The lovely Claire Anderson of Clairella Cakes has graced us with an airbrushing basics tutorial to get any beginner started! This free (yes, I said free!) tutorial covers airbrushing your board, a lovely airbrushed water effect, airbrushing a mermaid tail as well as how to do some realistic shells!

Claire demonstrates an interesting way to use a twig stencil to create a lovely water reflection effect that is pure genius! She talks us through creating the gradient and mixing colors to achieve the color you want while also adding highlights and dimension.

Slow build up of color is one of Claire's tips and the subtle amounts make these shells really look fabulously real!

You definitely want to check out this tutorial if you've ever considered adding airbrushing to your cakes!  Claire shows us just how easy and accessible airbrushing can be and it is without a doubt a beautiful unique medium in cake decorating. Watch the promo below or just skip straight to the full shabang HERE.  Buy the Clairella Cakes Airbrush today and get started on your new magical journey!

Want to save it for later? Pin it!

A golden birthday is when the age you're turning matches the day you were born. Too bad I didn't know that when I turned 18, I would've...ah who am I kidding I wouldn't have done anything different but it's still a fun concept! For this little guy's golden birthday they thought it would be fun to do a gold mine theme. How cute right?

In this tutorial you will learn how to make the awesome sculpted mountain completely out of cake and what structure is needed to do so, airbrushing, the cute little gold cart and well everything else you see in the photos!

Check out all the details! Details are what makes a cake like this so impressive and so much fun. You really can go crazy with it!

I love this topper! Really looks like a number four made of gold! Mined right out of this here mountain. Yes you will learn how to make this too.

Check out the promo for this adorable cake and then watch the full tutorial to see how it was all done, as long as you're a Premium or Elite Member that is, and if you're not, what the heck are you waiting for? This tutorial along with hundreds of others are waiting for you!

This week I thought I'd add a little something extra to the blog and start doing a few simple pictorials! I just happened to have an order that needed some cute little fondant cow toppers and I thought, "Hey, why not turn it into a tutorial while I am at it? I mean, people like cows right? Someone will have a need for cow toppers?" Well let's hope so. It seems like there is a pictorial for just about everything so why not cows?!

Step 1A: Form a 1.5 oz chunk of white fondant into a wobbly egg shape for the body.

Step 1B: Form a .75 oz chunk of white fondant into an almost tear drop (without a pointy top). Make it wider at the bottom and a slight indention a third of the way up for the top part of the face.

Still with me? Cool.

Step 2A: Place body on a piece of foam and impale it with a toothpick. This will give the head something to hold on to and give you a little something to stick in the cake as well. If you are really wanting to avoid a toothpick for kids you can do it without but it will be trickier. I just make sure to tell my customer about the toothpicks.

Step 2B: Attach the head to the body with a little water or gum glue.

Step 3: Get four similar sized pieces of fondant for the arms and legs and roll them into balls. Mine were about ⅛th of an oz which I found is a pretty big range of sizes on my cheap scale so just use your wise judgement. Next, roll those balls into tear drop shapes with a flattish bottom.

Step 4: Attach those babies to the body with a little water or gum glue. For the legs you'll have to pick up the body and set it down on top of your legs. Press everything on good! I also used a blade tool to add some almost hoof indentions to the fronts of the arms and legs.

Step 5A: Using about a 1" circle cutter, cut out a pink circle. Use a #5 piping tip cut out two small black circles, and form a couple little fat pieces of rice for the cows nubs. Yeah, that's the technical term.

Step 5B: Attach all that stuff to the cow in the appropriate places and once again use a little something to help them stick. Although, I did just press the eyes on. Put them close together, they are cuter that way. Too far apart and your cow will start to look a little demented. No demented cows. For the nubs I actually folded a little bit of the bottom and squished it to the head using a toothpick. I apparently also used a small ball tool in this step to add the nostrils and a belly button. Fondant cows have belly buttons.

Step 6: For the ears, make two more small white balls and attach an even tinier ball of pink to the center. Using a small ball tool make an indention and elongate the ball. Give it a little pinch at the end.

Step 7: Attach the ears to the head outside of the nubs and in the same way as the nubs. Squish a little piece of the bottom of the ear to the head with a toothpick.

We're almost there I swear.

Step 8A: Roll out some black fondant very very thin. I'm talking paper. Use a blade like tool to cut out cow spot shapes. Cow spots are irregular, not perfectly round, and seeing how the rest of this cow is so realistic, we'd better get it right. A little tearing adds to the realism too.

