Hey, I'm teaching a cake decorating class tonight!

[blueribboncakes]

It's at my church, and not for pay, but it's a start, and my first time ever attempting such a feat!
I love to teach, and I have been decorating for almost 3 years now. Wish me luck!

[Isa]

Good Luck Valerie! I'm sure you'll be a good teacher.

[KyleW]

Knock 'em dead BRC

[Kimmie]

Ditto!

[lynne]

Way to go! Let us know how it goes!

Happy Icing!

[m brown]

You'll do great! Here is to the beginning of a brilliant new carrear!

Remember, if you make a mistake, put a rose on it!

[Isa]

How was the class Valerie?

[blueribboncakes]

E The class went really well! I was a bit nervous, but overall everyone had fun and we got 240 cupcakes done in a little over an hour!
I had positive feed back today at the Fall Festival. I was able to be a part of the ladie's ministry table, and I decorated small 6 inch cakes with fall leaves, and they raffled them off. It was great because I was able to get a lot of exposure and get people to associate me with cakes. I just moved to this area, and have lost all the customers I had in L.A. Thanks for your encouragement!!!!You are great!

[CJ]

Congratulations, Valarie! What a terrific way to have fun & meet new people. And how encouraging when people bid on your work! Now you'll be in demand all the time!

[Isa]

So happy all went well Valerie. Did you take pictures of your cakes, would love to see them.

[momoreg]

I'm glad to hear how well things are going for you. Please continue to update us. That's great news!

[blueribboncakes]

Mail Box News is a cake decorator's magazine. Most of the decorators are home decorators, but some professionals have also graced the pages of MBN. Anyhoo, I was pretty jazzed when I read that I was going to be in there. I made a cool, sculpted turkey last year, that is in there. A friend of mine said that she had plans to make only a turkey breast. But, when her daughter insisted on a turkey on the table, she approached me about helping her out. It was a lot of fun.

[W.DeBord]

What a wonderful idea for a cake!!!!

How did you do your drum sticks? Did they come above your breast or did you do them so they were tucked in tight. (Those paper frills would have been fun on them...)

Did you do some neat fake garnishes around it so it looked dressed up on the platter? If so, what and how?

Last halloween I made a goul's head on a platter for 1 of my centerpiece cakes on my halloween buffet. I drew a blank for the garnish (which really pulled off the look) and wound up using real lettuce leafs with gummy worms and candy eyeballs. But the lettuce did the wilt thing after an hour or so, and I realized that was a mistake. Have you ever simulated lettuce with frosting?? Any tips, if you have?

P.S. I did look around and follow some links over at mailbox news. Thanks!! I stumbled across something really neat, making butterflies with wafer paper....there are some very cool ideas floating out there!

[blueribboncakes]

Before I tell you about the turkey, the link you probably should look at if you like cake decorating is.... http://w3.one.net/~proicer/message/message.htm
there is a lovely community of women, and men decorators that are a very caring and sharing group of people. About a few months ago, there was a gal who posted some not-so-nice things about them, and it would suffice to say, it wasn't pretty. Many of them are homedecorators, but there are many shop owners and people who do this in a bakery. So, take a peek sometime. My name is Valarie, and yes, that's my real name.

OH kee doh kee...

About the cake.
I made triangle shapes, sort of like the shape of a piece of pie. And put them up against the turkey. Yep, I did the paper frills, and used real mint, which is pretty forgiving and doesn't wilt fast, and dried cranberries. I used pieces of yellow and spice cake cut up into small cubes, like stuffing, and I attached it to the cake, where the stuffing should come out. Since I'm not familiar with airbrushing, I used hershey's cocoa, and it was effective to create a nice brown bird.

[blueribboncakes]

The head decorator of Sweet Lady Jane's cakes in Beverly Hills did a demo on special effects with cakes. He did a skull that drips "blood" when cut open.
This is how he did it.
He takes a deep cake, the size of a head, and cuts off the top, and scooped some of the center. next, he put some rolled fondant in, making a well, then he filled it with raspberry sauce. This must be done right before it's going to be presented, so for commercial purposes, it's not practical, but for fun with friends, it's not only impressive, but gross!