To be honest, I bought this book to take advantage of Amazon free shipping but little did I know that I would get a cute book with great pictures and ideas. Joan gives a great how to on working with fondant and royal icing while still using buttercream. If you are new fondant and different uses of royal icing like I am, then you will appreciate her easy instructions. Also, I liked how it contrasted to my wild and crazy book Hey There Cupcake. If you are looking for some cute, traditional designs for weddings, parties and birthdays, then this is the book for you. If you are looking for recipes, then you need to consider something else. This is really for decorating ideas only.