When a friend invited me over to her house for a slumber party, I excitedly packed clothes, games, and other essentials that I thought would make the party fun. Little did I know that I should have brought a plastic suit and a painted placard that says, “Warning: Clumsy person. Not fit for cupcake decoration.”

When I got there, my friend told me that since her parents were out of town, we were to make our own food. So she hit on what she thought was the perfect idea: Let’s stuff ourselves with cupcakes! She said it would even be more fun if we could decorate them just the way we wanted. And I thought, how hard could it be?

Well, my first efforts at cupcake decoration were, to put it mildly, disastrous. I quickly wolfed it down to avoid the embarrassment of having my artistically-inclined and expert-baker friend poke fun at my own decoration. Later on, apparently taking pity on me, she shared some great cupcake decorating tips that I swore I’ll remember forever.

First, know your design, she said. In retrospect, that statement could not be truer. When I started, I had no idea what to make, so I just slap-dashed everything I could find here and there, and my cupcake resembled something from a trash compactor.

As all artists and artistically-inclined persons know, in order to create an aesthetically pleasing work, you have to know your materials. Since I am not an artistically-inclined person, I had no idea how to use piping, or how to put candies and sprinkles in such a way that they won’t be lost beneath the massive amount of frosting.

While my first efforts were not exactly at par with the standards of a normal cupcake decoration, I learned a lot from that “slumber party.” It all boils down to planning, planning, planning. The next time she invites me over, I know I’ll be more prepared. I never took my mind off cupcake decorating ideas since that day.