I am so intrigued to see when people use things like fabric, paper, patterns, etc. to inspire their design. I am really trying to train my mind to do the same thing. However, I am struggling at it. Uggh! I know that many of you do that. If you do, when you take a picture of the cake, could you also include the inspiration behind it and post it here? Or if you come across a picture on the internet, could you post it here? I think it would be fun to see. It also may be a little challenge for those of us are interested in doing the same.

Here's one already posted on CC

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopicp-6509343-.html#6509343

From flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecakespot/3763061101/



http://www.hellolucky.com/wordpress/?p=3164


http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2574466&id=43156326779&ref=mf

http://www.brendasweddingblog.com/wedding-edibles/2009/8/6/wedding-cake-inspired-by-cherry-blossom-paper.html

HEre's one I did to match the napkin: http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1255353

Here's another one (bad pic ... plus it was a free cake for the office where I worked so I didnt care that I only had alum. foil to put on the board!): http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=113233 . By the way, this one was before I discovered FBCT, so it was all drawn freehand.

Here's the invitation I found for my son's first birthday:


I loved the colors from his jammies:



This is the cake that followed:

You might enjoy Margaret Braun's book Cakewalk--she talks in depth about her inspirational thought process--it's a great book.

Wow, all of them are beautiful I wish I could train myself to get inspiration and do my own cake designs, I guess I'm being too lazy, I have to admit, it's easier to go through the galleries and copy a design and I'm really grateful nobody here minds if I do but now reading this thread I'm feeling asshamed and I will start taking baby steps on my next cake

Here is the link to a cake I posted about that was based on a napkin for the party:

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-646602.html


I also did the bus cake in my pictures based on the toy my little cousin LOVED to play with at that age.

I try to be inspired by the occasion and the theme if there is one. I am actually not sure where I would draw inspiration if not for those things. I rarely have the opportunity to cake just b/c I want to cake. I'm usually baking for a particular reason!

Bellatheball - what a great cake!!! Wow!! Amazing and adorable!

Percussiongrrl - you did a really great job duplicating that design!

Here's one I just did this past weekend. It scared me to death, but it turned out to be my favorite cake of the week.

Diane, those flowers are AMAZING! Gorgeous.

Cakesweetie, thanks!

same for me...i use themes, napkins, etc. for a cake that someone is ordering. i also constantly have my camera or my cell phone camera on me at all times so when i see a beautiful flower or a cool invitation/card in a store, i can snap a pic. i also love looking at ribbon and replicating it in cake. here's an example of drawing inspiration from a napkin:

Wow! Very cute cakes! Great job on both of them, UpAt2am and Diane.

I just did a baby shower cake for a coworker who's expecting twins. She's having a boy and a girl and wanted something unique - not pastels. I looked at her registry and noticed a cool patterned fabric in the pack-n-play that she registered for. I designed the cake around that fabric. The pictures below are of the playpen and the finished product cake. She had no idea what the cake was going to be, and when she walked into the shower she exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, it's my playpen!!"

Here's two I did. The bear one was for his first bithday and the cowboy one was for his second.

Here's two I did. The bear one was for his first bithday and the cowboy one was for his second.

Indydebi,

Being a newbie and all what is FBCT?

Here are a couple that I've done where I had to match napkins.

For great examples of cakes and their inspiration (tshirts!), check this out!
http://www.threadcakes.com/gallery/

I have done a few, but this is one of my favorites....

I see a potential cake in everything I see. I carry around a small notebook to jot down ideas, color schemes, etc. I also cut/ paste pictures from magazines, newspaper ads, etc. to help with future cakes. The funniest was asking a co-worker if I could take a picture of her shirt (w/ my camera phone) so I could save the geometric design. Even in my daughter's coloring books, I find themes or patterns that I can incorporate my own color logic, such as my Raggedy Ann cake.
Once you "see a cake" in ordinary objects, you won't be able to stop!!!!
~Jaime

Thanks newmansmom2004...

I did this for my sister-in-law's friend's baby shower.

My SIL sent me this: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2634550

And I made this: http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1355330.html

I do a lot of wedding cake designs based on the brides wedding dress- sometimes lace, sometimes embroidery, sometimes a design element.

I have pictures of my wedding dress cakes and the part of the dress that inspired them posted at: http://family.webshots.com/album/341203964yVrfkE

Wow sewsweet2, those are amazing!

Sewsweet2 That is blow me away amazing your talent is exceptional

Ladybug 76 your cakes are awesome


All you ladies rock

Here is a picture of a baby's nursery and the baby shower cake I did to match it. It was a fun cake to do and the mom-to-be was totally surprised (she didn't know that I had been given a picture of the nursery). The little boy blue picture was also hanging on one of the walls.