Making connection with (cup)cakes - Cupcake fun 101

I went for a cupcake decorating class at Cake Connection last week. It's located at Jaya One, PJ where you can find almost everything you need to make that cake of yours extraordinary all under one roof - sprinklers, toppers you name it! And i simply love the setting of the place. It's simple yet so chic!

We were taught and given tips on how to make basic vanilla cupcakes and buttercream frosting that will hold in our nice, hot weather. It was all exciting but i was pretty nervous as i have never attempted any kind of cake decorating (heck, i've only baked once in my lifetime!) and i know the underlying challenge for me particularly will be the TIME as time is (always) jealous of me and in this case, wars against my rosettes & my hydrangeas & swirls :)

Nancy, the instructor told us to treat the class therapeutic, but of course, i was all stressed out come end of the class! Struggling in between the messiness of putting in the icing into the piping bag, practicing the techniques on the board and working on the cupcakes to finish on time. But i guess it somehow did have that therapeutic effect after all as one of my colleague said my energy was different that day. "You look happier than usual!", he said. Haha! Here's a visual of some of my finished product:

I've always loved the classic swirl. I would have done more swirls but due to time constraints, i was short for a refill.
And as for the purple Hydrangeas, it went straight onto the cupcake! 
(no time for trials!)

Mussy. The kind of work i get when i do things fast!

(But mussy sometimes adds character, no?)