Advanced Skills: Introduction to Wired Gum Paste Flowers

In addition to the New Classics Techniques Classes being offered starting in September we also now have

Advanced Skills: 

Introduction to Wired Gum Paste Flowers

 A new two-2 1/2 hour sessions class, designed for advanced students who may have already completed the now-retired Course 4-Advanced Gum Paste Flowers, you can learn to make not only classic flowers like the rose and hydrangea, but also the new tropical hibiscus 

       

 

Supplies needed for the class include gum paste and fondant tools found in the Course 4 kit, Gum Paste, and the new Wilton Gum Paste Cutter Set.  A complete syllabus will be available when you sign up for the class.

     

NEW!! Classic Technique Classes!

Starting in September we are teaching new Classic Technique Classes designed for students who may have not been able to take cake decorating classes due to time constraints.

Beginning with:


– 5 Steps to a Great Cake!

New to cake decorating but not sure where to start? Wilton has broken down the cake decorating process into five easy steps, including baking, leveling, filling, icing and decorating a cake. Learn what torting a cake is, as well as the best way to ice a cake smooth. At the end of class, go home with all the skills needed to bake and decorate a great cake!




 



 – Buttercream Piping Techniques
At the heart of the Wilton Method of Cake Decorating is a wide variety of key piping techniques using buttercream icing. Learn all these key beginning techniques featuring star, round, and petal tips in a classic assortment of stars, dots, beads, rosettes, shells and more.

 – Personalized Party Cakes
The best reason for decorating your own cake is being able to personalize it to the occasion, theme, or person. After developing your design, learn how to use piping gel transfers, writing messages, and border designs to make the cake your own.

May Wilton Class Calendar

Click calendar for larger view

Classes Open House At Michaels April 25

All Classes at Michaels will be 50% off on Saturday, April 25

I'll be doing Open House Demos in the morning at Westerly Michaels--10-12, Lisbon, CT 12:30-2:30 and Dayville Michaels 3-5pm  What a whirlwind!!

Come visit me at one of these stores!

Daughter-in-Law's 50th Birthday Cake!!

Brenda loves Tinkerbelle, so for her birthday celebration today I made this cake!

There were 36 cupcakes sent along with it with simple rosettes on each in all the cake colors.  The cake itself is a 3-color checkerboard inside, with yellow, pink and green.

We left before the cake was cut, so I don't have a pic.  It was my first attempt at my new* Wilton Checkerboard Cake Kit, and I found it a lot of work (my first try resulted in only two layers--duh--I hadn't read the instructions and only used one cake mix--you need three!!!)--it might have been easier to make three separate layers in the three colors, and cut out the circular pieces to rearrange in each to form the pattern (something I saw on Pinterest), but I didn't have any suitable cutters for that process (though in afterthought, the plastic thingy in the kit might work--note to self!), and the second try one worked, so it was probably worth it--though I didn't use the pans that came in the kit because...
*...they had been used!!! 

I think it was a return item that they put pack on the shelf without opening the box to check the contents.  Yuck!!  There was brown baked on grease in and outside each pan!  I was able to scrub them clean with Dawn and my handy green scrubby, so no harm done, but...just yuck!  Who does that??

April and May Class Calendars

With a little adjustment at the end of March, the following are the Wilton Class Calendars at my three Michaels accounts for April and May.

Lambeth Method of Cake Decorating

I made up this cake dummy at the Gum Paste and Fondant class I teach, demoing how to cover a cake with fondant for the last class.  It sat around and I had a couple of batches of Royal Icing, had always wanted to try some Lambeth, so here is the result.  Since I can't make it to Virginia this coming Saturday for my Mom's birthday, and she's diabetic and shouldn't eat a cake anyway, I'm sending her a picture of it for her birthday!

DIY Gum Paste Flower Drying Rack

Another WMI (Wilton Method Instructor) posted a pic of a clever DIY FLower Drying Rack made from those ever-useful photo boxes sold at Michaels:

 https://scontent-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/11006466_10152592521110776_1130101585102326466_n.jpg?oh=00de21b91c60ad59251fee63fa0a3287&oe=557FF644

Cover your Cake with an Icing Tip

A different and easy way to ice your cake:

Double Drop Flower!

Playing around with my 2D tip this week, this happened!

