A few next steps…
Posted on: May 8, 2010
- In: Cakes | Personal
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After finishing my Wilton classes, I felt a bit unsure of what I should do next. Should I just experiment on my own? Take more classes?? If so, where and what? Well, in the past week or so, I’ve found a few answers to this question.
The first thing I did was to go to the Great American Cake show in Westminster, MD. I’ve never been to a cake show, but it sounded like fun and a good way to see what other things I should learn. I was right!! The show was AMAZING!! So many cakes from all levels were displayed–beginner to professional. They even had displays for cupcakes, cookies and peeps!! These weren’t so much displays as they were entries in the competitions but I just felt like it was great to see all the different cakes and different techniques used to decorate them. One of my favorite cakes was done by a teenager from Pennsylvania, Rafael Logrono of Rafael’s Cakes. Not only was his cake absolutely lovely, demonstrating a variety of techniques and artistic skills, but he’s a really super nice guy!! After working with teenagers, I’m always floored when I meet a lovely young man with skill and determination. He’s also a fabulous teacher. While at the show, I took a class in creating a sculpted purse. Check out my first ever sculpted purse!!
I’ve never sculpted a cake before and Rafael really guided me through the process. His colleague, Amelia Monis of Sweet Alchemy by Amelia was also a great help since she helped me make sure my construction was good and she also answered questions along the way. This class, and all the shopping to do at the show were the best parts!!
I also decided I needed to learn to make gumpaste flowers. Yes, I’ve experimented with these before and had some exposure to gumpaste with my Wilton class, but I never really formally learned how to make wired gumpaste flowers. That is, until I took a class with the illustrious Colette Peters! She was a fabulous instructor since she broke down the construction of each flower into simple steps and was open to questions along the way. Not only did I get to go home with a bunch of lovely flowers that I intend to put on a cake for Mother’s day tomorrow but I went home with detailed instructions on how to make the flowers again!! I love when teachers give you a hand out of the most important information–seriously. I definitely want to take more classes from her since she creates an environment where you can really focus on your work and feel comfortable enough to ask questions. Check out my flowers!!
Peony
hydrangeas and nameless blossoms
hydrangeas and nameless blossoms
daisies
Roses
cala lilies
Maybe my next steps will be to experiment at home with some of the many cake books I’ve acquired or maybe even trying to view some cake decorating dvds? who knows? I just know I’m hooked on this art!!
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