Please be honest with me, I am in a bit of a down slump and wondering do you think my cakes are good enough or getting better? Should I keep trying to decorate cakes or cut my losses before I tie more money into them. My sister is going to be getting married and wants me to do her cake but I just don't want to let her down and make a cake don't. Tell me what you think please...

Thanks!

i think you should definitely keep doing it... dont be in a slemp i was the same way a little while ago... towards the end of last year... and things get better... trust me... if you need some reasurance, pm me whenever you want..

be honored that your sister wants you to do her cake, and do it, and love it, and she will love you for it...

From what I can see from your photos, I think you are doing GREAT ! I couls only hope that my scrolls would be as good as yours..... If you are going to do a wedding cake, I would practice some round or stacked cakes...... your other wedding cake looked REALLY pretty ! Keep on keeping on !

You should definitly keep going! your only starting and if you enjoy it and are motivated then you can only get better. or a start your cakes are lovely and level and you were able to use pillars which is something i wouldnt even attempt!!

what i find improves me is trawling through the galleries here and on for example pinkcakebox or maisie fantasie cakes sites etc and getting ideas for colours, etc and then practice practice practice on dummy cakes which is what most of the cakes in my gallery are.
Good luck xo

I think you are being too hard on yourself. Just looked at your photos and I would be proud of them. Your fondant figures are great. Wish I had as much talent!

Keep going. I think many people get into the January doldrums. Your work is lovely. With any creative endeavor it's common for people to question their skill. Sounds like your heart is in this. Trust yourself-- you have the skills.

I totally understand where you are coming from with costs, but keep on going! Practice only makes you better. I look at it kind of like when I spend money practicing on cakes, it's like tuition for pastry school or something. I've got two little kids, so school is out of the question for me, but I feel like with every cake I do I get a little better.
I hope you keep it up, because your photos show that you have alot of potential.

i agree with everyone who said everything... i sucked when i started, but the more you work with it, the better you get, and you learn little tricks along the way that make you one bad @$$ baking mama... trust me

and there are plenty of people on here that are willing to help;..... whenever you need it ...

i am one... pm me , email me or call me if you ever need anything...

What I saw in your pics was smooth icing, evenly spaced borders, a sense of balance in the decor, some innovative ideas (the red on the 4th of July cake), and a baby shower cake that I'd never even attempt ... I'd just hire you to do it for me.

Are you nervous because it's a wedding? Because it's your sister's wedding? Did someone say something to make you doubt yourself? (who are they and where can I find 'em? )

YOu have good basic skills down pat ... the next step is to pick something you've never done before and give it a try. Add some fondant circles to a BC cake, or a fondant twisted rope. Do a simple FBCT (use a picture out of a coloring book for practice ... I like them because they don't have a lot of teeny details!). Have you done a ganache covered cake yet? Those are fun!

And you have the best asset in the world .... all of us CC'ers to walk you thru any problem that you encounter!

Do your sis's wedding cake. It will be special for both of you!

I agree with the other comments. You are doing a great job.

One thing I learned was to chill my cake in the frig. The icing sets up nicely and looks more smooth. I chill my cakes before I decorate them because if I make a mistake it's so easy to lift icing off a chilled cake.

I haven't up loaded a picture in a while so I don't have a good one to show you what I'm talking about.

Keep it up. No matter how good you get there will be comments that crush your confidence. That's just how people are - a little jealous.

As they say, Practise makes pefect ive only been caking for . . 7 month. and my first cake, well i cringe when i look at it hahah!! my standard has improved alot, but i see cakes on here that are so suberly perfect and think wow. i think its one of those trades that really does take years to master

Definately keep going!!! Your cakes are already great, and are only bound to keep getting better the more you practice!!! We all have to start somewhere.

Do your sister's cake. PERIOD...

Oh my gosh, if you could have seen my first cakes....and there was nothing like CC to help beginners.

The ONLY thing that improves skills is practice, practice, practice. You can look and get ideas, etc, but it comes down to working on your basic skills to get them nailed down.

There are some very talented decorators on here that have been doing this for a long time. Beginners should not think that they will be that good after a few cakes.

Just keep working away. My best advice to beginners is to work to be precise. Don't try alot of difficult techniques until you can
1. Get a cake iced smoothly.
2. Get consistent piping skills....i.e. shells, beads, always the same size.
3. Strive to make your cakes look clean and neat.

Even the most simple cakes will look lovely if you can do those basics well.

If you love it, don't give up!!

Hey Girl. Chin up, shoulders back, chest out. You're doing great. I see lots of cakes each month (instructor) and you're coming along nicely.

We all have slumps and times of discouragement. This is a normal part of developing into a competent decorator... I always used it to spur myself on to something new! Choose something new each week or month to try. Or focus on something you would like to improve on. Read as many books as you can. Scour the internet for info and guidance. AND OF COURSE...there's always CC!

We're here for you.

As for your sisters wedding cake. You should do it.

I think the most important thing is to ask yourself if you enjoy it or not. If you love doing it, it really doesnt matter how good you are. If you have enough time before the wedding, you can practice and see what you are getting yourself into. Your sister must think highly enough of your work to ask you to do it in the first place. I think you are off to a great start.

