How Do You Control Yourself?

Decorating By noahsmummy Updated 2 Jul 2010 , 5:24pm by catlharper

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noahsmummy Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 12:38pm
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so i post pics of my stuff on my FB account as well, anyway, i just posted a pic of a gumpaste baby in a bath topper i made, a friend of mine commented on it, "oh how sweet, where do you learn this?"

my reply something like this particular topper or cakes in general?

her reply

"just everything! i want to make *blanks* 1st birthday cake - cos even going through a little private cake decorator theyve given me $150 for the cake and i know its prettty easy peasy cake, if i knew how to do fondant id be set lol! cos its all cutouts to make paw prints, and polka dots and stuff :S i just know in general i could save so much on cakes learning to do them myself lol!"

Me- *bangs head on wall several times*.. this is a girl who has just laybyed $600 worth of stuff for her sons first birthday....

this was my reply
"haha fondant is a deadset b**ch. ive only just mastered it...sorta nearly.. =/ haha ive had so many epic failures its not even funny. it always seems alot of money for cakes, but youve gotta remeber its not just ingredients and stuff, its the amount of time that goes into it, this little critter here probs took me about 3 and ahalf hours all up.. mind you im still slow and learning haha. pm me a pic of what you wanted if you want."

it was all i could do to contain myself. how do you control yourself from people like this? im finding it more and more difficult....

ive been caking for almost a year now, and my work still has a long way to go.. and yet people still think a cake is just slapped together and you can learn it in a day..... icon_mad.gif

anyways, sorry for my rant, just needed to vent to those who understand... lol

22 replies
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noahsmummy Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 12:57pm
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haha wait... she just sent me a photo of the "easy peasy cake"
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zPOvpKvWtG4/SW7JO5znclI/AAAAAAAABow/WotrRQ7RoCE/s400/Blues+Clues+015.jpg

but she doesnt want the chair...

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Montrealconfections Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 1:09pm
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At least she was right on the price it is a minimum $150. why not offer this, you'll make the dog & the bow for $30. and she can make the "easy peasy cake" lol!!

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KHalstead Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 1:09pm
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wow!!! it would be easy peasy to a seasoned decorator, but pulling off that design neatly and without a bunch of ripples and mess would be no easy task!


You oughta just tell her to go for it!! Tell her they sell fondant at the craft store, have her figure out how "easy peasy it really is" by the time she buys the fondant, the different sized round cutters, the cake pans, etc. she'll be darn near that $150 mark and she'll have spent probably days shopping, baking, decorating, and cleaning up atfer it!!

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Cakerer Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 1:14pm
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Is she serious? icon_eek.gif Well, I guess if she thinks she can do it, then let her try.....tell her to hit youtube...not that you couldn't tell her about CC but after those comments tapedshut.gificon_evil.gif

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Peridot Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 1:22pm
post #6 of 23

If it is so darn easy peasy then let her do it HERSELF - the whole thing. I would not offer to make a thing for that cake even if I was going to charge for the bow and the dog. Let her see how much work goes into this stuff and with the remarks she made about it just being cutouts - hell let her cut them out and let's see how she gets those fondant stripes attached to the cake and I want to see that chair and dog and bow when she is done. I would be too busy to tell her anything or offer any kind of advise.

Sorry if I sound mean but I too get so sick of these people thinking that this is all a slam dunk that we just throw that batter into a pan and bake that cake and then slap it on a piece of cardboard and it just all comes together in 20 minutes or less.

Just walk away from this, don't discuss it with her and let her do her cake by herself and do NOT borrow any of your equipment to her.

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Melvira Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 1:22pm
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Well, my reply would be something incredibly sarcastic, unfortunately, so if you want to still be friendly with this person, you shouldn't use my ideas! Hehehe. icon_twisted.gif

You know, it's best to let someone like this learn the hard way, honestly. Tell her to sign up for the Wilton class and she'll learn 'everything she needs to know'. I taught those classes for a LONG time, and most of the time, when one of my students had an actual special occasion, they'd buy a cake from me. Once they found out how 'easy' it is, they didn't really want to do it as much, unless they were really 'into' it and had a knack for it.

