Getting Started & Major Fails

Decorating cakes/cupcakes wasn't always a talent of mine.

I would say that it took many a tries to convince myself I was good enough to share my talent with others. (Although I still feel I am FAR from good...I have definitely improved)

It started off when I stumbled upon a well known website of Bakerella. 

(For those of you who DON'T know who she is, you MUST check her out)

I was just a little newlywed bride who wanted to please her sweet hubby with delicious treats from the oven when he arrived home from work. I really struggled when it came to REAL food, so my obsession love for chocolate was really the only thing I felt comfortable working in the kitchen with.

I began getting ideas from websites, such as Bakerella, and began to play around. Luckily for me I had a trusty taste tester, hubby, who put up with many a baked goods. It was only a matter of time before our meals of chicken and veggies, turned into cookies and milk.

My obsession grew bigger, and I decided to try decorating, because if I wanted to give away my desserts, they had to look presentable. So I took upon my self to take a cake decorating class. It was a series of 4, and well...I only lasted till 1. This is what I came home with on the first day of class:

Obviously I went frosting happy. If you can't tell that blob of frosting on top of that cake is a cupcake, and those little blobs next to the cup cakes are hearts. I don't think I went back out of fear of embarrassment.  Let's just say the teacher told me mine was, "nothing she had ever seen." MEH! What does she know?!

But I thought, if I am going to get better I have to keep on trying. Halloween was around the corner, and I wanted to take cupcakes to a party we were going to.

MAJOR FAIL:

It looked like a bat crossed with a buck tooth fanged silver beaver.

Cute

Cute, if your into that sort of thing =]

I decided that maybe I should take it easy on the whole DeCoRaTiNg thing, and maybe start of simple. Learn the basics, before you jump into something your not ready for.

So I just started with simple piping.

Writing names and learning flowers.

And then I began to just mess around. 

 My cupcakes didn't always look the greatest, but I didn't give up.

(AWEE how sweet)

Even if I went frosting happy every so often.

Each time I baked it offered up a new challenge to me. 

And with each time I got a "Little" better.

And now I am here. I taught my self everything I know, and I am POSITIVE my techniques would SHOCK a pastry chef since they are OOH so wrong. You see,  I'm learning. Forgive me if my recipes need tweaking, or my decorating looks like your 12 year old brother did it. I still don't know what I am doing and probably never will. 

But I hope you enjoy my journey with me. I plan to blog about other things than cupcakes, if you were getting bored =]

As for now, I am off to bed. I think I will dream of a warm summer vacation, because I OH SO BADLY need a tan. This winter weather makes me pasty.

Sweet dreams

(no pun intended)