Meet Nikki Maffei from Bakked by Nikki...
I am currently employed as a Registered Dietitian with the Summit County WIC program in Akron, Ohio. I have been a dietitian for four years. I have one son, Cameron, who is 14 and entering high school this year. He is very active in baseball, which keeps us very busy in the summer and throughout the year. I love being Cameron's mom. I consider it a privilege to be to see the world through his eyes every day! This will be my first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show!
I have been decorating cookies since about November of last year. I stumbled upon a blog post (The Adventures of Sweet Sugarbelle) that had some amazing cookies on it for Day of the Dead; skull shaped cookies with bright colors. The more I looked through the blog, the more intrigued and interested I became. I had to try it! I have always enjoyed painting and drawing and this was a great way to combine my love of baking with art.
I get my inspiration from other bakers such as Sweet Sugarbelle, Bake at 350, Hayley's Cakes and Cookies, Sweetopia and many more. I also get inspiration from patterns or if someone asks me to make cookies for a specific event, I try to match the theme of that event.
How I got started decorating... The more pictures and blogs of cookie decorators I looked at the more and more interested I became. I just thought "I can do that!" So I gave it a try and have been hooked ever since.
How I got started selling... My friends and family have been a huge influence on me. They have all encouraged me to sell and get my name out there. I started posting pictures on Facebook and receiving a few orders.
My creative process starts with some research on the web. I love looking at what other cookies decorators are doing. I then trace the cutters I'm going to use on plain paper and then use colored pencils to design the cookies.
Decorating cookies just makes me happy! I also love the feedback I get from customers. The message behind my work is eat beautiful cookies and be happy!!
Meet Sara Syed from Misty Gardens...
My name is Sara
Syed. I have a Bachelors degree in
middle-childhood math and science education, a license in Practical Nursing,
and I’m also a level II Reiki therapist.
Currently I’m a stay at home mom with my beautiful three year old
daughter.
I started making
handmade soaps in 1999. My cousin
who was staying with me at the time had a bar of handmade soap that her friend
made and gave to her. I was so
intrigued by this that I started to research how to make handmade soaps. I had also researched about the bad
side effects of all the chemicals used in commercial products and decided to
make my soaps all-natural and chemical free.
Over time, I became
better at making the soaps and started giving them as gifts to friends and
family. Everyone liked the soaps
so much they suggested I should sell them. Of course, hobbies have to be on the back burner when life
gets in the way. But I finally
have a website at www.misty-gardens.com and have ventured to participate in my
first Avant-Garde Arts and Craft Show this fall.
You can view photos of my work at: http://www.misty-gardens.com/
Check out these featured vendors at the 2012 West Side Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show. This eclectic show will feature up to 200 of the most talented artisans and crafters. A portion of the show's proceeds will be donated to Drink Local. Drink Tap. a local non-profit that works in communities to educate people about our local water sources and also helps orphans in Uganda gain access to clean drinking water.
