About

Hi friends,

Thanks for stopping by! I am glad you are here & hope when you leave you feel inspired! Below are things I will be focusing on & offering here in my creative space. So let me ask you a few questions if I may…

Do you find it hard to separate yourself from your business? Hello…where am I?
Are you a small business owner finding your “life” has been put on the back burner?
Do you wish there was a place you could go to to find tips, hear of the struggles and triumphs from other small creative business owners?
Do you wish you could find a place that shares resources for creative small business owners?
Are you in need of styled stock or product photography for your business ?
Do you wish you could talk to another experienced business owner to get branding-coaching help for your business?
Are you in need of great content and photos for your publication, blog or for business marketing?
Do you crave more hours in the day and wish you had time to make meals for yourself again…feed and water ourselves regularly, what we need to do that?…some days it is harder than it sounds! I can’t wait to launch my “lunch with” series!

If you said yes to any or all of the above, I hear you and can relate, which is why I wanted to create A Sweet Life Designed. I have been in search for more and want to provide more, to help others on this crazy exciting journey of running your own creative business. Having built multiple small businesses over the years my creative heart has been screaming to make a change. Anyone else with me? The time has come to take the steps and expand my business and get back to creating and experiencing on a much bigger level. It will evolve over time, for that I am sure. I will be exploring and sharing my passion for photography, sharing business tips, interviews with other artists and small business owners along with providing some sweet and savory recipes because lets face it great foods connects and brings us all together!

My hope for this space is for it to become a creative community, an outlet and resource where you can come to learn something that might help your business – or even start one, to get inspired, to realize there are others going through the same things and even to expand your interests. Who knows you might try something new…at least a recipe or two! For those looking to take their business to the next level I will also be offering a few specialized services to help with including styled product photography (focusing on small product and food photography) along with creating content for publications. If you are in need of any of those services please contact me for more details.

Background: I moved to Maine from Central NY to finish my BFA at MECA (graduated in 99′) and fell in love with the coast of Southern Maine. I majored in jewelry and metalsmithing. I’ve always been more 2D oriented but dabbled in most mediums. I’ve worked for multiple Maine jewelry designers. In 2008 I opened my first Etsy shop selling custom personalized labels and invitations for weddings and birthdays. In 2009 I opened my second Etsy shop, The Bakers Confections, selling baking and party supplies. Wanting to expand in 2013 we opened our own online shop to house even more of our items The Bakers Party Shop and have a blog to share recipes, tips and party inspiration. Present day you can find me running my businesses while yearning for an outlet to share even more of my creative side, what I’ve learned over the years, my passion for photography and tips for balancing life as a creative entrepreneur. So welcome to A Sweet Life Designed, a food, resource and lifestyle blog for creatives!

Random things I LOVE:

color, light, noticing things that others often miss
living by the ocean, when I need to clear my head just being by the water helps
gardening, it is the perfect stress reliever and I love photographing flowers
wandering antique stores and flea markets looking for treasures, bargains and unique pieces of furniture
dreaming up projects to work on…my mid is full of ideas
creating collections and still life’s to photograph
architecture, way back when I thought I would become an interior designer
the light, detail and design captured in the works of Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, Frank Lloyd Wright & Barbara Maley (my grandmother)
pen and ink drawings, illustrations and watercolors, I’m currently smitten with the illustrations of Kendyll Hillegas
working and creating with my hands
making food and desserts for others because nothing is better than that
sharing creative ideas to help inspire others
small things…however I dream BIG
barns, I dream of having modern barn studios for my businesses and to one day have a creative space where classes can be held and people can come to workshops or events…one day!

There you have it, a little of this and a little of that. Sort of what this site will be. The common thread is it’s to help inspire, express creativity and to share tips I’ve learned as I design my sweet life as a creative entrepreneur. I’m choosing to live more intentionally this year and taking the time to work on projects I love. I look forward to seeing what comes! And to any fellow small business owners that might be reading this, realize that it is OK to take time for yourself while working your business. I’ve been struggling with this for a few years. One thing you learn while working for your self is that time is precious and there is never enough of it. Don’t let yourself get lost in “the business” of your business. Enjoy it while your working it!

I want to hear from you! Are you an artist or designer and want to share some of your business tips, inspirations and favorite foods? I would love to interview you! Contact me for more details. We all have valuable info to share!

Thanks for stopping by and cheers to you designing your sweet life too!

~Esther

Sign Up for Our Sweet Newsletter