Will everyone please stop what they are doing and email me instructions on how to be polite, and please include at least 1 picture as I am a visual learner.
And I need to know this ASAP so snap snap.

personally i try to be polite and helpful in my posts, responses, and PM's. And i always follow up with a thank you... and it may be naive of me.. but i kind of expect (hope) for the same curtesy.

oh hint for the google/yahoo searches... if you add a plus sign between each word in your search. It will ONLY show results that match all those words... AND.. it will.. how to explain this? rearrage the words for you so that it is the correct wording. (i hope that explains it right) anyway..try it.. it works like a dream and i always find my answer within a minute or two.

Someone else recently started a thread on this topic and I had commented that it never bothered me until I read that post. Then in that same thread, another CCer commented that she/he EXPECTED to be helped by CCers since "that is what we are all here for" and basically shamed anyone who at all felt bothered by not being complimented properly. That whole thread and that comment (granted, it was the exception though there were a couple others like it) are all it took to make me look at the whole "PM me a TUTORIAL!!!" entirely differently.

Now it irks me. RREEHHEEALLLY IRKS ME! Not the polite PMs...I go all out of my way to help because I've been helped so many times but the request for a TUTORIAL!!! What makes you think I have made - or have the time to make a TUTORIAL???? And yet... I have. A couple pages long with pics and all and what did I get for my time and trouble? This: "I got it. Thanks." Wow.

I'm with the others who try to figure it out by looking then ask if I'm stuck. Politely. Very politely. NOT as if you are somehow entitled because I posted my pic on CC.

Hmph!

Re: therequests for tutorials..... (and be forewarned that I'll be showing my age in the wording on this!)

It seriously (seriously!) worries me that "kids today" have no imagination or gumption to get out and try something themselves. "back in my day", we had to, as my father in law is famous for saying, "look around! figure things out!"

Now I concede and agree that if there are instructions to make the learning easier, then we'd be silly not to take advantage of them. but it worries me that I'm getting the impression that many dont' even TRY to figure something out. They dont' even TRY to use their own imagination and creativity anymore.

I can only issue a "Thank God!" that folks like Thomas Edison and Henry Ford didn't think like that.

What kind of generation are we raising? Is there no sense of adventure and discovery anymore? Is there no way they can fathom the concept of "let's see what I can do on my own"? What does this say about new developments in medicine and technology down the road if we are raising a generation of "just tell me how to do it".

I saw one just a few days ago that had my mouth dropping open. I'm not going to mention what the request was because it's fairly recent and I have no desire to embarrass the person, but let me assure you it can be compared to something as simple as "send me a tutorial on how to peel a potato and how big of a knife do I need to peel one".

I'm more than willing to help those who are trying to work out a problem they've run into. I'm willing to help "teach them to fish" so they can feed themselves for a lifetime.

But I'm not going to fish FOR them and then just hand them my full basket of fish, if they're not even going to bring their own dang pole to the pond!

Well, Deb, there you go again. I was leaning forward, elbows on my desk, face pressed close to the screen, reading your thread and shaking my body and the whole desk as I quietly shouted - as loud as I could in a whisper - YES! YES! YES!

I only started a year ago. Peak at my gallery. I've come far. From trying and fearlessly doing. Emphasis on TRYING! Lots of wasted cake. Lots of failures. Lots of guidance - NOT hand holding (minus a Louis Vuitton logo issue, CCer kakebakery pretty much had to put the fish on the hook for me on that one but that was AFTER I spent no less than 12 hours trying to figure it out!). Lots of tivo'd cake shows, pausing and looking closer.

Sorry to date you further (gulp) but I was raised by a man who felt very much like you and am therefore a do-it-yourselfer. Look at it and figure-it-outter. I just did an 3d Mad Hatter Tea Party cake that I had NO IDEA how I was going to do when I sketched it up and sold it. And I don't mean "topsy turvy" mad hatter style I made the Mad Hatter himself. First time with PVC and a stand up 3D cake but I just dove in knowing I'd figure it out along the way.

Well. I nailed it. It's not posted here yet but you'll all see it if you subscribed to the magazine. Yep. Nailed it. FROM NOT BEING AFRAID - OR LACKING AMBITION AND MAKING MISTAKES AND FIGURING IT OOUUUTTTTT!!! Not insisting someone else figure it out for me so I don't have to sweat for it.

I know this is strongly worded and someone is going to reply "but we are all here to learn from one another" and if that is you then you've missed the point in Indydeb's message - and don't PM me for a tutorial. Thank you quite kindly, warmly and very much (can't forget those manners!).

I hear you all loud and clear..... I recently had someone who actually critiqued my tutorial......... Seriously, took the time to respond, not with a thank you, but how disappointed they were it didn't include so and so.... I am still dumbfounded~!
This sense of entitlement is shameful... <shaking head>

Think about this - How do you think most of us figured things out? By DOING THEM, finding 14 things that didn't work, and then stumbling onto the one thing that worked great.

"I'm surprised that your Google search didn't produce any information at all. What were your search terms?"

In other words, tell me how hard you worked to figure this out yourself. Then I'll point you in the right direction.

I am not yo mamma.

whatever happened to figuring things out on your own?

Maybe I'm just that way, but if I see a style or idea that I like... google magic! or research the idea... or try and practice and figure it out!

Isn't that half of the fun?

