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Your Cake Portfolio/Photo Album

post #1 of 15
1/19/06 at 8:27am
Thread Starter 
I seem to have nothing but questions this week. I'm organising my Port-Folio and had it in my head to do up my album in Scrapbooking Style.

This is the kind of thing I mean:

a) I have a Fortieth Birthday cake and copied the numbers and colours from the invite, so I was putting in the front of the invite with the photo together with some Birthday Stickers

b) A Barbie Doll Cake for a 4th Birthday, again I have the Barbie Invite and some stickers.

c) Golden Wedding Anniversary, I have a nice piece of Gold Paper I was going to do something with and put in a gold horseshoe or something like that.

etc, etc....

Now my Husband thinks that the other things might detract from the actual photo's of the cake, what do you think, I really want to get these things right from the start. My first Wedding Cake Consultation has confirmed for Monday and I'm trying to get everything ready for it.
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post #2 of 15
1/19/06 at 8:37am
I've been wanting to do a portfolio scrapbooking style! I don't think it will distract at all. In my opinion, it will enhance the picture of the cake(s) therefore creating a setting and an atmosphere for the customer giving them an idea as to what they want. It will only help in their decision not as to whether they want you to make the cake but to what design they want. You are taking care to create an album for them to look through therefore letting them know that you care about each individual and their wants and needs.

I say go for it!!!


Amy
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post #3 of 15
1/19/06 at 8:40am
I did the same exact thing!

My other current hobby is scrapbooking, so I made an album of all of my cakes and cookies. The pages were minimally decorted, so that I didn't take away form the cake pictures, but if I matched a cake design to a party theme, I put something related to that on the page. I don't sell my creations - only make them for family and friends - but people love to see the things I've done and I love to have this to look through... And, photos of all of my cakes and cookies are in one place, so when someone askes me to do something for them, they can look throught he book and see if they like one that I've done before or want something different.

Have fun creating!
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post #4 of 15
1/19/06 at 8:45am
I agree, I think the scrapbook idea would look awesome.

I've seen stark boring portfolios and while the cakes were nice, it was just so boring; there was no context for them.

Like cakemommy said, I think it will create a kind of atmosphere for the cakes, making them more appealing.
MM & BB.

Practice random acts of kindness and senseless beauty.
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MM & BB.

Practice random acts of kindness and senseless beauty.
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post #5 of 15
1/19/06 at 8:51am
I think your customers would think that you really go the extra mile if you pay that much attention to details in your portfolio. Go for it!
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post #6 of 15
1/19/06 at 8:58am
I guess I have the unpopular view here. I love to scrapbook, but I think a cake portfolio should be a little more crisp and clean. You want to show off you cakes and not distract from the pictures with a lot of other stuff in the background. The most I would do would be a simple background and maybe an elegant border. Your cakes should be the star. I've never seen any professional portfolios done scrapbook style. Just my opinion!
My drug of choice is FROSTING!
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My drug of choice is FROSTING!
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post #7 of 15
1/19/06 at 8:58am
Thread Starter 
Thanks everyone, I'll start cutting tonight!!!

My idea behind it was I thought it would show that I could go along with a theme if requested and then himself said it wouldn't look as professional, but then again he's the accountant I'm the baker, lol.


Hmm then I read Kristy's and I'm thinking maybe he's right..... Oh dear will have to think about this a bit more!
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post #8 of 15
1/19/06 at 10:11am
Just as long as it is not boring the customer will continue looking at each and every page featuring your cakes. If they are boring with just a picture and a little trim around it then they might not go on! Just some thoughts on capturing a customer. Not that your cakes won't capture them but it's going to be the few decorations on the page that they will notice first and then they will look further and see your lovely edible creation!!!


