My son’s birthday is coming up. This means it’s nearly time for me to attempt another overly ambitious feat of cake decorating. I try to keep with the theme he’s selected, but what I envision in my head is seldom what the guests enjoy.

I remember my mother making really creative cakes for my brother and me. However, my mother is a visual artist; I am a writer.

Google “birthday cake fail” and you’ll find many options. PopSugar offers a 43-picture slide show. BuzzFeed labels its article: “24 People Who Shouldn’t Be Allowed to Decorate Cakes.”

This is mocking people who have made the effort to make their loved one’s birthday that much better. These people didn’t just go to the grocery store and let some professional pipe on “Happy Birthday Sweetie.” No, they added the eggs to that boxed cake mix and pulled out the tub of icing and got creative!

I say suck up the ugly and taste the love!!

In the meantime, here are some of my past efforts (I expect to see these in someone else’s Cake Fail album one day).

For a beach party theme.

These are supposed to be monkeys. Can’t you tell?

Most recent effort became a mess of confetti and cutouts from cereal box as my superhero plan went woefully awry.

Sports-themed cupcakes. Probably my best yet (except for the hockey sticks on the right).