Great job Gibson! I know you've been on an emotional roller-coaster with this project, but you have accomplished your goal. Congratulations! I hope you never again doubt your abilities, your creativity, or any project you take on. However if you do, we will all be here to support and encourage you.
Share your expierence with us once you've had time to breathe.
Your C.C. sister,
Gloria I
Happy Canada Day 
oh wow!!! congrats on pulling off such a HUGE cake AND having it turn out wonderful!! can't even begin to imgaine all the work and everything you put into it!!
AWESOME JOB!!
BRAVO!!!! BRAVO!!!!! WITH PEOPLE DOING CAKES LIKE THIS I MAY HAVE TO RETHINK MY PLAN TO OPEN SHOP. 
TOTALLY AMAZING. 
ENJOY THE SUCESS THAT COMES FROM THIS CAKE, YOU TOTALLY DESERVE IT. GREAT JOB! 
Okay for anyone that is still interested, I called the gentlemen who is taking care of ordering the cake and asked him what his budget was.....are you all sitting down?
$300.00
Gibson, well done on the cake, you did an awesome job. I've gone back through the posts and couldnt see how much you ended up charging $300 is just ludicrous.
It'd have to start at $700 at least, right??
Nati
Can't wait to hear everyone's reactions. One other question.....how did your kitchen look when you were through?
I can't even imagine what mine would look like, you should see it after I make only an 8" round cake!!! LOL!!!
This is the most amazing cake, and saga, ever! I feel priviledged to have read it, and delighted to have seen the cake ... I hope $300 was not the final figure for this cake, because it & your dedication, skill & talent are worth 10 times more.
Well done ... well done ...well done!
Oh my Gawd I LOVE IT. I would be so pround to stand beside that cake and be Canadian. I love the maple leaves the lil beaver. All I can say is WOW I can't wait for my hubby to get home as he only saw the half done pic's.
I know we are are worst critics but the gang here says YOU ROCK....well YOU ROCK. Good luck building your business. You shouldn't have any trouble after this cake.
Absolutely and utterly incredible! Phenonemal job! You did it, girl!
Gibson6,
Wow, that is an amazing job. I just came across your post and am so glad that everything worked out for you.
You met and succeeded the challenge that you were faced with...well done.
Get plenty of rest...you will need it when the orders start pouring in
My local grocery store did a ten foot cake 
and it took them about three days to do it . They had four people taking turns working on it. They had it in the aisle and you could watch them doing it. They left it out uncovered each night. After they were finally finished, they gave it out as samples . I couldn't bring myself to try it...to many people passing by, flies, etc. 
Sending you a STANDING OVATION.
HI Everyone!
First of all I want to thank everyone for their support and wonderful comments, you were the ones that kept me going during this saga.
For all those wondering, yes I will only be making $300.00 from this cake but did it more for the publicity and free advertising as well as the challenge. A radio announcer was there from the local radio station and advertised for me on the radio and my picture was taken with the mayor just before he cut the cake and that will probably be in the newspaper, so I'm hoping to get some business from this. My husband and I also stood guard over the cake and talked to everyone that came and looked at it and handed out business cards. I really hope it worked and I got my name out there. I'm hoping the district will be buying their cakes from me. The mayor told me I did an unbelievable job and so did the guy who hired me (he wasn't the best to work with so I was shocked when he saw the cake and said WOW! What a beautiful cake!).
My kitchen wasn't that bad, I try to clean as I go and try to have an organized mess LOL!
So for all those wondering this is how I did it:
About 4 days ahead I started baking all the cakes, I needed 14 (9x13) chocolate and 14 (9x13) vanilla. I prepared all the cake boards so when the cakes ( I can cook 4 9x13's in my oven at one time, it's a convec thank goodness!!) came out of the oven and cooled a little bit I flipped them on to the cakeboard. I didn't think there was much of a need for cooling them on cooling racks. I wrapped all of them in saran wrap then foil and froze (of course the days I baked the cakes were the hottest days ever!!). In between all of the baking I was making icing and freezing it as well.
