Watch some youtube videos to learn the right consistency and technique - that's how I learned, and people always assume that I bought them somewhere. All you need is a plastic bag, then you can graduate to piping bags and tips if you want, but a plastic bag is enough to make them simple and nice.

The temperature and thickness of the frosting can make or break it. Too hot and it will melt, too cold and it won't come out of your pastry bag.

I saw a video of that stiff swirl icing that I think was this:
http://www.woodlandbakeryblog.com/drum-roll-buttercream-is-here-tada/

I have gotten some of the plastic tips and then cut the corner off a heavy-duty ziplock bag to use as a pastry bag. You probably want a frosting that has some structure like a Swiss meringue rather than just a sugar/butter buttercream.

I like 7 minute frosting...lots of recipes for it on the web. Pipes easily and sets up well.

I make this frosting:
http://www.food.com/recipe/vanilla-buttercream-frosting-from-sprinkles-cupcakes-222188

Very easy with basic ingredients.

And use a plastic frosting bag with tips. Super easy and much yummier than store frosting.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/decorators-buttercream-icing-109260

Leave out the meringue powder if you don't have it. Just use a tad less water.

Anonymous wrote:Get an icing gun. http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-415-0906-Dessert-Decorator-Plus/dp/B003B3OK9A

You have to make your frosting thicker. Why are you buying store bought? Icing is one of the easiest things to make. Just add more powdered sugar, less water/milk and it gets thicker (which should work for store bought too).

No. Really. Don't.

Disposable icing bags and a couple of icing tips. And just say I to store bought icing. Ewwww.

Your frosting is too thin if it is sagging. I like using the plastic disposable pastry bags and a tip - either round or star shaped, These are cheap - $1 for the tip. I use about 1 stick of butter or crisco, 1 tsp of vanilla, 13-15 tsp of water and a pound of confectioners sugar sifted. You want a medium consistency. If yours is sagging, you have a thin consistency. If it's too stiff, it will work but it will be hard on your hands.

Get an icing gun. http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-415-0906-Dessert-Decorator-Plus/dp/B003B3OK9A

You have to make your frosting thicker. Why are you buying store bought? Icing is one of the easiest things to make. Just add more powdered sugar, less water/milk and it gets thicker (which should work for store bought too).

I want to frost cupcakes in that fluffy frosting "swirl" style you see on bakery cupcakes, instead of just with a knife as per my usual. Can do this without buying a to. of equipment? I tried it by putting store bought frosting into a ziplock and cutting off the corner of the bag and squeezing, but it just pipes a thin stream of frosting that sagged as soon as I started making the swirl pattern. Does it work better with a certain kind of frosting?