hello all, new to cc. I am self taught as well. I started a year ago when my husband called me while I was off work one day. A woman he worked with paid for a sheet cake and had told the person it was for a bridal shower. They could put flowers on it, it did not need any writing, just make it pretty. She cried when it was delivered. It was a terrible shade of blue piping and white buttercream. It had "love" written on it about 2 inches tall with 2 plain outlined hearts piped on it and a piped border. I told him to bring it home and I would try to help her. I had started playing and only had a basic set of tips and some fondant on hand. I could not stand the thought of her crying and being ashamed of taking that cake to a party. I told myself that I could do this. I have tons of books, I play all the time with fondant and gumpaste just to see what it will do,I make my own fondant, I watch tv shows,I love playing with cake recipes, I love this site. Everyone is so helpful and does such inspirational and beautiful work. I could stay on here all day. I think I am hooked. Hello, my name is tammy and I love to decorate cakes.

I took the Wilton classes with my at the time 14yr daug. The instructor was not a good teacher, but I got enough to hook me and want to learn more. We did the basic roses and when no one could do them she stated it was ok, lets move on. She was more on telling us about the cakes she has made over the years.

After this I came to CC and watched, asked and practiced, watched you tube videos, any cake video I could find, and just asked and tried. Ive ruined alot of cakes!!!! And as I sulked and ATE the cakes I ruined, I researched.

BUT IM A NEWBIE AND MY CAKES, ARE STILL BAD, BUT GET ME BY.....LOL and then I wonder why Ive gone from 98lbs to 108lb....lol

I cannot believe how many people here are self taught! There are some incredible cakes on here. I love baking but just recently started getting more serious about baking cakes. I made a few for my husbands work and although they were just simple buttercream cakes and just had FBCT's, everyone raved and it made me feel so good.

mireillea....one question? how do you make such beautiful cakes being blind?.... seeing beauty in my cakes....lol....thanks so much, makes me feel good!

Im trying though!!!! not gonna stop. Im a licensed medic, and run on an ambulance..do cakes for fun....on the side.

2txmedics,

Then we have something in common! I work as a medical translator, most often translations for terminal care patients diagnosed with various types of cancer. A very sad area to work in. Making cakes make me feel happy, less worried. It's a bit of a relief to just play around with gumpaste. Your cakes are cheerful and bright and that is good! Cakes should express joy!

I teach high school but took the Wilton courses (1 and 2) a little over a year ago with my teenage daughter for something fun to do together. My instructor was wonderful. She took us through the books and techniques, but encouraged us to try things our own way if something else worked better for us. She gave us lots of recipes and always tried to teach us to go the 'extra mile' to make our cakes that much more special. I kept asking her about course 3 but there was not enough interest to make a local class. I asked her about working with fondant. She said to just buy some and play with it to help me get the feel for it. When I contacted her over the summer about a MMF fondant recipe she suggested I go online. That is when I found CC, last summer. I have learned so much here. I'm completely grateful to all that I learned through my classes. I still call my instructor and ask questions. But, what I've learned on this site has taken me farther in the cake world than I ever expected or knew I could go (do). Course 3 finally made and I did take it just to see if there might be something I could learn. I am very thankful to everyone and their advice and the beautiful cakes everyone is so willing to share. I have a long way to go, but it's been fun so far and I look forward to learning more! I log on to this site every day!

I just started doing cake decorating. Never done it before in my life. I haven't posted the 2 cakes that I've made because they are so amateurish. There are some very talented people on this site for sure. Now I find that a lot of you are self taught. That actually eases my mind a lot. I'm going to continue practicing and maybe I'll get up the courage to post my cakes.

Bookie, post them!!!! you should have seen my first cakes!!!!....Ive come along way, or at least I think!!! lol

Beauty is in the eye of the beholding, and Im holding!!!!
I always tell my kids that.
This is one of my first cakes!!! was suppose to be a race car, hmmmm doesnt look like one! lol

but now you can see my pics and see Ive improved some....

mireillea, yes its hard...especially when dealing with eldery and kids....you have to put up that FACE ON, FACE OFF...nice to meet you! and thanks on the cakes.

I'm a newbie to this site and have been doing a LOT of lurking But I have learned SOOO much in the last month on this site. And I love looking at all the beautiful cakes on here for inspiration. I'm self taught and very much an amature. I've always enjoyed baking but ever since I decorated my first fondant covered cake (hello kitty) for my niece's birthday at the beginning of this month, I've kind of become obsessed. But I've also had so many requests for cakes since then, I've been baking/decorating non-stop ever since. My DH is getting a little annoyed at the time I spend in the kitchen But I can't help it, I have to have a cake done by a certain date and right now I'm really sloooow. I wish so badly that I didn't have a full time job to get in the way. Cause all I can focus on is getting home to work on that darn cake! But I love love love it! I've been looking at a lot of the photos from you guys and you are GOOD! Love this site

Hi, I'm new here, but thought I'd chime in. I am semi-self-taught, went to a two year culinary program and got the very basics there; flat icing, piping techniques and so forth. Now I am in that stage where you learn a new thing with every cake you do. That's why I am here- so that I can get past the umm- 'sure-I-can-do-that' and then puzzling for two months before figuring it out, into the 'ya-I-know-how-to-do-that' phase. Please tell me that phase exists The biggest wedding cake Ive ever attempted is coming up in a couple weeks.

