It's the 11th Day of our 25 Days Of Christmas Celebration Event! This time around for our 25 Days Of Christmas, we are happy to present Judy, the
wonderful artist behind one of the most delicious shops we’ve seen so far –
Gumpaste Garden & Crafts.
And she is one of our awesome Leaders!!! Many of you know Judy as the manager of our popular weekly SOTD threads leading our cross-promoting initiatives!
The products you’ll find in her shop are
definitely pieces of art: gumpaste flowers and various other gumpaste shapes,
cookies and candies, cake and cupcake toppers!
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| "I love custom orders!" |
Having an impressive experience in this craft, Judy accepted
our invitation to share the secrets behind her activity and some important
pieces of advice. Continue reading and find them out!
1. Please share a little something about yourself!
I am a Wilton Cake Instructor at a local craft store in Niles, Ohio. I have decorated cakes for over forty years and still love it!! I retired a few years ago and started following my dream of being my own boss and Etsy was there for me.
2. Tell us about your shop – what made you open your shop
and when did it happen? Also, what items do you sell?
My shop is mainly gumpaste items for embellishing cakes, cupcakes and candies. I was teaching the Wilton advanced classes which mainly is making gumpaste wired flowers. I soon became addicted to working with the gumpaste and thoroughly loved seeing the lifelike flowers coming to life and knew I had to share them.
I opened my Etsy shop on July 13, 2011 and just received my
374th sale. In my shop, I sell gumpaste flowers, cake toppers, cupcake toppers,
cookies, and candy.
3. What’s the story behind your creations? What got you to
create the items you’re making?
I spend quite a bit of my time creating custom orders. I love custom orders!!! When someone will send me a convo and request that I make something special for them, it is so gratifying. They are letting me share part of their special event. Now, that is special!
4. Please pick one of your items that you feel is most
representative for your shop and tell us what makes it the most special?
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| "Customer satisfaction is paramount for a successful venture" |
I would say that my gumpaste roses really represent my shop. The rose was my very first item that I listed and have done quite a few different variations ever since. I have been asked to make them smaller, larger, various colors and finishes.
5. Please share a little wisdom on time management! How do
you organize your time? How does a typical day selling on Etsy look like – time
spent on orders, on teams, promoting on social media etc?
I set at least three days a week to work all day in my craft room and a couple hours everyday. Working with gumpaste has taught me to be very flexible. The weather plays a large part in how fast or how long the gumpaste takes to dry. Although gumpaste is a very fragile product, it is stronger when it is thoroughly dry.
In my listings, I allow for 7-10 business days for processing to accomodate the weather affects upon my items. Many of my flowers are a few layers, which in turn, need more time to dry. I make all of my orders upon request and do not maintain an inventory.
I set at least an hour or so a day to participate in the discussions of the teams that I am a member. My shop is also on facebook, pinterest and twitter.
6. What’s the best advice you received when you first began
selling? Also, what advice would you give to new sellers – whether it’s about
promoting items, shipping, photography, communicating with clients or whatever
else you feel that new sellers should be aware of?
I believe that joining and participating in teams, hearting shops and adding to favorites helps your shop. Etsians are more than willing to refave your shop back.
I always send a confirmation number and a brief convo to my customers when I ship their order. I then follow up with a convo to see if they are satisfied with their order and to check and see if it had a safe delivery. Repeat customers are the reward you receive if you take pride in your product, package very carefully and give the little extra courtesy follow up. Customer satisfaction is paramount for a successful venture.
7. What are your goals regarding your shop for the near
future?
My goals are to keep my repeat customers coming back to my shop on a regular basis, maintain high quality products at a reasonable price and add more gumpaste products to my shop.
The SPS Team is thanking you, Judy, for sharing all these interesting information with us!
We consider your goals already reached!
We consider your goals already reached!
Visit Judy's lovely shop for more delicious art:
PRESENTED TO YOU BY OUR LEADER:
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I'm Andreea and along with my husband we create "paper miracles". We make cardstock boxes of various shapes and sizes, but also other paper goodies such as die cuts, envelopes, table numbers, gift tags, coasters and more! We truly hope that you will enjoy them just as much as we enjoy making them!
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Enjoyed your interview, Judy. Your creations are so imaginative...and so real! I really like the grapes pictured with your interview. But then I see something else you've done and I love it, too!
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