273. Baking it Down - Content Cookies for Beginner Bakers

Summary

Baking it Down with Sugar Cookie Marketing 🍪

Episode 273: Content Cookies for Beginner Bakers
Hosts: Heather & Corrie Miracle
Release Date: August 10, 2026

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Overview

In this lively, practical episode, Heather and Corrie “bake down” strategies for creating effective social media content as a beginner (or returning) baker. Targeting new cookiers and those restarting after a break, the “Marketing Miracle Twins” focus on how to generate content—yes, even when you have very few orders—while also tackling modern pitfalls like AI-generated posts and the trap of vanity metrics. With a dash of humor and plenty of actionable advice, they provide five “content buckets” to help build reach, engagement, and trust—ensuring you stand out as a real, relatable local baker, not just another cookie-cutter account.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Shift: From Vanity Metrics to Engagement

• Early Days: A decade ago, follower counts and “likes” were everything. Buying followers was best practice because social proof (even if fake) helped build credibility ([07:01]).
• Now: Algorithms and consumer attitudes have shifted—engagement rate matters far more. Too many inactive or irrelevant followers (“dead hangers”) actually hurt reach ([05:17]).
  • Quote (Heather, 07:15): “In 2026, everyone will be a content creator, but nobody will care. The shift is from counting likes to creating culture.”
• AI & Bots: Social platforms are increasingly automated about weeding out spammy interaction and scam accounts. Real content is key ([09:11]).

2. The Problem with AI Overuse

• AI is Everywhere: At first tempting, AI-generated content (posts, images, flyers) is quickly becoming a giveaway for inauthenticity and can damage trust, especially at the small business level ([11:09], [13:08]).
  • Quote (Corrie, 12:20): “You are looking like the next guy down the street who does the same exact thing, who used the same AI prompt. And now you have identical flyers. No one's going to say, oh, let me choose them. I see their personality shining.”
  • Quote (Heather, 12:36): “The baker who knows how to use AI to support their brand is going to surpass the baker who refuses to use AI… but the baker who replaces their brand with AI will be in last place.”
• Consumers Notice: Even casual customers are suspicious of “perfect” images; small mistakes can be more endearing now than perfection ([29:22]).
  • Quote (Heather, 23:51): “At the point you break trust with that audience, it’s almost impossible to rebuild again. And breaking trust is conveying your skill set is better than it is because you run it through AI.”

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Five Content Buckets for Beginner Bakers

1. Segment & Multiply Every Set ([13:44]–[22:41])

• Take Many Photos: When you get an order, shoot the full set and then zoom in for detailed shots of individual cookies. One set can become multiple posts.

  • Quote (Corrie, 14:36): “Every graduation set I’ve ever done has the year in it. Nothing will age a photo more than seeing a year.”
  • Get Runway:* Crop out dated or personalized elements so photos work for future posts/holidays.
  • Avoid Audience Fatigue:* Don’t post the same photo over and over; multiple angles, singles, and groupings keep interest up.

• Tie into National/Made-Up Holidays: Use daily holiday calendars to find fresh angles for old photos (e.g., posting a lion cookie on “National Lion Day”) ([16:53]).

  • Quote (Corrie, 16:53): “There’s a random national holiday every single day of the year. But it’s a great excuse for me to post something random.”

Timestamps:

• Segmenting sets & national days: [13:44]–[18:41]
• Photography tips for “odd” groupings: [21:03]–[22:09]

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2. Trending Video/Reel Content ([29:54]–[32:48])

• Jump on Trends: Short-form video trends (Reels/TikTok) don’t require finished products; relatability and humor win.

  • Quote (Heather, 30:18): “If you are willing to get in front of the camera…you’re able to cut the line of a lot of established bakers who are refusing.”
  • “Hook and Hold:” Messy, “unpolished” content often outperforms heavily produced visuals ([10:50]).

• Easy Tricks: Put on an apron, wave a whisk, or join trending memes—no cookies required. This builds presence even when orders are low ([32:38]).

  • Quote (Corrie, 32:38): “I just put an apron on. The apron sells a lot and, like, a whisk in my pocket. You don’t even need cookies in the background.”

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3. Behind-the-Scenes & Relationship Posts ([32:48]–[37:21])

• Show Real Life: Share journeys: mixing icing, shopping for new tools, prepping for orders.

  • Quote (Corrie, 36:59): “If you’re just starting out, everything is content… You going to the store to get your first bakery box. You saying, guys, here’s what I’m thinking for the designs.”

• Personal Touches: OK to share your dog on “National Spoil Your Dog Day”—if your customers or local laws allow ([33:42]). Kids or family can be just as relatable.

• Authenticity over Perfection: Let your personality and real environment shine; keep it clean and presentable but don’t be afraid of small, human imperfections.

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4. “Not a Cookie” Content ([39:27]–[42:04])

• Practice Without the Waste: Use plastic “cookie blanks” or clay to practice and film decorating—then wash and reuse.
  • Quote (Heather, 40:17): “Having to turn on your oven to bake a single cookie to turn it into content is asking a lot.”
  • Boosts Skills Behind the Scenes:* These fakes help increase your skills, and you can even use the process (explaining how bakers use “nada cookies”) as its own content.

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5. Bake for Giveaways, Samples & Reviews ([43:29]–[46:54])

• Turn Extra Cookies into Marketing: When practicing or testing new techniques, package the best results for giveaways, neighbor gifts, workplace samples, or raffle bags in community groups.

  • Quote (Corrie, 44:52): “I have, in every place that I have lived, given cookies away to my neighbors. All my neighbors have always placed orders—and they only have done that because they were able to taste it before they bought it.”

• Strategic Giveaways: Used thoughtfully (not just attracting freebie hunters), samples generate word-of-mouth, reviews, and local trust.

• Freeze for Later: Accumulate decorated extras and offer “grab bags” when the bin is full ([46:19]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The imperfections is your human part of it. And I almost need my cookies to show some imperfection because that’s all I can do. I’m an imperfectionist, as they say.” (Corrie, 28:33)
• “If your business looks like every other business… you’re one of many. As AI becomes more popular… you’re muddling your marketing.” (Corrie, 12:00)
• “When you use your website might look so nice, but if it’s missing the 'you' factor, it’s just another website.” (Corrie, 57:19)
• “As with anything in life, the shortcut is the long cut.” (Heather, 54:16)

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Actionable Takeaways

Content Strategy for Beginners:

• Photo Everything: Every set, every angle, every background—create a photo/video bank.
• Be Present (Not Perfect): Personality > Perfection. Humor, flaws, context all make you memorable.
• Ride Trends: Don’t wait for orders to create—find relatable “inspo” and try it on yourself.
• Keep Content Local: Point everything back to your cookies, your town, your real self.
• Don’t Let AI Replace You: Use it to streamline, storyboard, or organize—but not to create the final customer-facing product.

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Suggested Posting Cadence

• Start Small: 2–3 posts/week is plenty for a beginner—even established bakers often don’t post daily ([52:57]).
• Build Buckets: Rotate between the five content types for a balanced feed and to avoid burnout or repetition.

