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

Hi Tracy, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I have always had a love for art. I can remember in the 2nd grade making a Christmas wreath from a wire clothes hanger, sparkly tissue paper and feeling like I have found my place. Throughout school my favorite class would always be Art. I loved that there was not a right or wrong, There were just mediums; paper, paintbrushes, paint, clay. Making something different than everybody else was ok. And I found that I was good at creating things. Drawing, painting, molding, Just making something beautiful.

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 spent a lot of time in a cubicle as a customer service representative but in my free time I was trying to find something creative to do. Like keeping my 2nd grade memory alive by making Christmas wreaths for my co-workers. Then the world of cake decorating popped up in front of me in the form of a “how to” book I picked up. I flipped through the pages and thought, “I could make this” and with my love for sweets, how could I go wrong; Sugar. Sugar and more Sugar! Well it wasn’t nearly as easy as I thought. And my cakes didn’t quite look like the ones I was trying to replicate but I was hooked. My cakes got better with years of practice, lots of trial and error and to be honest, some crying. As I dove into the world of cake decorating I also started to make cupcakes, cupcake toppers from fondant, and sugar cookies.

In making the detailed cupcake toppers and cookies, I needed cookie cutters. I found myself hand cutting custom designs in sugar cookie dough or in fondant with a knife and knew I could find a solution. It took me months of research before purchasing a 3D printer to make my own cutters. It took even longer to figure out how to work with the machines, teaching myself how to repair them to get consistent prints and with the superior quality I was searching for.

I started drawing cookie cutter designs that I loved. I have found my passion with the technical and manufacturing side of the cookie business. I am constantly inspired to make new cookie cutter designs! To be able to turn digital artwork into a little piece of cookie art is amazing to me. I am thrilled to be a small part of the cookie community.

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.
We relocated from Michigan to the Atlanta Metro area in January of 2020 right before the COVID 19 Pandemic shut everything down. Since things have been getting back to normal, we’ve enjoyed many areas around our community but have so much more to explore.

We live in Woodstock, so I’d love to show our friends what we love most about Woodstock. We would go to Downtown Woodstock to enjoy the shops and restaurants, then stop at Reformation for a beer while the kids play at the park. Next we’d head up to the Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta for some additional retail therapy. After taking in our local community, we would take them to Atlanta to visit the Georgia Aquarium and the Atlanta Zoo. Our kids have loved both and we continue to take guests. We would also head over to Piedmont Park and Ponce City Market which are both on our list of things to experience for the first time.

After a day or two in and out of the city, we’d want to show them the beauty of Northwest Georgia. We would head over to Red Top Mountain State Park to walk the Iron Hill Trail or head over to Kennesaw Mountain for a tough hike. We would make the drive up to Amicalola Falls to see the waterfall. To cap off the trip we’d head up to Serenity in the Mountains in Blue Ridge for an amazing spa retreat!

Being exhausted from all that we would have to travel to one of my favorite spots which is right outside our front door for some driveway drinks with the neighbors. It is inexpensive and includes stories and laughing and nobody has to Uber home.

We love the Atlanta area and all of the opportunities to be outside! We can’t wait to continue to explore!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am so thankful for my husband for supporting me through my creative processes! From when the kitchen was covered in powdered sugar and we were ordering take out for dinner, again. For my Mom who would make a long drive to keep the kids entertained and fed while I finished another order. I am extremely grateful for the kindness of complete strangers. People in Facebook support groups who took the time to help me on this journey.

A special thanks to Laura, Owner of BakeArt Stencils for our partnership. My friend Lauren, Owner of The Vanilla Bean Baker, for our collaboration meetings and more. Julie, Owner of Julie Bean’s Bakeshop for all the amazing cookie photos she shares. And Meredyth, Owner of Sweet Sugar Laine Cutters for your endless friendship and support.

Website: www.etsy.com/shop/wellacookiecutterco.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/wellacookiecutterco.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/wellacookiecutterco

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