I stumbled across this site and if there is help to be had, apparently it's here!
I have always dreamed of creating a beautiful fondant decorated cake, I just don't know where to even start! Do the words fondant and newbie cake decorator even mesh?? I'm definitely the artsy fartsy type but I've always been too chicken to give it a go. We're doing Strawberry Shortcake theme this year (6yrs old) and I would love to try it out.
Any suggestions? Make 'em quick before I chicken out another year!
I love working with fondant, and when I was teaching my youngest son to decorate I used fondant. He did really, really well. Having good fondant is the key. Pettinice and Satin Ice are decent brands.
If you have a heavy-duty mixer and are willing to try, homemade fondant tastes great and is easy to use. Some people use MMF (MarshMallow Fondant) with good success. I have not tried it, so I'm no help there. I do make my own fondant and I can make any flavor or color.
I roll my fondant out on heavy cotton cloth that I tape to the counter and then dust liberally with powdered sugar. I very rarely have a problem with the fondant sticking. Roll it to about 1/8" thick, maybe a little thicker. The hardest thing is keeping creases out of the fondant at the base. This just takes practice. I wouldn't practice on cakes smaller than 8". The small cakes are too light to stay in place while covering them.
Have fun and good luck.
Michele
well having done only 2 fondant cakes myself, all i can say is "don't chicken out, you can do it" 
seriously, this site is GREAT, spend time reading all the forums, there is so much good information there! i would highly recommend the MMF if you feel up to it. the first time i made it, it was a disaster, and then i discovered the use of crisco. i also purchased a really big silicone mat to roll it out on, and that has made it so much easier!
good luck!!
I don't think that I'm brave enough to attempt making the fondant up myself this first time, can only imagine how that would turn out 
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Thanks for the tips 
The only question I have now is how does it really taste? I have someone telling me that it isn't a good choice for a child's cake as the kids are likely to not enjoy it?
To be honest, wilton fondant does taste terrible. There is a brand that I buy in a 10 pound bucket called Fondex. I love it, and it tastes great. You can buy it here....
http://caljavaonline.com/fondant2.htm
hope that helps! Don't chicken out, Fondant is fun, beautiful, and can taste great too! Good luck!
I actually prefer working with fondant! If you look at my photos, the fall wedding cake was both my first stacked cake and fondant cake. I really didn't have any trouble with it. I would also recommend using pre-made fondant your first time (As I did on that cake) I love, love , love using MMF (marshmallow fondant) now, but I think it was better to learn fondant with the premade stuff and then attempt MMF. This site has a wealth of information on all things fondant/cake decorating for you to read, but I think the more you do it, the better it gets! Don't chicken out....you can do it!!!! 
There are some great fondant Strawberry Shortcake cakes in the gallery. Go to Gallery and do a search.
I too like FondX. I think the price is reasonable and I love that it can be refrigerated.
Honestly, though I like MMF, I wouldn't use it for your first cake. It just doesn't handle like other fondants.
As for learning to work with fondant, just start reading. Check out some books from your library. There is a ton of info on this site too. Do searches in the forums on fondant and you will find more information than you could possibly need. Practice working with the fondant well in advance and you'll figure it out.
My first fondant cake was a wedding cake and I made my own fondant (not MMF--a regular recipe) and stayed up all night working on that cake. It was difficult, but it ended up looking good. I had never taken classes--just learned from books, especially Colette Peters'.
You can do it too!
Do the words fondant and newbie cake decorator even mesh??
I think they do lol! Over here in Australia we don't use buttercream on cakes anywhere near as much as in America. The majority of wedding cakes etc are covered with fondant. When I did my first cake decorating course the first day we learnt how to cover a cake with fondant. So if I can do it you can too!!!!
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