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Episode Timeline & Timestamps

• 00:44 — Introduction; returning bakers and social media resets
• 03:44 — Group housekeeping & vanity metrics
• 07:01 — History of social media “best practices” & follower inflation
• 09:28 — Today’s landscape: engagement > followers; all about content
• 11:09 — Why AI reliance is risky for new bakers
• 13:44 — [Content Bucket #1] Segmenting & multiplying set photos
• 16:53 — Using daily/national holidays for diverse content
• 21:03 — Photography tips: backgrounds, layering, making singles pop
• 29:54 — [Content Bucket #2] Video/reel trends for reach
• 32:48 — [Content Bucket #3] BTS & relationship-building posts
• 39:27 — [Content Bucket #4] "Not a cookie" (plastic blanks/practice)
• 43:29 — [Content Bucket #5] Giveaways, samples, freezing, reviews
• 47:18 — AI’s tempting shortcut—why it ultimately costs sales
• 52:55 — Posting cadence & growth mindset
• 58:11 — Episode recap: the five buckets
• 60:50 — Tangents: AI, technology changes, and personal stories (skip for marketing)

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Final Thoughts

Heather & Corrie circle back to their episode’s core advice: Don’t take shortcuts that trade real connection for fake perfection. Local baking is personal; show up as yourself, bank real content, and build trust through consistency, authenticity, and visible progress. AI can help you run the business side, but shouldn’t be the face of your work. “Be a force to be reckoned with”—and always keep it sweet, real, and a little bit imperfect.

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For deeper dives, check pinned resources in the Sugar Cookie Marketing Facebook group, catch up on free content calendars, or join the Cookie College for templates, class kits, recipes, and more!

Transcript

[A]

Cory, it is Monday.

[B]

It's a Monday. Somebody is clocking out early.

[A]

You know, I said I wanted to do two automotive events this year. And the first one was down the Dragon, which I did back last day of May. And the second one is taking this old hunk of junk back to its land of origination, which is in Detroit, Michigan.

[B]

Oh, Detroit, Michigan. I know someone from the great state

[A]

of Michigan, as Michiganders call it. Hold up your hand like a palm. This is where my ex lives and this is where I'll be headed. In fact, to get to this one, I have to drive by your ex. I actually have to go right to Cleveland. Oh, oh. Salute to the old X. Ohio. You get to Ohio, get to Michigan.

[B]

Yeah, I told him, I said hello. I actually just housed his mother recently.

[A]

Well, I don't know how the old Pegarins doing? Um, I call her Peggorinsky. I never met her a day in my life. Sometimes I call her Pegasaurus Rex.

[B]

I call her the Kraken was her

[A]

name for a long time, but do anything wrong?

[B]

Yeah, she's just a type.

[A]

She's. She's a great lady. I think Pegster is. What if you don't call to me, a sign of like you are in the inner circle is a nickname.

[B]

Yeah. Because my now mother in law, I

[A]

don't have a nickname for.

[B]

And it's because I've only met her

[A]

twice in my life. You can call her by her full government name. That's what she does. I met a girl named Morgan and I called her. I was like, hey, Morg.

[B]

Morg Mortician.

[A]

She's like a little dark. I said, yeah, it's hard to shorten some names. Like I tell people. Oh yeah. And then, you know, my sister said head and they're like, what? I was like, oh, that's my nickname. They're like, why? I was like, shorten Heather. It's either Heath or third.

[B]

So yeah, yeah. It does not fall off.

[A]

What are other Heather's nicknames, I wonder?

[B]

Are they all heads? We had are they head?

[A]

Fourth grade, there was Heather Miracle and there was Heather Mandela. There was two Heather M's so we would call Heather Mandela Headman. That's what we called her.

[B]

Head.

[A]

Yeah, Head Man. She liked that. But nickname is a sign of passage. We've always shortened people's name.

[B]

My husband Nathan Nathaniel on his government ID says Nathaniel because they forgot the age.

[A]

And he's never fixed it.

[B]

I'm sure that's big down there. And he says, I've never No one's ever called me like I call him. Nate Naders. NATO potato. Nathaniel Daniel. That's not his name.

[A]

It's not. It's Nathaniel David.

[B]

Nathaniel Daniel Rolls off the dog.

[A]

Yeah. I don't know. I'm, I'm for nicknames. I think they're there. So, guys, welcome to episode 273 of the Baking it down podcast. We're back to our getting started in cookies. So back to speaking for the baker who just said I've spent all the money on the stuff, now I need to make that money back. I need to start selling. These people are knocking on my door. That is kind of where we wanted to return back for the end of the summer. Yeah.

[B]

And these are for bakers who take big breaks maybe. I've seen a lot of people requesting to join sugar cookie marketing. That's it had been in for years and then maybe took a two year hiatus and are restarting and that is almost like restarting from zero because you've been out of the game.

[A]

Literally. Social media platforms have come out while you're in a break. Yeah.

[B]

You're being rebirthed to a new age of social media. Welcome. So this is topics that can pertain to you if you've taken big breaks, long stints, coming back in the game or if your brand spanking new.

[A]

Yeah. And today we want to talk about content cookies. But before we get there, we're the sugar cookie marketing group. It's a Facebook group I think has now 50,100. We're both adding fresh blood and pairing away old blood. Meaning if you haven't been active in the last five years, haven't made any posts, we have a VA that's booting it.

[B]

What's so funny is I help the VA sometimes. Like on a Friday night when I'm super bored, I'll look up the Ashley's or I'll go, I'll go to the. The Lauras.

[A]

It always asks just one. One.

[B]

I removed a bunch of people who hadn't posted in five years. So like the. But I saw one person reach out and Heather actually responded to her. She's like, I don't know why I can't. I'm not in the group I've been in forever. But I saw as one those L names I taken care of on a Friday.

[A]

I think the logic there and what I'm seeing and why I'm so opposed to follow trains is because what's happening is you're getting a lot of these high numbers of vanity metric which has always been known as following in like counts and group membership is always a vanity metric because it's quality over quantity. Yeah you join these follow trains as you see just take off out of these other Facebook groups. I mean a follow train thread will have a thousand comments on it. I believe you might.

[B]

You're not getting 1,000 people. You'd be happy if you got two or three.

[A]

Right? But of those two or three people, unless they're going to engage with absolutely everything you post they you create a ton of dead weight by joining that. I've seen it now today these Gary Vaynerchuks are saying remove people off your list who are non engagers.

[B]

I from the world where followers were big to today followers are nothing. They may nothing.

[A]

It's all engagement rate. So engagement rates determine based off of engagement with a post divided by total account followers. If you have a bunch of I I don't know why I want my head wants to call them dead hangers. If you have a bunch of dead hangers on there from these follow trains you participated in from bakers who have since left.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

What what's it to them to get their Instagram off the ground, get a bunch of followers and then never log back in again. That is actually taking your profile.