Step 8B: Would you like to add a little flower but don't have one of those tiny little punch cutters? No problem! Use a Wilton 1A piping tip to cut out a blue circle or whatever color tickles your fancy.

Step 8C: Using a toothpick make five indentions to create little petals and a small ball tool to make an impression in the center.

Step 9: Attach your spots and flower to the cow. I didn't need anything to help my spots stick, just smooth them on with your fingers or a tool. Using a very fine paintbrush and some straight black gel food color paint on a couple eyelashes. Use your blade tool to add a cute smile. Of course the flower and eyelashes are optional, leave them off if you're making a boy cow. Geez, even girl cows are higher maintenance then boy cows.

And voila! You've made a super cute little fondant cow to put on any farm/cowboy/cow lovers cake. If you'd like to make it a cupcake topper just make everything a bit smaller. Here's the cake I made to put these cute little buggers on. Living in Wyoming you make a LOT of farm cakes.

Let me know what you guys think of my first SGS pictorial! If you have ideas for future pictorials shoot them my way. Pin this one for later, you know you're gonna need a cow.

When a soon to be 5 year old girl asks for a Star Wars Unicorn Trolls cake, what do you do? PANIC. I'm kidding. Well I mean you could panic but really what good would that do? In the event that you do get this unique request, Sugar Geek Show has you covered!

Behold the light saber wielding troll princess living in a happy yummy rainbow land where life really is all cupcakes and rainbows. Although, if we make trolls to eat does that make us Bergens? Maybe it doesn't count if they aren't alive. We'll go with that.

This tutorial focuses on the Princess Poppy Troll Topper complete with armature, details and wafer paper hair. Super great info that can be used for lots of different toppers!

Macarons and Meringue Kisses, yummmm.

Checkout this awesome tutorial for these lovely dollops of joy from Cupcake Jemma.

The tutorial also covers the gum paste rainbow, rainbow buttercream and super fun and popular drip effect!

And for last I have saved what is quite possibly THE cutest cake reveal picture EVER. This photo just oozes squeeeee!! Total excitement and what every cake decorator wants to see come out of their blood, sweat and tears. Mission accomplished.

If you haven't already, chances are you're going to get a request for a Trolls cake and when you do you'll want this info on hand! Sign up as a Premium or Elite Member to get access to this whirlwind of fun along with hundreds of other tutorials. View the promo video below to get an even closer look!

Want to save it for later? Pin it!

It's that time of year again. Summer BBQ's, water fights, the ice cream truck and red, white and blue everything in honor of the 4th of July! I've rounded up some really fun Patriotic holiday cakes I think will get your ideas turning if you're planning on making a festive cake this year!

I really love mosaic patterns and this one is a fabulous 4th design! So eye-catching and the pinwheels are super clever.

I am in love with the vintage feel this cake has! Takes you back to where it all began.

How about an American Flag on the INSIDE of your cake? How fun is that? The sparklers are also a nice touch and you can never have too many sprinkles (on a sprinkle cake).

This one is a beauty all around. I especially love the tier with the constitutional writing that even looks like old paper!

Gotta love that clean cake design from Jessica Harris. She's done it again with this fun 4th of July cake! Clean, simple lines and a fun pop of fireworks!

This cake really stood out to me among the other's on the interwebs. As much as I don't care for piping words, I have to admit this is a really striking design!

Oh the ruffles! Such a cool sort of abstract version of the American Flag that has a real Americana vibe.

This is one of those cakes that blows your mind with it's simple genius! Such a fun cake anyone can do! A simple star tip and spatula and you're set. Why can't I think of these kinds of things?

So holy cuteness overload am I right?! This cake is just so unique and fun to look at. I am a big fan of shading also which this cake is killing and it adds in a rustic appeal.

If  you wanted to have an Independence Day wedding I'd say this would be a perfect fit. Elegant and stately!

And of course we had to add the insanely fun 4th of July Drip Cake Liz and Dan made on today's episode of Sugar Geek Show Live! Didn't it turn out just awesome? Uber festive and surprisingly easy! Check out the Live Show below to see how this masterpiece came together. It's both educational and entertaining.

These cakes opened my eyes to new ways to sport American pride! I mean I don't have a reason per say to make a 4th of July cake, but does one really need a reason? I'm thinking not. Then I can say I made a cake for the United States of America which is a pretty big deal.

If you love geode cakes, you're gonna LOVE the new line of Sugar Geek Show Crystal Molds available from Simi Cakes! These molds will help you add a whole other dimension and element to your geode/marble/agate/natural/stone/whatever cakes!