Definitely keep going, you are doing wonderful, and realistically, it does take alot of practice to get as good as we want to be!! Everytime I do a cake, I ask myself, why am I doing cakes, I s***k!! Usually I am having a problem or design issue, whatever, we are all very hard on ourselves, and tend to be more critical than others are of our work. Keep going, take a deep breath and enjoy!!!!

I agree with the other posters, you have great basics and practice, practice will only help make you better!
I'm a beginner too, and every time I try something new it surprises me. Each cake gets a little bit better than the one before it.
I did trial runs before both my kid's birthdays, so maybe figure out what your sister wants and practice on those elements.

Definitely go for it. You will do a great job. You have an emotional investment in the cake, so you know you will give it your best.

Also, we are our own worst critics.

Thank you all for being so supportive. I had just been told by my grandmother about how I should really rething doing my sisters cake because I don't have the skills and everyone would laugh at it, just like they will laugh at me up there as the maid of honor being the only "fata##" up there. What can I say, she raised me and I don't hear much more than this from her so the whole self-confidence is way down there. Thank you again, I really needed the boost. CC rocks!!

oops dup post

Your sister loves you enough to ask you to be her maid of honnor and to make her wedding cake. That is all that matters, its a shame that your grandmother is such a negative person. If she makes another comment like this to you please respond to her and let her know that one you are not a child and should not be treated as such, that your talent comes from the desire to do good and make others happy. Her talent is clear to try to make as many people unhappy like herself. I have a few people in my life that are like this. Unhappy people will try to take you down with them. Know that your sister and your cake central family love you and support you. If you need help on anything we are here to assit. Take your time plan a cake that is within your skill range and shoot for the stars!

Definately continue!! I think your cakes are wonderful! And your little teddy figure with the blanket is SO cute! I just want to sit him on my desk and look at him all day!

I find it so easy to get in a slump, especially after looking around in the gallery. There are so many gorgeous cakes, and then I get down on myself thinking that I'll never be that good, so why even bother? But then I remember that they had to start somewhere too. Maybe their first cakes look like mine do, and they got better with practice, as I will!

Don't give up! Just keep on caking!

We are our own worst critics. My husband thinks my cakes are fabulous, but I always criticize the tiniest flaws & focus only on those parts. I love your white 2 tier cake with the white onwhite accents. Sooo pretty! Don't be too hard on yourself & just keep making cakes. Your sister will love what ever you make for her & she will love you for doing it for her.

Go for it & Have fun!

Justdi you are funny.. My friends when I was growing up always said it must be nice living with your grandparents, they thought I got to eat chocolate for breakfast everyday, got whatever I wanted etc. I always just chuckled cause it was the other way, I would just "She's not the let's bake cookies grandma." They would laugh then meet her and say wow, we know what you mean. I was lucky my grandparents were there for me when my father died and my mother was no where around but the lasting effects of the down grading just seem to linger.

I am actually feeling a bit more self confident today and am not thrilled about going to visit them. I know I'll get the "fat" comments and all that but thanks to you guys I can ignore her on the cake stuff... I am so glad there is a place like this where the pro's help the newbies. Thanks again everyone and I will keep caking!! My sister has been going thru the galleries and she thinks she has found one she wants me to try, luckly I make cakes for work all the time so I can practice on them... Hehehe

I just shared this story with hubby and he agrees "Her problem isn't her decorating ... it's her family!" It's easy for us to say "ignore her", but that's what you have to do.

When she makes reference to being fat, tell her what I tell folks, "Yes, I'm fat ... but I'm GORGEOUS!!!!!!" (Flip my hair, turn and prance away with exaggerated hip movement ... which, with the size of my hips, could be VERY dangerous!! )

I'd rather be a fata$$ than a dumba$$!!

Oh My GOODNESS! I don't know how old you are, but, I'm VERY OLD! LOL So, I'll put on my "Gran B" hat and tell you this:

"You're cakes are WONDERFUL and I bet they taste even better than they look! The wedding cake in your pics is LOVELY....so, why wouldn't you be able to do your sister's cake? You MUST....she's your SISTER and she LOVES YOU for YOU! Not for the way you look"

Ever heard the phrase "Beauty is only skin deep?" Well, it's an Oldie, but, a Goodie. It's also TRUE! I've seen GORGEOUS women whose hearts are as black and hard as the coal my husband mines.

You be the beautiful person you are. Rise above "ugly and haughty" comments. I'll close with my FAMOUS words I told my children while they were growing up.....

YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT TO DO! Prepare, Practice, Perfect!

Beth in KY

I agree with everyone for you to continue and do not quit, I have also looked at your Pictures, and your cakes are awesome, I only have first time cakes in my photos and even though no one commented on them I am encouraged to continue, I have not made a lot of cakes because I have no one to give them to so I listened to all my friends on here and decided to make dumies. and since this is a three day weekend I will try to make gumpaste flowers, and thanks to Indydebi and all the others for great inspiration.

So you just go ahead and make your sister's wedding cake and be proud.
and she will be proud of you.

GOD make all things Possible.

Oh and I have some real nice pictures of cakes I made lately and my kids lost my Camera I think they threw it in the Garbage.

Hope I did not steal your post but was trying to give you some encouragement.

I think it's so cool that your sister asked you to do her cake. It will be great!