Confection Chronicles: The Topsy Turvy Topsy Turvy Cake

I often sit at my computer and browse through the work of other talented cake artists. After a few encounters of "How in the world did they do that?" a strange feeling begins to come over me, due to my very competitive nature I believe. It feels kind of like anger...kind of like rejection...kind of like hate...
I think it's called
JEALOUSY!
(I'm not Schizophrenic and this doesn't really happen, but for the sake of illustration, imagine two little cupcakes, that appeared out of nowhere, residing on each of my shoulders)
"You're being ridiculous" the cupcake on my right shoulder says...
"You might as well quit because you'll never be able to do THAT" the cupcake on my left says.
"Just figure out how they did it" the cupcake on my right says.
"They went to culinary school, duh, you have no hope." The lefty cupcake says.

But then a couple of months ago I started to listen to that little "figure out how they did it" voice and I began to focus on CAKE TOOL RESEARCH and that's when it happened...

I had an epiphany!

ALL I NEED IS BETTER TOOLS!
Suddenly when I look at other peoples work I realize, wow they used that tool.
When I think back on the cakes I've made I can't believe I made them with as little resources as I did.
Anyways, when I made Sariah's Birthday Cake this Year I had not yet realized how much easier It could have been if I had only done my homework first. Equipped with only a picture, cake, two batches of fondant, food coloring, and a rolling pin I made this...
Did you know they have molds for strings of pearls??? Neither did I! I spent 2 hours rolling all those pearls. And it was very difficult to get them all the same. They also have molds for bows too. I could just kick myself. (KICK, KICK, KICK!)
And the other thing I could kick myself for on this cake is not utilizing one of the vital tools I did know about...
support dowels.
I ran out of them. And not wanting to run to the store and buy more, I told myself that the two measly sucker sticks I had would suffice. It only had to stand for an hour tops. Well...look close... see the buckling on the bottom? See the finger gouges on the other two layers? All consequences of my attempts to keep the poor thing from tipping over. This was one very topsy turvy topsy turvy cake. In fact It only looks as straight as it does in this picture because I took the picture crooked. Look at the base if you don't believe me.
Well from now on I am going to be a tool and supply collector. I won't be caught so ill equipped again. It only wastes my time!
This cake supply addiction is going to be as bad as my scrapbook supply addiction, I can tell. And HMMMM.....How to Pay for it????
I need to sell some cakes!