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Angela Live Chat Bannecontr

As you may know, we had a super lively chat (transcript here) with Angela Nino of The Painted Box last weekend. So lively, in fact, that we didn't have time to get through all of the questions that were posed during the chat.

But, thanks to some speedy keyboard action, I was able to log and save all of the unanswered questions before the chat cut out on us. And, thanks to the generosity of Angela, she has answered each and every one of them below! Woo hoo!

[EDITOR'S NOTE: If you're reviewing the chat transcript, the questions below started at about 11:20 am in that thread.]

COOKIE CELEBRATION

It looks as if you may also hand-cut your cookies!!??

Angela: I do hand-cut some of my cookies. It’s rare for me to make the same cookie over and over, so it’s no big deal to hand-cut some.

COOKIE CELEBRATION 

Your gold tinting on letters is impeccable! Do you use the tiniest brush ever made?

Angela: I love tiny brushes. I will admit to using larger brushes for jobs that require a smaller brush. I guess it is more about the control I have over the brush.

COOKIE CELEBRATION

Love your needlework cookies as well. A technique I've wanted to try, but have not had the patience for!! Which brings me to this question: do you plan out your cookie designs or do you create organically?

Angela: I do not plan my sets. Once the clients provide a theme and color palette, my brain will start to race with ideas. For the most part, I create as I go. The needlework cookie was inspired by textiles that the client sent to me. She was to gift them to a colleague/professor that studies the area of Oaxaca, México. I am all too familiar with those textiles. They reminded me of my late Aunt Alicia who wore textiles such as those almost daily.

YOLIS YUMMIES

Do you have a YouYube channel?

Angela: I do have a YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/thepaintedboxart.

COOKIE CELEBRATION

Regarding the forming of wafer paper, do you wet it and lay it over something to get the shape, or does it set up fast enough for you while you are creating, say, the petals of your flowers?

Angela: I don’t ever form the wafer paper. I don’t fight the wafer paper. I embrace its flaws and work with them.

MEREDITH

Angela, do you see any of your artistic traits/genes in any of your children? If so, do you plan to lead them in the direction of art on edibles or toward a more traditional art path?

Angela: Currently my kiddos have their walls covered in art. It is pretty amazing to see their abilities grow. I know how much art has done for me, so it is great that they seem to love it as I do. That being said, I feel it is important for them to find their own way. If art is the direction they choose, I will support them. If they choose also to work in edible art . . . that would be cool too! I would never want them to restrict themselves to an art future. I will allow them to find their own paths . . . I will be watching creepily behind them. 

COOKIE CELEBRATION

On your needlework pieces, it looks as if you hand-pipe it all in white and then paint over it? Amazing.

Angela: Most of my cookies are all in white and painted over.

SANDRA ALMANZA

Do you offer your customers different cookie flavors/recipes, or do you stick to one or two?

Angela: I keep it simple, vanilla or chocolate.

TERI

What is your source of pigment color or paint?

Angela: I use AmeriColor, Wilton, and Rainbow Dust ProGels.

COOKIE CELEBRATION

Down to business . . . literally. Do you have a full-time business making cookies, and does it sustain you by itself?

Angela: I do have a full-time business, and it does sustain my family.

COOKIE CELEBRATION

Do you sell primarily online or locally?

Angela: I work from home under our cottage food laws. All my sales are local.

COOKIE CELEBRATION

If you ship your cookies, do you have trouble packaging them?

Angela: I do not ship.

KRISTIEN V.

Hi, Angela! Do you sketch out your sets before you create them, and do you ever make the same set twice if a customer requests it from you?

Angela: This ties into a previous question. I do not sketch my sets beforehand. It’s been a couple of years since I have had to repeat a set of cookies. My customers agree to me having total control over the finished design.

KELLYMADETHAT

I find it tricky to pipe intricate details with glaze icing. Any tips for making the piping easier but maintaining the dimension?

Angela: I don’t pipe fine details with glaze. I use royal icing for that.

COOKIE CELEBRATION

Do people ever ask if you can design tattoos for them? Trust me, that is a compliment, as I can see those amazing skulls being used. So fun and whimsical.

Angela: All the time by my real-life friends. My brother is a tattoo artist, actually.

FLAKY PASTRY

Is there anything special you do or use to acquire your watercolor look?

Angela: I use grain alcohol to get the watercolor-like look; the rapid evaporation allows for only the color to be left behind.

KRISTIEN V.

What did you do to help grow your business, and what would recommend to newcomers to help them attract more clients?

Angela: I don’t do much really. I take the best photos I can (with my phone) and post those to my social media accounts. The rest is done by my clients. They share my name and what their experience was with me. People really want to be able to eat what they buy, so having a tasty product helps.

MANU

Why "The Painted Box"?

Angela: When I was just starting out, I needed a way to set me apart from everyone else. I also needed to make a lot of money. I ended up painting roses and other flowers on BRP Box Shop cupcake boxes. I sold 50 boxes of cupcakes for Mother’s Day because of that. When I was thinking of a business name, I kept going back to “The Painted Box”.

JEWELZ&JONES

How much info do you gather from clients before you create their sets/packages? Do you prefer minimal knowledge of what they want, so that you have a blank canvas? I adored how you took us through the evolution of this project from sketch to cake. [EDITOR'S NOTE: I am assuming the tracing of its evolution happened with Angela on Periscope, as it did not happen during our live chat.]

Screen Shot 2016-02-20 at 11.41.02 AM

Angela: The client provides theme, color palette, and décor. I take that and create his/her final package. The sketch process for that package (above) was one of two sketches that I made in 2015. It is very rare that I make a sketch these days. Both of the events for which I made sketches were pretty high-profile events.

JEWELZ&JONES

Angela, do you prefer a cookie or a cake for your palette?

Angela: I prefer any palette. I have been known to paint on my children.

COOKIE BARN

I am having trouble finding the balance with my gel and alcohol mixture, so my wafer paper doesn't curl. Any suggestions?

Angela: I actually prefer texture on my wafer paper. You could try getting a premium-grade wafer paper which basically means thicker wafer paper. Direct air flow will also cause the wafer paper to curl more. If you have an AC vent and the air is directly hitting the paper, it will curl more as it dries.

MEREDITH

Angela, have you ever had any overzealous fans - like stalker-types who made you feel uncomfortable? I'm talking "level 4 stalker"-type - the type who frames your photos and gazes at them while baking.

Angela: I have, but how can you feel uncomfortable when they frame your photo and attach cookies to it? I also love to be serenaded by such people. Doing such things while baking makes that kind of behavior okay with me!

DANO

So I have a very large cookie order (300). I like to bake my cookies as close to the delivery date as possible, but I've never had an order so large. Any suggestions?

Angela: Make a schedule and keep to it, do everything you can do ahead of time (making boxes, making dough, making icing, cutting ribbon, etc.), get a subscription to Netflix (listening helps to keep me on task), and stay off of social media.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Thanks again to Angela for taking time above and beyond our chat to field so many questions. I truly learned a lot, and hope you all did as well!]

Attachments

Images (2)
  • Live Chat (Continued!) Banner: Photos Courtesy of Angela Nino, Graphic Design by Julia M Usher
  • Screen Shot of Cake: Cake by Angela Nino
Last edited by Julia M. Usher
Original Post

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Excellent followup!! Thank you Julia and Angela! So much information from the chat and now the printed followup. Love it.  I'm so inspired and using wafer paper like crazy at the moment!!

Last edited by Julia M. Usher

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