The event was on Saturday so on Thursday I put the cake together, that included the filling and just flat iced the cake. Later that night realized my icing had changed color, kind of a yellow tinge to it in spots, had a minor melt down. Then tried to smooth some more because I hadn't finished and then had a BIG problem with air bubbles! Now I'm freeking out! At this point I'm still not too sure how to get the map shape on the cake and if I'm going to do the icing on icing thing. Worked on it Friday into the wee hours and then Saturday morning as well.
So the deal was, was that the cake gets set up a couple hours before the cake cutting so people can look at it....this is normally what they do. I was told that the cake is actually a BIG thing so I'm happy about this. Then Saturday comes and I get a hold of the guy to ask where to put the cake what time (I was originally told 2:00), he says let's hold off. This is because the events were outside and it was calling for showers. So I asked him don't you have an alternate place in case it rains? He gets snooty with me and says he'll call me back. So 15 mins. later he calls and says he doesn't have a spot blah blah blah. Now keep in mind this man was not at all easy to deal with. I was voicing some of my concerns about a few things with the cake when he first hired me and he told me he couldn't solve all my problems for me! At that point I almost told him to shove it. These problems I was voicing was at the very beginning I told him I would NOT be transporting this cake. Anyways, it ended up being my problem. So back to Saturday and the cake. I told him the deal was the cake gets set up early so people could look at it. I didn't go through all this trouble for it to get cut. He says to me, well do you have a location for the cake to get set up? Uhh hello, I am being paid to bake and decorate the cake NOT to organize the event. Anyways, it all got sorted out just wanted to let you know what I was dealing with! I actually was going to donate the cake but not after that! I know, you all think I'm crazy!
You were all very right! Everybody was amazed at the size of the cake and the flags (they couldn't believe they were edible) that they weren't concerned with how smooth the icing was. Then I was concerned that because I froze the cakes they might be soggy or maybe they would end up too dry...but it was very, very moist. The radio announcer had 3 pieces!
Oh and I have to tell you all about the first lady and child that looked at the cake right after it was set up. She's looking at the cake and dips her finger in the icing not once but TWICE!!!!! Then her son follows suit. I grabbed her sons arm and told him not to do that (probably shouldn't have done that but this is many hours of work here!), at this point I had no idea she had done what she did. My husband and Father in Law told me later that she did that. I was BOILING 
A grown women no less. The nerve of some people!
Sorry the story is all over the place, still pretty tired. After all of this and taking my son to all of the events and activities we packed up and went camping, my husband says to relax. Not for me! I hardly slept for two nights. My son has a hard time sleeping in the camper (don't know why, he's excellent at home) and also got a cold so I was up both nights with him.
I can't thank you all enough! You are all my inspiration and my encouragment, you are all why I got through this!
THANKS CC!!!!!
HI Everyone!
First of all I want to thank everyone for their support and wonderful comments, you were the ones that kept me going during this saga.
For all those wondering, yes I will only be making $300.00 from this cake but did it more for the publicity and free advertising as well as the challenge. A radio announcer was there from the local radio station and advertised for me on the radio and my picture was taken with the mayor just before he cut the cake and that will probably be in the newspaper, so I'm hoping to get some business from this. My husband and I also stood guard over the cake and talked to everyone that came and looked at it and handed out business cards. I really hope it worked and I got my name out there. I'm hoping the district will be buying their cakes from me. The mayor told me I did an unbelievable job and so did the guy who hired me (he wasn't the best to work with so I was shocked when he saw the cake and said WOW! What a beautiful cake!).
My kitchen wasn't that bad, I try to clean as I go and try to have an organized mess LOL!
So for all those wondering this is how I did it:
About 4 days ahead I started baking all the cakes, I needed 14 (9x13) chocolate and 14 (9x13) vanilla. I prepared all the cake boards so when the cakes ( I can cook 4 9x13's in my oven at one time, it's a convec thank goodness!!) came out of the oven and cooled a little bit I flipped them on to the cakeboard. I didn't think there was much of a need for cooling them on cooling racks. I wrapped all of them in saran wrap then foil and froze (of course the days I baked the cakes were the hottest days ever!!). In between all of the baking I was making icing and freezing it as well.
The event was on Saturday so on Thursday I put the cake together, that included the filling and just flat iced the cake. Later that night realized my icing had changed color, kind of a yellow tinge to it in spots, had a minor melt down. Then tried to smooth some more because I hadn't finished and then had a BIG problem with air bubbles! Now I'm freeking out! At this point I'm still not too sure how to get the map shape on the cake and if I'm going to do the icing on icing thing. Worked on it Friday into the wee hours and then Saturday morning as well.
