ok - 4:20 AM - Party's at 12:30 PM - TODAY! lol The only cakes I've really "decorated" in any detail before were a Thomas the train Wilton pan cake with very simple directions and a diagram...then the cupcake cake that's posted in my photos with the Incredibles insignia, not exactly difficult. So my brilliant self thinks I can swing coming up not only with a unique cake & filling flavor combo, but a design without any kind of template or instructions!!!!!!!!! I know I'm crazy, I just don't like admitting it! lol

Well, it's done! Except for putting the top little "cirucs tent" cake on top of the 9 inch 4 layer with the filling and placing my fondant balls and the fondant flag on lollipop stick on top...I'll do that when I get to my MIL's where we're having the party. Thank GOD it's only one street over from me!!! And I also thank GOD that they just paved our road 2 days ago!! lol Before it was just gravel - that would've been an absolute nightmare I think!

Here's a few things that I learned: (1) Need to get a new oven that actually cooks at the temp you set it at! lol (2) I won't ever use the plastic Wilton disposable pastry bags again!! (3) Draw out design or write out step-by-step BEFORE I start on the cake. (4) Mix up all the bc I think I'll need, then color in batches and then go ahead and get all of the tips fitted into the bags that I'll be using a fill with corresponding color BEFORE I start!! Would've been much faster if I'd have done that. (5) Invest in a good set of metal graduated sized mixing bowls - that way I don't have to get down on my hands & knees and dig through a cabinet full of a bunch of plastic bowls and leftover containers that I don't even use anyway!! lol OH- (6) GET RID of all that junk in my cabinet!!! And last but certainly not least: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!! lol

I posted this in this forum because this cake's been a semi-success so far - not a total failure yet. But there's still tomorrow!!! lol Just pray I don't do something really goofy and mess up the whole thing!!! Regardless of what happens tomorrow - success or failure - I'll try to post pics later this weekend!

Thanks for letting me vent!

Jennifer

I know how you feel. Get some rest, take a deep breath when you wake up and things will look much better. It is hard to see what you have accomplished when you are really tired. I always need to step away from my cake and then when I come back to it I think it looks better.

Good luck. I know you will do fine.

C

Don't ya just love those cakes that seem to be easy, and end up being the hardest ones of all? sheesh!

Good Luck, and I can't wait to see the picture! (you are taking one, right?)

Hey Jennifer,

Omg, You sound JUST like ME! Stay up all night because of My OOOO I can do ANYTHING Courage.. hahaha..

& Add #7 to your list.. CLEAN as you go.. this Helps Sooooo Much..
if I wake up to a dirty kitchen it tends to make me GRUMPY!

Good Luck with the Cakes Can't wait to see the Pictures!

~Sweet~

Thanks jennifer for the tips!!!!!

You really do sound like me. The only cake I have made (besides a small sheet cake for eating at home) is the wiggles car cake that I have in my photos.
I am making a three tiered cake with flowers going down the side. Due on friday the 12th. I have been on this site everyday getting more and more tips so that I can do it!! I try to stay away from the cake disasters forum because it SCARES me. You might be reading my story there after the 12th.
hopefully not...
GOOD LUCK JENNIFER.
can't wait to see your pictures.

I can relate myself.. I was up until 2:00 a.m. finishing my groom's cake ... then I got up at 5:00 a.m. just to check on it in the fridge (had cream cheese icing and had to be refrigerated) because I was so afraid that someone may have bumped it or something may have fallen on it .. am I paranoid or what? lol .. I went back to bed and couldn't sleep so I just got up.. I had a spliting headache but knew I couldn't slow down until I had this cake delivered and the decorating of it finished.. after I finished with the cake, I celebrated by going to about 5 garage sales lol .. so sleep deprivation?? are we suppose to sleep?? lol

I think we have all had some of those late nights and wished we had planned better! I am with you on making and COLORING the icing ahead of time! It does make things go so much faster. I can't wait to see pics of your cake!
traci

ntertayneme did you find any treasures at those g sales? I have stayed up all night before and all the next day until about 5:00 to get one finished. Then gone home and crashed. My DH knows when I have a cake to do, not to expect anything to eat from me for atleast a couple of days, maybe three, depending on the circumstance. I am sitting here about to fall asleep now, but what am I doing? Looking on the web for cake pictures....go figure?

