ok, thanks. that helps out with my next question i am facing. this icing is so soft. i am use to an icing that crust and i can take a paper towel and smooth it out nice and flat. this stuff doesnt seems like i am going to be able to do that. i just put it in the fridge to see if it will stiffin up enough for me to at least get it smooth. 
if the icing is too soft maybe you used to much water, you can always add more powdered sugar. we only use buttercream. lb butter, lb alpine shortening, 4 lb powdered sugar 4 t vanilla and 1/2 -3/4 c water as needed. if icing thinner, if roses thicker. check out our cakes they are all smoothed buttercream. good luck.
You may have added too much liquid to your batch of buttercream. Even icing that has both crisco and butter will crust well, if you don't get it too loose. When making your icing, a loose icing is great for crumb frosting, but when you are ready to finish ice the cake, it needs to be fairly stiff to crust well. It just takes practice I think to get the right consistency. I use the Wilton recipe for buttercream icing and it seems to perform well - as long as I don't add too much water. I add it sparingly until I get what I think will be a good, spreadable icing. Hope this helps! 
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