This may be a silly question... but, is there any way to practise cake decorating without cooking a million cakes!! I don't mind the cooking, but I don't enjoy the cleaning!

Cover a cake board with icing and design cake tops on that.
Cover a board with a copy of a design you would like to do. Cover it in cling film taping down underneath the board to make it secure. Practise your piping skills on this.
Buy dummy cakes and practise on these.
When baking, make an extra smaller one and freeze to practise on later.
Practise by covering a cake tin (upside down) with sugar paste and using as a cake dummy.
Hope these suggestions help

gales pretty much covered all the suggestions

About the only one she didn't mention is to glue together cake circles (boards), covered w/shrink wrap (you can tighten it by heating w/a hair blower).

Thanks kakeladi, I didn't know that one. Will try that when fulfill all my Xmas orders.