Blog and Spotlight

Spotlight: Sam Weisend

Anna Weisend
23 Sep 2020

This month our Spotlight is a little different. We are tying it in with our earlier blog post, When Quitting Doesn’t Mean Failure. We are featuring an award-winning sugar artist who is now an award-winning mixed media artist. Sam Weisend started competing in cake competitions when she was 9. She won many awards, including a live competition as a teenager. She worked for The Grand Finale, a custom cake boutique, all throughout high school and college. She was also an assistant to the directors of The Art of the Cake show. In college, Sam branched out creatively and got a...

When Quitting is Not Failure

Anna Weisend
09 Sep 2020

In speaking with some in our industry, there seems to be a recurring thought-provoking concern or sentiment. “I am afraid if I close my business people will look at me like I am a failure.” Looking Past the Obvious The knee jerk reaction response to that would be “Who cares?”, “What other people think of you is not your business”, or “Don’t worry about what other people think”. While all that is true, it matters to you. You put a lot of heart and soul into what you do. Most creatives leave a little bit of themselves in everything that...

Spotlight

Sugar Artist Spotlight: Kelly Lance

Anna Weisend
26 Aug 2020

We'd like to introduce you to the talented Kelly Lance! Here she is in her own words: The first time I really remember doing something "arty" was when I was four or five years old. It was one of those rainy cold Saturday mornings withnothing to do. My Mother played records (yep, I`m that old) and we woulddraw the pictures in the music. After that my parents signed me up for artlessons with a private tutor and I spent the next several year`s worth ofSaturday mornings with her instead of outside playing. Sometime aroundthis same age I started baking, making...

Inspiration

Take a Risk at Being Bad at Something New

Anna Weisend
12 Aug 2020

When was the last time that you risked being bad at something new? Really got out of your comfort zone and were willing to make a fool out of yourself if it turned out really bad? Why would you even do that? Oh, so many reasons… To check something off your to-do list or your bucket list or your f*** it list To see if you liked it (Green Eggs and Ham anyone?) To see if you could do it To learn something new To expand To have FUN Ahhh, to have fun. That is a big one. All work...

Spotlight

Sugar Artist Spotlight: Tiffany Turner

Anna Weisend
22 Jul 2020

While Tiffany Turner has always had a love for baking, most of her time was spent pulling all nighters at the University of Florida. It was here that she received her Master of Architecture degree. Due to the 2008 economic recession, she was never given the opportunity to actually work in the field. After a few years of trying different business ventures, a close friend suggested to Tiffany that she start selling cookies. After much hesitation, Tiffany decided to combine her love for baking with the design skills she obtained during her time at UF. In December of 2012, she decorated her very first set of cookies and after months of practice she realized she was on to...

business

How to Price Your Work

Anna Weisend
08 Jul 2020

“What should I charge for my cake/cookie/cupcake/cakepop/chocolate/lollipop/pie/candy/snack?”…is the still the most popular question received by most instructors. The answer is something closely related to this…”That depends.” It depends on where you live: Different parts of the country have different standards of living and therefore prices are different. It depends on what type of product you offer: Are you making a cake with a cake mix with shortening buttercream or a chiffon cake with a European buttercream? One costs more than the other. It depends on the service you offer: Are you pumping out a standard product or are you...