Hey all...I am starting my Wiltons Course I tonight, and was wondering if anyone who has taken it have any tips or hints for me? What did you think of the course? I bought a student kit and got the course for free at one of my local Michaels stores.

Thanks

I haven't taken any of the courses yet, but my advice would be to enjoy yourself and to remember to take pictures of all your projects so you can see your progress. Have fun!

THANKS Tenderheart...

*pencils in..."Enjoy Self"* Ok.. Got that one...LOL

Have fun!
Wish I had some time to take those courses... gotta work and take care of the house and the hubby is working full time and going to school full time. There is no way I will take my extra time away from my son. My Mary Kay rep wants me to sell Mary Kay and I flat out told her no At least she understood why and took my no as no, told her she will have to wait at least 2.5 years until my hubby is done with school.

Wow m0use...So busy. Maybe you can find something at Michaels (or your local craft store that teaches the Wilton courses) that your son could enjoy while you take the Wiltons courses?

That's a good idea, thanks.
What would be really cool is if he could take the decorating courses with me. I will have to ask.
He loves being in the kitchen with me. I just bought "The Cake Mix Doctor" book and I asked him if he wanted to help me make some of the recipes in the book and he said yes. I'm so proud

I am a Wilton Instructor and my advice would be to always be prepared, practice practice practice and most important HAVE FUN. It's a lot of money to put out to not fully committ to. My only other advice is that if you're having difficulty in a particular area - don't get frustrated. You will develope your own style for everything and that will only come with practice. Even the best decorator didn't get where there are now without practicing. Hope you enjoy your class.

I just finished the first course and am beginning the second tonight. I loved it, found a gift that I didn't know existed. Don't be nervous, it is fun, go with the intention of having fun and learning. You will have to practice, practice, practice.

I didn't have any baking equipment before I began, I have racked up a little arsenal of baking supplies and such. Next to having fun, once you learn how to make the icing that you will use for class, make sure you make up enough of each consistency: thin, medium, stiff, so that you will have enough to ice your cakes and to practice with.

We needed a cake for each class for the first course, but for the second course we are learning more flowers and basketweave patterns, so we won't need a cake until the last class (yeah!)

If you have any specifics just ask, I'll be happy to answer any questions you have.

Did you bake the cakes at home and take them in, or did they bake the cakes for ya? (kinda defeats the purposes of learning huh? )

I LOVED the Wilton courses. Of course, I didn't know a thing before I took them, so everything was new to me. We learned cake baking tips, as well as all the decorating.

The only annoying thing was the instructor like to sit there for half the 'class' and talk about her personal life, instead of teaching us, and also she wasn't firm about making sure everyone was prepared for class, so I (and the one other girl who was always prepared) usually ended up sitting there for literally half the class, or more, waiting for everyone else to mix their icing colors and get their bags/tips ready to go. Hopefully you won't have to deal with that, though!

Have fun!

Melissa

Grrrrrrr. Teachers like that should be reprimanded/reported to Wilton. Is there a time at the end of the course to do evaluations of the instructors? People pay good money for these courses, and they're not paying it to hear about someone's personal life. That's one of my big school-related pet peeves.

Thank you MrsMissey...I come from a long line of cake bakers, so the baking I have, it's the decorating that I am looking for the guidance in..

We had to bake and ice the cake beforehand. She taught us how to ice the cake, and how to use the different bags and to make parchment bags. She gave us a ton a pointers and gave us a really great box cake recipe. The only personal info she gave us involved cakes and how she had gotten into the art of cake decor.

So mine was a great experience and she'll be teaching the class I begin tonight.

I took I & II and I can't wait to take III. Find a big tote bag to put everything in. Take a bath towel with you to cover your work surface. I took a couple of plastic bags with me and would put my used decorating supplies in one and tossed the icing covered towel in the other, then I could just wash everything when I got home. It made class cleanup a breeze. The class buttercream is REALLY sweet and kind of greasy tasting to me, but you only have to use it for class, unless you happen to like it. Make the 3 consistencies of icing and keep them in containers in your fridge labeled. Then when you want to practice, you can just pull out your "practice" icing, let it come to room temperature and use your practice sheets. I used my "practice" icing over & over. Just made sure the kids knew they couldn't eat the icing in those containers. And if you are a messy decorator like me, find an apron. The thought of putting my coat on over an icing covered shirt just didn't thrill me! Relax & have fun. You will be amazed at how much you'll learn!

Well,

I just got out of my first class of Course I..and I must say I'm stoked about going back. The instructor is great, and there are only 2 of us in the class :talk about special attention: And whomever said you'd rack up a bit of equipment...boy you aren't lyin. Good thing I had most of the stuff already

Oooh, I'm so envious!! What a great experience--Only two people in the class!!!! That's AWESOME! Enjoy yourself, and keep us updated.