The molds come in three sizes, small, medium and large and are extremely easy to use! The large mold is perfect for making a gorgeous topper and the small and medium molds can be used as embellishments anywhere on the cake.

Brides be like "ooooohhhh" and "aaaahhhhh". Seal them with PME Clear Edible Glaze Spray and they can even keep them as a wedding keepsake.

Experiment with adding highlights, using colors, mixing colors, whatever you can think of! The finished product is incredibly detailed and realistic.

People will think you spent days looking for crystals on a mountain side. Let them think that and charge more, I won't judge.

And just look at the beautiful masterpiece you can create with these molds. I mean really.

Watch the tutorial on how to use the molds below along with the promo for the gorgeous Kintsugi Crystal Wedding Cake Tutorial. Still wondering how you can make your own super clear isomalt for projects like this? I'll throw that down there too. We seriously would love to see what you create with your Sugar Geek Show Crystal molds! We may even do a future blog post on it so get your molds and send us your photos or post them to the Sugar Geek Show Facebook Page and you could be featured!

If you could see anxiety, what would it look like? Liz shows us with her incredible piece for the Unseen Battles Collaboration depicting "Anxiety". This collaboration was very powerful in it's message and is full of incredible pieces showing the different struggles people deal with on a daily basis that no one sees or knows about. Here's what Liz had to say about her piece.

"I would like to introduce you to a very personal piece created for the Unseen Battles Collaboration that highlights illness that we don't really talk about in order to help people better understand.

This is my piece based on anxiety which I never really thought was a serious thing until I tried to get pregnant and had to be put on medication to get it under control.

Learning more about anxiety has taught me more about myself and connected deeply with others who suffer with anxiety/depression.

What's better than a cake? A cake that gives you gumballs. Our latest tutorial was done by yours truly and let me tell you, I have some things to say. It was the most challenging project I have ever taken on and I may have momentarily lost my sanity for awhile there but hey, it all worked out in the end so it was totally worth it!

This, this here is a fully working, completely edible gumball machine cake. Turn the handle and it lets the gumballs out the shoot and if your heart so desires you can try eating the "glass" globe because it too is made of an eatable material.

The globe for this cake was by far the most challenging part. It's funny because I was so worried about the working mechanism thinking it was the tricky part when all along this bugger was waiting to completely throw me off my game. I had mishap after mishap after failure after re-do. FINALLY,  5 tries later and just in the nick of time, I got one to look like a 6" clear glass gumball machine globe.

I looked at many reference photos of vintage gumball machines to come up with the look I was going for and was pretty pleased with the outcome! It would definitely be fun to see different styles of gumball machines so you guys better get crackin'.

The design also had to work with the mechanism that makes this baby actually work. How did I do it you ask? If I told you, then I'd have to kill you, or I'd probably just get fired but either way it's not good. Sign up as a Premium or Elite Member if you haven't already to check out this tutorial along with hundreds of others for one low monthly price!

To complete the look and make it even more unique from other gumball machine cakes I decided to put it on a stand like you see the real ones on. Sort of an aged metal/wrought iron look on a vintage black and white checkerboard tile floor like you'd see in a '50's diner.

This tutorial is seriously PACKED FULL of techniques and info. Not to toot my own horn or anything but I believe it's a cake that's sure to impress. The best part? It is soo much easier than it looks once I break it down for you. Seriously, anyone can do it! I mean now that I was the guinea pig and found out exactly everything you shouldn't do, it's a cinch. You're welcome.

I was so excited to get to teach something for you guys and I hope to do it again soon! Watch my goofy promo below and then go watch the full tutorial right away! You're gonna need to cancel your whole evening.

These gravity defying wedding cakes are so stunning they will stop you in your tracks. They seem to make time stand still for just a moment while the world goes on around you. Who doesn't want that at their wedding? Well, I mean it might take a little attention off the bride but hey, having anything memorable at a wedding is still a good thing right? These are cakes people will be talking about years after the wedding.

The first cake is a lovely beach themed cake Liz created for a styled shoot. The cascading splash of "water" is a sight to behold. I literally can't stop staring at it and I really need to finish writing this post. 

The next cakes not only are gravity defying in their design but also have a unique asymmetrical thing going on and I LOVE it! I love when things aren't perfectly uniform. So much more interesting don't you think?