[B]

Let's do a whole podcast on that one next week. That's a good one because I see a lot of new people rely on

[A]

those follow train is very tempting especially because there point in which some social proof is what it's called. Some followers are a necessity but followers gain only from a way of it becomes a vanity metric and actually works against the account. So we will talk about that. What's coming? I'm working on the ladybug cookie class kit. Corey's gotten it to me now. Corey, have you determined what the rest of the class kits are for the year?

[B]

There is a Halloween one and it is beginner friendly. I want to say I'm doing four or five colors but it's very beginner friendly.

[A]

Very nice.

[B]

November is a farmer's market. Fall farmers market. So a little bit off the nose of the pumpkin pie that we've done for years. Years, years and years to make it a little bit more fun. Fall farmers market, it's big and then Christmas. I was working on it last night and it'll be a fun beginner friendly one with bright colors which is green, red, white and I think no way.

[A]

Green and red for Christmas.

[B]

You never guess, you'll never know. But it seemed like a fun set and we'll be teaching that one this year ourselves because I liked it so much.

[A]

Well, we are sold out and have a wait list for both of our own in person cookie classes.

[B]

Oh, nice, nice, nice.

[A]

My quote of the day is in 2026, everyone will be a content creator, but nobody will care. The shift is from counting likes to creating culture.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. Wow. Me and Heather have survived so many different instances of the Internet.

[A]

Buying likes was standard practice. It was best practice. Was it like 12 years ago, 10 years ago? Yeah, yeah, it was.

[B]

How?

[A]

Because everything was chronological, so it didn't matter. It was truly just a social proof that was a part of the ecosystem of creating a healthy account. And then as you made your post, more people would see it because essentially if you had 1200 followers and they were claimed to be real, 1200 people would see your chronological post. There was no algorithmic restriction.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So what it did.

[B]

And it, it was genius at the time. And let me tell you, me and Heather partook. The thing is, when you, when you were looking for a business, let's say a remodeling contractor, and you had two that were butted up against each other and you looked at one and one had 40 followers and then another one had 1,000 followers just because of that. 1,000 feels bigger than 40. You felt more comfortable going with the a thousand follower account than you did with the now in 2026, you can have 120,000 followers on your page. But if your post has zero interaction, no likes, no comments, no saves, that is now the signal to someone. Is this a scam account?

[A]

It's a signal to the algorithm to not show it to anyone. We're not scamming people. We're not getting to them.

[B]

Or you can't even scam anyone.

[A]

Somebody Today you had posted on the Facebook page about next doors charging for ads.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Immediately a bot scraper account. It was like, hey, thank you so much. This is so. It's great information. We were experiencing the same thing, which is why we launched next day for businesses. And as soon as I go there, because usually clean it out. Usually it's men proposing to women in the comments. But this one was at least a sales pitch. Facebook had already filtered it.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, it's. It's AI that meta is using is trying to get on top of these scam accounts. LinkedIn, take notes. And that's why it's now what? Good content. Better content means better sales.

[A]

Not just these vanity metrics, but it comes down to content. And that's what today's podcast topic is when you're established baker and you have tons of orders coming in, you have a. You have your camera ready to go in a studio set up in your cookie room, creating content is a lot easier. So when you're the new baker and you're like, well, takes money to make money, like I don't have the order to create the content from in order to secure new orders, what do I do? And there's a couple different options for you that are actually probably more interesting and will get you more engagement than if you just had the photos.

[B]

Yeah, probably. I want to say maybe 6ish years ago, it used to be how clean your feed looked. So we wanted.

[A]

Oh yeah, feed aesthetics was that. It was called.

[B]

Yeah, feed aesthetics where people went to log onto your feed and feel like you had almost like a. The same filter across every photo. So it was the same curated photo, the same beads, the same placement and people would be like, oh, this is so aesthetically pleasing. That was big and that had its time and that time is no more. And now if you are someone's new that's coming in, this is your time to shine. I'm jealous.

[A]

The big shift is from the aesthetic feed was the photos. It was photo based so it was very easy to be aesthetic when photos were the only thing you were allowed to post. Now we have reels which include hooks for increased watch time for increased like

[B]

yeah, hook and hold.

[A]

Right. Whatever strategy. The. The more chaotic the reel is almost, it seems the better it performs. This really curated influencer. Hey guys. Today I was in my gym today and we went to Erewhon and I got this shake like that stuff. It seems to be not the flavor of the month as much. Yeah.

[B]

The thing that I want to encourage you as we start off on this podcast of ideas for content and everything like that, you're going to feel the urge maybe the draw to, to lean on AI. As a beginner cookie decorator who's just trying to get your business off the ground, I'm going to behoove you. I'm going to, I'm going to just wish this on you. You can do whatever you'd like. Don't start your business leaning on AI.

[A]

That is. But I like that you're starting is.

[B]

But I want to say before you even turn this off because you're like, maybe I don't need to listen to the twin. Your business, if it looks like every other business is no longer one that someone's going to choose because you're one of the many. As AI has become more and more popular, I see that people, small business, small businesses, small creators are leaning on AI because it saves them time. Totally agree. It probably does save you time, but what you're doing is muddling your marketing because you are looking like the next guy down the street who does the same exact thing, who used the same AI prompt. And now you have identical flyers. So no one's going to say, oh, let me choose them. I see their personality shining through in their marketing.

[A]

Like Cornine said, the baker who knows how to use AI to support their brand is going to surpass the baker who refuses to use AI but the baker who replaces their brand with AI will be in the last place of all three.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So got to believe. And especially right now, I'm telling everybody, like, hey, maybe in a year from now that AI generated fire will be more accepted, but right now it's not only is it not accepted and it's actually deterrent. I've seen so many small businesses, they'll post up the AFR fire. That post will go viral for the fact of the pushback that they use it. These mom and pop shops, for some reason, my newsfeed isn't like anybody is like, hey, forget the people that you're connected to that, you know, what about mom and pop drama in a state that's 10 hours away from you.

[B]

Would you like to let me read

[A]

the entire comment section? So as we go into this, you may be inclined to be like, I could just generate that as a new baker. Don't. You do not have enough proof to rely on AI generated content anyways. And then even the established baker, I would encourage them, not today. At least don't rely on AI generated. Especially product photography.

[B]

Yeah. Question for you. Is this filming?

[A]

Yes, question. I have checked five times so far. It is filming.

[B]

Sorry, take a step. Point number one.

[A]

Point number one is segment the cookies in a set. And I liked Corey's point. This is her point. She said the other day she did a birthday jungle birthday set for some kid who was turning what?

[B]

I don't know. He didn't want a number. So I just knew the kid was wanting jungle themed animals.

