I Still Love Decorating But...(A Bit Of A Rant)

Decorating By Annabakescakes Updated 22 Oct 2010 , 6:30pm by toni1218

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Annabakescakes Posted 10 Jul 2010 , 5:11am
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I am getting so SICK of the mess! I am a disaster in the kitchen! I am starting a bakery in our garage, but I don't have it yet. I am still using my kitchen for cakes and I am burnt out. I can't get started decorating until after dinner and I get no sleep! Plus, nothing has a place, so I literally spend DAYS trying to gather things for my cakes. I have doubles and triples of certain items because I lost them and wound up buying again. My husband is wasting so much time not clearing out the garage and I physically can't do it. I bake all morning and decorate all night between looking for tools. I am a mother of 4 the youngest 15 months and I need sleep!

What does everybody else do? This is my passion, and the ONLY job I like! I can't stop now! Any suggestions?

42 replies
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catlharper Posted 10 Jul 2010 , 5:18am
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Like the rest of us...pray for Kitchen Faeries...(((HUGS)))

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Kaytecake Posted 10 Jul 2010 , 5:42am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Annabakescakes

I am getting so SICK of the mess! I am a disaster in the kitchen! I am starting a bakery in our garage, but I don't have it yet. I am still using my kitchen for cakes and I am burnt out. I can't get started decorating until after dinner and I get no sleep! Plus, nothing has a place, so I literally spend DAYS trying to gather things for my cakes. I have doubles and triples of certain items because I lost them and wound up buying again. My husband is wasting so much time not clearing out the garage and I physically can't do it. I bake all morning and decorate all night between looking for tools. I am a mother of 4 the youngest 15 months and I need sleep!

What does everybody else do? This is my passion, and the ONLY job I like! I can't stop now! Any suggestions?




Are you starting a legal home kitchen? It may seem overwhelming to both you and your husband. You probably have a list of requirements for compliance with your state's laws. Having 4 children is a 24/7 job- maybe it will take longer for you to get your business launched. Only you and your husband can determine how much you can handle. You're a braver woman than I am.

As far as your baking tools go, you'll need a good organized space for them if you hope to improve your time management and avoid buying multiple items. If I may make this suggestion, buy a few storage organizers- I have three drawer organizers that are on wheels. It's the only way I could keep my tools, colors, pans, etc. organized. Each drawer is dedicated to particular items. One drawer contains food color, flavors, extracts, spatulas, piping bags- anything to do with icings and flavors. The next drawer contains all of my cutters, the next one molds, the next one fondant tools, and so on. I also divide each drawer by keeping item sets in zip lock bags. That way, when you decide on a cake/icing flavor and design- you'll only have to take out the items that you need. HTH and Good Luck! icon_smile.gif

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mamawrobin Posted 10 Jul 2010 , 7:46am
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I'm feeling that way at the moment. It's 2:40 AM my last cakes for the weekend are still in the oven, the kitchen is a wreck and I'm on cc....LOL...I'm expecting the "cleaning fairy" to show up any minute icon_lol.gif

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mom2twogrlz Posted 10 Jul 2010 , 7:52am
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I feel the same way. Like the other CC'er said, get some 3drawer rolling carts. They are the best. I keep all my stuff in there and roll it in and out of the kitchen as needed.

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indydebi Posted 10 Jul 2010 , 11:20am
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It will get a little easier when you have your own dedicated space. No more 'finding' your tools because they will finally have a home.

Some cleaning tips: Keep a wet washcloth with you at all times. Wipe down the counter after everything you do. Pour p.sugar in the mixer, turn on mixer, wipe counter. Crack eggs ... wipe counter.

Lay big sheets of parchment or wax paper on the counter to 'catch' your dirty tools .....measuring cups, mixing spoons, etc. Then all you have to do is throw away the paper, leaving a nice, clean counter.

