Is this the forum for rants?

I am getting discouraged and more angry about it than upset/sad. Today is my husband's 40th birthday and his cake didn't come out as I planned. I barely have time to practice (ought to sign out and get my keister upstairs to do it!) because I have an 11 month old and can barely keep up with the housework let alone anything else including practicing. I had to miss my second Wilton 1 class and since it's half over now, class one was really nothing, I am going in to class three with basically the same knowledge and experience as when it started--none!

I see some people on here who say I am not good yet they are already doing cake sales with their own websites and are in Wilton 1 or better but are waaay ahead of me; you gals and guys are lucky and I wish everyone the best. At this point, I don't know if I will ever get there--and I don't mean just making cakes for a business, I mean just decorating a cake nicely!

Someone made a post about boring cakes awhile back. I agree with that and I am still an exteme novice. I can't stand the idea of a round, white cake with a shell border and roses. I like the idea of something different and carved cakes. I guess I need to suck it up and practice and realize I am not going to get anywhere without having some practice and making my own experience. I can't complain about boring white cakes until I can make a good, boring, white cake!

Sorry for the whiney, grumpy rant, I'm frustrated!!

We all feel that way... and if you don't want to do "boring" cakes... then don't!! I never did... for the same reason - they didn't interest me! I need to go back and learn how to pipe flowers, though!

honey when I had an 11 month old I couldn't even think about making cakes ..... don't be so hard on yourself!!

my kids are 5 and 6 now is when I can find time to do things that are for me... the good news is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and your life will have some kind of normal at some point... mine is almost there ... now I just have to look forward to those teenage years that are arround the corner .. . the good news is that when they start staying out late ...I'll have something to do to keep my sanity...lol

Sofiasmami,

I love our take on things, my kinda attitude, it is just hard to find sometimes. Love it.

I have a very high needs 10mo old. She has the energy and will of a hyper 2yr old. Getting anything done with dd around is quite a challenge. I never compare myself to others who are learning to decorate. I'm sure I could make some pretty kickazz cakes by now if I had a full night's sleep and uninterrupted time to practice. As it is, I have a lot of delicious, but naked cakes.

Everyone has to start somewhere. Trying to teach yourself how to make carved cakes while you have a baby at home is a huge challenge. Perhaps you could start out with simple carved cakes like making a triangle or a fish. Try something that doesn't have intricate, time consuming details. Also, just because you carve a cake doesn't mean you have to frost it. If you run out of time, then at least you still have practiced the carving.

hth

I am right there with you with a 2 1/2 year old and a 16 month old. I can only decorate cakes at night when they finally go to bed and before they wander in in the middle of the night! Hang in there, from what I hear the kids get older and then there is finally more time!

My body can stay up all night. Too bad my brain goes to sleep at 10pm. Fine for clubbing. Lousy for cake decorating.

Now, if I could just get motivated to practice decorating at 6am....

Hey, instead of trying to make a "good, boring, white cake with roses & shell border," make a fun, interesting, can be simple or hard, think outside the box cake. I've been baking since I was little & only able to "help" my mom in the kitchen & I just "tried" to make roses for the 2nd time ever 2 wks. ago. 3 out of 15 (I ran out of icing) looked like roses & the icing was too thin anyway! Since I was "rose impaired" (or just haven't learned how yet; no classes either), I decided to try anything I could think of besides drop stars & leaves.

I ran across a book at the library (CREATIVE CAKES by Stephanie Crookston, c. 197 & absorbed it! She specializes in shaped, carved cakes & I don't mean Wilton shaped character pans you have to buy! There are even recipes. Really, though, it helped me to realize I didn't need someone else's idea to make a cake. (Of course, I still use any ideas I find but I'm free to change it if I want to.) You can do anything with a cake as your base! I've made many different cakes & the inspiration can be hobbies, current events, or anything that represents the occasion, a gift, or the person it's for.

Basically, if a boring cake doesn't speak to you, why waste your time 'cause you'll critique it anyway. Everyone knows we're our own worst critic. Just have fun & enjoy your 11 mo. old!

Well I have a 54 year old baby and just as soon as I start on a cake it's honey will you get me this or that, soooo hang in there we all have to have a shoulder to lean or cry on and what better place than here where everyone understands

Iam with you all i have a 2year old son that im trying to get potty train . Also have a 5year old son and a 13 year old son and the sweet 16 DD that is making me gray. So i understand and im right there with you trying to learn all i can about cakes and decorating them.when ever i can get the time.lol .
stacy,

Hang in there, it gets better! Mine are 6 and 3.75, and it all seems to have gone so fast. You'll get your life back before you know it, and even then you'll still find an excuse to not get your housework done!

I don't want to insult anything Wilton, but they didn't invent cake! Stick with us and you can learn as you go, like many of us did!

You guys are all amazing!! I feel great to just read the posts! You guys really care and it shows I also have a little one and every time I start making a cake he climes on the counter to eat the dough!! But its ok! I am just glad that there are people out there like you guys and girls that are so nice

I can empathize with you as far as having children around. I'm lucky in that mine are 2 and 5 so I just make cupcakes or a 6 inch with every cake I do and let them have sprinkles and piping bags and have no worries about the mess. It gives me a few more minutes to focus on the cake but I still am doing the "boring" cakes, as I think it's part of a progression into other cakes. Learning the basics first and then advancing. You will be surprised what you remember from your classes when you need it.

Good luck and keep trying!