[A]

Well, today is National Lions Lion Day. You'll know because Cory posted about, I wake up every morning like, oh, it's National Lion Day. National Tropics of Ricardo. Corey's gonna post about it. So Corey took from that set of the jungle set. She had taken individual images of each cookie. Granted, the whole set was a jungle set. So there's A collective image took a picture of the lion, and then on National Lion Day, was able to take that one set that was a jungle birthday and make it about this specific day. And she does that for all of the sets because I got her. I got a copy of all her photos. It's always a picture of the whole set. And then we zoom in and onto individuals.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

The best example I can say is when it comes to grad sets, every graduation set I've ever done has always had the year in it. Nothing will age a photo more than seeing a year. 20, 20, 2023. What you want to do instead of just taking one photo of the whole set. Yeah, we do want to take that photo. That's great for 2023, if you're trying to market 2023, but we know that people are going to want to order in 2025 and 2026, and your hard work can work for you for years to come. Take out the cookies that say 2026, and just take a photo of just, you know, the. The robe, the grad cap, and you can use that for years to come, especially if your decorating style doesn't change. I rely on things I've taken years ago. I've. I've hit whatever the peak is of my decorating style, and I've really just. Now, it's just. That is what it is

[A]

before, and you're going to get it later. So in terms of the new baker, where you have maybe one order haphazardly from that person from work or the neighbor or your relative, and they place the order. Hey, I want to. I want a jungle set or I want a graduation set, since we're right. Or back to school. Yeah, take that one order of 12 cookies with four different designs, and you're going to take as many photos of that as possible. Now, here's the difference between you and an established baker. You will. Your skill set will surpass these photos, and you'll be able to delete them one day. But for now, as your skill set, you're still kind of earning up to that. You're still got time in the. Saddling it. Yeah. Going to be able to get some Runway out of these. So that one set becomes five to ten different posts spread out over the next four months.

[B]

Yeah, that's the goal. What you don't want to do and what we see, it's called audience fatigue. And that's when you post the same photo, because you only took one. So you only have one photo to post. You post that over and over again to make sales. Now the person who saw it the first time might have interacted with it. The next time they see it, maybe they'll, they'll hover over it. The third, fourth time they're scrolling right by because they, their brains have registered. You've already seen this content. That's why we want to take as many photos as we can, especially when we're just starting out. Because who knows when world pencil day will come? But you'll have it ready to go.

[A]

Because who's going to know when World pencil. I just know I'll see it.

[B]

The reason why I like the and I do a free cookie content calendar every month in the sugar cookie marketing group. It's always pinned to the featured when I drop it. The reason why I love the the holidays is because there's an. There's a random national holiday every single day of the year. But it's a great excuse for me to post something random. So World Lion Day. Like instead of being like, thank you Sebastian for turning two again, I can say it's world lion day. Here's your national zoos. Here's this. I even talked about Heather's Leo the Lion in my post today. You didn't even read it.

[A]

I didn't. I said national and I got to go celebrate with my little lion. Come on, guys, it's a party day. That's a good point. In terms of what can feel very repetitive and boring. And Corey's calling them national holidays. They're not, they're not national. They're like, I don't know what you call made up holidays. It's those holidays where it's like people who love speaking.

[B]

It's like B lister holiday. So you have Christmas on the 25th, but it might be national. You log day too.

[A]

So finding those and Corey puts them in the content calendar can just add a layer of diversification to kind of a monotonous posting schedule. Now you, you and I posting cookies. Fun, cute, wonderful. Imagine the H Vac company. They're truly. I see. So what you see is with H Vac companies, instead of posting, here's a picture of an H Vac system I installed. It will be like, hey, here's some tips. And to lower your energy bill in

[B]

the summer, to lower your energy bills, to add like credentials. A great one that has nothing to do with cookies is like today, if you're listening to this is national spoil your dog day. The other day was national sisters day. Those have nothing to do with cookies. But what that adds to your content. One is you don't have to bake anything up to it adds a relationship factor to your marketing. That's what's big in 2026.

[A]

Well, that is our point. 3.

[B]

Oh, my bad.

[A]

My still on segmenting a set, making a set have more Runway. So applying that back to the days, these made up holiday things.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

We took a jungle birthday set. Instead of posting two times. Here's a jungle birthday set. She did Here's a jungle birthday set. And then on National Line Day she said here's the exact same. But I've zoomed in on the line cookie. Here's the line and what it does is it with your audience. It says, hey, this person bakes cookies. That's what it really does. And with the content, these weird holidays, it allows you to post a more diversified content because just posting the line kind of weird.

[B]

Yeah. A line like, oh, cool. And that's why you get the caption that says thanks Sebastian for turning 5. I had an order last week and it was for some family was having a cookout and she actually determined every design in the set. But what she wanted was a watermelon, a sun and some cookout elements that she wanted for hers. What I did was I took a picture of the whole set because that's what I'm going to send to her. But then it was actually National Watermelon the other day. National Watermelon Day. So what I did was National Watermelon the other day. It was National Watermelon the other day. National sun today.

[A]

Cory was able to take that set and really get to. It was an odd set. It was very hyper specific to this party because Corey was. It was funny. Corey's baking these cookies and she's like, I have this really interesting. Just a set I've never been able to describe for. And I was like, it's not more interesting than the barbecue. Ashley's going to our sister on Saturday and Corey's like, it's this specific thing. I said that's the barbecue. Little did we know Ashley preferred the lady hosting the barbecue to Cory. But none, nobody was communicating that. So this oddly very specific. It was kind of like a family reunion of sorts or I had those now that you'd be like, well, I can't celebrate somebody's family reunion on my page. Yes you can. Using the zoom feature. Zoom in crop. Take that. Corey had first and second ribbon because there was a baking contest in this barbecue. So now Corey's able to use that first and second place for other things. So that's kind of the thing is make one set work in multiple ways. And the way you're going to have to do that is take more photos than you realize. Zoom in and be very intentional with the type of photography you take. Yeah. Let me just.

[B]

For the photography part, just because I know this is hard. It's easier to take a picture where you have 12 or 24 cookies because it fills up the whole camera frame and you're like, oh, that makes sense. When you're taking cookies out of a set to really make it hyper specific. So I'm just taking the watermelon slices out of the barbecue set to take a photo. It feels like. Like an odd photo because there's three cookies in this vast background. That's why I like to do the layering method. So we have a backdrop, maybe a little piece of marble. There's this little thing of marble that I have.

[A]

It's.

[B]

It's kind of actually supposed to be a coaster, but it's great for actually highlighting a specific one singular cookie, which is a little bit harder to take a picture of than an entire set. So if you do the pyramid thing, so we have a big base, maybe it be your backdrop. Then we have maybe a kitchen towel, little cute towel that's themed out and piece of marble. You're drawing people's eyes to the center of the photo and it makes it easier to take a picture of that one single watermelon cookie.

[A]

I agree. For National Watermelon Day, which I'm sure will be coming up soon. Or it's just passed.

[B]

It just passed now.

[A]

Just passed.

[B]

You're welcome.

[A]

Tip one is segment the cookies. Make one set go a long way, Especially if you're getting started and you only have one or two sets under your belt that you sold to somebody that you're proud to post. There's always that line where, like, I don't think I did really great here. Should I even post it? At the end of the day, someone placed an order with you so they thought you were good enough to place that order with. It's a representation of your skills. If you're like, I miss a mark. I was having an off day. I wouldn't make a ton of content out of that set. As you get better, you will never again go back to these photos. You will delete them.

