I resolve to stop being so dang b#*$&y when I deliver a cake and people (either guests or venue staff) come around to talk to me about what I'm doing or how I'm doing it. I get really protective (translation: grouchy, short, rude) about my "baby" while I'm setting it up. Especially when someone puts a finger within one inch of my smoothly iced baseball cake (just posted) and asks, THAT'S buttercream? I could just see that finger going into the cake, so I very rudely asked her to move her finger away from the cake. I think I could've done that one better....I need to remember that when someone is approaching me, it is because they LIKE or APPRECIATE what I do.

So that is my resolution - to be more Bronwen-like, and less gritchy when delivering/setting up a cake.

What's yours?

Mine would be to practice more!

My resolution is to learn more techniques and keep practicing the ones I know. I also want to work on my patience when making a cake and not get angry when it does not come out like it is in my mind.

practice, practice, practice.
i actually just made a schedule for all the different cakes/designs i want to make.
this way i can practice and perfect my techniques.
most of them will be real cakes so i have already advised my family to get ready to put on the pounds.

My caking resolution is to try and infect as many of my friends/family with the caking bug as possible. I've tried and while some are mildy enthusiastic others just completely shy away with the excuse 'I'm just not talented'. *sigh* I really thought this was a kind of airborne bug....

My resolution is similar to yours, arosstx, but one further: I resolve to stop obsessing about the cake at the party. I bake for friends and family and it never fails, when I provide the cake, I can't relax about it until it is cut, served and gone. Is it displayed properly? Has everyone gone over to look at it and admire my handiwork? (SHEESH !!) When are they going to cut it, oh no, guests are leaving early, aren't they going to cut the cake?? Cut the cake! OK I'll cut the cake, who wants some...oh no is there enough? Should I make the pieces smaller? Do people hate me for making the pieces too small, should I make them bigger? Oh no is there too much? (Are they going to save and eat the leftovers...they won't throw all this cake away, will they??) Who isn't eating it, don't they like it? Why didn't that person eat their whole piece, it's only a wedding-sized sliver, don't they like my icing??

Egad, I don't know where this ridiculous neurosis comes from and thank goodness I keep it all to myself (I swear) but I can sum it up this way: when I decorated a Costco cake earlier in the month, it was the first time I didn't give a flying hoot about what they did with the cake or when. That was a nice feeling. I resolve to work on replicating that attitude even on the cakes I spend 15 hours on.

I want to learn how to do stringwork extension stuff and more 3D stuff.

I want to have time to practice, practice, practice. I have learned sooooo much in the past year that I just have not had time to really "work" with the different technique's. I have been so very fortunate to learn from some truly wonderful folks, and I would like to raise the level of my work to produce the results that I should be able to accomplish... Yeah, yeah...baby steps...but, I want to be able to Know the amazing skills that I see around me...lol

Happy New Year!
Pat B.

My New Years CAKE resolution would be to practice as much as possible and learn new techniques.

Mine is to learn how to pipe really well and it will be a challenge because I can't draw a straight line.

My last year's resolution was to learn 3 new techniques, and in the past year, I cut chocolate figures (my City Skyline), made my first fondant figures (snowman and penguin on my "16" cake) and actually did a couple of fully-fondanted cakes!!

So this year, I think I want to just keep expanding in that direction. Another thread has inspired me to try a Lambeth design, even if it's just to say that I did it. I want to do a carved cake .... I actually have one scheduled in January that will take "some" carving, but I want to try a real, carved figure cake. And I want to do more with painting with luster dust, like the many awesome "gold" cakes I see on here.

And .... you all wont' believe this one ..... try more scratch cake recipes, or maybe I should say, try ANY scratch cake recipes!

Not too motivated to do those topsy turvy things, though.

Arosstx and Ceshell, I am so glad to see there are other decorators that are as obsessive and protective of their cakes as I am! I can't stand the people who "hover" while I'm setting up and I have to walk (and trip) all over and around them. And why do they seem to think I want to hear about how their great great great grandmother's dog's former owner's son's ex wife's granny's best friend used to make cakes? And the questions...what are you going to do with that? And so and so does blah blah blah.