Don't throw in the 'Viva' just yet! See how many of us are right there with you?! Myself included. Funny you should mention that you missed class 2 of course 1...tonight's my last class of course 1 and I had a total breakdown on the night of my 2nd class! I have a preemie baby girl at home and between working, breastfeeding and pumping, trying to learn cake decorating, and the 8 birthdays in my family in the month of January...I just couldn't take it and broke down (maybe I can blame it on the hormones still???). I'm taking the classes with my sister so she called our instructor and told her we'd be late and I was able to spend some extra time with my baby girl in between work and class that night. Oh, and I live in such a small town that I have to drive an hour to get home from the classes! Isn't that called dedication or something? LoL! Just kidding. I think it's worthy of all our time and frustration though.
Steph

Zamode, hun,
This too shall pass!!! You will survive. And you will be able to decorate cakes (don't quit now!!)
I know that you will survive the wee one cause I survived 7 wee ones. They are mostly grown up now but back in the day, I thought the same way. Heck, I changed diapers nonstop for thirteen years. So, yes, there is an end to the chasing nekkid bottoms around the house, saving the family pet from certain death, and artistic expression on the dining room furniture and walls. Just remember, you will look back on those few fleeting moments and go......"aww, they were so cute back then."
As for following your own interests, don't stop. Back when my kids were all short people, I taught myself to knit and crochet, did paintings (for money) baked the occasional (ok ok so it was more than occasional) cake for the kiddos b-days.
Housework? pish tosh!!!! With seven kids runnin round it wasn't a priority to have an immaculate house. Clean and homey, ok immaculate? sheesh there ain't enough prozac in the world.
I guess what I am trying to say is: Don't give up on YOUR interests. If your kids see you being creative guess what they are going to do when they are older? Besides we all need time for us.
You know what makes my day???? Having my kids tell all their friends what a kewl mom I am because I learned how to make a cake or knit them a sweater.
DON"T QUIT!!!!!!
Maybe find a different way of learning but don't quit.

Caribou,

Thanks for the kid tip. i've gotta try keeping them occupied, so that I can focus a little more.

Also, I took a peek at your cakes, since you said they were boring, you seem to be right about the same place as me right now, and I think that it is right where we need to be, until we can focus a little more on cakes and a little less on babies. Mine are 3 & 1.

I Love your clown cake. It came out great.

Chaptlps, Thanks for the words of wisdom for all of us newbies out here finding it hard to find the time to get to where you guys are. Sometimes its all we need until next time we fall and come crying, cursing, or ranting and raving in the forum. This is a great place.

7 kiddos hats off to ya. Thanks so much.

Thanks everyone! What a great group of people here! Funny replies and encouraging replies, people in the same boat as me. Chaptips, you are right, too--this is something for *me* and I need to hold onto that. I'm going to come back here and re-read this when I need a boost. For now, concentrating on piping techniques but have taken a few days off and will start again tomorrow.

Thanks so much everybody!!

You know, cake decorating, like any art form, makes for very self critical artists. We are all our own worst critics. I see my cakes and see what they did not achieve. They aren't what I was shooting for, but the best I could do with what I was working with at the time. Others look at my cakes and see them for what they are. We need to have more faith in ourselves (myself included in that statement). I have a 3 year old, a 4 year old, a 9 year old and a soon to be 13 year old. Cake decorating has become more like therapy for me. If I can't make a cake, I usually crochet. Or sew. Just have to do something "creative" to help me unwind. You will get better with the cake decorating. ANd your little one is going to love all the cakes you will be able to create for their birthdays every year.

Ya know, the cakes will take care of themselvesas you go along-Every time you do a cake you will see improvement-don't be so hard on yourself-something very special takes up your time. Find a whimsical cake you can play with-make a little cake for the baby and just practice with swirls, etc-every day is a reason to celebrate-make a cake for no reason at all-just to do-that way you will get ideas, practice and defrustration time all at the same time (I find squeezing the bags with icing when icing them can work!) Hang in there!!!

i too have a 10 month old (and a 3 year old and twin 5 year olds) so i'm still really focusing on the "technical" aspects- get comfortable with that before trying to worry about anything else. also, everytime i come across a book, i buy it (it's a sick obsession). then it might spark me to tweak it into my own thing, or just get me inspired to try to master a new technique. just try to have fun, or you'll be likely to give it up

I just wanted to say that I completely understand how you feel as well. I have an 11 month old and a 3 year old that I am home with, and the harder I try to do more, the less I accomplish. I work part-time as a therapist and everyone jokes that I go to work to relax. Funny...but also true.

I love my children and cherish every moment...including the mess my son makes with the frosting, and I know it's frustrating. As soon as I try to figure something out, someone spills something, or wakes up, or falls, etc. For now, I'm just going to try the best I can...at least until the kids are older and I can concentrate.

Hang in there.
Angie

Please don't give up just yet!!!

I have an almost 13 month old and I know exactly what your frustration is. Course 1 really did NOTHING for me. I couldn't smoothly ice a cake, I could barely make a rose, and still managed to screw up a shell border.

Course 2 got better....as did Course 3- because we got to start working with fondant, and I found that fondant and FUN stuff was what I wanted to do anyway. Not "boring" stuff. I've been making some really fun cakes lately and the Wilton courses had nothing to do with it. I've taught myself so far- under the advice of this board and several great books.

Just know that it does get better. And I still hate those buttercream flowers. I barely made them right then, and I doubt I could make them now!!!! I can make a nice rose out of fondant and gumpaste- they look more natural then buttercream any day!!!!

I understand your frustration. Just today I was about to throw an entire cake at the wall- of course I didn't, but I REALLY wanted to!!!!

Good luck! And keep coming here- these people are AWESOME!!!!!

-Suz

You all are so great and I am glad to hear I am not the only one with this situation. Class was postponed until the 11th so I have an extra week to try to get something done. Unfortunately now, unless Course 2 is offered again on another day (of the week, I mean), it doesn't look like I will be able to do it, no one to watch the baby. Discouraging.