Amy
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post #9 of 15
1/19/06 at 10:44am
I have been doing mine like this somewhat... I don't think that ever page with a different paper and stuff will look that great but I am doing a few different colors of paper. I am matching my website to an extent so I am mostly using colors from that. I use one color paper, or shade of that color, for each thing. So weddings are all in a med pink, birthdays all in a light pick etc. I am adding some stickers and embellishments but not a ton. I have made similiar ones before for people that keep them at their shops and they always like them.
Bonnie
www.InspiredOccasions.com
http://inspiredcaker.blogspot.com/
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Bonnie
www.InspiredOccasions.com
http://inspiredcaker.blogspot.com/
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post #10 of 15
1/19/06 at 10:53am
There have been a few other threads on this subject. You might want to check out this one.

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-12003-portfolio.html

I really like Boonenati's pictures too. They are clean, crisp, no backround distraction, and really add to the overall look of the cake, yet it is not over done. Sometimes simple is best.

I am doing mine like a scrapbook too. Just framing the pic with a color boarder that makes it pop, and A brief discription of the cake, icing, ect.

One idea I had was to put my thank you notes and my own personal ideas of the cake on the back of the page, where I know where it is but noone else can see it. You know notes of what I would do different.
My 14 year old golden fur baby. If you think this is funny you should see the rest of the baby album!
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My 14 year old golden fur baby. If you think this is funny you should see the rest of the baby album!
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post #11 of 15
1/19/06 at 11:02am
Personally, I think scrapbooking a portfolio is a great idea. I do agree with peacockplace to a certain degree. I think simple is better and less distracting from the cake picture. But I also agree with Alien_Sunset regarding boring portfolios. My wedding pictures are in the album the photographer put them in and while it's a nice album, it's kind of plain.

When I finally get around to putting my new portfolio together (my old one was scrapbooked) I'll be making it scrapbook style. I will keep it simple and 'elegant' or as elegant as you can make a page containg pictures of a child's birthday cake that is... I think as long as the pages aren't too too busy, the backgrounds and borders really add to the pictures. Think of it like a cake. Who wants a boring white cake with a FBCT just flopped there in the middle? We add stuff to the rest of the cake to make it look nicer.... I personally wouldn't add a lot of stickers (or stamps for those of us Stamper's out there) or make a very busy looking page where the picture will be lost though, just a few here or there and maybe use colors to tie into the cake's theme...

Sparklycake, I think you're on the right track with your ideas.
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post #12 of 15
1/19/06 at 11:09am
I also think that scrapbooking style enhances the picture. I agree it doesn't have to be elaborately embellished but it definitely makes viewing your portfolio more interesting, IMHO. (Can you tell that I have spent just as much money on scrapbook supplies as I have on cake decorating toys? LOL!)
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post #13 of 15
1/21/06 at 8:00am
hi all there must be something in the web because i was too thinking of doing a scrapebook for my cakes, crarying a brag book around don't help much either thanks for the hinits
my hobbies CAKE decorating , mother of 1 with a full life lol . never a dull moment when im around lol.
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my hobbies CAKE decorating , mother of 1 with a full life lol . never a dull moment when im around lol.
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post #14 of 15
1/23/06 at 2:04am
Thread Starter 
Okay I sorted the few pictures I have so far into my new book this weekend. I scrapbooked a couple of pages and left some plain. Made sure the central focus on the page is a big photo of the cake, decided not to stick coloured paper on to pages first, so the background is white and the description of the cake is in Black ink.

The scrapbooked pages if I can call them that only differ with a couple of stickers in the theme of the cake and it looks clean, crisp but does have a little bit of the theme of the cake showing through.

My Husband spent his evening printing me up Business Cards and I have my first Wedding Cake tasting this evening. I had another enquiry today about a wedding cake, got an email asking to arrange to meet me next week. I'm going to ring today and tell her that I just happen to have some fresh samples ready today and that if it suits it would be an ideal evening for her to call. But suppose if it doesn't suit, it doesn't suit, I start the sample bake again next week!
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post #15 of 15
1/23/06 at 7:43am
I just completed mine and I did it scrapbook style and it turned out nicely. I have had lots of complements on my cake and my scrapbook. I think it shows some of your artistic ability in an area other than cake decorating.
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