Isn't this cookie fabulous?
I am lucky enough to know her creator. CeRae has her own cookie business Sweet Dreams here in California. Lucky for everyone out there, she can ship her cookies just about anywhere. We are cooking (well, she is cooking) up something for my daughter's upcoming birthday. Will show ya later ;)
I am lucky enough to know her creator. CeRae has her own cookie business Sweet Dreams here in California. Lucky for everyone out there, she can ship her cookies just about anywhere. We are cooking (well, she is cooking) up something for my daughter's upcoming birthday. Will show ya later ;)
Here are a few more examples of her incredible creations:
I love to see creative women start their own businesses. Great role models for our girls!
So I decided to ask CeRae a few questions about how she got her business started. Please share with any smart girls in your neck of the woods!
So I decided to ask CeRae a few questions about how she got her business started. Please share with any smart girls in your neck of the woods!
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Where did you grow up?
My Dad was in the army, and my parents were divorced when I was six. So my sister and I moved A LOT. I was born in California, but we also lived in Germany, Texas,Florida, and Oklahoma, with a few other stops in between.
What was the first kind of baking you did?
I didn’t start baking until I was a grown up, but I do remember my Aunt teaching me how to make scrambled eggs when I was 8. I stood on a stool at the stove, and she helped me step by step. I was very proud of myself and thought it was the neatest thing to be able to make breakfast for my cousins, and I’ve loved scrambled eggs ever since!
What did your parents do to encourage you to succeed in life?
My Mother is a very smart girl! She worked very hard to work and go to nursing school when we were kids. She also loves to read. She encouraged my love of reading and always encouraged me to work hard in school and to go to college.
What education do you have?
I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Sustainable Agriculture and Entomology from The Evergreen State College in Washington State. I also went to art school for one year in Philadelphia, PA. I love science and studying the natural world. I see beauty, color,and art in everything around me - from an insect under a microscope, to wildflowers blooming in the spring, to COOKIES!
How did you learn to decorate cookies so beautifully?
Experimenting!
I was invited to a Holiday cookie exchange party in 2006 and decided to decorate some
snowflake cookies like ones I had seen on a magazine cover. I read some directions on
basic cookie frosting, mixed up some colors, and experimented until I came up with
some of my own designs that I liked. Each cookie I’ve done since then is basically the same process.
When did you start your cookie business?
Since everyone at the cookie exchange party liked my cookies so much, I thought I might be on to something. So, around the spring of 2007 I decided to start Sweet Dreams.
What is the best part of your job?
Being able to express myself creatively, spending time in my kitchen, and making people smile!
What part do you find the most difficult?
Finding enough time to do it all.
Have you had any huge kitchen disasters?
During this past Christmas season I had a lot of cookie orders to fill. I was working around the clock to make sure that I had enough cookies. One morning I found my 3 year old hiding behind a chair in his brother’s room. He had taken one of my cookies,unwrapped it, and was nibbling away!!
What I learned from this was to always try to be prepared - since then I make sure
to decorate a few extra cookies (in case some get broken... or eaten :)
What kinds of cookie activities would you recommend to smart girls?
Let your imagination go wild! Any idea can be made into a cookie. There are hundreds of cookie cutter shapes out there. And if you can’t find the shape you’re thinking of,you could get a grown up to help you make a cookie cutter (there are kits available online). I make a lot of my own cookie cutters. Think of the cookie as a piece of paper,and the frosting as paint - it really is a piece of artwork that you can eat when you’re finished!
Where did you grow up?
My Dad was in the army, and my parents were divorced when I was six. So my sister and I moved A LOT. I was born in California, but we also lived in Germany, Texas,Florida, and Oklahoma, with a few other stops in between.
What was the first kind of baking you did?
I didn’t start baking until I was a grown up, but I do remember my Aunt teaching me how to make scrambled eggs when I was 8. I stood on a stool at the stove, and she helped me step by step. I was very proud of myself and thought it was the neatest thing to be able to make breakfast for my cousins, and I’ve loved scrambled eggs ever since!
What did your parents do to encourage you to succeed in life?
My Mother is a very smart girl! She worked very hard to work and go to nursing school when we were kids. She also loves to read. She encouraged my love of reading and always encouraged me to work hard in school and to go to college.
What education do you have?
I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Sustainable Agriculture and Entomology from The Evergreen State College in Washington State. I also went to art school for one year in Philadelphia, PA. I love science and studying the natural world. I see beauty, color,and art in everything around me - from an insect under a microscope, to wildflowers blooming in the spring, to COOKIES!
How did you learn to decorate cookies so beautifully?
Experimenting!
I was invited to a Holiday cookie exchange party in 2006 and decided to decorate some
snowflake cookies like ones I had seen on a magazine cover. I read some directions on
basic cookie frosting, mixed up some colors, and experimented until I came up with
some of my own designs that I liked. Each cookie I’ve done since then is basically the same process.
When did you start your cookie business?
Since everyone at the cookie exchange party liked my cookies so much, I thought I might be on to something. So, around the spring of 2007 I decided to start Sweet Dreams.
What is the best part of your job?
Being able to express myself creatively, spending time in my kitchen, and making people smile!
What part do you find the most difficult?
Finding enough time to do it all.
Have you had any huge kitchen disasters?
During this past Christmas season I had a lot of cookie orders to fill. I was working around the clock to make sure that I had enough cookies. One morning I found my 3 year old hiding behind a chair in his brother’s room. He had taken one of my cookies,unwrapped it, and was nibbling away!!
What I learned from this was to always try to be prepared - since then I make sure
to decorate a few extra cookies (in case some get broken... or eaten :)
What kinds of cookie activities would you recommend to smart girls?
Let your imagination go wild! Any idea can be made into a cookie. There are hundreds of cookie cutter shapes out there. And if you can’t find the shape you’re thinking of,you could get a grown up to help you make a cookie cutter (there are kits available online). I make a lot of my own cookie cutters. Think of the cookie as a piece of paper,and the frosting as paint - it really is a piece of artwork that you can eat when you’re finished!
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I would like to thank CeRae for doing the first official Smart Girls Fun Interview. As you can see, I know a smart girl when I see one :)
1 comment:
Wow! Smart cookie indeed. Those cookies are amazing. I'm tempted to get married again just so I can have a wedding cookie cake.
The interview is a great idea, Margerie. You're a smart girl, too!
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