Hi Ladies,

I was recently requested to make a birthday for a little girl. When I met up with the parents both of which I attended high school with. They explained they wanted 2 flavors, no filling just plain.

We all sat down, talked and was told they would like the cake to resemble Minnie Mouse using dark pink. Their exact words were "Do whatever you think looks best".

They sampled some flavors and we agreed I would be making their cake.

Soooooooooo today was the big day.

Long story short she came and picked it up. I walked to her car, placed it. Explained dowels inside of cake, etc.

She said "Thank you" and really nothing more.

I feel as if I did something wrong or it wasn't to her liking. I sent her a text because I know she is with family and busy but I sense she hated it. 

Would you kindly give your opinions?

Did I do something wrong?!

i think it is adorable

is there a blip in the fondant on the right on the bottom tier? it might be a weird camera reflection i don't know

regardless it's a super cute cake

even when someone says--do whatever --

they can have a vision softly creeping in their brain you'll never know about because they can't or don't tell you~

honestly--i'd try & suck it up--no news is good news~too bad if she hates it--you did a good job~

if she can't explain what she wants hoepfully she won't call & complain~

even if you feel a disturbance in the force~it's a sweet cake

Nope, that cake is adorable.  Sometimes when people are having a birthday party for their child (or any party for that matter), they are stressed out and thinking about other things so they don't react to the cake as much as they might if they weren't the hosts.  When people host parties they want everything to be perfect...except for me...(I just dump the kids in a room and let them play).  I am sure she will text you later.  If not, assume she liked the cake b/c she didn't give negative feedback either.

yes so true what norasmom said

also there's the phenomenon of the hokey pokey effect lost in this case, unfulfilled~

http://cakecentral.com/t/755918/how-do-you-keep-your-fondant-from-drying-out-while-working-with-it

cakemommy2012 wrote this in post 9:

you don't get that every time, cookielvr13 -- you gotta kiss a lotta frogs, baby 

but to me (and seems like you too) that's what it's all about (the hokey pokey effect ;)

just keep saying no news is good news no news is good news... ;)

Thanks ladies!!

AI think it's adorable too!!! Some people just have no manners and don't do compliments! I think you did a great job!!!

AYou can't read minds! She can't call and complain if she told you "do whatever" when ever I do a cake consult I ask a million questions and ask for clip art emailed to try to get as close as they want but if they don't tell you , it's decorators choice, that's just the way it is. You did a good job and odviously put alot of work into it. All that matters is you liked it !

Adorable.  You did a great job.  I would be thrilled to get that cake.  Most people just don't know how much work goes into making a cake like that.

The only thing that throws me off about the cake is the top. The pink top with the flower coming out of it with the the ears attached to the side. To me it looked like an upside down flower pot (maybe because of the fondant ribbon around the base of it). I would have eliminated the pink hat and did it the way you see most Minni/Mickey Mouse hats and do it all black. Otherwise the rest of it is adorable!
 

ooohh I love it!  Think you've done a great job there :)

I think we all need to be less sensitive about negative remarks, or in this case, no remarks at all. If you are charging, it is a business deal. You fulfilled your part of the agreement, i.e. the cake was well done. A compliment is "extra pay," which is nice but not required. And, as others have pointed out, she likely had other things on her mind. Case in point: I made a really cute two tier cake for my grandson and his wife's baby shower/party. When I arrived, she said, "Just put it over there." Nothing else. Yes, I was a little miffed. As the evening progressed, it was obvious she had other things to worry about, such as the food arriving late and not enough of it, planning a sit-down dinner and then having the weather turn frigid and windy. So, hours later, when everyone's attention turned to dessert, there were ooh's and aah's all other the place for my cake. It went so fast, my grandson didn't get any of his favorite flavor. Now, I could again be negative and overly sensitive and think everyone was just still hungry, but I prefer to believe my cake was beautiful and delicious.
 

There are so many cakes that I pour my heart and soul into and when they pick them up-Nothing!  My heart sinks a little but I have to tell myself that I DID A GOOD JOB!  It don't matter that they like it nessarily-If you tried your best and you are happy with it that should be all that matters!  If she left with it without saying anything then it's fine.  A few times that it has bugged me and I have called the customer they usually were like "oh yea it was fine" usually making me feel worse!  I think it was a GREAT cake!  Don't let them get you down!  =-)

AI think it's really cute! I wouldn't think she would be unhappy unless she had a completely different vision which she didn't share with you .