[B]

You won't delete them.

[A]

You'll hoard them, but you'll never use them. And then I'll tell you to delete them.

[B]

Heather once got a bunch of my cookie photos from, like, probably three years ago. So year one to year three. Heather has those photos. I hate when she utilizes them for any marketing process.

[A]

I'm so sorry.

[B]

To rephrase it.

[A]

Corey's been baking for six years. Three years ago, I asked her to give me all her photos from year one to year three. So now we're six years removed from year one cookie photos that I have. I needed content, so I'll use one. But Corey will hate. She's like, but my skills are better than that. Like, it was fine for me for content.

[B]

It looked fine.

[A]

I'm also not selling your skills creating content. We're making. So, yeah, you won't use those, but right now, it's a great representation of where you're at in your business, which is what we want to convey to the clients. And back to the AI argument is AI. Well, it doesn't touch the cookies. It doesn't. Yes, I. I understand all the arguments, and I can agree with each one of the takes. But what as the marketing babushkas for you guys, I would admonish you that at the one point you break trust with that audience, it's almost impossible to rebuild it again. And breaking trust is. Is conveying that your skill set is slightly better than it is because you run it through AI.

[B]

I know. Now I see bakers having to put, like, a caveat in the caption or caveat in the comments, like, these are mine. But, you know, AI helped me out a little bit somewhere somehow. And the problem is the. The. The average person doesn't know what that means. They don't know where AI stepped in and where you stepped out.

[A]

Yeah, it's quite ambiguous. My parents, if you post anything with AI, you'll get them 100%. They'll buy from you. They'll thank you. They were like, hey, look at this landscaping job that this company did. I was like, do you think this is real? And they're like, yeah. I said, did you just see the bushes appeared after the guy just walked through the wall? Like, did you see that? Like, yeah, it's great. I was like, no, it's not real, but it is great. The end result is very cool. I don't think you. It's possible, though.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

The funny thing is, now they're using AI generated image, which. This isn't new to real estate. Using digital staging is what it's called.

[B]

Yes, I've seen it.

[A]

The digital staging softwares versus the AI generated softwares. What they're finding that the AI does is while it's using the exact scale of the room, it's scaling the furniture in a way that's unrealistic. So, okay, how do you make a room look. Look taller? You get a lower couch, right? Yes. But these ones, it's, it's like the vanishing point of the couch makes a room appear larger. But a couch, you would never be able to find that in the real world. So it actually is skewing the room, although it's using the same diameters of the room.

[B]

I have to agree. So because Heather, I've we said I'm going to eventually move. So I've been looking at every listing the real estate agent sending I It'll show an AI stage and then it will show the room blank. The room blank looks tiny. The room with the AI stage looks ginormous.

[A]

You know, the, the rule of thumb is rooms are always bigger when they're stuffing them. So that's why you stage room. But they're saying that the AI is generating like furniture that doesn't have real proportions and would like if you sat

[B]

on the couch, you'd fall back because it's so slant.

[A]

Yeah. Again. And it's now I'm starting to see I, I was in this that you could tell it's an AI generated ad and the girl's holding up the shirt and someone's like, I'd love to see this on somebody. Immediately, it's an AI generated woman wearing the AI generated shirt. I'm like, how far are we getting away from real. I can't buy a shirt worn by an AI generated. Yeah. Because they don't know where the real shirt is.

[B]

Where does it fit her? If she fits the shirt. Was she made for the shirt or was the shirt made for her? What's so funny? A social media person on TikTok just asked, you can do polls on TikTok now. And she asked, would you buy if someone was using AI to market? That's all she said, I'm making it ambiguous because I just want to know. The comment section by and large was no. And I actually found myself. I, I got an AI ad and I clicked to it and the whole website was made through AI And I said, I don't know how this product will look in the house because it's not even in a real house in this website. Like, I, my brain can't register what it would actually look like.

[A]

Yeah, I, it's just really kind of overtaking. And now. Okay. Somebody asked in the rug tufting group a normal question I was like, why is my tufting fabric have holes in it? Which is something about the pressure of your gun. Right? Right. So that was. That was the answer. However, I. This one comment. There's only one comment. It was really long and it was like, actually, I've had the same issue until I read on Amazon store the threads in course by Amy Bellini. And Amy Bellini writes. So I'm like, this one seemed really weird. This comment was way too long. But at no point did it link to anything. So I go to. I look up the book in Amazon. It is AI Slop, published in the last month of July. We were the first week of August. This person hadn't read the book. They're part of the AI slope process. But of course, to the new person, I'm just getting started. Well, here's the book that has all the answers without a lot of research. Let me buy the book. It was $40. AI slop ebook.

[B]

I did random AI. I found a cookie cutter shop on Etsy. Everything 100% AI like the balloons. It'll be a single balloon, but it has three, like, little ribbons coming out its butt.

[A]

Like, I was like, you didn't even,

[B]

like, try to look.

[A]

So again, we're obviously ragging on air. It has a place. It doesn't have the place at the center of your marketing, especially if you're getting started. It doesn't. I almost say, that photo. That isn't the best and you're set. That isn't perfect is actually the best thing to post. Because what's going to happen is when you say, well, I want it to look better than is. Who doesn't? Yeah, sure. You essentially catfished your audience. And when they show up and see your legitimate skills and exactly where you're at and where you're supposed to be, and they're like, but this isn't what I ordered.

[B]

The imperfections is your human part of it. And I almost need my cookies to show some imperfection because that's all I can do. I'm an imperfectionist, as they say. So showcasing, like, not perfect handwriting, you know, like when an O joins the other side of the O and there's a big clump of icing there. That. That. It's. That's what I do.

[A]

I'm so sorry.

[B]

I don't know how to fix that in real life. So I can't fix it in the photo.

[A]

And you'll be like, like, look at this blobby Aldo. I've seen more and more bakers being Asked if their photos are AI generated and then the bakers are taking it offensively. Whereas I think you should take it as a compliment. But Cory and I, we're talking that there is a, there is a strategy of adding imperfection intentionally to your captions.

[B]

We said it to your captions. You know, just something that humanizes it just tinged.

[A]

You know what I'm going to say it is in cookie photos, the cookie crumbles, the little crumbs.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I would almost wonder if adding those would add like you had just some

[B]

crumbs ready to go.

[A]

Yeah, little crumbs over there. Because AI would stage crumbs.

[B]

No, AI would clean up a crumb and the crumbs show humanity like cookie crumbled.

[A]

Interesting point. Two trends like TikTok trends and real trends are not end product specific. So you can actually if you are willing to get in front of the camera, which you should because you're able to cut the line of a lot of established bakers who are refusing to stand in front of the camera because I agree it is awkward. But you if you could jump on these trends and you know the lifespan of a trend is what, a week or two weeks? Tops.

[B]

Yeah, tops.

[A]

Right now it's that Drake song, I don't listen to rap but they've turned into an opera and it is on the beach all weekend. But you know that was a girl

[B]

with the hair bob.