I'm not saying this to pat myself on the back or anything but when I started decorating for friends (and for fun) about 10 or so years ago, I didn't have anyone to ask...I just did my best to figure stuff out. My first "3D" cake not counting the Wilton 3D bear (that had recently come out) was taking the Wilton bear and the wonder mold, carving down the bottom of the bear and the top of the mold...and making a "mommy bear holding a baby" (it might be in my early photos haha although I didn't upload it until a few years after I made it.) It was my early usages of fondant too. I have an Eeyore that was an early use of fondant (which I hate now, looking back!) and a victorian cake where I made a hat and gloves and stuff. All those were earlier attempts but I was just experiementing with new techniques and new stuff that I bought, and it was before the time when sculpted cakes were huge...it was more around the time of Roland Winbeckler and just after. For the Eeyore I just studied a photo I wanted it to look like, broke down the shapes, and tried to match the shapes. (Wow alot has happened in 10 years as far as the popularity of 3D and fondant cakes!)

Sometimes when people ask me for tutorials I say "Well I just find an image from Google Images, print about 4 different views, and then I take a sheet cake and start cutting, using the photos as my guide." Its true! That's my tutorial. haha.

I guess I'm just echoing what Indy said (in a much less cut and dry way) that you just have to kind of "dig in" and "get your hands dirty" and see what works for you and experiment.

And Indy...my dad said that too. haha. I remember being outside doing something and going "I can't do this Dad, I need help" and he said (like a dad) you won't always have someone to help you all through your life, you will have to learn how to figure things out on your own."

I could go into a discussion of education these days, from the "teacher" side of me but I won't. haha.

Leahs..."I'm surprised that your Google search didn't produce any information at all. What were your search terms?" Love it!

indydebi..."...that if there are instructions to make the learning easier, then we'd be silly not to take advantage of them. but it worries me that I'm getting the impression that many dont' even TRY to figure something out. They dont' even TRY to use their own imagination and creativity anymore. ..." totally agree!

Sometimes, when I ask how something was done...it's more of a "How on earth did you do that???" asking...whether it comes across that way, is another story...Doesn't mean I have intentions of ever using the information to make one myself...When I ask that way (granted, until now, it didn't dawn on me that the one I directed the question to wouldn't be able to detect how I was asking), I would probably reply with a, "Oh, I see! That's just awesome! Thanks for sharing!" Or..."I get it! Thanks!"

I have a tendency to post as if we were in the same room. I've recently discovered, much to my dismay, that everyone doesn't read it that way...

Sometimes, I get so tickled...overjoyed...giddy with excitement...whatever...that I now have the "secret" that I might just plain out forget myself and run off to appreciate what I just acquired....

I actually enjoy trying to figure it out for myself first. There are some things that I've asked about and I've just wanted the basics. Like what size cakes did you use or it is pieced together or one giant slab of cake that is carved.

Everyone that I encounter who finds out that I decorate cakes always asks me where I learned, where I took classes, etc. I didn't take classes, I just learned by reading and doing and watching youtube videos and such.

I'm like Indy and some of the others, I was always taught to figure it out for myself and then if I was having problems or had other questions to ask for help. That's just it, it's asking for help or assistance not asking for someone to just hand you the answer.

I agree with figuring things out for yourself. I've never taken classes, but I've learned more from my mistakes than I could in any class. After you've done things the "hard way" a few times, you start figuring better ways to do things. Another thing, some people just do not want to take time to use their IMAGINATION in figuring things out. They just want to be spoon fed. Whatever happened to enjoying that great feeling of success when you accomplish something on your own? NO BETTER FEELING!! DH often asks me why I take on some projects that look hard. I tell him because when I get it right, the feeling of success is AWESOME!!

Since this post came up I would like to publicly take the time to THANK each and every member on CC that have helped me in some way or another.
I really appreciate everyone on here.
I sometimes ffind myself running into problems with something or the next and you all have always been so kind to share your ideas, professionalism and experience with me.
Some of you I never even have to ask a question, cause you answered it in a post or something. However it was helpful to me, and, I am greatful for that
No one one here should be in any way taken for granted. We all have our lives to live away for CC and no matter how addicted we are to this place, fact remains we have responsibilities.
The people who demand things or get scarcastic, or are just plain out ungreatful really need to check themselves. Cause it is people like that that make people feel not so good sharing with others.
I just really want to say a big THANK YOU for being kind to everyone on here.

While I am at it, I also want to let Michele Foster know how greatful I am to her for sharing her fondant recipe. And, Indydebi for sharing her BC recipe. And LEahs for sharing her knowledge, and Moxey for her cake recipe.
And, everyone else that have been instumental in the growth and building of this website.
Just having all this information available for free is a HUGE BLESSING .... we need to think about it.
And, yes we all including me, need to be more self reliant and resourceful.
I hope I didn't ruffle feathers .... it is just the way I see it.

GOD BLESS!

I am experimenting ALL the time!! What i love about this site is sometimes I just have no clue as to how to begin my project.. i do tend to get really ambicious.. or i will be in a middle of project and 10 attempts to getting around a problem fail and i am out of ideas.. i will come here and go through tutorials.. or bug you guys !!!

oh by the way.. the spackling of the woman post.. hilarious !!

All of the above does not apply to FNCC however. On Friday nights we're all there to help in a crisis, because if you're in trouble and its Friday Night, its a crisis.

Have y'all seen this before? (I may have actually originally gotten it here on CC, but I can't remember.) I LOVE it.

http://lmgtfy.com/

My sister in law sent me a text a couple days ago that said "Facebook me a recipe for buttercream." I didn't respond. I didn't even write her back to tell her to Google it.

When I was growing up I would ask my mom questions and often she wouldn't answer them directly. She'd say something like "look it up" or "problem solve." It was very frustrating for my 7 year old self, but now I realize how much she was really teaching me.