Did you possibly spell the name wrong? Camila only has one L. I think the cake looks great btw :).

I really like the work that you did and it does look wonderful, however you mentioned that they wanted a Minnie Mouse cake, and my first thought was that it doesn't have a Minnie Mouse look. Sure it is pink and black but to go with the theme that was requested it seems like it's missing something. Sorry. but I do like it.

A

Yeah I was gonna put a bow but decided to do classic minnie

A

I did double check prior to finishing the name. It's spelled with 1 L. The family is latino, two LL's in the name would throw off the pronunciation in Spanish.

ACute!

As another poster said she may have been stressed about about the party, thus why I take pictures and send them before hand. Then they have time to be all excited. :)

AI hardly ever send photos ahead of time. (The rare exception being recently when the bride was desperate to see her cake and was busy all morning, and it had already been paid for in full two weeks prior.) Sending photos before they see it in person is dangerous, unless the cake has been paid in full before you send the photo. It leaves too much possibility for them to pick something apart and find something to not want to pay.

Cake looks fine!!   Yes, she was probably just consumed with everything else that was going on. 

One BIG BIG piece of advice, though, NEVER EVER EVER, from now on, if they tell you..."just do whatever"...that is setting yourself up for a possible disaster.  I have been decorating for 12 years and I have done a couple of 'whatever I wants' and they ALWAYS go wrong.  Make sure you SEE their vision.  Just trust me on this.  If they have to draw it out for you, then make them.  Do whatever you can to make sure you are making what they want or one day you might get one of 'those' customers who doesn't want to pay because it wasn't what THEY envisioned, even though they told you to do whatever you wanted.  (this doesn't just pertain to cakes either...my husband used to create commercials and he used to deal with customers who said "be creative and do what you think"....he told me every time that happened he would have to re do them because it wasn't what the customer had in mind)  Just a kind word of advice.

 

A

Thank you! I will def do this in the future. Better to be safe than sorry

Awww, it's adorable!  I wouldn't worry too much, I'm sure it was stress.  I had something like that happen just last weekend.  I think it's because I'm quite spoiled by my family's oohs and aahs too, lol.  The lady just said thanks...but then I saw on FB that her son just LOVED it, so it made me feel better.  

ok you guys listen for a minute <cups hand around ear> <raises eyebrows> <gets quizzical look on face>

what you are hearing is the phone not ringing with bad news about the cake

i'd trade that for being gushed over any day!!!

well done seriously cute cake--

i've told this story before but...my son went from cooking at a bar, the blue monkey, to handling the weekend shift as chef at a hotel--he said, 'mom they (the guests) look at me funny when i come out of the kitchen now--i think it's the food' i said, 'everybody knows it's hotel food--it's ok' i said, 'what happened at the other place?' he said, 'when i came out of the back--they applauded'

i guess we ain't in kansas at the blue monkey anymore ;)

Oh I hear Ya K8memphis!  I am jumping for joy when they get their cake and walk away with it!  I usually hold my breathe for a few seconds to brace myself for any bad comments but I rarely ever have any!  And when I do it's generally minor things that I can fix.

I know I have done the best I can do and if they don't like that then they don't have to order from me!  I def need to work on my skills some but I don't let the lack of enthusiasm from the customer stop me from doing what I love!  =-)

I think its very pretty..

Our cakes are like other forms of art,  Open to interpretation!  She gave you carte blanche and you did great.  Give yourself a pat on the back, chin up.  I validate myself because my customers keep coming back.  I have a customer who is a party planner, she also is a skilled cake decorator, but I am her baker, decorator.  I don't get compliments on the individual cake. She sends me a pic, I make it, she pics it up and job completed.  Occasionally we talk and she says things like, I trust you, you do great things.  I have freedom to make changes that I feel will enhance the cake.  Do I get nervous, Yes, you bet.  but since she keeps coming back and so do my others, I have realized they are happy.