AHello all, I am fairly new to this website and am amazed at the cakes you all make! So I am a good baker but have not tried my hands at decorating. I did post earlier asking for help on how to learn to decorate and got some great replies and references to websites with tutorials. There is so much information on these websites that its a little intimidating and I get lost. If someone could guide me and tell me the order in which I should learn the various steps...for example start with learning to ice the cake first....then maybe move on to piping...yeah I need a decorating 101 :) Thanks!!

Not sure what info you received, but try your local party store, HobbyLlobby, Michael's or JoAnn's.   They offer cake decorating classes that are a great start. 

I agree with ddaigle.  Start with your local party store, the classes are generally quite inexpensive and they start with decorating 101 (how to make the icing, then cover a cake, make flowers, etc.)

AStart teaching yourself:

Making Buttercream, Leveling the cakes and/or torting the layers, filling the cake, and icing a cake and getting it smooth. I would REALLY get these down before I go any farther in decorating.

Or as others have suggested. Take the classes

AThere are SO many videos on YouTube. There's blogs as well. You kind of just have to sift through and find which ones you like. Bookmark them or add them to the favorites on YouTube.

If you benefit from hands on instructions perhaps the Wilton method classes available through craft stores may be the best.

AStart with some hands on instruction. Videos and tutorials can't show you how much pressure you should be applying when piping or smoothing, and a lot of other things that live instruction will. After you get the basics down, then tutorials and YouTube are a great source.

AThank you all for your responses. I found out that JoAnn fabrics has a class coming up in October. I will sign up for that. I am super excited to get started. Thanks for your input!!

AAlso check out whether your local cake supply store does classes, one near me does a lot of them ranging from the basics to classes guest taught by some of the top pros.

AI agree find a class, there is a web site called sugarbakers if there is one near you they offer classes if not if you still go to that site and look under classes it gives you a great list of supplies that you need depending on what level and what decorating you want to do. Thought this might help when i started I had know ideal even what tools to use. Good luck and welcome