[A]

There's different trends. There's a what? Like what's one that bakers were using?

[B]

The ones that bakers are using like they have where you know it's. They're laying down and they look like they've been war torn in the kitchen and they will get a text message that says can you take this order? And their finger twitches over them.

[A]

Yeah, those are. So those trends really don't require a finished product at all but allow you to make content. And that content will have high reach because the baker who is turning their cookie set, the photo set into a PowerPoint presentation as a reel is not going to outperform the baker jumping on a humorous based trend. So while that one baker who's slaving in the kitchen because they have a ton of orders, you, the new baker with no orders have a ton of time.

[B]

Yeah, yeah man. Yeah man.

[A]

It's great time to. So what they can do is that new baker can really find the. There's websites to tell you what's a common trend. But just doom scrolling TikTok late at night you'll see what's Kind of trending. You can see other bakers do it. And there's the rule of like hey, inspo buy at in the comments. So you don't say I've stolen this idea. But there's a lot of trends that come up really quick, really cute and you can jump in on those.

[B]

Yeah, those are great. The trends of years gone by was, you know, who is that guy? And he's outside and he looks cold and you know, the political dude, I can't remember.

[A]

Bernie Sanders.

[B]

Bernie Sanders. But the bakers were having to make him into a cookie and that took a lot of time and effort. Now it's these video trends. Videos is what's hot that's getting views. And you don't have to turn on the oven. You could literally just put on an apron. Me and Heather did a funny trend on this weekend. I'll have to get the the video up. But Heather was my hands.

[A]

I was behind Corey. Her arms were tied behind her back, but I was pretending to be arms. Again, a trend that doesn't require. In fact, the less talented it is, the more funny it is. Watch. So finding trends and posting those, you do not need to be an expert. In fact, you just really need to be in a kitchen to just associate. The person in this trend is a baker.

[B]

Yeah, I just put, I just, if I want to make something trendy, I just put an apron on. The apron sells a lot and like a whisk in my pocket. You don't even need like cookies in the background.

[A]

Right. So you don't have to have cookies to, to still make a lot of high performing content. Just find those trends, find them on the website Doom scroll late at night, go to popular bakers who do trends and you can see it over there and recreate those yourself. Point number three, behind the scenes content. Now this is what Corey was jumping the gun on. National spoil your dog day. Okay, yeah. You could post the set you did of a dog like somebody ordered dog cookies, which I know people have. But you say, well, nobody's ordered dog cookies. Then you post a picture of your dog, you let people meet you. Now here's the argument I can hear a bunch of. I can hear you murmuring through my mic. I don't think bakers should own pets. Great. If you do not own a pet, don't listen to what we just said here. Does not apply to you, but many, many bakers do. And if you're practicing within your cottage food laws, you're a clean house, you're clean. Posting a Picture of your dog won't necessarily deter or grow. Now posting a picture of your dog sitting on your baking pan.

[B]

We got a problem.

[A]

It's not going to do it.

[B]

Let's use your brain. Well, go ahead.

[A]

Gloria has its point. She has a dog. Dog. The dog comes down the stairs when the doorbell rings to pretend it like, don't, don't. It almost seems like wizard of Oz. Don't look behind that curtain over there.

[B]

That's not real.

[A]

I think what's gonna happen is you have the dog present the dog in your marketing on National Dog Day. I'm not telling you to do this. This is ideas and then incorporate. This is about. This is who I am. You'll see the dog when you pick up your order and that builds this level of trust. You know who's really dirty? Kids. You guys are posting pictures of them all the time. I don't have kids. And I know your kids are there too.

[B]

Here's the thing. If you're like, I'm not comfortable sharing with my dog or I don't have a dog, you know what people like to the. The pet industry is a 6 billion with a B dollar industry. Because people love their pets so much.

[A]

I spent a billion of it. I can't treat so nobody wants me

[B]

ask them about their dogs. How do you guys spoil your dog? It's National Dog Day. The comments, the engagements will come pouring in today.

[A]

Yeah, I saw some bakers arguing about it in another group that was unadvan. So it just, you know, went to hell in handy. But it was a woman and her logo said baked with love and sometimes with little hands. And people are like that would turn me off so badly if I knew little germy hands were in my food. So there is the way to sell something. This is what I was saying before we got started in the podcast. Everyone's so worried about posting about their past pets. But like, you got a layer of dust. Your. Your yard is full of clutter and you're having people come there. We're not worried about the dogs. That's not, that's not the point where it probably infer. So if your house is really put together and we did podcast on Front Porch Appeal. Yeah. If that's really put together, then you'll think that the dog is probably very clean. And I'm not telling you guys to go out and make a content bucket of here's my dog. I'm just saying that those national holidays can be a great place for behind the scene content that builds Trust. Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

And a relationship. So people have dogs. I find that people who have dogs don't mind that I have a dog. It's actually good for you to know that I have a dog before you order, because if that matters to you, I'm not the baker for you. But when you come to my house

[A]

to pick up your order, you're going

[B]

to see that it's clean, neat. I vacuum before any client comes to pick up their order. So they're like, I feel a sense of calm, clean. And she's got a dog. So I'm not hiding anything. It's no wizard of Oz.

[A]

I'm not.

[B]

The dog's not upstairs in his cage crying. And I'm like, oh, don't hear. That was me.

[A]

Just my stomach rumbling. Straight cookies. That's definitely not the dog. Don't look behind the curtain. So behind the scenes content is a great way to create relationships, especially when you're just getting started. So behind the scenes content, I know we talked a lot about dogs because I just know that's the first place where people like to scream and yell and throw things. But behind the scenes content be like, hey, guys, I'm going to show you how I make royal icing. If you don't have a ton of cookies to bake, showing people how to. This is what I do. This. This is what meringue powder is. That's a great content bucket that if you're anything like me, like, I'm not going to be. It doesn't matter how many times you show me how to make royal icing, you're not going to see me mix it up. But I will definitely know that if I needed royal icing cookies, I'm going to buy from you. Yeah.

[B]

Take them on a journey of an order that's coming up. Like, I'm heading to Michael's because I need to get a few cookie cutters I don't have and a few. Like, if you're just starting out, everything is content. Like you going to the store to get your first bakery box. You saying, guys, here's what I'm thinking for the designs.

[A]

All that.

[B]

All that is content. And you've not even turned the oven on once.

[A]

Great. And because you don't have a lot of orders, you have a lot of time. So with that time, we're going to create content. And what you heard Corey say, basically, is, again, back to reels. These video vertical videos.

[B]

I know, I know, and I hate it. I hate that I'm saying it, but video is the flavor of the year. So if you're like, wow, I'm brand spanking new. My page has barely any likes. Heather said if you get on a follow train, you're a loser. So what do I do now?

[A]

Now get in, loser. And we're following each other.

[B]

Yeah, get in laser. We're following to a video.

