the whole time getting from place to place at Cake Camp. (But at least I burned off some calories.)Glad it was under air conditioned skies though & not the hot sun at UC Riverside like in 2004! I had a GGGRREEAAT time & I think....Deb Brown is my FAVORITE instructor! I LOVE her sense of humor, patience & appreciate her finishing the class on time & not making us less talented ones feel well....less talented. (Did I mention I love her?) So....have fun rolling your "Sausages" to those who took her classes! I also LOOOVED Nic Lodge! Very professional, focused, & fun! -M.J. P.S. Hope you know me Joanne....I sat across from you at the SAOC Banquet in June....

Hi,

I think I will be there this Monday. I do have a Wilton class that I should be going to but I don't really want to go to it. I would much rather go to the Cake club meeting.

So look for me there. I'm glad you had a great time and yes I remember you

See you Monday.
Joanne

I too just got back from Cake Camp and I'm still on Vegas time...although it's almost 2am here!!!
I have a wedding cake for later today anyway......
I had a blast as well....Vegas is my favourite place to go, I go at least 2 times per year, so cakes and Vegas is a perfect match.
I did not enjoy the hotel much....plus the price for the rooms was way way too much!!! If you book directly with the hotel it was cheaper than the cake camp rate, but what can I do now??
I took Colettes 2 day class plus 4 classes with Nicholas Lodge....his classes were so well organized and he is a fantastic teacher! Highly recommend his classes and you take home a finished product plus a certificate, for really good $$.
I didn't attend the banquet, but I too won something and I only bought $5 in tickets! Funny! That same night I won $$ on the tables so I went and bought myself a really expensive purse to feel like a "winner"!!!
I will definitely go back, not on the cruise as I cannot stand boats, but the next land based one I will be there...ready for new classes and lots of fun!

I also attended Cake Camp and was really sorry that I didn't get the chance to meet any CC'ers there. I looked all around for the pink ribbons but didn't see anyone wearing them. I only attended 2 classes, but had a great time and picked up some awesome new supplies!! I spent a bundle on supplies..it was so nice to see the stuff in person as opposed to just ordering it from a catalog and not knowing what the heck you're going to get.
I registered late and didn't get the chance to go to the banquet. I did, however, meet this great lady in one my classes. She owns a bakery in Mandalay Place called The Chocolate Swan. I happened to have been in there the day before I met her in class. What a shop! The stuff looks fantastic. At any rate, she offered me her ticket, but I already had reservations at a restaurant called Alize at the Palms and didn't want to miss that!!
I wasn't that impressed with the Riviera, but the classroom facilities were very adequate. I just thought the whole hotel/casino had kind of a dark creepy feeling. I stayed at the Mirage, thankfully

Have a great weekend, everybody!
Cindy

Gosh, Y'all!

Sounds like you had a seriously good time!

I didn't find out about the Cake Camp until it was too late for me to go, but the next one, I'd LOVE to go to! I love Las Vegas, anyway--so does my husband. (Who has time for a man when there's CAKE CAMP?!?)

But, I can dream about the next one...

--Knox--

I agree the Rivera was not the best place in the world. I booked my room at Paris and it was nice. However, it was a pain to lug all my stuff around all day. Would have been nice to been able to take it up to my room in between classes.

My advice on the next one would be to have it in a nicer Hotel and to book it in a month that is not so darn hot! Vegas is a nightmare as far as heat goes in the summer.

that's the reason why I decided to stay at the Riviera....I knew that anywhere I would want to stay would be too far to walk with my crap so I would have to take a cab back and forth and that too would be a pain in the butt!
Next time have it at a more central nicer part like Ballys!

My vote is to have cake camp at Venetian so we can all go to Emeril's delmonico's steakhouse for dinner!! YUM!

The people responsible for putting together Cake Camp did a great job..really impressive..And everyone was so darn nice!!

Cindy

I too had a great time at Cake Camp. I took classes with Susan Grasberyy (3-D Lady Bug cookie) awesome! Debbie; Brown's Sylvester and Tweety, Noi Weigel Fabric Gumpaste Rose, and some classes with the Winbecklers. I agree the hotel was subpar, next time maybe the Venetican, MGM etc. It was an inconvience to lug supplies around but I had a tote with wheels so it was easy. I liked the fact the I actually brought home completed projects opposed to ICES which everything is demo. I also spent alot of money in the vendor area but it was well worth it. I probably will not do the cruise but the next Cake Camp on land.