I too resolve not to obsess over why people aren't coming back for seconds and thirds and not be rude, hateful and nasty to the people who are just admiring and curious. I'm sure it will only last 10 minutes on my first setup but I will at least try

I know what you mean TTran, and welcome to CC! Seriously, when people start asking how I made a Camaro out of cake...well, I can tell you, but how much time do you have? I just say, "it wasn't easy" or "it took a while" or something vague. Kind of like when someone says "how are you?" and you reply "fine."

Last day of the year today - I love it. 2008 was tough for us. Husband laid off (for 8 months, got a job 2 weeks ago), daughter in California had serious health issues and was in the hospital several times (I'm 1700+ miles away), other daughter started college out-of-state, and I could go on, ha ha. A lot of challenges to be sure, but so much to be thankful for in spite of it all.

I wish you guys all the best for the coming year, and want to say a huge "THANK YOU" to you all here on Cake Central. Sometimes coming here is my only refuge. I have learned so much, and not just about cake.

My biggest cake resolution is not to go full psycho every time I have a cake due. I always fret it is not going to turn out well, or the design is bugging me, or the fact that making the cake gets in the way of life in general. Then I have a complete loss of confidence stage where it is all looking hideous, which is usually around the crumb coat stage. Despite the fact I know it will look better at this stage I always think the game is lost. Then is the rushing to get finished when I am just grumpy to everyone around me - then finally when the cake is done, delivered, admired and served I am on cake high again. You know the, "I just loooooooove doing cakes so much that there is nothing else in the world I rather do" stage.

And the other thing is to finally stop procrastinating and actually make some dummy cakes with the dummies in that huuuuuge box which is taking up most of my guest/cake room. The dummies have been in that box for well over a year now. In the process of making dummy cakes I am going to use every tool I have ever bought, you know that mold I had to have, the crimpers which were going to be so useful and that oh-so-cute cutter.

Mine is to make more cakes! I never really have a reason to make cakes which is very sad! I don't have children (except my fur babies, but they can't eat cake even though they'd love too!) or family near by. And so my co-workers will just have to accept that strange carved and fancy decorated cakes will be showing up in the break room!

My cake resolutions are to practice and to charge more! I have a few classes i plan to take this year and i hope i get the opportunity to make some neat cakes. I want to improve my piping, buttercream & fondant, and handwriting.

I said "no resolutions" this year, but I guess I can make a couple of "commitments to improvement"..lol. I want to get more cake orders (was doing well, but let the new job get in the way when I started a few months ago), write a biz plan, strengthen the novelty cake skills and start honing (sp?) the more traditional skills (I struggle with the "normal" cakes more than I do the novelty!)

2008 sucked...my husband lost his job almost a year ago & my Mother died a couple of weeks ago after a long illness . My New Year's resolution is to get over this & get into cakes again. I haven't made anything to speak of in 2 years but you people kept me sane these past couple of years. I've learned a lot reading these forums & it's time to try to start trying some of it. Thank You!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

My cake resolution for 2009 is to practice practice practice what I have already learned. Learn new techniques and practice practice the new things that I learn. I also would like to have more patience and not turn phycho when a cake does not turn out the way i planned.

Happy New Year everybody!!!!!

Denise.

Practice more. I always wait till someone wants a cake and I end up not being happy with the end product. I am going to practice pratice practice!

My Cake Resolution for 2009 is to buy as many new cake toys as possible and to perfect using each of them! I just love all the cutters and pearl makers and plungers and mats and so much more!
My poooooor DH!

My resolution is to research natural colorings instead of the little buckets of gel and experiment with a few. I am intimidated by this, but i need to take the plunge! I have a few clients that would gladly pay extra to not have artificial colors.

My resolutions are:
*to perfect the fondant looped bow - you know, get down just the right length and thickness of the strips, just the right height and number of loops.
*try a sculpted cake and when it fails, try again
*implement Duff's policy - "Any friend of mine gets a cake for free - but they have no say in what they get."

Oh, and indydebi - If you teach me to doctor a tasty boxed mix cake, I'll teach to you make scratch cakes that rise like one! lol!!