[A]

So what we're gonna do is just kind of create content. Now you can still within this, I don't have a lot of content. You can create content buckets behind the scenes. You're gonna lean heavily into. You're gonna find those dumb made up holidays and post on those days. We got two content buckets down and then you're gonna do those TikToks and Instagram trends. Now we got three content buckets involved and somebody who's like, I am not baking currently.

[B]

I'm trying to a add a meme. Me and Heather will literally strategize meme making. And that's a whole.

[A]

I hope meme culture never dies. Gives me a little giggle gaggle when I need them. Just a little pick me up.

[B]

But that's a whole another. So now you have four different content buckets that you've not had to turn your oven on for. That's nice.

[A]

Now all this content still points back to. Yes. So you see some people use their page as a personal diary. I wouldn't suggest it. It can have the propensity to grow legs and you cannot look great there with the public in judge, jury execution of the comment sections. But what I do is all my content would still point back to baking. So if I'm going to Michael's, I'm finding packaging. If I'm going to Walmart, you're coming with me to shop my. My ingredients list. Yeah.

[B]

Day in the life of a sugar cookie baker. Like we're always tying it back. We don't want to ever get, get too far from there because then you turn into influencer territory. And we're just trying to be a small baker territory.

[A]

We always need local sales. That's what always it comes down to. And when you go to influence though, you're based on views. And we got a whole different strategy. Yes.

[B]

Yeah. You, you've left the small world of your kitchen.

[A]

Right. Point number four, not a cookie. That is N o t c a not a cookie. There's substitutes for real cookies. Like not a cookie. So not a cookie is what is an. Almost like a play.

[B]

D'oh.

[A]

So sorts.

[B]

No, the original not a cookie was

[A]

actually made by Mike and Karen up

[B]

behind CookieCon, they made this thing and it's just a circle and it's just made of plastic, but it looks like the surface of a cookie and you can decorate on top of it and you can do designs and things like that. So you never turn on your oven. You've made a little royal icing. You've practiced, but you are able to make content out of it. Since the onslaught of 3D printing so many, you can now make any shape into a not a cookie if you have the knowledge for it. A lot of shops sell their designs in not a cookie format, but technically you only need a circle if you're just starting out and want to showcase different designs.

[A]

Basically what Corey was trying to explain to me is having a turn on your oven to bake a single cookie to turn it into content is asking a lot of people.

[B]

It is asking, one, you got to make the dough. Two, dough has a shelf life. It can only be thawed so long before you have to toss it. The oven coming to temper baking it that it is a lot to ask of one singular cookie for content.

[A]

So having a not a cookie, a plastic base allows you to create content, wash, rinse and repeat. Literally. Now, wasn't there that play doh type texture stuff? I don't think it really took off. But what was it called?

[B]

It was called cookie clay cookie. I don't think it's sold anymore. But it was kind of similar to the clay you'd get at the store. It kind of hardened and you could decorate on top of it, it scrape the icing off, wash it and re like, I don't think it's sold anymore. So I can't even speak to it and never had it before. But it reminds me of the stuff from the store, like in the little kids department that you could make little clay mations with. You could make that, but you could cut it into the shape of a cookie using a cookie cutter. So.

[A]

So you could do a little bit more versatility.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

When I took T and grout class the other day, he was like, now go home and buy a piece of drywall and put it up in your garage and just back butter tile. I was like, well, I'll never do that. But yeah, it's time in the saddle. He was like, he was like. And just, you know, redo it, do it, scrape it, wash it, do it again. Same with these kind of nada cookie substitutes. You're going to be increasing your skills while also creating content and frankly turn that into a reel about what A nada cookie is and why bakers would use it and post that from your. Your content bucket for behind the scenes.

[B]

My family, when I first started had an aunt slot of cookies to eat. And Heather was annihilating.

[A]

I'm gonna tell you, I'm sorry. It was 2020 ish. 2020 is when I got into the supply chain of Corey's baby. I was supplying the eating of them. And then a friend of mine, I gotten skydiving quite a few times even by myself, jumped out of the plane by myself, not strapped to somebody. And so this guy was like, I'd love to go. I was like, okay, let's do tandem where you're strapped to somebody who knows what they're doing. So we go in, but they have you stand on this giant. It. You can tell skydiving is a man focused sport because why was there a giant scale where somebody shouts above everybody else how much you weigh? Because you got to match them up to a guy that you're strapped. So they were like. They shouted out my weight. And I said, are you kidding me? Like in my head, I didn't want to show weakness to the man I'm about to be strapped to.

[B]

But Heather takes off her shoes. Let's do this one more time.

[A]

Let me take my phone out of my box. Let me take my hair tie in my hair. I called Corey and I said, what is in those cookies? Granted, it was covet. All the gyms were closed and I was eating cookies like it was. It was a full time job because it's basically all we were doing then. And Cory's like, oh, it's about 300 cows per cookie or something. Ridiculous.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Why don't you stop a girl? Why wouldn't you stop her on the fifth one, the sixth?

[B]

You want to be included? Like I was sending cookies to the police department. My husband works there. Like they were just annihilated be. But that's a lot. 1.

[A]

And it's a cost.

[B]

It's a cost. It was a cost.

[A]

It was.

[B]

It was very expensive to practice.

[A]

However. Okay. That same. That same concept. Bring us to point 5, which is bake cookies for giveaways or for marketing samples. Right. So what we talked about is like baking cookies and going to the kind of Main street cookie collab was turning a shop into a cookie and then giving them the cookie.

[B]

Corey did that and ended up making

[A]

an order from it. Didn't you?

[B]

Yes. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Do you remember which one it was?

[B]

I want to say it was a yuga studio, maybe.

[A]

So giveaways are a great way to do a couple things. Now, if you generate an entire following from people who want free stuff, it's going to be hard to get them to pay for stuff. So keep that in mind. It shouldn't be the only content bucket we're pulling from, but baking whatever you want. So you say, okay, I want to take the graceful baker. She has all these courses, right. And I want to learn this specific. I want to learn the specific. So I'm going to make a dozen of this specific design. Well, now I'm left with a dozen of them. I don't want to throw them away. That'd be waste. I could send them with the husband to the police department, or I could go to a local group and run a giveaway or can run that giveaway on my page. Just follow the rules about the spam with the word giveaway.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So that allows you to not only practice something, you get to choose what it is, but now you can also turn that effort, which it costs you something. It cost you labor and ingredients cost. Yeah. And turn it into marketing, which will help you secure those or orders.

[B]

I have in every place that I have lived, given cookies away to my neighbors. Content cookies that I made for content. I don't ever waste them. I never waste a cookie. I give them to my neighbors. All my neighbors have always placed orders. And they only have done that because they were able to taste it before they bought it. And it's goodwill for my neighbors. You know, they like me. They. I like them. And it's just worked well over the years by doing these giveaways. I am a big fan of not wasting cookies. So when I finally got. Got my. My decorating feet under me, Heather will tell you the cookies became a trickle

[A]

that she was able to eat and now she has to beg God. Also a sad day for me.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So now the win and a loss.

