Ok, this might be a vent but I'm not really sure. All I know is that I am super tired and kinda burned out on cake making! I work a full-time job so I don't make tons of cakes anyways but when I think of making one right now it makes me want to cry. I think what started this spiral is that both my cousin and my nephew (both 14) asked for birthday cakes this month. For free. And I'm so easy I just said "sure". However, about a week before thanksgiving I came down with a rash that has gotten worse and worse and I really didn't feel like making the cakes, or any others for that matter, but I did anyways because I promised. Then last night I made a Yoda cake and when I got this morning, he was bending severely to the right. So I took him apart and put him back together. On the way to deliver, he completely fell over and I had to redo him another time. I felt horrible because I was late for delivery. The lady is a repeat client so she was very understanding and not upset at all.
Another thing that bothers me is that people just want me to keep doing these novelty cakes for them and I'm fed up! I'm tired of trying to figure out how to make this detail and that detail.
I have other cakes scheduled for this month but I feel like calling them and telling them I just can't do them! After Christmas I don't have anything scheduled so I think I will just not take any orders for a while. Seriously, when I think of the ones that I have on the schedule it makes me want to cry. I think I will go take a bath and go on to bed!!

Where are you? If you are near me, I will help you. Cake-ing should be fun and be a happy time. Crying should not be a part of this great creative outlet.

I'm sorry to hear you are having such a struggle right now. And I am really guessing that alot of it must be because it's the holiday season, you are so busy with other things and don't have time to be celebrating, shopping, partying, etc., the way you would like to be. If you were close by, I'd be more than happy to do what I could for you as well.

Make sure you don't let yourself fall into this trap next year. Just tell everyone that you don't want to do cakes between Thanksgiving and New Year's, or whenever you think you need to have your time. If you feel up to doing a cake then, great, if not, everyone already knows. Good luck

cownsj that's a great idea.

Bubbl3h3ad, Sometimes I get this before a big order, but as soon as I get out the flour & sugar I'm ready to go

I felt the same way. that's why i'm taking an extended break. but i still luv caking

sounds like you need a break, it's burn-out!
if this is not your full time job you can scale back, right?

A couple of months ago I just stopped making cakes, partly because it was the summer and I didn't want to heat up my house, but the other was that I just simply didn't want to. I didn't have to justify to anyone, or make an excuse. I just simply lost interest and had other things that held my interest more. Don't beat yourself up over this, just stop for a while and tell people that you aren't taking orders now. Be honest, you need a break.

Last week I made my first cake in months because my daughter-in-law asked that I would make my first grandchild's baptism cake. I now have made two practice cakes for the baptism and my love for cake decorating has returned. I just needed the months off from decorating for a long while.

I'm feeling like that sort of..maybe not crying...but the thought of caking makes me drag...and I don't even hold a full time job! (Well I have four boys....)

I, too, am getting tired of the novelty cakes...this next year I'm gonna really work on contacting caterers to try to find some that need a reliable vendor to refer wedding cakes to. Its so much easier to just work with tiers instead of all this crazy gumpaste and colors and carved stuff....

If these are customer cakes, then raise your prices. While you don't indicate what your pricing range is, it looks like these folks feel comfortable enough to ask (demand?) lots of detail with no fear of the add'l cost. A simple "I'll let you know how much extra that will cost you" may trim some of the work back.

If they are free cakes, then you get to dictate what they get and put a crimp in all of the detail they are demanding you do for free. I always gave my nieces/nephews a free wedding cake but had a stipulation that "If I start getting a bridezilla attitude, then YOU get an invoice for the full price!"

And I agree on the burn out. you dont' feel well because of the rash; it's the normal stress of this holiday season; you're finding it hard to squeeze in everything you want and have to do in a normal day, let alone add in all of these detailed cakes. take a break. I took one that lasted a few years and it was well worth it!