Im new to cake decorating and am struggling forming my own ideas, I love Debbie Brown's way of doing cakes, and I can follow intructions and make them look like the orginal , but I find it hard coming up with my own ideas. Is this something that comes in time? or is it a case of you either have or you don't? Even though i'm following other ppl's ideas will that help me eventually discover my own ideas, this cc has been such a inspiration to me and the girls at college, but feel that I will never be as good as some on here. This week at college it was sugar paste modelling, you can see from my gallery that I have been practising. I love minaturising Debbie's cakes into 3-4" toppers, by doing this am I really learning modelling skills or is it more a case of copying skills. I'm hoping that by copying I am developing techniques that will help me eventually master the art of using my skills and eventually be able to do make my own ideas. I have only been doing cakes since Sept having never before been able to decorate or cook a cake, I feel that I have come along way since then , but still struggle with cake block. Any advice you can give to help would be greatly recieved.
Thanks
ps this site is the best on the net , everyone is friendly and helpful , the only drawback is my butt is expanding as I can't drag myself away from my laptop!!
Attached is 1 of my teddies that I amm proud to say was 1 of my ideas.

I think a lot of us struggle with coming up with our own ideas at first. Often times I take ideas from several cakes on here and combine them into one. Your modeling is fantastic, and being as though you just started this 6 months ago, I think you're doing fine! Keep using other cakes as inspiration, and one day, you'll sit down to plan a cake, and you'll just have one idea after another pop into your head! Keep up the good work!

Thanks for that I hope to 1 day be as good as I can be , I'm 38 and can't believe I lived before without cake decorating, its amazing how rewarding this craft is especially when you give a cake to someone, their reactions are priceless. My mum has terminal cancer and I have to say this craft has kept sane. Its good therapy and very rewarding.

I'm sorry to hear about your mother, but am happy that you found joy in caking! Have you started dreaming about cakes yet? lol

With what you've posted here (the pink teddy bear is perfect!), plus your interest, motivation and practice, there's no question that you'll be creating your own beautiful cakes that other people will be copying!
I think you're probably already there, but you just don't yet realize it!
Best wishes.

Oh my well thats a question, as I posted in another topic............and you going to think i'm mad, but as I drag myself away from here at night I lay in bed thinking of my new knowledge and ideas from cc.........I have had some right old cake night terrors...........once dreamt I was being chased by a huge blob of royal icing woke up completely freaked out.. had dreams of giant cookies............and dreamt of a reward appeal for my kidnapped chocolate chips. I hold cc responsible for my cake terrors. Where it says at the top left : warning , this website is highly addictive.......it should also warn of cake terror dreams. lol I think my GP would think i'm completely mad.................lol. I also now have a pad & pen next to my bed as often wake up in the night with ideas............do you think this is normal??? lol

Thx sweetjan for your lovely comments, I think in time I will realize it but being a newbie I thrive on ppls comments, it lets me know i'm inproving as i'm my own worst critic.

I have that problem too. I want a cake to look good so it doesn't disappoint the customer! I'm hoping the more I do this, the more the ideas will start to come.

"Cake people are not normal!" Our minds, or at least mine, are always going!! I scribble ideas while I am at work at my 'real' job and even carry a small notepad in my purse if I see something that I think would look cool on a cake. For example, my DH and I were walking at the mall the other day when I saw a young girl wearing a funky sweatshirt, so I just whipped out my handy-dandy notebook (little Blue's Clues reference there... can you tell I have a 3-y-o at home!) and started to sketch the color combo quick. My hubby, knowing me and accepting the 'cake-crazed' wife, just smiled!! I also have a sketch book which I doodle out ideas and cut / paste pictures from magazines with color combinations or designs for inspiration.
In no time you will be designing your own cakes!! Keep up the good work!!
~ Jaime

Well ladybug you just made me realise i'm not mad........my tutor was doing a talk the other day and I had to design a cake for college that had modelling in, me being stuck for ideas as she was doing her talk she mentioned the word wash.......on my that was it I screeched stop while she was in full flow. I said thats it a washing line baby cake would be just perfect. Everyone laughed , I think they have all excepted at college i'm abit mad. Amazing where your inspirations come from.

That's funny you mention a washline baby shower cake - that's what I am working on right now!!! Funny!!! Well, I SHOULD be working on my sculpting but here I am on CC, just a tap, tap, tapping away!!!
Best wishes!! ... and keep that pen and paper handy because you never know when a word or color will 'slap your face' with inspiration!!
~ Jaime

I completely agree with all of the people that chimed in here. We are a "special" bunch. hehehe. Keep going the way you are, and as you get sucked in further into this "through the looking glass" life style you will begin to get inspired in the oddest of places.

Everywhere I go, I see cake. In the toy store, "oooo that stuffed animal will make a cute cake".

In the doctors office, "ooooo that stethescope would be challenging to make out of fondant and I can add some fake needles and a doctors prescription pad."

While talking to someone you just met: She says, "I have three kids and my youngest is going to turn one in a coupld of months."

And you immediately think, "Gosh, I wonder if she needs a cake?!" as your heart races.

I can go on and on.

Soon, your world will turn to cake... ok.. I'm stopping. I'm getting that, "go for the frosting" look in my eyes.

Have fun.

Just to prove my point... I woke up at 6 AM with a Migrane, ON A WEEKEND AAAAAA, and the second thing I did after taking my meds with a cup of coffee.. is tune into Cake Central.

If that isn't "special"... I don't know what is.

You guys are so funny!! I must admit im already thinking like that, done the soft toy thing , nice to know i'm not alone in my madness. I used to love scrapbooking and seem to have brought that with me into cakes, I did Debbie Browns Mr men cake which is in my gallery, for my friend to say thanks for taking my youngest to school while I attend college, I added there car with company letters, added chocolate hedgehog as they have 1 in their garden ( well a real1 not chocolate) Did a pea caterpillar as 1 of her twins hates peas, added playtime sweet as my friend a teacher, Family name above house etc, its amazing how you can personalize a cake to who its going to, just like scrapbooking. Good luck with the washline cake be sure to post a photo.

Whenever I'm looking for inspiration I look at the online equivalent of fabric swatches. For instance, I am going to be doing a cake for a girl who loves BRIGHT colors, and as cute as some of the cakes on here are, I found a lot of similarly designed cakes and there was nothing that really struck my fancy. So I googled paisley and stripes after sifting through a few pages of results I found some that I really like... two in particular that I'm going to be using.