2txmedics When I get home tonight I'll try to get my pictures on here. You just have to promise not to laugh too much. I think your cakes are great. I only hope I can get that good. Thank you for the confidence booster...I definitely need it. I'm doing my nieces baby shower cake this weekend. I'm actually going to try and copy a cake I saw on here. I can only hope I do it justice.

I started out doing my boys birthday cakes. I loved it! I've been doing cakes for a year now. CC has so enhanced my skills and my vision. I'm still learning. Good Luck to all of you beginners and don't give up after a flop. Every one has them. Some weeks are just not good cake weeks. You just hold your breath until the next week.

Hi everyone, i started decorating 6months ago and now im hooked, i dont charge for my cakes as im still so new to it and self taught (cant afford classes at the moment even if i could find one due to the amount of money i spend on my hobby) im also a scratch baker i still have alot to learn but i know i will always have my CC family and youtube to help me. my cakes are not great so i dont post them all and im so scared as i have a wedding cake to do in 3weeks! IM NOT READY YET!! so look out for me freaking out in the forums lots over the next few weeks lol

I am self-taught as I live in a small town in Canada and have 3 preschoolers I stay home with. I am not a pro but have been getting more and more calls to do cakes..I just need to start charging more i think..well I am TOLD by people that have ordered cakes from me. I would LOVE to take a class where I can learn how to make gumpaste flowers as that is the one thing I stay away from..I am scared to say yes to a cake with them since I can't do them well.

Staceytidsdale. flowers are easy once you know how. check out youtube, you will find some amazing flower tutorials there. search for cakincrazy. their roses without cutters are easy and look fab! my roses in my pics are made that way.

Iam a self taught cake-a-holic I have always made cakes for my kids and grandchildren until 2 yrs ago my son and daughter-in-law to be asked me to make their wedding cake. Wow I wasnt sure I could do it, but I finally gave in and went for it. I made myself sick over it but I pulled it off (I think , Its the fall wedding in my pics) from there it has taken over my life everytime I turn around I'm makin cake ( AND I LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT) then I found fondant and just started playin WOW how much fun!! Since I found CC Im hooked I cant seem to get enough!! So a big thanks to everyone on here for all your helpful tips !!

Even if you are still taught I think eventually everyone can always learn something by taking a class. Took me 20 years for my first class....

Not an expert at all but I am self taught. I actually started reading on here about 5 yrs ago and asking questions and practicing. I feel like if you know a few key techniques then you can do most things. But I think everyone could benefit from a class, I still want to take one. Even if I know how to do things there may be a simpler way, I just don't know because I was ever taught.

I am completely self-taught. I would make my kids b-day cakes and stuff, but I was working with a friend who was a florist and caterer and she was having difficulty with the cakes she was receiving from another lady, so she persuaded me into being her primary goto cake lady.

My first professionally paid cake was a white chocolate pound cake covered in pearlized fondant with ribbons and bows and served 500 people, talk about not much of a learning curve. It turned out absolutly beautiful.

I've been doing them for nearly 9 years, and iI really love the specialty carved cakes, it''s like creating edible sculptures.

I have been doing cakes for 25 years and took one basic Wilton Class (way back when) and one class on making Gum Paste Flowers from a lady from South Africa that was a big help and inspiration. Other than that I am totally self-taught and have learned through books, videos, TV and simply trial and error! It takes, practice, practice and more practice and a huge dose of patience to learn this business!

I'm self taught. I wish I could afford to take classes but unfortunately, I don't have the funds for it. I will be taking my first class on August though.

Even though I went to culinary school, I consider myself a self-taught DECORATOR, because they didn't really teach me a whole hell of a lot about decorating at the FCI, so I had to learn it all myself after. I just practice practice practice and most stuff I have learned to do through trial and error.

I'm in the process of self-teaching and would take any advice, criticisms, etc that could be of help! CC is so awesome and inspirational! I look forward to seeing and learning more

I'm self-taught. Never took a class in my life. When people ask me how I do it I tell them i was born that way! Not that I was always at this level, but there is something in my blood that makes me push myself to learn this stuff on my own. I am almost half-way through nursing school and I can honestly say that cake decorating is my real true love! My idea of a break from studying, is doing something cake related. It keeps me sane!