Do you have cooling racks with legs (i.e. Pampered Chef)? I used these a LOT .... a home and in the shop. Great for having a place to lay tools but still leaving you counter space under the racks, so my counters weren't as cluttered.

Assembly line things: Have icing made ahead of time. Pre-fill 2-3 decorating bags. Then on icing/decorating day, you just line everything up and go. No mixing,mess making, etc. A really great time saver!

And enlist hubby in taking care of the kids and taking care of dinner! Are you actually cooking and cleaning up a dinner on cake days? Hand him a 20 dollar bill and point him to the nearest KFC! And remind him that when it's HIS kids, it's not called "Helping" ..... it's called "Doing"! icon_twisted.gif

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neelycharmed Posted 10 Jul 2010 , 11:31am
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I second everything Indydebi says!
clean up as you go, and put a piece of paper down to catch all the mess makes a huge difference..
And also having the icing in bags/already colored is another thing that makes it easier.
icon_smile.gif Happy Baking and Caking!
Jodi

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thatslifeca Posted 10 Jul 2010 , 11:43am
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I 3rd what indydebi says! Bake 1 day and prepe to decorate then do that on another day. I have a habit of baking cakes and freezing them. Ready for me when I need them. It will come don't worry. We all have days like that. Good luck with your new business!

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annacakes Posted 10 Jul 2010 , 11:57am
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Well, I feel for you. You must be tired and feeling a little discouraged but don't despair!

I have 3 kids and remember having the same struggles. Organization was my lifesaver.

Like Indy sez:


Clean as you go.

And, baking and freezing ahead is a must. We bake everything the week before for the week ahead so that by Wed. or Thurs. a.m., its all in the freezer. That goes for the icing too.

You can prep. decorations, Gum Paste flowers etc. too ahead of time. Do them while the cakes are baking.

Get some help with the kids. If your hubby too tired, enlist friends, relatives. Your only other option is to slow it all down and take less orders until you have your space ready.

Don't burn yourself out and get it to the point where you hate what you do. It will all happen...you just have to be patient! Your job will not go away.

Wishing you all the best. And some sleep.

Anna

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Doug Posted 10 Jul 2010 , 12:15pm
post #10 of 43

on clean as you go:

this includes washing.

I just toss all the dirty tools in the measuring cups, empty sour cream containers and then once batter is in the pan, fill the mixer bowl with hot soapy water and it all goes in there -- in short order EVERYthing is clean.

oh and a further hint on counters.

while washing all those tools -- i don't rinse them immediately. I lay them wet and soapy right back on the counters where they drip soapy water all over the counter.
after everything is washed, then rinse (and use old cooling racks as drying racks!) and wipe down the counters which is so much easier since they've been soaking with the soapy water on them.

looks a frightful mess in process but so much easier.

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Annabakescakes Posted 18 Oct 2010 , 7:28pm
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I never got a notice that anyone replied to this thread! I have finally just cut way back on my cakes. It is so hard to tell people I can't do it, I am such a people pleaser! I am doing cakes every couple of weeks, rather than every week, and trying to keep it down to 1, though I had a last minute order last week that I did, and I have two this week, but one should be easy, it requires very few tools, just a rolling pin and an x-acto knife! Yay! The other is a shoebox and gumpaste shoe, so tools will be needed...

I have been trying to clean as I go, but there is so much to distract! Also, we are trying to save money for our property tax bill. The rolling drawers are an awesome idea, but just not in the budget right now. I did have to get a HUGE roll of freezer paper for anther project, so I plan on using some of it to cover my counters.

I feel better, but I can't wait until everything has a place!

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cakemaker2 Posted 18 Oct 2010 , 8:00pm
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When I started doing cakes on an army base in Germany, my husband would come home from work and say " I've got a couple more cake orders for you" and I would say "for when?" He'd say " I'm taking them into work with me in the morning" Never mind that I had spent the whole day baking cakes, so I could spend the whole night decorating them! Guess who learned how to frost and do borders on cakes? Put your hubby to work! I'm sure he benefits from the money you bring in!

