My brain isn't working.
My city's fair is in October and i'm entering the Cake Decorating contest. My category is Adult Beginner: Novelty and i'm having a hard time coming up with an idea. To me novelty means whimsical and cute.
So far i've come up with doing a quilt square (i don't even quilt lol) with 4 squares in it depicting parts of my city. But to me that doesn't say Novelty. My budget is fairly thin so i can't do anything elaborate. Especially for a beginner. I don't want to seem like i'm over-doing it. /sigh.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks everyone!!

(sorry this got long)

Why don't you do something Fall themed? Maybe a pumpkin patch? Or you could do a Halloween haunted house... Sorry if I'm going in the wrong direction, but /i love Fall and I think October is the perfect month for that kind of cake

foxymomma has some great ideas. also check into seeing if the fair has a theme or not...you may be able to tailor your cake to a specific fair theme.

ty gals. i'll look at the fair website again and keep brainstormin!

What city are you in? Our fair is the same time frame and I am entering the same category - I'm not 100% sure about what I'm going to do either.

My daughter's 2nd b-day is in Sept. and I am making a 100 acre woods "my friends tigger and pooh" cake for her and if it turns out I think I'm going to remake it for the fair - but if it doesn't I'm totally at a loss for an idea.

good luck!! let us know what you decide to do.

hi, maybe im silly - lol i like the idea of the pumpkins except maybe you could make the cake be a magical pumpkin??

lol, make the cake the pumpkin - sculpt it and hollow corners etc or pieces out, and make stairs and windows maybe a small mouse or two - lol a chimney with some smoke comming out, it doesnt have to cost you lots to do ??!!

and fits in with october - lol

You know those gorgeous rose tree cakes? They're a cone of cake with fondant roses all over? Could you do something like that, but with fall leaves or pumpkins or both? Or, a big haystack with pumpkins around? Something like that? Just brainstormin'!

Good luck! I've never even thought about entering our fair competitions for cake! I'd be too embarrassed, I think I don't even know if they have that category! I need to check!

You could do a fall theme with a basket that contains fall leaves, actually the cake could be the basket with fondant/gp leaves. Maybe some apples.

I second the fall cake idea. I think that would be awesome!

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=15373

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=56749

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=69980
(I like the basket on the first tier)

I think it would be cool to mix these all together! The baskets covering the top tiers with some fall pumpkins and leaves. Hope that helps!