Tell us a little about yourself and your creative business.
Since I was a kid I loved to be in the kitchen. I spent a lot of time baking with my parents and my sisters. There were two things I was keen on: One is gastronomy and the other one is art & crafts. I trained as a pastry chef in London. I worked in high end pastry kitchens - including the famous Harrods until I decided to start my own business and do what I like the most, decorating.
My cookies are based on a traditional recipe from my home country, Hungary. Where I am come from gingerbread is not just for Christmas. Starting from the 18th/19th century the red heart gingerbread was a love gift. It had a special decoration which was a small mirror in the middle and had some lovely icing around, usually floral patterns. The young men bought them for the girl they fancied or intended to marry on a special day – the day of the Church Saint. On this special day every town and village had a fair with amusements, food, candies and sweets and of course gingerbread. You can still find this tradition but today everyone buys them for friends and loved ones. So with my gingerbread biscuits I keep my own country`s tradition but I transfer the pattern of the icing to the modern era and of course putting on my own touch.
I find inspiration everywhere. I have been influenced by folk art and mendhi - henna body painting. I try to follow trends but I also love the vintage look. I collect vintage china which inspires me and sometimes I find inspiration in a color.
I feel that every sale is a success, especially if I get good feedback, and it’s a success that my decorated biscuits put smiles on people`s faces and give them a tasty treat.
What challenges do you face selling online?
I find online selling a bit challenging because you can`t count on a fixed income. One day you have orders, the other day you don`t. Its kind of a mystery what will happen the next day. You have to work really hard to promote yourself, spend lots of time on social media, be member of teams and groups who promote each other. My business is not even a year old, and I haven`t achieved consistency yet here on Etsy, so I know I need to work harder with online marketing to get more sales.
My suggestions to anyone selling on Etsy is to have great photographs, excellent communication with the customer and most importantly to be yourself. Every person is a unique individual, and the individual talent and ideas are what make this site so wonderful.
Thank you Szilvia for sharing your story and your beautiful cookies with us. What a wonderful and innovative gift idea!
Next week we will select another another Etsy artist to feature. If you would like to be considered for our Artist of the Week, just drop me or Zoica a note via Etsy convo.
Thanks for stopping by...
Until next time,
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