And you can always say, "Oh yah, it's pretty easy! Of course, not as easy as YOUR job, this actually takes a LITTLE bit of skill, but I still think you MIGHT be able to handle it."

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Kitagrl Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 1:30pm
post #8 of 23

I don't know where all you cakers get your "friends" haha. I guess I'm lucky...*most* people appreciate the work that goes into my cakes.... even if they get a little sticker shock and they can't afford it, I've never had anyone really deny that I deserve it for the hours of work.

Questions, yes...nasty comments, no. Wow.

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awatterson Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 1:37pm
post #9 of 23

She would probably want you to make the easy peasy cookies too! I have a friend who wants me to teach her how to work with fondant and how to make cakes. I am not a professional by ANY means and what I do learn, I have learned on here. I sent her a link to take cake decorating classes at a local store. She didn't do that though.

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KathysCC Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 1:39pm
post #10 of 23

I guess I am on the other side of the fence on this. Almost all of us started in the same place, wanting to do birthday cakes for friends and family because it looked fun, easy and it was cheaper.

I always encourage the people I know who ask how it is done, because where would I be without the help of those who knew more than me. Would it be right to laugh if she failed? How many failures do we have in our past?

It seems sad to berate someone who is interested in what we do and just wants a chance to try to it out or learn about it. I'm not saying to give her lessons but my answer would have been, "oh, it is so much fun to work with fondant, it's like playing with play-dough when you were a kid. You should try it out" And yes, I have said this exact thing to several people.

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awatterson Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 1:43pm
post #11 of 23

I gave her some fondant to try it out. The thing is that i have a 1 and 3 year old and so does she. She thinks that we could just let the kids run around while I teach her how to decorate cakes. She doesn't want to do it after they are napping or gone to bed. I can't teach anybody how to do that stuff with a 3 ring circus running around.

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TexasSugar Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 1:50pm
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Of course people think you just slap a cake together. Don't they make 3ft tall cakes in challenges in an hour? Okay, even if they want to remember a timer going, 8 hours? They forget that the cakes were baked ahead of time, and the icing was made a head of time, and the fondant was colored ahead of time, and some of the peices were made a head of the time, and these are people that could ice a cake in their sleep. Nope they don't remember that, they remember they finished (hopefully) a huge cake in under 8 hours, so how hard could it really be?

I find it interesting though when others, people around us in our real lives, want to learn about cake decorating and we balk at that, when we here will share so much with each other. It could be that she truely wants to make her child's cake, isn't that why so many people get started in cake decorating? Or maybe she does want to save money making the cake, again another reason why people get into cake decorating. Maybe she could end up being a good cake friend as well?

I would have probably commented on the time and money involved in cakes. But I would also point out that craft stores teach classes (of course I'm a WMI, so that push is a plus for me) and you can always direct them here to CC or just suggest they use the internet, youtube or other sites have great how to's.

Let her see just how easy it is, and maybe she will figure out that the cost of cakes really are worth it. Or maybe she will find a passion for cake decorating as well.

How many people here have said they wouldn't buy a cake for the prices they charge, but that other peole are willing to? Why is it okay for us to say that but not the general public.

There are many crafts out there that the time and material should demand big bucks in the finished products. Quilts are something I can think of. I can appreicate the time and work that goes into it, but it also doesn't mean I just enjoy spending hundreds of dollars on one, and would probably pass on buying one, to spend that money somewhere else, even if it was gorgous.

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noahsmummy Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 1:54pm
post #13 of 23
Quote:
Originally Posted by KathysCC

I guess I am on the other side of the fence on this. Almost all of us started in the same place, wanting to do birthday cakes for friends and family because it looked fun, easy and it was cheaper.

I always encourage the people I know who ask how it is done, because where would I be without the help of those who knew more than me. Would it be right to laugh if she failed? How many failures do we have in our past?