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Annabakescakes Posted 18 Oct 2010 , 8:10pm
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My husband has made pearls and colors my icings and fondants for me! I let him know that I consider the time he spends with me "caking" as quality date time! He can make a border better than my mother, but has never put one on a cake, just practice. He even put about 300 pearls on a cake for me while I made grooms cake!

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michel30014 Posted 18 Oct 2010 , 8:48pm
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I have been trying to clean as I go, but there is so much to distract! Also, we are trying to save money for our property tax bill. The rolling drawers are an awesome idea, but just not in the budget right now. I did have to get a HUGE roll of freezer paper for anther project, so I plan on using some of it to cover my counters.

I feel better, but I can't wait until everything has a place![/quote]


I too can not afford the rolling drawer bins, but would love some! In the meantime, I use boxes to store things in. I use empty shoeboxes, a couple of the cheap dollar store clear containers (approx $1-$3 a piece) old cleaned out mayonnaise jars, huge ziplock bags, etc. And, I make sure to label everything so I can go directly to what I need.
HTH. Good luck!

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CutiePieCakes-Ontario Posted 18 Oct 2010 , 9:10pm
post #15 of 43
Quote:
Originally Posted by indydebi

...
And enlist hubby in taking care of the kids and taking care of dinner! Are you actually cooking and cleaning up a dinner on cake days? Hand him a 20 dollar bill and point him to the nearest KFC! And remind him that when it's HIS kids, it's not called "Helping" ..... it's called "Doing"! icon_twisted.gif




Like I always say, you don`t BABYSIT your own kids! icon_rolleyes.gif (I really hate it when a man says he`s babysitting his kids. It`s called parenting. The babysitter puts them to bed, does her homework, calls her BFF, gets paid and leaves when she`s done.)

This is a great place to say .... I LOVE MY HUSBAND!! He cooks, cleans, does laundry, supports my caking, and is Mr. Mom all weekend while I`m at work. thumbs_up.gif

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mimi1218 Posted 18 Oct 2010 , 9:35pm
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The best cleaning tip is so basic I can't believe I hadn't done it already. I just read it the other day on here... It's to put old sheets on the floor to catch sugar, batter, splatter, sprinkles, chunks o' fondant, anything and keep your floors clean. Once you are done- just take them outside shake them off and drop them in the washing machine. I did it this weekend and saved myself tons of time that I am usually wasting cleaning my floors on my hands and knees. Thank you to the original poster (I do not know your name)

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TabbieCakes Posted 18 Oct 2010 , 10:00pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mimi1218

The best cleaning tip is so basic I can't believe I hadn't done it already. I just read it the other day on here... It's to put old sheets on the floor to catch sugar, batter, splatter, sprinkles, chunks o' fondant, anything and keep your floors clean. Once you are done- just take them outside shake them off and drop them in the washing machine. I did it this weekend and saved myself tons of time that I am usually wasting cleaning my floors on my hands and knees. Thank you to the original poster (I do not know your name)




You beat me to it! I was just gonna mention this. Haven't tried it myself yet, but it's definitely on my list! thumbs_up.gif

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BethLS Posted 18 Oct 2010 , 11:27pm
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I just had to say that I am really enjoying this thread! The tips are amazing.

I am a mom of two (3 and 4 yr old girls) and I work 25 hours a week outside the home, plus caking. I am known for staying up till 3am finishing up a cake for sure. It can get very hectic...to the OP: I SYMPATHIZE!

I have a big closet in my laundry room dedicated just to cake stands, boards, extra turntables, boards/boxes, and bulk food items such as shortening and 10x. In my pantry I have my tip box (the kind you get at Lowes for screws) labled for all my tips, flower nails, ect. Then I have all of my colors next to that in a see-through container. I have spatulas also in labeled see through containers. I have more for fondant and gumpaste tools labeled flowers, ect. Its nice to just grab out a box out of the pantry for the style I'm decorating and go! I have a decently large space but things just keep accumulating that I *think* I need icon_lol.gif

And I must say, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the sheet on floor idea!