Well, ladies -

I'm sort of back in the land of the living!! lol The party went great yesterday & the cake was a hit! It did turn out pretty well for my first stacked and decorated cake! Not as perfect as I had it in my head, but I was definitely pleased. It didn't sink, melt, or fall apart in any way - that's all I could ask for !!
I never did actually sleep on Friday night/morning after my initial post...."rested" from about 5:30am till around 7 am...then took a shower, painted my toes and went to my MIL's house to start decorating and prepping for the party. Since it was a carnival theme, I had rented a popcorn machine and clown suit (for my DH, lol) and bought some circus/caliope music. We had games like "Ping Pong Bonanza" - bounce the balls and try to land them in a cup, Face Painting - by "Cici the Magnificent" (my MIL, grandmother of bday boy) - and "FIsh Out Of Water" - construction paper fish with paper clips on them that you "catch" with dowel rod fishing poles with string & magnet attached. I had painted a piece of plywood to look like a clown and cut a hole out where the face would be - the kids stuck their face through the hole and we had clown noses they wore & we took their pics...that'll be their thank-you card. My husband the clown handed out balloons that we let the kids release all at once while making a "happy wish/prayer" for a less fortunate child somewhere else in the world, and he juggled the best he could and did cartwheels and stuff. And we had a big space jump thing that we borrowed from the church....the party was really a hit.

But the cake got ooohhhed and ahhhhed over more than I could've imagined for a first try like this. Turns out that it tasted great too!! lol Two of our friends asked if I'd make bday cakes for them.....and get this....one wants a motorcycle and the other wants a grouper (type of fish)!!!!!!!!! They must have more faith in me than I have in myself!!! lol But I'm probably gonna give it a try! Just for the experience if nothing else.

Of course, my digi cam stopped working, so I'm having to wait for my MIL to get her pics developed before I can post the pics of the cake!! Hopefully it won't be but two or three days from now.

Thanks, ladies, for propping up this over-tired newbie with BIG, BIG dreams!! I think with support like this my cakes can only get better and better!! Look for the pics soon!

Jennifer

Well darn it jennifer we got all excitied and worked up and you let us down by having to wait to view your cake!!!!!

LOL - just kidding. Can't wait to see it!!!

I didn't find any cake items gma1976 I did find a few books from an author I like to read for $.25 each lol .. I'll keep trying and one day, I'll find the smorgasbord for cake items!!

Well, it sounds like everything was a huge success, lots of creative ideas put to use. I must say, I was very touched by the idea of the children making a wish or prayer for the less fortunate children in the world. What a nice gesture to encourage them to think about others! Hhmn, if there were more folks like you that try to instill in children to think about others, well wouldn't that make a difference. So kudos to you!
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

My wedding cake was due yesterday. I did everything ahead of time but still wound up staying up till 3:30 AM doing the last minute stuff. Then back up at 8:00AM. Got home Sat. afternoon.. took a nap for about 30 min. Got back up, went out w/ some friends to celebrate my bday (Tues), get home around 10:30pm... GO TO BED & SLEPT TILL 3:30 PM today!!!!!!!!! Then now I'm up WAY past my bedtime again!!!!!!! Go figure!! What we cake decorator's go through!!!

Thanks squirrely - I need to be more consistent with that sort of thing, but I try!

TC - poor thing!! At least you got tons of sleep at one time and caught up!! But I know what you mean about being up late again and trying to get your body/mind back on schedule. I'm dealing with the same thing today! Took a BIG nap when my two little ones did (my oldest is off shrimping with g-parents today)...so now I won't be able to go to sleep at a decent hour tonight!! AAAGGGHHH! So - I'll probably just catch up on cleaning and laundry and maybe even practice some writing with icing!!! lol we'll see.........HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Hope you have a great day tomorrow!!

Jenn