It seems sad to berate someone who is interested in what we do and just wants a chance to try to it out or learn about it. I'm not saying to give her lessons but my answer would have been, "oh, it is so much fun to work with fondant, it's like playing with play-dough when you were a kid. You should try it out" And yes, I have said this exact thing to several people.




i have no problem with people asking how things are done and am happy to give tips, ive never done a class either and have learnt by googling, reading and of course asking questions here.icon_biggrin.gif . but i do get a bit cranky with people who dont seem to realize how much work goes into cakes, the "easy peasy" comment is what got me....

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costumeczar Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 2:00pm
post #14 of 23

Tell her you'd be glad to help her learn how to do a cake like that, your rate per hour of teaching is $xxxx, payable in advance, and she needs to supply all of the materials. Then when she comes over show her something once, then sit back and let her do it on her own. We all know that practice is the best way to learn something, so you'd just be helping her out by making her do it on her own. Oh, and no kids are allowed over because you charge extra for babysitting.

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sullymel13 Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 2:25pm
post #15 of 23

I'm with KathyCC on this one. Everybody has to start somewhere! While making a beautiful cake isn't necessarily "easy peasey," it's also not unattainable. It may not be perfection, but she might really enjoy making it. If she has the motivation to make it, send her to the internet, or classes. That's what I tell people when they ask, because that is exactly how I learned (mostly internet and experimenting). The one part that would make me mad though, was her expectation that you teach her. If she wants to pay you to make it, and she can watch and pick up tips along the way (on your schedule), I could be open to something like that. However, I think that learning how to do something (and doing it well) takes a lot of time, and your experience is valuable, and not just free for the taking. I would have to tell her something like "I just can't focus on cake with my kids around! Here are a couple of tips I have picked up, but you take a class, or just practice. That's half the fun!"

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indydebi Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 2:51pm
post #16 of 23

I agree that I'm VERY willing to share with my friends who ask for advice, but I'm pretty pi$$y with attitudes of "oh this is so freakin' easy ANYONE could do it .... tell me how!"

No matter what your job is .. cake decorator, librarian ("all you do is shelf books all day"), teacher ("you only work 1/2 year and get off at 3:00! That's not even a job!"), daycare operator (You can't pay me enough to do this job!), Law enforcement ("You drive around and eat doughnuts, how hard can THAT be!"), etc. etc., it's all about respect on what's involved.

No matter what our job, we're going to get a little pi$$y about someone who degrades down to a do-nothing-know-nothing skill ..... especially a job that takes a little special skill or training.

ANd for those people who have approached me with "I need to save money by doing it myself ......", I've helped them alright. icon_twisted.gif I've helped with a list of ALL of the euquipment they have to buy, all of the non-food stuff they have to buy (parchment, wax, cardboards, etc), and down-to-the-detail how much TIME is involved in mixing, rolling, cutting, baking, the whole 9 yards. That usually gets the point across. The one example I'm thinking of is my friend-bride who was going to make her own decorated cookies as favors. When she got done reading my 4 page emails, she ended up buying them at Kroger! icon_twisted.gif

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awatterson Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 3:07pm
post #17 of 23

I have several friends who I help when they have questions and I don't mind one bit, but she won't even take a intro cake decorating class (it was 50% off when I told her about it), so that she can learn the basics, she wants me to come up with design ideas, I tell her about CC and she doesn't even go to CC for design ideas.

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kimmisue2009 Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 3:24pm
post #18 of 23

Just tell her "yeah, that's a really simple design - you should go for it!" Then, right before she SHOOTS HERSELF, you can rush in and save the day if you are so inclined. I remember that school of thought - class was dismissed right about the fifth time I scraped fondant off the wall when the "other me" took over.

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Melvira Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 3:31pm
post #19 of 23
Quote:
Originally Posted by indydebi

I agree that I'm VERY willing to share with my friends who ask for advice, but I'm pretty pi$$y with attitudes of "oh this is so freakin' easy ANYONE could do it .... tell me how!"




Exactly my feelings on this. I was responding sarcastically to the easy-peasy insult, but you guys know I reply sarcastically to 99% of stuff. (Unless we're really talking about serious stuff!)

