I'm curious as to what everyone else does. Do you have a routine? Do you need certain things going on while you're baking and decorating?
I live alone right now which is great because I MUST have peace and quiet when it comes to other people. However, I will sometimes put on my favorite CDs while I'm decorating just to have something to hum along to. I will also occasionally put in a DVD, a stand up special or other comedy, because I don't have to be watching to still get a laugh. 
If you call while I'm mixing/baking, I may answer. If you call while I'm decorating, I do not answer the phone. Every now and then I'll get that someone who will still chat along even after I say "I'm decorating a cake". Grrrr. But that's my fault for answering! lol 
Hmm what else? I think that's pretty much it. Oh I will either wear this white apron someone gave to me because it's easy to clean or this red one that I got signed by one of the Iron Chefs - Morimoto.
What do you do? 
Well, I am ususally up late, so my hubby won't interrupt me and he is asleep so I can't turn up the radio too loud. I usually will just listen to the radio. But at Christmastime, I listen to CHRISTMAS Music!!! I just LOVE it!!!
If I am decorating in the morning, I listen to Dr. Laura Schlessinger. 
She cracks me up and she has such a good show!
And I never answer the phone regardless of whether I am decorating or not. It is always for my hubby and I am always so busy, I just don't answer at all!
Leslie
I haven't made a whole lot of cakes, but I too do not answer the phone. Being so new I can't really watch tv while doing the cake. I have to totally focus on the cake and what I am doing.
I probably need to listen to music just to calm my nerves. I get really tense when icing the cake but when I get to the decoration part I begin to relax.
I enjoy decorating the cake and baking the cake but NOT icing the cake.
I have the tv on in the kitchen-not that I watch it but I have to have the noise-music I get carried away with-start singing-badly enough that my flowers wilt! Anyway, I usually clean while things are baking or crusting-whatever needs to be done while things are doing. Hate the mess!
i have little ones, so i put the tv on their favorite shows and enjoy myself!
i have a music channel on the tv and you can choose what kind of music you want to hear, i choose the 80's and sing along...till my teen makes fun of me and my music.
haha
melody
Same for me. I have to watch tV. And I also try to clean up as I go.
i usually have the tv on, or some music, and i have very strong associative memory, so when i see a show in re-run, i can usually remember what cake i was doing while it was on the first time. i too am a clean-as-you-go baker/decorator (my motto is a messy workspace results in messy work). i always forget to wear shoes in my kitchen, though, which means very sore feet if i'm standing for a few hours. i don't wear aprons, mainly because nearly everything i own that has any significant surface is inexorably covered in at least a bit of cat fluff. i actually usually wear as little as i can get away with while decorating (though of course i don't work nude).
Most often my cake baking and decorating is frequently interrupted by feedings, diaper changes, a "no, no," or a "get out of that." You see I have a 13 month old son and he doesn't ever agree that Mommy needs to stay focused. He is too little to be interested in videos so I mainly decorate either during nap time or late at night. I too like either the radio or TV on for noise. Sometimes though, I like absolute peace and quiet.
This is definitely my favorite relaxation activity!
I must have music in order to work, whether it be 80's (I LOVE 80's music too, melody) or my latest fav CD (which right now is Duran Duran's Astronaut 
) and I also clean as I go... I don't have enough room NOT to!
aunt-judy, I too have an associative memory, and can't watch Poltergeist without thinking about gingerbread houses! 
I always decorate cakes in my underwear and high heels and play my favorite music.
*L*..The music part is true..... 
edencakes, love your avatar! That is too funny! It depends on my mood, but I usually put on tv if reruns are on. Right now, it's Golden Girls time. And I've seen them so many times, it's really just background noise. Or the music channels on cable. I love the 80's channel and the adult alternative. But I'm usually concentrating and tune everything out. And I try not to answer the phone, if my husband is home, he gets it for me.
I always decorate cakes in my underwear and high heels and play my favorite music.
I guess that is one way to make sure you dont get icing on your clothes! lol
Boy, I would love to decorate in peace and quite. Before my cakes are done, somewhere in the in-between stages, invariably my 16 year old son will come in and tell me how ugly the cake is. 
Since I am new to this it usually really hurts my feelings. He ends up liking them when they are done. My two year old loves to "help" mommy so I usually turn the water on and let her wash all the dishes. Sometimes she even gets a decorating bag of her.
It depends what mood I'm in. Like tonight I just was in the kitchen while my boyfriend was doing his homework.
Shoes are important though. I wear my tennis shoes (and normally I am in heels!)
Sometimes I want music and wine, sometimes a cup of coffee and quiet is perfect.
Interesting question. I like to work when there isn't anyone else home. However that doesn't always happen when we have kids. I always bake my son a small cake to decorate himself. (This keeps him busy long enough to stay out of my space) Ok so I may be weird but If I am up late I might decorated in my PJ's. I think most of the time I am on the phone while decorating. However never when I am stacking and measuring the dowels. The Phantom of the Opera is always on in the background, Its about an hour long so I can determine how long a cake took me to decorate.
hmmm... well now that I come to think of it.. I don't mind noise.. Noise doesnt bother me.. Well it shouldn't with a 12,13,15 and 3yr. old. And my three yr. old loves to help! he is so adorable. you gotta see his little tongue hanging out trying to stay focused. well anyway back to the topic..
