I think you are doing a great job on your figures. Doing cakes for family for free can be more stressful than a paying customers cake. I did my spongebob house cake with figures for family, I made them pay for the ingrediants, but I was very stressed about it because the DH is very particular. Anyway, I wanted to show you mine for ideas and help. You may already be finished, but maybe for future cakes.
Good luck and hope to see that great creation when it's finished.
I agree with the majority. Do the cake the way you wanted to. It is free and she should be happy that she is getting more than just a regular cake. It will have dimension and characters and she can't get all that from Walmart.
Your figures look awesome, but I wouldn't waste them on her. Save them for another cake where someone will appreciate your hard work!
wow inspireddecorator your figures look great. mine are made from rice crispy treats and candy clay. spongebob and patrick's bodies are the RC covered in the candy clay and squidwards head is the same but the rest is all candy clay. i hate the stuff myself it seems like i cant work with it long before it starts getting sticky and then i have to wait and let it set up again. now i am thinking maybe put spongebob in the boat and have patrick and squidward standing beside the road blowing those d@mn bubbles. dunno tho, but its really got me thinking. 
Ditto to KoryAK!!
If you could turn back time, I wouldnt' have shown her the drawings. SHe said she didn't care, so that means you can go at it and do whatever.
It's a free cake. She gets what you give her.
When she pays you, can have "artistic approval" on the final item!
Indydebi-you always hit the nail on the head! I hate when people try to get so particular. I had a lady ask me to make a boat cake for her. First she said a pirate ship, but thought it might scare the kids? Then she was VERY specific, on the rest of the decorating, white with red border...ummm...what about the blue for water? Oh well, the cakes that I've done for family, I have asked the theme, but that's it. I don't go to them for approval, because I figure it's free, so I'll do what I want...if they don't like it, they could do it next time!
I know how you feel though offering to do something nice and then having someone walk all over that niceness. 
Good luck...hang in there. 
Afterall, I'm sure your nephew will LOVE it.
Sorry...hadn't looked at the figures yet. They look really good to me! One benefit to her being so darn picky is that you are stepping out of your comfort zone and trying something new? That's how I look at new challenges...but I'm usually being paid for them. 
Good luck!
lol NVP thanks you guys for all your kind comments on the figures. i guess they are pretty good for my first time. i just wish she wasnt being such a pain about this.
well from someone who knows...Spongebob is all about the boat...I say do the boat, then do a sharks head sticking up out of the water with your SIL's legs sticking out of it's mouth...lol no one needs to know who's legs they are Your figures are really impressive, more so for someone who has never done one before! 
if she complains hit her with Debi's response about getting her money back...lol that is priceless
lmao that is so funny. love the shark idea lol
lol srod911 i have been laughing not stop for a while now. i guess i better go get to work on this cake. i will post more pics later.
My 9yr. old just ran by and he thinks your figures are cool!
"Hey cool! Mom can you make some like that for my cake?"
"Uhhhhhmmmmm, we'll see......."
Hahaha! When I make a cake for family I just ask what flavor and filling they want. My SIL could care less what the cake looked like as long as it was chocolate or carrot. Shes a great cake ego booster.
well it looks like i am gonna be paid for this cake after all. even if it is just getting my money on the supplies. i just talked to MIL and told her that the whole idea of SIL just isnt working and that i wanted to just go with my original idea. well....... still going with SIL idea. she asked me to please do her idea that if i didnt we would have to hear it cause she was already griping cause i havent offered to show her what ive done so far. the party is tomorrow afternoon. she is gonna have to wait just like everyone else. 
was my thoughts. anyhow just thought i would share this bit of news with you guys. and when i was telling my DS what everyones replies were on the situation she laughed so hard she spewed coke out her nose so of coarse i had a big laugh again. thanks so much you guys i dont know that i would have made it sanely through this had you not been here to let me rant and rave, and give me some good visuals lol 
thats funny famousamous , if i was around ya i would make him one lol. my SIL isnt like yours but my DS is. Shes really good to have around lol
has anyone ever had this problem????? my SIL asked me to do my nephews b-day cake three weeks ago for this sat. i said sure i would love to. of coarse this is a freebie but i needed the practice.
If you ask me to do a cake, you pay me for it. If I offer to do the cake, it is free. I make my nephew's b-day cake every year, and I don't ask anyone's opinion on what I should do. I also don't get paid for it. I do my friend's son's bday cake as well for free. She tells me the basic theme of the party and I go from there, that is all the say she gets.
I'm also with Doug on this one, do like Duff. If you want free cake you get what ever free cake I want to make you. If you pay for it you get a say about what it looks like.
Did you ever do the cake? Just curious. I would love to see a pic of it if you did go ahead with it.
I have had this problem with my DH's aunt. His other aunt was having a baby and they were giving her a baby shower. I asked her DH what kind of cake to do (as a gift) he said to do Noha's Ark. So I had this cake all done up in my head...when the other Aunt calls (kinda a real witch) me at work to tell me that the cake I was doing was no good and they wanted a baby bear with pink dots all over it. And wanted to be able to tell that the bear was a girl. Then real smart ass like she asked me if this was my gift or it I needed to be paid for this....I told her I was going to do the cake no matter who gave the shower and she said ok the well call it your gift!!!! Now for family I have the NO FREE CAKE!!!!!! then they get what they want and there is NO QUESTION about if it's a gift or paid...lol
i go by Duff's policy
if it's a freebie --- the recipient has absolutely NO say whatsoever in the design.
it's a gift -- shut up and take it!
I agree as well! I think that is totally RUDE! I do freebie cakes for family all the time! It's my gift to my neices and nephews. But NO ONE has EVER even considered telling me what to do. They take the cake and are happy. Next time I'd say flat out, "I'll do the cake, but it's a gift, and I like to try new techniques with gift cakes. If you want something in particular, It's gonna be $xxx and I'll just get a gift."
BTW the cake turned out great. Though I would have loved to see the boat one! That would have been too funny and we're total SB fans around here, and I think it's a cute, total SB theme! As a matter of fact, I'm thinking I might have to use it next time someone asks for him.....
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