Did I do better this time?

So I finished the first Wilton Method Cake Decorating Course. (That seemed very long) After this first cake I "decorated" for my dad's birthday, we moved on to cupcakes. I only decorated a couple in class because, well, I was late. If you know me, that should come as no surprise. If you don't know me, then me being late isn't a new thing. I'll tell the story of why I was late in a moment. When I got home, I finished the other cupcakes and these were the best ones:

We learned to used several different tips. On the back left we learned the drop flower (which I missed because I was…you know…late). I think my icing was a little too thin for that flower. Another tip makes the grass or in this case, the shaggy mum (back center & back right). I'm thinking more like Cousin It.

My favorite was the rosette featured on the two front cupcakes. I wasn't trying to make the prettiest cupcakes. Just practicing the techniques. I really like the front right one though. Kind of reminds me of "Starry Night".

I'm taking the Wilton courses at Hobby Lobby. If you've never been in a HL, at least the one I go to, the store is huge. Along the back at regular intervals are little breezeways or alcoves or whatever you call it. Each one has a door or two leading to different areas. Offices, breakrooms, store rooms, and class rooms.

Well, my friend Shawn and I had gotten to the store about 30 minutes before the class was to start. Yay! Because I had to purchase a can of icing to supplement what I had brought with me. On the way to the cake supply aisle, Shawn ran into someone she knows. So they got to talking. Well, I waited for a while, but I really needed to get my icing and get back to the classroom to get everything out and ready to go. The class is only two hours and I'm always behind. So I told Shawn I'd meet her back at the room. I grabbed the icing, ran up to the checkout to make the purchase and headed back to the back of the store. I got to the classroom and lo and behold the door was closed and locked. I lightly knocked, but thought maybe the instructor was having a meeting and didn't want to disturb them. So I wandered back to where I had left Shawn and sure enough, she was still talking. Her friend left and we browsed in the cake supply aisle for a while when Shawn looked at her watch and exclaimed "It's 6:00, we've got to go". She had found something she needed, so she ran up to buy it while I headed over to the classroom. But to my frustration, the door was still closed and locked. So I knocked. No answer. I waited. No Shawn. I knocked again. Still nothing. A good 5 minutes went by. It dawned on me I hadn't seen any of the other students. I started to wonder if the class had been moved or even canceled and I somehow missed the memo. I'm still wondering what happened to Shawn. After all, I was her ride, she couldn't have just left. I just figured she ran into her friend again and started talking. Silly me.

Hang in there, I'm almost done.

Eventually, a store employee came by and asked if I needed help. I said, "We were supposed to have a class but the door is locked."

The clerk smiled and said, "You want the door right down there." I know she was thinking, "You know, the one with the big sign over it that says 'Classroom'."

The classroom door had never been closed OR locked. I had simply gone to the wrong one. I'm not sure when I'm going to let myself live that one down.

Well, after that long story, I made it to the correct classroom for the last class of the first course. I had prepared well the night before with the help of my sister, Jenni. We had to have a cake, iced and ready to decorate. Plus, a design picked out from our student book. I had one picked out, had all my icing colored and in bags and was ready to go when the class started. Then I figured out I'd forgotten paper towels, the cake turner and parchment paper. Paper towels, not a big deal. I had dish towels. Cake turner, would have been useful, but not really necessary. Parchment paper. That I needed. We had to make flowers and one of the things you need is parchment squares. Well, Shawn came through for me and shared. Thanks pal!!

I was the last one to finish again, but I wasn't rushed and I actually finished the decorating in class. I was satisfied. So if you've made it this far (haven't you learned by now, I'm long winded?) here is my final cake from the first course.


Jenni iced the cake for me. I made the drop flowers the night before and the roses in class. I did a rosette border on the bottom to attach the drop flowers, added the lines and dots and put the roses and leaves on for a final touch. I think it came out really well.
It is a Sour Cream White and Strawberry cake with buttercream icing and a Strawberry Preserves filling. Yummy!

So, did I do better than the last cake?