Hello, Candice. Thank you so much for letting me interview with you. First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hi! I'm Candice--I'm almost 26, my current occupation is "student," and I live a very full life that includes my husband Anthony, our two dogs Snellie and Otis, my graduate classes, a still-unfinished thesis, running, cake decorating, crafting, and preparing for Anthony to leave for Marine Corps Officer Candidate School. I have lived in Kentucky all of my life (for better or worse!), and we currently live in Bowling Green, which is more-or-less in-between both of our families, who we visit on opposite sides of the state. I have big dreams, and I'm working really hard to finally
finish up with school so that we can officially start our "grown-up" lives together when Anthony leaves for the Marines.
Sounds like you are pretty busy! What are your "big dreams?" What do you want to do in your grown up life?
Definitely—but I don't know a graduate student who isn't busy! As for my "big dreams," I want to be able to actually make a living doing what I love—of course, who doesn't, but unfortunately it seems very rare. Right now my cake decorating and my Etsy shop are both for fun and for a little extra spending money here and there while I'm still in school, and a relaxing hobby for when I actually do have a free moment to take time for myself and do something I enjoy. We also want to start a little family someday when we're good and ready—which is definitely not right now!—but it is on the radar, and I'd like to do even more to create a purposeful, handmade home when that time comes.
What made you decide to start "Golden Frame Cake Studio?" How long has it been up and running?
I like to say it has been "unofficially" up and running since my little brother's sixteenth birthday—seven years ago!—when I first started taking an interest in cake decorating. I used a box mix and icing from a can and a computer printout of his yearbook photo, and made him a driver's license cake. I was so proud of it at the time, but I'm sure if I dug up those pictures again, I would be completely mortified!
As for my Etsy shop, I started Golden Frame Cakes this past October, with my upcycled cake plates. I'm a huge supporter of making old and discarded things new and useful again, and I read a magazine article where someone was finding new uses for different types of dishware—it was probably Martha—and I thought what a great idea it would be to do something similar by upcycling pretty, individual plates that had lost their mates into unique and functional cake stands. It was kind of a natural extension from decorating cakes to making cake stands, and now I'm also dabbling in other small handmade house wares for the shop as well.
Where do you get your inspiration? What are some of your favorite books, websites, blogs, or other etsy shops?
Oh my, I get my inspiration from a lot of sources—but especially for cakes, my inspiration usually comes from who the cake is for. Cakes are often the climax of the whole party—and not only say something about the event, but also who is being honored, and on that particular moment in their life. It's so much fun and such an honor to have a small part in the creation of someone else's fond memories—and it is also really inspiring.
As for my Etsy shop, I am most inspired by the Etsy community! It is such a wealth of information and inspiration—from the blog, to the forums, to other shops… there are so many fantastic ideas, it's very supportive, and there are a lot of people who like to actively help others succeed, even though in large part we're all total strangers. All the items and shops I have marked as Favorites are here: http://www.etsy.com/people/goldenframecakes/favorites (and my birthday is coming up you know, May 11, just in case you were wondering… ha!)
Off Etsy, I can never get enough of:
Martha
CakeSpy
Real Simple Magazine
Cake Wrecks
Hostess with the Mostess
Bakerella
And as for books, I am digging:
One-Yard Wonders by Patricia Hoskins and Rebecca Yaker
Gorgeous Cakes by Annie Bell
Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott
Martha Stewart's Wedding Cakes by Martha Stewart with Wendy Kromer
Handmade Home by Amanda Blake Soule
What are your favorite items in your shop?
My very favorite items are the cake stands that compel people to write in to tell me that their great-Aunt Bea or somebody had a set of dishes just like that—and share a story with me. The nostalgia, and the warm memories that dishware can bring to people is amazing. That has definitely been one of the most unexpected and rewarding aspects of running my little Etsy shop.
If money grew on a tree in your backyard, what would you buy with it?
I'm pretty practical with money—I'd take care of a lot of things we have an need for first, like paying off our student loan debt (it would have to be a BIG tree, ha!), and putting a nice little pile of it away for a house, and then I'd get us a new vehicle. After all that, if the poor little tree was actually still blooming, I'd get crazy with the fun stuff—craft and cake supplies, an electric scooter, a motorcycle for Anthony, a new laptop, a transatlantic cruise vacation, a personal chef… haha!
Do you have any advice for those who want to start their own etsy (or other crafty) shop?
Go for it! The only thing holding you back is yourself. It's not like I'm wildly successful and have all kinds of sales and features and am some kind of authority to be able to give this kind of advice, but I really believe that as with anything, you get out of it what you put into it—so if you make the time and find the energy and focus, if you're determined to read a lot and learn and constantly work on improving, then there's no reason that you can't be as successful as you want to be.
Thanks so much!
Candice, it really has been a pleasure to talk to you! Thank you so much!
Thank you! It really is an honor and has been loads of fun!