It's a Double Drop Flower, made simply by making either the Drop Flower, or the Swirl Drop Flower, then turning the tip so that the icing will come out in between the first petals and giving it a simple drop flower again. Same color, or a different color gives you two more possibilities!

Play with those tips! You never know what you'll come up with!

Wilton Advanced Skills

Wilton Advanced Skill: Stringwork
Next Class is at Michaels in Dayville, CT
Monday, January 26,10:30am










Wilton Advanced Skill: Piped Borders & Embellishments 

Next Class is at Michaels in Lisbon, CT

Sunday, February 15, 1-3pm

New Project Classes, and...

...2wk and 4-wk classes added to the Lisbon, Dayville and now Westerly, RI!  Michaels Calendars:

Sign up for classes online at Michaels.com/classes --Lisbon zip code: 06351  Dayville zip code: 06241

2-wk :

 Lisbon:

Course 1: Building Buttercream Skills-condensed

Sat, January 17, 24; 3:30-6:30pm

 Course 1: Building Buttercream Skills-condensed 
Sat, February 21, 28; 4-7pm

Dayville: 
Course 1: Building Buttercream Skills-condensed 
Sat, January 24, 31; 1-4pm

Course 1: Building Buttercream Skills-condensed  

Fri, January 23, 30; 5:30pm – 8:30pm

Course 1: Building Buttercream Skills-condensed 

Fri, February 6, 13; 5:30-8:30pm

Course 1: Building Buttercream Skills-condensed

Fri, February 20, 27; 5:30-8:30pm

Westerly: 
Course 1: Building Buttercream Skills-condensed
Sun., February 8,15; 3-6pm

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4-wk:

 Lisbon:
Course 2--Flowers and Cake Design

Sun, February 1, 10:30 - 12:30pm

Course 1: Building Buttercream Skills

Mon, February 2,  6:30-8:30pm

Course 1: Building Buttercream Skills

Tue, February 3, 10:30-12:30pm

Course 3--Gum Paste and Fondant

Tue, February 3, 6:30-8:30pm

Dayville: 

Course 3--Gum Paste and Fondant

Mon, February 2, 10am – 12pm

Course 4--Advanced Gum Paste Flowers

Mon, February 2, 12:15pm – 2:15pm

 Course 2--Flowers and Cake Design

Thu, February 5, 10:30-12:30pm

Course 3--Gum Paste and Fondant

Fri, February 6, 10:30-12:30

 Course 2--Flowers and Cake Design

Sat, February 7, 1-3pm

Westerly: 

 Course 1: Building Buttercream Skills
Thurs., February 5, 6-8pm
 

***************************************

The current new Project classes (one session classes):

 Lisbon:

 Kids Critter Cookies

Sun, January 25, 1pm – 3pm

Piping: Borders & Embellishments
 Sun, February 15, 1pm – 3pm

Crazy for Cupcakes

Sun, February 22, 1pm – 3pm

Stringwork

 

 Dayville:

 Advanced Skills: Stringwork

Mon, January 26, 10:30am – 12:30pm

Kids Easter Chicks

Sat, February 21, 2:30pm – 4:30pm

Westerly: 
Check Out These Chicks              
Easter Cookies for Kids

Piped Borders and Embellishments

Sun., February 1, 2-4pm


Crazy for Cupcakes
Wed., February 4, 6-8pm 

Wilton Piped Borders and Embellishments
Fri., February 6, 10:30-12:30pm

Crazy for Cupcakes
Wed., February 11, 6-8pm

Advanced Skills: Stringwork
Fri., February 13, 10:30-12:30pm

Crazy for Cupcakes
Wed., February 18, 6-8pm

Wilton Piped Borders and Embellishments
Fri., February 20, 10:30-12:30pm

Check Out These Chicks Easter Cookies for Kids
Sun., February 22, 2-4pm

Crazy for Cupcakes
Wed., February 25, 6-8pm 

Advanced Skills: Stringwork
Fri., February 27, 10:30-12:30pm

New Year! New Classes!!

2015 is going to be a great year to take all the new Wilton Method  

classes at Michaels!!

AND... the January 10 Open House is the time to do it!

For $40, you can sign up for all four, and take them when you want to!!

It's a great time to have a group class with your friends or family and schedule your classes at your convenience--4 is all it takes to customize your calendar!!  

See me at the open house for details.
This Sale Ends Jan. 31!!!