Day 2 ~ Wilton Master Course

Hello!  As tired as I am, I am still going to write as I drink a glass of Chardonnay.  Surely my work today would have been much better with wine involved :)  (did I say that yesterday, too?)


Each day we start with an hr. practice of what we learned from the day before. That went pretty well.  I've got the hang of the vines and rosettes.   Then we had to start NEW STUFF.  We learned "shells" and me and "shells" just didn't seem to be getting along for some reason.  Along with the shells we learned something called "corinelli lace" (spelled something like that)  I enjoy that one because there really is no pattern and it's more of a "free form" design - YES! (sorry, no pic today - check back with me later)  Had issues with the "chandeliers" and what I am going to call "loopies"  - here is my photo - unless I "perfect" this technique you will not be seeing this in my final project wedding cake!

Looking forward to practice tomorrow morning!


The Gum Paste Class is great, but I seem to feel rushed every day. After 8 hrs of morning class we roll right into gum paste. Today we learned how to do the gum paste rose.  I believe it took about 2 hrs. to do this rose.  I'm going to have to work on some speed or I will be doing a mini cake with a single gum paste rose!  I am loving the class, though, and I'm so glad I signed up for it.  Tomorrow we'll put the finishing touches on it.  Here is my yellow rose so far:

Oh - before I forget - I want to share this little "perk":  Every day we have a snack time/break at around 10:00 (gotta love that!) and we get to enjoy a fresh made pastry!  Yesterday was Baklava and today it was this amazing chocolate cake roll - YUM!!! (wish they'd share these recipes - I'll work on getting those for you)

That's all for today - way past bedtime.  Nite! 


ps - so glad Kim and I went to Super Target and stocked up on the Bertoli Skillet Meals - 10 min. and we have dinner every night!  I can't imagine having to go out to grab a bite after these long days - it will be so worth it in the end!

Day 1 ~ Wilton Master Course

I survived day 1 of cake decorating - and I will have to say it was AMAZING!  I'm having such a great time and learning so much.  Definitely "exhausting", but soo worth it!


Class started at 7 am and I didn't get out until 6:45 pm.  I signed up for a 2nd class (Gum Paste) from 3:30 - 6:30 on Mon. - Thurs. this week - why not?  I'm already out here, so I might as well take advantage of as much learning as I can!  :)


The class is a great size - 14 students.  Very happy about this considering the max size is 24 students.  (I might need the extra 1-on-1 attention)  There are students not only from the US, but India, Nigeria, Korea, and Mexico.  (and I'm complaining about a 1 hr. time change and getting up early?!)  Darlene, get over it!!!  


Today we learned some of the basics in decorating: the star, rosette, vine, and leaf.  We each get our own station with everything we need - from tips to bags to even the Kitchenaide Mixer (we don't get to take the mixer home with us - darn!)  Here is my pic from practicing the techniques.  I think it's ok for day 1, right?   Things can only get better!  

By Fri. we have to come up with a design for a 3-tier wedding cake.   I'm not sure how that's going to fit into my 12 hr. days in class, but hopefully I will be able to dream up some great ideas!  So many things to decide.  The  only thing I have come up with so far is the fact I want to do "squares".   I've got a long way to go!  Here are some pics of some cakes done by students who have completed this course:

Gives me HOPE!


Well, off to bed .... 5:30 am is going to come early and I have to set up the coffee maker.  Wish me luck tomorrow!  I will keep you posted and hopefully I"ll have some more info on my wedding cake idea!

Made it to Lombard, IL

Here I am in Lombard, IL!  It was a long day, but I admit, things went extremely smooth.  I flew out on Jet Blue - what a great airline!  I should fly them more often. (oh...did I fail to tell you that I do I work for American?) 


Kim and I landed in O'Hare before 8 am. (UGH!)  Cab was there, early check-in - awesome!  They even let us partake in the breakfast when we arrived.  AND the hotel shares a lot with a Super Target - what more could you ask for?!   


We just had  wonderful dinner at "Buca di Beppo"(Italian if you couldn't guess)  with a glass of wine (or 2) and now it's time to call it a day.  Pick-up for class is 6:30 am.  I am posting  a pic of a few of the necessities I purchased today  - Caribou coffee to get me out of bed, Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc to end my day. (never know - I may need a glass)

  
Can't wait to tell you all about tomorrow!  Looks like an intro to cake decorating along with some "basic" techniques to start ~  Exciting!!!

LEAVING TOMORROW - WOOHOO!

Hi Everyone!  It's the day before I leave for "Cake Class" at the Wilton School - yayyy!  My flight is a bit on the early side ....6:30 am out of Boston.  I'll have to get used to "early" since class starts every morning at 7:00.  Yes, the first thing I packed was the travel coffee mug!  

I can't wait!  I'm feeling anxious and excited - like a little kid!  I have no idea what to expect.  What should I bring?  I guess as long as I have my credit card for all the shopping I"ll be doing at the Wilton store, I'm all set.   Maybe I'll just buy a few things each day so it won't seem like I'm spending a fortune???  I have an empty suitcase with a backpack in it... just in case I get a little crazy :)

  

Here is a pic of some books I"m packing, too, since I'll be looking for as much "inspiration" as I can get!

More when I get there - have a great weekend!