So the deal was, was that the cake gets set up a couple hours before the cake cutting so people can look at it....this is normally what they do. I was told that the cake is actually a BIG thing so I'm happy about this. Then Saturday comes and I get a hold of the guy to ask where to put the cake what time (I was originally told 2:00), he says let's hold off. This is because the events were outside and it was calling for showers. So I asked him don't you have an alternate place in case it rains? He gets snooty with me and says he'll call me back. So 15 mins. later he calls and says he doesn't have a spot blah blah blah. Now keep in mind this man was not at all easy to deal with. I was voicing some of my concerns about a few things with the cake when he first hired me and he told me he couldn't solve all my problems for me! At that point I almost told him to shove it. These problems I was voicing was at the very beginning I told him I would NOT be transporting this cake. Anyways, it ended up being my problem. So back to Saturday and the cake. I told him the deal was the cake gets set up early so people could look at it. I didn't go through all this trouble for it to get cut. He says to me, well do you have a location for the cake to get set up? Uhh hello, I am being paid to bake and decorate the cake NOT to organize the event. Anyways, it all got sorted out just wanted to let you know what I was dealing with! I actually was going to donate the cake but not after that! I know, you all think I'm crazy!
You were all very right! Everybody was amazed at the size of the cake and the flags (they couldn't believe they were edible) that they weren't concerned with how smooth the icing was. Then I was concerned that because I froze the cakes they might be soggy or maybe they would end up too dry...but it was very, very moist. The radio announcer had 3 pieces!
Oh and I have to tell you all about the first lady and child that looked at the cake right after it was set up. She's looking at the cake and dips her finger in the icing not once but TWICE!!!!! Then her son follows suit. I grabbed her sons arm and told him not to do that (probably shouldn't have done that but this is many hours of work here!), at this point I had no idea she had done what she did. My husband and Father in Law told me later that she did that. I was BOILING A grown women no less. The nerve of some people!
Sorry the story is all over the place, still pretty tired. After all of this and taking my son to all of the events and activities we packed up and went camping, my husband says to relax. Not for me! I hardly slept for two nights. My son has a hard time sleeping in the camper (don't know why, he's excellent at home) and also got a cold so I was up both nights with him.
I can't thank you all enough! You are all my inspiration and my encouragment, you are all why I got through this!
THANKS CC!!!!!
Glad to know you survived. We were beginning to worry about you Also glad it was a success! We knew it would be. Can't believe a grown woman stuck her finger in the icing - twice!!!! How crude!! Guess it's a good thing you didn't see her, you might have torn her arm off!!!
Hope your phone starts ringing off the wall. I have a feeling it will. Congrats on the radio spot. That's a biggie!!
Hope your son is better.
Wow...that is one great cake and Yes..you will get many people calling for your cakes!! Everyone remembers a great cake!!
Man I am so glad it all turned out well for you. It is definately a WELL desperved 300 dollars. Should have been 10 times more. It is fantastic and you were a trooper! I can't wait to hear how your phone rings from now on!!!!
I am so amazed by this cake. How did you do the states/territories anyway? Did you do some kind of transfer or just free-hand draw them? I hope you get a ton of orders. - Especially from that lady who stuck her finger in it!!!! Obviously her mother didn't teach her manners and she's passing that on to her son! Wouldn't invite her to a wedding....can you imagine someone doing that to your wedding cake??!!!
Gibson,
I know it's well after the event now, but I just logged in and read through this whole email string and saw your incredible cake... OH MY GOODNESS!!! I just HAD to let you know how amazing the cake looks and how talented you obviously are and how incredibly impressed I am!!! WOW WOW and WOW!!! That cake was F A B U L O U S !!!!!! You were definitely being WAY to hard on yourself, dear -- you did a stunning job!!! Wonderful!!!!
I have NO doubt you'll receive many cake orders after this -- what a fabulous advertisement!!!
Congratulations!!
...Andrea
Whoops! Guess I was TOO excited to post... multiples are popping up!! ACK!!!
Sorry!!
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%