My grandmother and mother have decorated cakes for years. So I am starting to follow in their footsteps. I purchased some basic materials and decided to bake and decorate my own birthday cake.
After baking the cake and letting it cool, I turned it out onto my cake board, which was barely big enough, and placed it in the refrigerator overnight. The next day I coated it with icing to trap those crumby crumbs!
My mother's tip was to dip the spreader in hot water to smooth the icing.
The next morning after the crumb coat had dried, I did my next layer(s) of icing. Since it was a chocolate cake, it took more layers than I would have liked, but turned out nicely just the same. Who doesn't want more icing? 
After I smoothed the final layer, I let it dry then began decorating. I really didn't have much to go on. I just started with what I could think of first. My colors are pale, but I didn't want it to be too bold on my first try just in case I really messed it up!
This is how it turned out:
I enjoyed it, and I am looking forward to decorating more. : ) | 
