Adventures in Cake Decorating

I've always wanted to be able to decorate my own cakes, especially since I can't eat bakery cakes anymore. I have a friend that makes and decorates cakes for special occasions, and she has taught me a few of her tricks. I have also taken 1 Wilton class to learn how to make flowers out of icing. I need A LOT more practice with those!:-)
So far I can make my own fondant, dye it, and make it into simple shapes, and I know how to use it to completely cover a cake. It's a long learning process, but it's a fun hobby.
Recently my best friend's daughter turned 13 and she asked me to make the cake for her Surprise Party. Here's how it turned out:













(I apologize for the fuzzy pictures, my camera battery was very low)

Now that I've made this cake, I have a list of more decorating items that I need/want. I am most definitely a novice at this whole cake decorating thing, but it is a lot of fun, and my girls love watching the process and then eating the end result. I am mostly doing this so I can make cute cakes for them for their birthdays or school functions.
The best part- I can eat the cakes too! These are 100% dairy free- even the decorations!