Your business began in 2013 and has grown in leaps and bounds in just a few short years.
What do you attribute your success to?
I've really been blessed and I still feel the need to pinch myself every so often! With every cake, I try to create something that is a little different than the ones before but always with attention to clean lines. Every cake designer has that one little thing (or more than one little thing) they really emphasize on their cakes and clean lines is one of mine!
Where do you find your design inspiration?
I love getting inspiration from fashion, art, nature, architecture - inspiration is really everywhere! It can be the ceiling tile texture or a paint swatch or even a pattern on a piece of clothing. I'll see something and take a quick pic with my phone so when I'm designing, I can flip back through for inspiration.
Do you have any advice for decorators starting their own cake business?
You'll spend way more time on the business side of cake than actually designing cakes, especially at first! It's so important to have policies and procedures in place before you actually need them. It's not the fun stuff to work on, but when you are neck deep in orders, you'll be glad you took the extra time at the beginning to sort out all those business details! Once I had my contracts and policies sorted, I made myself practice on something new at least every week.
It could be making a flower or painting a monogram - something small - but it really helped to give me confidence in skills as well as the knowledge of how long a technique would take on a client cake. helped where business is concerned too!
What are your top three cake decorating tools?
Do you have a favourite cake design to date?
Oh this one is hard! I would say a toothpick (you'd be surprised just how much a little toothpick can do) a good bench scraper and a locking turntable. They may not be fancy but they are things I use with every cake! After those necessities I have my favourite pasta roller and Agbay leveller - things that save time and get consistent results! Tell us about how you got in to cake decorating.
I started making cakes for my kids several years ago, the excitement on their faces when they would see their cakes really hooked me! The more cakes I made, the more my style evolved and I fell in love with cake design! From a young age, I've had a love of the arts and baking, cake has allowed me to combine those loves and grow it into my passion. Food can bring back such wonderful memories, it's an honour to be included in someone's special day or event - that is something I will never take lightly!
What was your background prior to opening your business?
I always loved to craft and make things, I dabbled in making jewellery and painting but when I found cake, I knew I had found my medium! I'm a home schooling mom of 6, so that is still my first priority. We home school until high school, our oldest 2 are in high school now and we still have 4 kiddos still at home that I teach. I've really been blessed to be able to continue to school them while also having a home based business!
I think home schooling so many kiddos really forced me to step up my organisation game. That organisation has definitely Your designs tend to feature delicate, feminine details.
What does your design process entail?
I usually start my designs with a focal point and work out the details from there. I would say my designs tend to lean towards minimalism, so once I have that main focal point designed, it's all about adding in details to work around it and help it to flow from tier to tier. I have so many for many different reasons! Some because of the textures or a technique or even because they were made for a special client or cause. But overall, anything that has some turquoise in it is a favourite!
Have you had any cake disasters?
Yes, we had a cake just this last spring that was bumped after it was set up at the venue. It was a huge 6 tier cake that had separator pillars as well, so it was very, very tall. We got a call from the coordinator that it was leaning, so we flew back to the venue to fix it. It was leaning in two separate directions so I had to disassemble it in front of the guests and shim it up.
I was praying the entire time! Thankfully, it was repairable! We stayed for the rest of the evening to cut the cake because I didn't want anyone else touching it from that point forward! It was definitely stressful. As much as you prepare for every scenario, you can't prepare for things like that! I always say caking is an extreme sport! You and your husband have six children.
How do you manage a work/ life balance?
Thankfully, I am able to work from home which allows me to still be involved with my family and have a business. My husband is a “cake husband” and helps with deliveries. He's also a civil engineer who designed bridges for 15 years, so anytime I have a structure question, he's the go-to guy! But work/life balance is hard, I'm not going to lie! It's a struggle for me, like so many others, trying to keep life in perspective.
Over the last few years, I've come to know just how much I can The artist behind an ever-expanding collection of breathtaking bespoke cakes, Shannon Bond, spoke to us about her design process, how she manages to balance family and cake life, and how she creates masterpieces using the humble toothpick.
An Interview with Shannon Bondof Shannon Bond Cake Design Yourbusinessbeganin2013andhas grown in leaps and bounds in just a few short years.
What do you attribute your success to?
Where do you find your design inspiration?
Do you have any advice for decorators starting their own cake business?
It couldbe makinga flower or painting a monogram- something small -but it really helped to give me confidence in skills as well as theknowledge of how long a technique would take on a client cake.
What are your top three cake decorating tools?
The more cakes I made, the more my style evolved and Ifell in love withcake design! From a young age, I've had a love of the arts and baking, cake has allowedme to combinethose loves and grow it into my passion. Food can bring back such wonderful memories, it's an honour to be included in someone's special day or event -that is something I will never take lightly!
What was your background prior to opening yourbusiness?
I always loved to craftand make things, I dabbled in making jewellery and painting but when I found cake, I knewI had found my medium! I'm a home schooling mom of 6, so that is still my first priority. We home school until high school, our oldest 2are in highschool now and westill have4 kiddos still athome thatIteach.I've reallybeen blessedto be ableto continue to school them while also having a home based business!
What does your design process entail?
Do you have a favourite cake design to date?
I have so many for many different reasons! Some because of the textures or a technique or even because they were madefora special client or cause. But overall, anything that has some turquoise in it is a favourite!
Have you had any cake disasters?
How do you manage a work/ lifebalance?
handle without other areas of our lives starting to slide. Making sure we have time for family time and date nights while also trying to continue to grow a business is hard!As ourkids are getting older, I'm making more of an effort to make sure I don't take"just onemoreorder"soI don'tmiss out on these last years with them all at home orbecome so burned out that I'm not mentally present. These years are priceless and I can't get them back!
What's next for your business?
Hopefully continued growth!I've beenso blessed withthe recognition I've received and want to continue to experiment with techniques and new things. The cake world is a lot like fashion, very quick moving and it's a forever continuing process to evolve and think ahead of trends.I also love having theopportunityto teach.Ihope to continue to do that both with filming classes and teaching in person at cake shows and private studios. It's always so amazing to meet the wonderful people who make up the cake world! There are no better people in the world than people who love food art!
Do you and your family have any Christmas traditions?
We do but not in a big way! Christmas is my most favourite time of year, it's special to our familybecause of our faith but also because of family traditions we have. They aren't big, flashy traditions, I'm not good at being a Pinterest mom - haha! It's just little things we do every year. Putting up the tree while listening to Christmas music followed by hot chocolate and cookies, baking special treats with my kids, driving around the city in our pyjamas to look at Christmas lightdisplaysandourChristmasEve celebration with our extended family.
It's the people you spend your time with that makes it special. Give me my kids and hubby on the couch watching Hallmark movies and I'll be a happy girl forever! 16
More information
Shannon Bond Cake Design facebook.com/sbcakedesign sbcakedesign.com
