Meet Kacie Kratzert: Cookie artist & mom of 4

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kacie Kratzert and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kacie, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Prior to having children, I spent nearly a decade as a high school social studies teacher and put all my energy into the creativity that job demanded. Upon deciding to stay home in 2015 after the birth of my first baby, I was desperately searching for a creative outlet. I “discovered” cookie art a year later and opened for business during the Christmas season of 2016. I will never forget my first year of being in business (2017); along with another new baby who never slept, I also had no real idea of how much work and how many orders I could manage during any given week. I was only able to work at night, starting around 9pm. That entire year was an exercise in figuring out the right balance for my life. I had to push beyond my natural inclination to say yes to everything that comes my way (and still do) in order to make sure that I got some amount of sleep and family time while still doing this creative thing I love. Now that I’m up to 4 young children, I’d still say I don’t get much sleep, but I’m much happier with the workload I take on, and I’m much more aware of my limits! 

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve always loved to create and be crafty, and a love of throwing parties actually brought me to cookie decorating. The first set of cookies I ever created was for a friend’s baby shower, and I’d say all my early cookie work was for a gathering I was either hosting or attending. Everything kind of snowballed from there, when people who had attended one of these events would contact me for cookies for their own gatherings. It has been a tough road to find and maintain a balance between working and being a wife and mom of four young children; honestly it’s a balance I have to continually work on, but it’s worth it. I love being able to create something completely unique, by hand, that helps make someone’s celebration even more special.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’d love to take people to spend time at Ponce City Market, especially the roof on a warm summer night. The Battery is a must for the great bars and restaurants and of course a Braves game if we can get back to live sporting events! Avalon in Alpharetta is one of my favorite places for the amazing shopping, restaurants, and overall atmosphere. And as an almost lifelong Marietta resident, we’d have to spend time at the historic Marietta Square! Some of the best restaurants and bars outside the Perimeter! Plus the daytime offers the wonderful hiking trails and outdoor time at the battlefields and national park.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people I’ve never even met who have helped me on this cookie journey! All the blogs and YouTube videos I watched in my early days essentially taught me how to be a cookie artist. And I am lucky to be a part of a close knit group of local Atlanta area cookie artists, and we always have each other’s backs. Whether we need advice, a good laugh, or just to know that someone else is also up at 2am working, this group of ladies is amazing. Lastly I have to acknowledge my long suffering husband who now knows way more about cookies than he probably ever thought he would! 

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