I share endlessly with people here, but when someone approaches me in 'the real world', it 100% depends on THEIR attitude. Just like I have the right to refuse service to anyone. If you walk into McDonald's and tell the cashier, "Give me a Big Mac, you ignorant pile of snot that couldn't get a job that required a brain if your LIFE depended on it!" you may not exactly get the best Big Mac you've ever eaten. IF you even GET the burger, I'm thinking it's going to have a few non-standard ingredients.

I'm all for encouraging people to try out this skill, that's why I teach it. However, I do feel that like ANY career, hobby, whatever way you're looking at it, when you want someone to teach you, show a modicum of respect or you may be shown the door. And really, I like teaching people how to do it because 9 out of 10 either won't 'get it' or won't be able to afford buying all the materials, etc. and will give up, but have a decent respect for how much it takes.

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Katiebelle74 Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 3:58pm
post #20 of 23
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peridot

If it is so darn easy peasy then let her do it HERSELF - the whole thing. I would not offer to make a thing for that cake even if I was going to charge for the bow and the dog. Let her see how much work goes into this stuff and with the remarks she made about it just being cutouts - hell let her cut them out and let's see how she gets those fondant stripes attached to the cake and I want to see that chair and dog and bow when she is done. I would be too busy to tell her anything or offer any kind of advise.

Sorry if I sound mean but I too get so sick of these people thinking that this is all a slam dunk that we just throw that batter into a pan and bake that cake and then slap it on a piece of cardboard and it just all comes together in 20 minutes or less.

Just walk away from this, don't discuss it with her and let her do her cake by herself and do NOT borrow any of your equipment to her.




I agree. Being that she was totally disrespectful of what it might take to make this cake let her riddle it out on her own and discover what kind of money is tied up in the equipment, what kind of effort and skill and amount of labor hours are in this. I would not hold her hand or let her borrow stuff. It would be one thing if she had been respectful and politley asked if you could please help her learn so she could try to make this cake for her child herself but giving the attitude just let her sink or swim on her own.

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tinygoose Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 4:54pm
post #21 of 23

I'm always happy to share....lol, it's not like their going to find a short cut. My friends who have watched me work have so much more appreciation for what goes into these cakes. Paid private lessons might be a good option for this one. "We'll start with torting, filling, and buttercream and work our way up to fondant and 'simple cutouts'. lol Here's a list of what you need to bring... I don't bake for lessons, they bring their own baked cake, bc, fondant, etc...I'll provide the recipes though. That way we can go over their baking / bc skills.

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Maria925 Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 5:22pm
post #22 of 23
Quote:
Originally Posted by awatterson

The thing is that i have a 1 and 3 year old and so does she. She thinks that we could just let the kids run around while I teach her how to decorate cakes. She doesn't want to do it after they are napping or gone to bed. I can't teach anybody how to do that stuff with a 3 ring circus running around.




LMAO!!! I have a 1 and 4 year old. I do NOTHING unless they are napping or down for the night. Usually the latter. I can't get anything done while they are awake...too many interruptions. That's just working by myself. I can't imagine if there were 2 MORE kids and then trying to explain anything. Pure chaos!!!

I would point her in the direction of some online tutorials. There's nothing wrong with trying to help a friend, but she needs to understand that nothing about it is "easy peasy". And she probably won't get that until she tries icon_smile.gif

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catlharper Posted 2 Jul 2010 , 5:24pm
post #23 of 23

when people ask me where I went to school to learn how to do this I say, "the school of hard knocks"...I taught myself. When they ask how they can learn I tell them to check out all the videos on YouTube...they can teach you how to do everything from stacking cakes to crumbcoating to fondant work to sugar flowers and everything in between. With the exception of my youngest daughter not ONE of those people who asked how to do it has actually done it. I know that one of them actually just tried to do a smooth frosted buttercream four layer cake and it was a disaster. She said it tasted wonderful but the from scratch buttercream and cake was just SOOOO much work! I had another friend watch a chef demo on making a wedding cake, in person, and she said she'll never question my fees ever again cause what I charge is worth every penny! LOL! She had NO IDEA how much went into this stuff. I think YouTube, while being very helpful to those of us who are self taught, it can be overwhelming to those who just want to be able to make a simple cake. So I'd point her to YouTube and let her have at it.

Cat

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