Hi Everyone,
I am wondering where you all come up with the designs for your cakes. Do you make a lot of the same cakes over and over? Do you create them on your own? Do you kind of cut a paste ideas together to come up with your own designs?

I ask because I am not good at all with orginal ideas. I can copy pretty well and take a little of this and a little of that and put it together. I think I've looked at most every single cake on this website by now and there are some awesome cakes out there.

For instance, if someone were to ask you to make a certain cake, say a character or particular theme, where does your idea come from if they don't have a specific request? I just wonder how you come up with them? Thanks for sharing!

KimAZ

well you can always look up the picture on the internet and do a bct or you can look in a book of sculpted cakes and follow that and then add your own touches to it. i have about 5 different sculpted books and i do a lot of my cakes from there. then you could look in the gallery here and do some of the cakes you see here. lots of great ideas in the CC gallery

I try to get ideas from everywhere. Most of the time I search google's image search first. And of course I look on CC. I look through my books and see if there is a cake I like that I can transfer the them too. I also get ideas from my BF. Some of his ideas are out there (time consuming), but they get me thinking of other things also, or adding just that right touch.

When i first stared making cakes I looked at bakerys online, or did a google image search. Usualy if you make a cute cake and show it off thats the one that everyone wants. Dont leave it up to costomers for imagination. Now that I know anything is possible with cakes. Everything I see from things in a grocery store to things I see driving around I picture them as cake. Use your imagination, Everything you look at can be inspiration.

With my designs, I come up with my own imagination. But sometimes I get them from books and Magazines. I avoid the cutsie wootsie look or the "mass" production look or the cheap bakery look. They just have no appeal to me as not much of a challenge. I like Colette Peters style, Kerry Vincent and all those famous pastry chefs. I love Golds and Laces, and my design has to have something Gold or Lacey. I don't like character cakes. There is nothing wrong with them, I just don;t find them interesting... and that my friend is my input and opinion.

Have a nice day..

I get my inspiration from everywhere! The internet is a wonderful tool. I also have more books that any one person should have but I rarely do an entire cake from a book or picture. I usually incorporate different ideas into a cake and a lot of time I really don't know what I'm going to do until I do it. Luckily, this has worked for me so far. I'm with sheilaattaway ~ "Everything I see from things in a grocery store to things I see driving around I picture them as cake." The fun part is figuring out how to make them work in cake!

Debbie

I like to look at the cakes here on CC, my 'library' of Wilton yearbooks (I have 1991-2006). I may see something on one cake that I like, and put it together with something from another cake. Or I may come up with the whole idea in my head. I usually get a lot of inspiration from the occassion itself. And kids toys! Greeting cards sometimes get me to thinking, as does wrapping paper, wallpaper, and fabric prints. I guess when you have cake on the mind 24/7, there's an idea waiting to be discovered in everything! LOL When you get a cool idea, jot it down in a sketchbook if it's not something you need right now. It will come in handy later when you're not feeling so creative and need a design right away.

Here, internet, books and then they just pop into my head.. if I use an idea from here or the internet, I always add my own touch to it .. I think everyone is pretty much that way.. creativity is what makes us so unique

While you're learning to let those ideas come to the surface, you could stick with your main interest (what you're best at).... if you love doing kids cakes, think about what a kid would love to see on their cake.... ask yourself what they would like and it'll come to you. That way, you stretch, but still feel a little bit in your element.

Like the other ladies have said, "shop around" A lot of inspiration can come unexpectedly from odd sources, so keep your eyes and mind open.

A great excercise for this may be great a greating card or piece of wallpaper sample that catches your eye and make a cake based on it. It'll really get your creative juices flowing.

Everything can give you inspiration. I love to search online, look through books (coloring books are great inspiration for children's cakes) and I love all different kinds of cake books with a variety of styles. I think cake central is the ultimate source for any decorator not just for the photos here but everyone is always so willing to share and lend a helping hand. And if you're stuck in the idea department someone here almost always is full of great ideas.

I get lots of ideas from the galleries at CC. I also like getting ideas from my Wilton yearbooks. I love looking at the local bakeries...I have seen some really cute stuff there too! I usually make little changes to make it my own. Happy decorating!
traci

I usually dip in my brain and pull out something...then I looks for ideas others have done and try to implement some of their technique ...if I can use it.