I do have to have my shoes on and there is NO ONE ALLOWED IN MY KITCHEN!!!! make all the noise you want just stay the hell out!!! and a apron is a must!
I am usually struggling to keep my two toddlers away from me while I am trying to decorate. In my home, the only time there is any form of peace and quiet is after 8:30 pm. I like to listen to 80's music when I can get away with it, but DH is not too keen on it. DH does his best to keep the kids out of the kitchen, unless he turns on the sci-fi channel, then I have to fend for myself because he is oblivious to anything that is not on the TV screen.
It's funny to hear what everyone else is doing.
LOL @ the high heels and underwear. Even though you were joking, it would be a sight. I will also try to wear the least amount of clothes without being half naked, just comfortable. I will also cover my hair with a scarf.
My boyfriend's cousin recently said "I want to come over one day and watch you decorate" and my insides just cringed. 
That's an awesome question!
If the cake/cookies I am doing are fun and funky...I'll blare my music (Dave Matthews Band, Barenaked Ladies, U2 etc.) 
If the cake/cookies are soft and romantic, I put on CBC radio, or classical music. 
Helps me get into the "mood"!
In a perfect world, I'd like to have everyone out of the house so I can work without any interruptions.....of course I do not live in a perfect world! I generally like to wear shorts, an oversized t-shirt, my hair pulled up and off my neck and have the radio on tuned into my favorite Comtemporary Christain radio station......around the hoilidays I sometimes listen to my Christmas CD's too. Oh, I usually wear an apron too...and I pray that no one decides to just drop by, because after a couple hours in the kitchen I look like a wreck, what with the heat, and powdered sugar!
Used to drive me nuts if anyone was around while I decorated, now I can decorate with people there, no problem. Gosh, I must have 8 white baker's aprons and I change them continuously, again because I have cats and you feel like your clothes must always have fur on them, even when they are fresh, haha! I wear a silly baker's hat or something on my head too.
Haha, I must admit I can decorate while on the cordless phone, hhmn, should get a headset, haha! I usually get a really stiff neck from doing that though. Usually have a cold coffee close by and I don't eat at all when I am decorating, I kind of forget to, bad habit. I never wear shoes in the house and let me tell you, socks on a hard ceramic floor are not the best things for your back or heels, haha!
Heehee, my favourite guest when I am decorating, is my sister. She takes pity on me and fetches me coffee and cleans up little messes for me and we chat a lot. I am lucky to have her just down the street from me.
And when I take a break, I go on the cake sites, of course, haha!
And if I am on my own, I also listen to Phantom or classical music, or Paul McCartney or hard rock.
Hugs Squirrelly
I am way to messy for just an apron. I have a special shirt and pair of shorts that I wear that are my cake/chocolate clothes. I wear a baseball cap backwards and no shoes. While I am in the middle of things I am either reading for work/school or writing (publish or perish 
) Which unfortunatly leaves me with lots of dirty dishes. But I do those at the end. When everything is all said and done I can just go to bed, instead of being exhausted and having to work. And there is always a diet pepsi/coke near by.
I listen to the radio and rummage through my cake magazines......I listen to country.why I dont know...because I never listen to country otherwise....weird....I must be tapping into a different state of mind ...you know try new things listen to new things.....
Once i was listening to a cd of George lopez stand-up routine that didnt work out to good ...it took me 3 times as long to finish because i was laughing so hard that my hands were shaking...
I always have either the radio on or I listen to a talking book while I'm decorating
You know what??? I still do not know how I manage to finish a cake!! I usually start early (8am) so I can get ahead before the family gets home from school & work. That never helps! I always have some kind a disaster that puts me behind!
When I'm alone I put the radio on. When I get tired of too many commercials on the radio & put in my Gaither Homecoming CD's & sing at the top of my lungs!! Then I go to Al Green... I LOVE AL GREEN!! Then onto Conway Twitty! I have so many favorites!! When I answer the phone it can only be tcrema!! I won't anser for anyone else but her!! Well maybe me Mom! Or if it's my kids or hubby.
Last weekend when I was doing my latest wedding cake & groom's cake I liked to have went crazy!!! I had 5 evacuees in my house along with my 4 family members, 3 dogs & 2 cats.. the cakes were for my next door neighbor's nephew so I had them & their family members coming in & out of my house to watch me decorate. Kids in the neighborhood coming in to visit my kids. I was ready to scream!!!! Like I said I don't know how I got those cakes finished!!
Usually I do everything when no one else is home. I am less stressed & I can play my music as loud as I want it!!!
I have to have the television on and I try to clean as I go along. I hate answering and talking on the phone...breaks my concentration.
I make my icing bags up then bake the cake while baking all prep work is done while cake is cooling all clean up is done music and my diet pepsi I leave alone nd have a fit when someone want to watch me decorate they ask so many questions. Oh an I keep a bowl of hot water right at the table for tips and such. make my final clean up so much better. Plus I like to do prep work a day or two in advance whenever possible.
blessed baking!
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