This cake was created for Portland's Bride and Groom Magazine. It has sugar peonies, wafer paper leaves and gum paste berries suspended on a gravity defying vine. There are hundreds of hand painted lines using edible white food color to make a herringbone pattern. Can you imagine how long that took?! I mean really.

The focus though is on that gorgeous gravity defying vine of flowers. I mean WOW. Cascading flowers on a wedding cake are lovely and will always be timeless but making the cascade defy gravity takes the cake to a whole new level!

This cake was featured on the Food Network's show Outrageous Wedding Cakes and for good reason. Jellyfish are most definitely a different choice for a wedding cake but how amazing did it turn out? Gravity defying Jellyfish that glow in the dark, now that's outrageous, in a good way.

What you do you think about gravity defying, asymmetrical wedding cakes? Is that something you'd like to learn in a future tutorial on The Sugar Geek Show? Let us know! I think they are the wedding cakes of the future and we should all jump on the bandwagon now. Check out the episode of Outrageous Wedding Cakes Below to see Liz in action and this incredible cake come together.

I see this question asked over and over, how do I safely travel with a cake that is two tiers or more? Do you stack and travel, do you stack on sight, what kind of supports do you use? What happens if there is some damage to the cake? How do you fix a cake on site? These are all problems that I have dealt with over the course of my cake decorating career and I will explain the full-proof process that I used with every cake delivery from how to store the cake before delivery to setting it up and fixing any boo-boos easily.

Crumb Coat & Chill

First of all, you gotta chill those cakes. An un-chilled cake is a disaster waiting to happen. Cakes at room temperature are great for eating, not so great for traveling. When a cake is not chilled, the supports in the cake are more likely to fall over and the buttercream is more likely to slip and slide during those turns. I always chill my cakes in the fridge overnight before traveling. Chilling sets the buttercream or ganache so that it helps keeps the cake stable and if your cake has butter in it then that will help keep the cake stable as well. Live in a humid area? Chill your cakes in cardboard boxes so they can be taken straight from the fridge to the (air conditioned) car. The box helps insulate the cakes and keeps the condensation off of them. Btw, condensation in small amounts does not hurt cakes. So don't sweat a little cake sweat.

Let's Talk Cake Supports

If you like cute things (and who doesn't?) then you are going to LOVE this latest tutorial! Sachiko Windbiel of Mimicafe Union has done it again! She has worked her magic to give us another incredibly cute and fun tutorial. Sticking with the safari theme this cake showcases a little explorer boy and his jungle friends on a safari adventure.

Sachiko first shows us the steps to making this incredibly detailed jungle safari explorer and shares her tips and tricks to creating her signature figures and facial details!

She also shows us how to make not one, not two, okay I'm gonna skip ahead, she shows us how to make SIX adorable jungle animals! Perfect for cake or cupcake toppers. I also have to mention how hilarious and fun Sachiko is, my face literally hurt from smiling and laughing for over three hours.

In this tutorial you'll also learn the beginning steps of working with gelatin to make a super cool grass filled river around the cake.

Liz takes you through the basic tools and steps to creating this amazing gelatin effect. I mean check out that floating grass!

Let's not forget the awesome edible palm trees, that's right, I said ED-I-BLE, as in you can EAT them. Move over cheap plastic wannabe's.

I am willing to bet this is a tutorial you don't wanna miss! It's chock-full of techniques you'll surely be using for many cakes to come and each and every customer is guaranteed to be impressed! I mean why wouldn't you want to set yourself apart from your competition? Check out the promo below then head on over to the Full Jungle Safari Gelatin Cake Tutorial. Not a member yet? Sign up HERE, you won't regret it, you'll get access to this and hundreds of other tutorials. You can also get the crystal clear Gelatin Recipe free!

When you're starting out, you're hungry for orders. You're so excited to make a cake that you'll give it away for free to any friend who will take a cake. No matter what the request or price point, the answer is always YES! In the beginning, we're always excited to share our passion with anyone and everyone. But then reality sets in. The long nights start wearing you down, the orders that come in are boring and uninspiring and most of all, you haven't made any money! Whats up with that? Just like a lot of other cake decorators, you might have a bad case of YES-itis. And it's making you sick.

You might have got into this whole cake gig for various reasons. Maybe you just want to bring in some extra cash as a hobby, maybe you're itching to spread your creative wings through edible art or maybe making the best cakes in the world and opening your storefront is your dream! There is no right path, we all have our own idea of success. When you want that success SO badly, you feel like saying no will keep you from reaching your goals but when you say yes to everything you might not have time for the things you REALLY want to do and that get you closer to your real goals.

