CakesDecor Gazette: Issue 4.08 / August 2015

Welcome to the Issue 4.08 / August 2015 of the CakesDecor Gazette 

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Editorial

I have lost my Mojo!!!

I have heard this statement a lot lately from many cakers and oh boy how I so get it. About 2 times a year this happens to me and it always seems to be when I need it the most,lol. Being a cake decorator for me is the same as being an artist, you always want to be striving for unique and original but when you have lost that mojo it is like dipping into an empty well, or as for a writer, getting writers block. Being a creative sole is not as easy as it looks.

So what do we do when this happens? Well for me I firstly try to take as much time as I can to just step away from everything cake related, spend some over due time with family and just breath. A day at the beach or in the pool with a good book. Now I know for many this is not possible, store fronts or main bread winners, etc... it all becomes so much harder and for those I hate to say I have no wisdom, just prayers coming your way.

There are so many people out there that just have to show up for work, give the same sales spiel, make the same sandwich/burger, sell the same tires or whatever it maybe that is their daily job, but this is not the case for most of us in the cakey world. Most of us I hope are not copy cat bakers, copying other peoples work or ideas. We are artists, we rely on that mojo to bring that brilliant idea to fruition. That new twist to a dang Elsa or minecraft cake that just got ordered, that thing that sets us apart. But no mojo probably means a no go!!!! Now some say don't look at the internet...and I get it, once you see something you cannot un-see it which means you stand a chance to copy it even if you cannot remember seeing it. I actually think this has happened to me before but luckily I still had enough creativity within my piece for it to still be called my own. And I think that is it in the end, really...Sometimes we all need a little inspiration, not just from other cakes but by works of art or mother nature or just talking it out with a friend. I have been clueless before then talked to some other cakers and BAM...cake mojo found,lol.

Mojo is key to being an artist, but I think we all have it in us, even if we think we do not. Even if you are a caker who replicates a lot of other peoples work,  give yourself a challenge or get your family to give you the challenge of a theme as if it were a competition or collaboration cake. Then make a cake around it, I think you will all be surprised at what you are all really capable of....you have creativity within you, you have just not been brave enough to let it fly!!!! Be unique, be creative, find that mojo and seek it out on every cake you make, we all need to be as original as can be. Sure we miss one here or there, or even worse have to do one  just to keep the client happy,  but heck I think we should all try to be as original as we can. Be all you can be.. is not just a term for the military it is a term for all of us. Do not take that order just because you know you can copy it...take it cause you know you and your mojo can ROCK the theme ...in a new and creative way with your own wonderful ideas and twists!

Big Hugs, Shags xoxoxo

We would love to hear from you in the comments section below and please make sure if there is a topic you would like to hear or talk about let us know also.

Sharon: Profile on CakesDecor | Curiaussiety Cakes Facebook Page

What's Happening

Tutorial Pick for the Month:  This  Burraco Cake tutorial is an absolute must see if you ever think making edible cards might be in your future. Laura Ciccarese shows us her easy steps to making the perfect deck of Cards!

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE....can we please keep tutorials in the tutorials section. We have sections for a reason, members do not want to go to the blog or forum section and have to sieve thru all the tutorials to see what they are looking for. We have sections designated so as to make things easier for our members but lately people doing tutorials are putting them in all 3 forums, can we please try to only post them in the tutorial section!!!! We love you , and want you to do tutorials and love seeing them but please put them where they belong. Thankyou...

Kitchen Talk:  With everyone wanting to sue over just about anything these days it is so important we all start making sure we cover our backs the best way possible. I think it is time we all became Legal Beagles. Time to protect ourselves and our families and make sure we are doing all we can to be the best we can be, especially in business.

Suggestion Box: New ideas and suggestions are always welcome so please make sure you go to The Gazette Blog post and leave your comments there.

Have fun coming up with new ideas :) 

Quarterly awards Winner!

Congratulations  Karen Keaney and her Beach Wedding Cake

For all the results click here!

Cakes decor RISING STAR

Heather - Art 2 Eat-Sherman is one of those artists who never ceases to amaze me. I have followed her for a very long time and am always impressed with her creativity, with new and unique gravity defying ideas. I am flawed by many of her works and this newest one is just pure brilliance. I cannot wait to see more and more cakes from this fabulous decorator!

CakesDecor Gazette Editors Choice

Cake Decorator of the Week

The Cake Decorators of the Week for July were...

Collaboration Station

With so many collaborations now I cannot find every cake so if you would like to be seen here in the collaboration section of the Gazette could you please have the word "collaboration" in the title of your piece! .

"Sugar Sharing Socialites" collaboration

 A Celebration of Friendship, Cake and Social Media!
 * Seventeen Cake Decorators from Around The World!
* Seventeen Social Networks!* Seventeen Edible Works of Art!
                

"Mirrors" collaboration

 This is just a small little collaboration amongst cakey friends. Theme was "mirrors" and open to all interpretation!

"Back to the Future" collaboration

In 1985 a kid named Marty sent us on an ad...venture through time!
30 years later some of us are still longing for our hoverboards and self tying Nikes! We came together as likeminded geeks to create a cake and sugar collaboration celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the original Back to the Future movie release!
Click Here to see all these fabulous pieces!

The Absinthe Ritual is a Dutch Sugar Artist Collaboration

The Absinthe Ritual is a Dutch Sugar Artist Collaboration to commemorate Van Gogh: 125 years of inspiration. Click Here!

Birthday Mischief Managed!

A worldwide collaboration of food artists create a magical collection of edible art in celebration of JK Rowling's Birthday! Want to see more then Click Here!

Also at http://www.birthdaymischief.com/

Upcoming Cake Decorating Competitions

Cake Camp, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA .... August 13-16, 2015

The America's Cake and Sugarcraft Fair, Orlando, Florida, USA...September 18-20, 2015

IBA , Munich, Germany....September 12. – 17th 2015

Oklahoma State sugar art show, Oklahama City , USA...October 3rd-4th, 2015

Cake international  Birmingham, UK... November 6-8, 2015

Cakes decor interview with Michael Almeida!

There are so many interesting things about this guy....did you know he flies thru the air in his spare time, and no I don't mean in a plane, I mean like hanging from fabric!  Yep, I am not kidding he is an acrobat as well as one of Portugals most talented cake artists.

I really think you can see Michael Almeida's fun and energetic personality in most of his work. He is always pushing himself in new ways which keep on providing us with gorgeous pieces of cake art to drool over. He is a super nice guy and so giving, so I hope you all enjoy getting to know him a little better in this short little interview.

Monthly Top 5

Cake This Tute!

Kitchen Talk

Becoming Legal Beagle

Although I shared a business segment on here last year this one is so good I thought it was worth showing especially for the UK folks. USA is not as strict as many other countries but with so many home bakers here now I am sure it is just a matter of time and quite honestly I think we should be health inspected like any other business. This great forum piece also touches on the importance in insurance which we also mentioned not very long ago but I think we need to hammer that one home to keep you all safe. So I hope you guys take a little read of this wonderful piece put together by Costa Cupcake Company and hope fully anyone who is operating a business without their license will see why it is so important!

CakesDecor News, Stats & Links

July, 1st 2015

We are 28,776 cake decorators making 1,271,276 comments on 205,319 cakes, 2,463 blogs, 1,393 tutorials and 2,450 forum topics.

Editor's Choice Albums: Facebook , Pinterest , Google +

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