Elizabeth from Bows & Silos
"Hello, my name is Elizabeth, and I am the owner of Bows & Silos! I am a proud Firefighter wife and loving mother to two amazing little boys (ages 4 1/2 and 6 months old). I have been creating since I was a little girl, alongside my mother at craft shows (she now helps me from time to time with my own)."
1. How long have you been creating and how did you get started?
I officially quit my cooperate sales job in March of 2020 and started my Etsy shop in August later that year as a coping mechanism for postpartum depression. Crafting really helped me find my happiness again and has now allowed me to stay at home with my boys while still being able to bring in an income. I started making seasonal tiered tray decorations and quickly found that I liked to make fake desserts, like cupcakes, mug toppers, cake pops, cookies, etc. At that time, there was little to no information on how to make fake treats so I taught myself by trial and error, making how to videos along the way on Tiktok, some of which went viral and really catapulted my business early on. I have grown my platform since then and have even taught virtual workshops on how to make a mug topper and ventured into making other fake foods like cakes, tacos and miniature foods too.
2. What is/are your favorite Surebonder product(s):
My absolute favorite Surebonder product is the detail tipped glue gun. It's perfect for when I make miniature items and need a fine tip for drips and drizzles (fake chocolate drizzle and drips). I also use it to fill silicone molds and create fake chocolate looking embellishments a lot. I have over 30 of them and use the colored glue sticks in them, one for each color of hot glue. I also love the cordless larger sized glue guns as well, the ones with the base that detach. I have 4 of those currently, all with different colored glue sticks in them.
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| SHOP DETAIL TIP MINI GLUE GUN | SHOP COLORED HOT GLUES |
3. What inspires you to create? What do you love most and what is the hardest part about the creative process?:
I am inspired by real bakers and cake decorators. I love watching them create these beautiful works of art and then try to figure out how to make something similar but fake so it can last forever and not be eaten or thrown away. I love making different holiday decor because it brings happiness into other's homes and provides a fun talking point at holiday gatherings. I love hearing about when my customers get asked "is that a real cake?" or when a friend/family member comes over and compliments them on their decorations. It makes me happy to make my customers happy! I think the most difficult part of the creative process is currently finding enough time in the day to get it all done. Right now, I have a 6 month old baby and a toddler so I find myself working late at night, instead of during the day like most people do.
I admire Malerie from Breezy Lane Boutique. She is an amazing, hardworking mother to two beautiful little girls and makes the cutest tiered trays and risers to use on them. She and her husband make them by hand...cutting the wood, sanding and painting them, etc...I love that she offers different color options than just the usual white or black. And I also really like that she has one that will convert from a 2 tiered tray up to a 3 tiered tray. She is just a wonderful woman in general and so sweet to work with!
5. How do you manage and overcome creative burnout?:
I find that taking little breaks is a must. I am currently nursing my youngest son and that requires me to have to take breaks every few hours no matter what. I found myself getting frustrated having to start and stop constantly but then I rewired my brain and now think of it as a welcome break, allowing myself to take a breather and enjoy time with my sons, which is one of the reasons I started my shop 3 years ago, to spend more time with them and not feel guilty for leaving to "go to work." I think little vacations are needed as well, nothing elaborate, even a staycation but time to totally disconnect from social media and simply enjoy your loved ones...that really helps me too when I'm feeling a little burnt out.
6. Have you experienced a fail? How did you work through it and what did you learn?:
Of course, who hasn't? I think that's part of the creative process...trial and error is how I learned to make fake food. I'm self-taught so I experience this more than most I would think. Something that helps me to overcome the feeling of defeat is allowing myself grace and thinking of it as a learning opportunity when something doesn't turn out the way I wanted it to the first time (instead of beating myself up for it not working-easier said than done for those perfectionists like me out there).
7. What advice would you give to someone who wants to get started?:
I would suggest just starting! I know it's scary to take the leap of faith but I can assure you that it is 100% worth it. Do some research and look at what others are doing close to your field of interest. I watch a lot of real bakers create real cakes to try and learn how to pipe properly and get ideas on how I can better make a fake cake for display or decoration.
8. What’s next for you? (a new project? a new technique? a new venture?):
I have just started creating larger sized cakes, more realistic ones. I would like to venture into that space more and perhaps make some fake wedding cakes. I also have really gotten into miniature things and would like to do more in that space, creating more mini fake cakes, cookies, cupcakes, etc. My overall goal will be to teach others what I do more often and eventually offer more classes or tutorials.
Check out more from Elizabeth:
Tiktok: @bowsandsilos
Instagram: @bowsandsilos
Facebook: @bowsandsilos
Etsy: BowsAndSilosLLC
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