By the time you've realized you're too worn out and burnt out, you've already over-committed yourself and you're realizing that the days of scrounging for work are gone. These are all good things! It means you're in demand and people are noticing you! The bad part is that now everyone wants a piece of you and that means you've got to start thinning out the crowd. You are only one person and as much as you want to do everything for every one, there just isn't enough of you to go around. Finding a balance between work, life and goals is always a challenge so how do you know what to say no to and what is a yes?

Deciding on YOUR Ultimate Goal

First of all, what is your actual goal? This might seem like a no brainer but you'd be surprised at how many people have not asked themselves this simple question.

Here's a few to get you started.

Do you consider yourself an artist?

Do you want to make as much money as possible?

Do you love the business side of things or do you hate it?

Are you a good multi-tasker?

Do you enjoy the baking side of cakes or are you more of a decorator?

Can you motivate yourself to get up every day to work without being told?

Are you a people person?

Do you love social media or do you suck at it?

What were your answers? Think about what those answers mean and what it means for your goal. For me, when I first started cake decorating I thought the only goal was to open a storefront and that meant success. Turns out, I'm not really a people person, I don't enjoy baking, I hate getting up early and all I want to do is make art. Not the best attributes for running a bakery!

At this time, I had two employees working out of my home-kitchen and we were making 6-8 cakes a week. I was so busy I didn't ever have time to see my family, friends or be very creative. I was mostly consumed with making enough money to pay the bills and I felt very unfulfilled. So I re-assessed my goals. What did I really want?

What I really wanted was to travel more, be creative, teach new techniques and never make the same cake twice. Now granted, that is a pretty unique list of things but for me, that's what I wanted. So I started saying NO to anything that was not going to get me closer to those goals.

That meant taking on less cakes, upping my price point for higher-end clients so I could still pay my bills, taking more time to make video tutorials, building my online following so I could teach more at cake shows and taking part in more collaborations and magazines to stretch my creativity. Because I started saying NO to the things I didn't want to do, I had more time to do the things I DID want to do instead of being so busy that I didn't have a choice.

How do you say NO nicely?

Now your NO might be to collaborations or teaching gigs because your goal is to make your storefront the best it can be. Of course you don't have to be mean about it. Simple and tactful honesty is always the right way to go.

"That sounds so exciting and I would love to take part but unfortunately right now I am really focusing on my storefront and building my client base locally so I don't have much time for creative projects. Thank you so much for asking!"

Maybe your NO is to a boring birthday cake order from a client when you're trying to get more high-end clients. This is where some polite "white lies" come in handy.

"Thank you so much for your inquiry, unfortunately at this time I am booked. Please let me refer you to (insert other bakeries in the area) who might be able to help you out."

This way your client doesn't feel slighted that you weren't interested in their project and you were still helpful by pointing out some other bakeries in the area that can help.

When you say yes too often, no one wins. You end up spreading yourself too thin, all your work suffers, you end up not being able to deliver on anything and the only thing that happens in your career is frustration and exhaustion. The hardest part of learning to say NO is understanding why you're saying no and what you're getting in return. Set your goals, know your limits and be unapologetic for wanting to achieve them.

Now get out there and just say NO!

We could NOT be more excited to have had the incredible Sachiko Windbiel of Mimicafe Union teach some tutorials for The Sugar Geek Show! She literally has magical hands and we have caught them on film. Just look at this adorableness below! I SAID JUST. LOOK. I know it's hard to handle but do it anyway. Sachiko teaches you step-by-step her amazing techniques for creating her signature figures. From innovative structure techniques to invaluable tips on creating every facial feature, this is definitely a tutorial you don't want to miss. Not to mention Sachiko is as adorable as her figures and so fun to watch!

In this tutorial you will also learn how to make the most unique custom cake board you've probably ever seen. Liz had a genius idea for a safari themed cake board with golden elephants that you will be able to translate to many themes!

Witness more magic in this tutorial with the making of a Magic Chocolate bow! It instantly stands up and is ready to place on the cake. No more waiting hours and even days for bows to dry.

Let's not forget that amazing hand painted gold tri-animal print pattern on the cake. Cheetah into leopard into giraffe. Total safari in one cake. I just love how it looks don't you?

This is a cake a girl of any age would love to have and the techniques learned will definitely be ones you use time and time again! Check out the promo for this fabulous tutorial below and be sure to Sign Up as a Premium or Elite Member if you haven't already to gain access to this full tutorial and hundreds of others!