I'm a fan of Pinterest. I think it's fun to pin digital images to digital corkboards. It's like shopping without having to deal with all the stuff (and bills) you bring home.
I cannot, however, go to sites like pinterestfail.com. Most of the follies are baking related, and I look at people's mistakes and just... okay, baking can be really difficult. I used to have people come into the shop saying they wanted to bake a cake they saw on the Food Network. The people who were seeking my advice had NO training and NO concept of how difficult the project was going to be. So I would be honest and inform them nicely that there wasn't an ice cube's chance in hell they were going to produce the cake they were envisioning. Sometimes they would believe me and we would design a cake they COULD make; however, most of the time, I was informed that I was wrong. They didn't need training. They could just follow the instructions and be fine.
Those are the kinds of people who participate on sites like pinterestfail.com. They're bat crap crazy people who think the years people like me have spent learning how to do stuff doesn't matter. They think they're the exception because they watched an hour of Cake Boss. I should say that there are decorating savants who can watch a youtube video and be perfect. Which is awesome! But for the 99% of us who need years of practice to be proficient, 44 minutes of TV training isn't going to cut it.
All that ranting to say, if you're going to bake or decorate a dessert please follow the instructions. If it says you need a special tool or ingredient or whatever, get it. Don't ignore it because you don't know what you're doing. Canned frosting ISN'T buttercream, no matter what Duncan Hines says. There are many different types of meringue; do your homework. A box cake is just as good as from scratch for most occasions. Wilton decorating classes are easy and short... they're worth the money, but their frosting and fondant are disgusting! And yes, there is good fondant; Satin Ice tastes like marshmallows.
If any of you ever have dessert questions, I am happy to answer them.