i have to thank everyone on CC for their help on this. i don't think i asked any questions for specific help, but searching the boards made doing this cake a heck of a lot easier on me! it's certainly not perfect, but i only made it for myself (yesterday was my 20th birthday). it's a doctored yellow cake (my favorite) with raspberry filling covered in ganache. the ganache is what i needed the most help with. fondant and 50/50 accents.
some things i still need to work on:
1) getting my ganache perfectly smooth.
2) realizing that when i trim the cakes i need to make sure all tiers are the same height!!!! god that was a stupid mistake on my part lol.
but overall i'm very happy with how it came out! again, thank you everyone!
(oh, and any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated )
picture wouldn't attach, so here's the link... http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1422947

lol

You did a really nice job. I love how you also added white, it gave it some lightness.

It turned out very cute! And I think you did a great job with the ganache, especially considering it's the first time that you've worked with it!

Lovely, and Happy Belated Birthday!!!!

Great job on your first tiered cake!!!

Wow terrific job! I actually think different heights look cool on tiered cakes, especially when it's 3 tiers or more. You really did an amazing job though!

I think you did a great job for your first time. I also like the way different height s look on tiered cakes as well.

You did a great job for a first time tier cake! I love to do different things for family cakes, you get some great experience and if it is a little "different" than what you were aiming for, no harm is done, lol! Your ganache looks good also, and I love your colors and the differing heights of the tiers...good job! (and I still have yet to work with ganache, so you are way ahead of me in the experimenting department)

oh, wow. thank you all so much! i have to say, it photographed better than it acutally looked in person (minus that crappy quality of the camera phone picture).

You did an amazing job!

Looks delish! You did a great job for your first tiered cake!

Very cute cake, I love the design! I think I will have to try the yellow cake with ganache...my hubby will love it. Thanks for the ideas!

Great job, and Happy belated birthday!

Now make sure you save this picture so when you make your birthday cake next year you can look back and see how much more Awesome You are!!!!!!

Next year you will be 21 so I will be watching for a Super Duper Grand elaborate creation from you like on the Cake Challenge!

It looks delicious

I am also a fan of different heights in the tiers. I think it looks great, especially for a first try. Your ganache looks pretty smooth...nice sharp edges and all! It takes a lot of practice, but you definitely have the talent. Like JamieAnn said, keep this picture! It's always great to see how you started and how far you've come.

You did a very good job, your ganache looks really nice.Happy birthday! I see we share a birthday. Hope you got spoilt.... I did.

You did a good job!
Edna

I think your cake looks great and hope that when I'm brave enough to try a tiered cake it'll look as good as yours.
You asked about getting ganache smooth: I have the Planet Cake book and they recommend you spread the ganache as smoothly as you can, then let it fully set then use a hot palette knife or metal spatula (fill a jug with boiling water and dip it in) to smooth over any imperfections. It worked quite well the first time I did it with cupcakes (I used it under fondant instead of buttercream)
Hope this helps.

I think you did a FANTASTIC job for your first tiered cake!!!!!!!
It's super cute, and I love the varying tier sizes!!!!!
The ganache looks so yummy, and I love the topper!!
Great job!!

Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!

Id say it looks like you did a very good job. doesnt look like a 1st tired cake to me