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bakencake Posted 18 Oct 2010 , 11:47pm
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I use a fishing tackle box to organize all my little items. it's cheap and handy with all the little compartments. hth

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patticake1951 Posted 19 Oct 2010 , 1:12am
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I have my decorating section in the dining room, which is on the opposite side of the room from the kitchen, so I would have to be doing a lot of walking back and forth to the sink to put all of my dirty dishes in the sink, so I fill a small dishpan with soapy water when I get ready to start mixing, and as I get through with something I just put it in there. Then when I am done with everything I just take it all to the sink and wash them. I have a large Craftsman tool bench, with 3 drawers and pegboard back to store all of my stuff, plus I have 2 of the rolling carts for my candy molds and cutters.
I sympathize with op poster. I had 4 kids, which are grown now, but I know you are a brave woman to take on a business while they are little.

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cattycornercakes Posted 19 Oct 2010 , 1:18am
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I must say I'm VERY lucky...my husband usually does my cleanup icon_smile.gif I try to clean up as much as I can as I go but sometimes I run out of steam. I'll leave a mess at night and its all clean the next morning. He's an early bird and has it all done before I get up. At this point, he generally knows what I need clean to work icon_smile.gif I also used to spend a lot of time looking for tools and then I finally spent some time organizing. I still end up looking for things sometimes but not as much as I used to.

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patticake1951 Posted 19 Oct 2010 , 1:27am
post #22 of 43
Quote:
Originally Posted by cattycornercakes

I must say I'm VERY lucky...my husband usually does my cleanup icon_smile.gif I try to clean up as much as I can as I go but sometimes I run out of steam. I'll leave a mess at night and its all clean the next morning. He's an early bird and has it all done before I get up. At this point, he generally knows what I need clean to work icon_smile.gif I also used to spend a lot of time looking for tools and then I finally spent some time organizing. I still end up looking for things sometimes but not as much as I used to.



Are you married to my dh's twin??
My dh does the same thing. I will make a big mess in the kitchen and have to go to a party or somewhere to take the cake and he will tell me not to worry about. it will give him something to do while I am gone!!!

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JustGettinStarted Posted 19 Oct 2010 , 1:34am
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I am new to this hobby, but I also have the rolling drawer organizer. I also have cooling racks that have legs that collapse, but they were always getting in my way. So I took a few of those "Hercules" hooks and hung then on the wall in my "cake" closet. It has been so helpful!

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moxey2000 Posted 19 Oct 2010 , 1:35am
post #24 of 43

Great thread! My best time-saving tip is when I make fondant I use a big cake pan (Wilton 12"X18") to knead the fondant instead of on my counter or table. This confines the powdered sugar to the pan and the mess is minimal. Once I'm finished with the fondant I just rinse the p.s. out in the sink and wash the pan and put it away.

I have 3 kids at home and a full-time job with some crazy hours. It's hard sometimes, but I love what I do and I aways get through it. There's nothing wrong with cutting back though, you certainly don't want to get burned out.

Cheers, Cheryl

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indydebi Posted 19 Oct 2010 , 1:38am
post #25 of 43
Quote:
Originally Posted by moxey2000

My best time-saving tip is when I make fondant I use a big cake pan (Wilton 12"X18") to knead the fondant instead of on my counter or table.


oh THAT'S a good idea!

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JustGettinStarted Posted 19 Oct 2010 , 1:45am
post #26 of 43

Moxey, that is a fantastic idea! I have to make fondant tomorrow...gonna use my biggest pan (14 inch round) and see how it works...may have to invest in another pan. Oh, and I have a 9 month old that keeps me busy, but I like that I can cover the pan in saran wrap and come back to it (even move it out of the way for dinner or whatever) while I wait for time to come back to it. icon_smile.gif Love it!

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Annabakescakes Posted 19 Oct 2010 , 1:50am
post #27 of 43
Quote:
Originally Posted by patticake1951

Quote:
Originally Posted by cattycornercakes

I must say I'm VERY lucky...my husband usually does my cleanup icon_smile.gif I try to clean up as much as I can as I go but sometimes I run out of steam. I'll leave a mess at night and its all clean the next morning. He's an early bird and has it all done before I get up. At this point, he generally knows what I need clean to work icon_smile.gif I also used to spend a lot of time looking for tools and then I finally spent some time organizing. I still end up looking for things sometimes but not as much as I used to.


Are you married to my dh's twin??
My dh does the same thing. I will make a big mess in the kitchen and have to go to a party or somewhere to take the cake and he will tell me not to worry about. it will give him something to do while I am gone!!!




I envy you guys to no end! I do some pretty pretty elaborate cakes at times, and spend the entire night, after everyone else is in bed, decorating. I make a big mess all over the kitchen, and then my husband will get out of bed around 9. He makes coffee and I go to deliver and come back an hour later and he is sitting at the computer, the kids are hungry and the place is still trashed. So I have to make breakfast around a mess, with no sleep! And he wonders why I am b*tchy!

I gotta try the pan thing, I bet if you put a non-slip pad under it that would help. I had to scrape powdered sugar off my counter. I use a bench scraper and just sweep it off into a dirty cake pan then scrub both. Your way would save 3 steps!

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all4cake Posted 19 Oct 2010 , 1:57am
post #28 of 43

No money in the budget for storage? reorganize your kitchen cabinets/drawers so that you can designate one (at least) of each for cake stuffs...clear out the hall closet(most have been wanting to do this anyway) and claim it for cake stuffs too. Don't forget to point out the acquisitions to EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE.

You'll find yourself rearranging every now and again and also the need to reorganize due to harried cleanup sessions (I actually look forward to those...they allow me to reassess what I have and need)

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sweet_tiers Posted 19 Oct 2010 , 2:00am
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WOW!!! This is my story too icon_smile.gif I am a stay at home mom of 3 boys and 1 foster daughter. I am a self taught cake maker/decorator. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to decorate cakes, but I HATE HATE HATE to clean up!!! I told my husband today that I need a bigger kitchen and he said "NO, you need to put stuff away" icon_sad.gif My problem is 1: I have MS, so by the time I'm done making the mess I'm too tired to clean it. 2: I am not very organized and 3: Having 4 kiddos to take care of cuts into cleaning time icon_smile.gif But no matter how much I irritate my OCD husband icon_biggrin.gif , or how annoying it is to clean up, I will always make time to decorate icon_smile.gif This thread has been very helpful with some organization tips!!! Thanks for posting.

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Rosie2 Posted 19 Oct 2010 , 2:19am
post #30 of 43

This is an awesome thread! and let me tell you---I feel your pain because I 'been there, done that'! But, you know one day you'll get over that 'stage' and things will get easier. I'm a hobby baker, but I do have a LOT of tools, pans, cutters, etc---whether you do this as a hobby or a business I think you still accumulate a LOT of cake stuff---or, is it just me?? yikesss I guess I'm addicted to cake stuff icon_redface.gif aggghhh icon_cry.gif that's another whole issue.

In any case I do recommend the rolling carts, the boxes with labels, the see-thru bags, etc and the timeline when you do a cake.
1st day--- Bake till your heart is content icon_smile.gif then tort/fill and freeze
2nd day---Make fondant/buttercream, flowers, and make decorations till your heart is content.
3rd day---Put it all together and taddaaa, your heart will be content because you're done!! icon_biggrin.gif

Good luck! icon_smile.gif

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