[B]

Get free cookies anymore because I'm utilizing them for my business so that the cost isn't so costly. I've now turned the cost into my marketing dollars. So I'm marketing my business when I make cookies for content. Content.

[A]

Oh yeah. I saw Corey give away five sets. I think they were cake pops or something. And got 5 reviews or 4 reviews. Even if she got 1 review out of 5. Awesome. Getting too many reviews at once. It will signal the screening. The. It'll hide those. So just a couple reviews here and there. A giveaway in a local community group, some taste testers. Corey sending them to the Husband or the wife with them when they go to work. All ways to kind of get seen, grow that audience. That's not that follow train of other bakers.

[B]

Yeah. And if you're doing the one cookie at a time, cookies freeze really, really well. You can actually freeze cookies for a few months. So if you're constantly making cookies for content, start putting them in the freezer in a bin, just add to them and by the time the bin's like ready to go, you could do a big old giveaway. You know, the Ms. Cookie packaging has these cookie grab bags and I've loved them for this because I'll do my giveaways in a cookie grab bag and I'll be. The designs make no sense to you. I just want you to taste it. And I've gotten sales from that.

[A]

Yeah. Because it really allows you to still turn that cost, that lost of ingredients and time cost back into marketing recouping dollars, which in turn brings in the sales. I really don't see another way around it. Now, the inclination as a warning label we put at the beginning and the end of this is I could just AI generate all this and it's solved immediately with a couple of of bottles of water and our planet heating up

[B]

and no and zero dollars.

[A]

Right. That solution is right there. It's so tempting in terms of building a relationship based on trust with your clients. You'll have to do it the hard way.

[B]

What's so funny is I actually don't utilize AI in my photos or videos at all. And it's because I'm pretty happy with what do my photos and videos look like.

[A]

Currently.

[B]

I've had two clients in the last three weeks show up and said, I thought thought the photo you sent me was AI and here I am and the cookies are actually what you made. So you see there's the. The end user is questioning everything now.

[A]

I know they're questioning it because they don't want to fall prey to what they're seeing as a scam. And misrepresenting yourself brings in those words of scam, liar, untrustworthy. What we don't want to do is use AI to fill in the gap because that's, that is. I mean, having AI Gener generate a cookie photo today is extremely time saving and at this point costs.

[B]

Oh, I'm, I'm like ang angry.

[A]

I started six years ago because if

[B]

you're telling me I could start a whole business and not turn on the oven. What.

[A]

But I'm going to say that it is not the Way to start a business off on the right.

[B]

No. When I do see that small businesses, my competitors are leaning towards AI, it makes me happy in my heart because I know that the end use doesn't know who to trust. And what they're going to do is find the baker whose stuff looks consistent, might not be picture perfect, it might not be the perfect sunlight, that might not be perfect staging, but that's who they're going to gravitate towards because they know probably what they're going to end up with is similar to what this baker has been doing years and years and years.

[A]

I saw a small business because that's what my newsfeed is, is small faraway businesses getting involved in drama. And they had generated an AI photo. It was like a moment pop watering hole type bar and they were having a live music or something and everyone's like, please, we'd rather see the ugliest flyer in the world than this. But then the business is like, but like to hire this out, it's more expensive. And I understand it, I understand all sides of the argument. However, if you want our business recommendation, it is working on your photography and it just builds trust. Those typos, unfortunately, in today's environment are building trust. They used to determine extract from trust. Now they've made you look dust.

[B]

Now it's going to go back to all caps, paragraph long, no punctuation, that's in.

[A]

I even even thought about incorporating a misplaced the T e h the teh, you know, typo. Yeah, because it just says AI could never. AI would never let you see its pants down. But this is generating reality.

[B]

Even talking to my son because he had a summer reading book report and I told him, if you want to go to Heather's house today, I told him last week the book report has to be done. My guy I1 is he a supersonic reader? Not only was the book read super fast, the report was also generated super fast.

[A]

You also said, don't let AI even look at it.

[B]

And I said, I don't care how you did it, I don't care what you did, but if it ran through AI, it doesn't count, my friend. Because I even looking at my son, I'm like, are you real?

[A]

I saw a TikTok yesterday and a guy was like, you're shocked. We, you know, people today, kids, they aren't even reading their own papers. He's like, we wrote these.

[B]

We hadn't even read the book.

[A]

I can find it. But did you read his paper? Were you able to see the tells

[B]

I He's never used those words in a conversation. Me granted, our words are one. He answers anything I say with one word.

[A]

So I haven't heard many. It was funny I was watching this other TikTok for uncon I'm glad I didn't go to college. AI rolled out just you know, because I went back and finished. AI had rolled out just a couple months later after I'd finished.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But now I'm seeing the guy was like was a dead teacher's aide. He was like here on the the college level is I'm able you have to type your paper within their software window. Yeah. So he's like look I and it replace he goes play start to finish and it tells him how long it took, how many, how many type. So he was like looking at the person, right. Backspace. Backspace. He's like but while this looks legitimate, they've actually gotten a different AI software to generate something that looks like it's anti But I have the software that can tell me that this is AI generated software to make it look real. Like the AIs are fighting Joe I

[B]

want to say this battle though of plagiarism has been around for years because when the Internet first happened, me and Heather were alive for that. They would be like, you copy and paste this from this website like you did Control C, Control V and that's how you build your paper. Because they would run it too. But now it's just we've gotten so many versions away that this AI program is looking at that AI program people

[A]

new I programmed earlier. But back to the thing is all these content buckets are based on you and where you're at in your business today. That's going to build authenticity and trust. And like Corey says, no like trust. If if we hardly know anything about you, we don't know if we should like you. And we know we can't trust you. You will not make sales in the long run. You always be struggling to beat that baker who did go about it the right way.

[B]

Yeah. With these content buckets that Heather suggested. A video a day in the life you prepping for an order. A cookie cutter stash that you just got that you're doing an unboxing for. This will set up your content posting strategy. You do not have to post every single day. I don't even post every single day. And I've been doing this how you

[A]

know when it's National Elephant toe Day?

[B]

Oh, you're gonna know. Elephant toady. I'm gonna have a photo for that. But you don't have to post every single day to be a valid business owner. As you get more orders, you're going to have more content to work with. But if you posted two to three times per week, that is a great, that is a great strategy to work with. That's very doable. Especially when you're starting out and you're like, I'm just getting my feet wet here. That is a great thing. And as you grow your business, you can be like, maybe posting four times a week is where I feel is my sweet spot. And then you're a four time a

[A]

week poster or four times a week poster from these content buckets. You'll be a force to be reckoned with.

[B]

1.

[A]

After you generate this actual cookies, you're increasing your skill set. That right there is worth its weight in gold because the guy who's just generating AI of some floral and actually learn how to pipe it, you're, you're going to be able to do a lot more than you do. But you turned it into a reel. You went behind the scenes. You introduced your dog. You turned your dog cookie that you did a giveaway.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, the ecosystem of, of the force. You will be will, will definitely be like, don't, don't move, Tara Corey don't want to see you.

[B]

I don't want to see if, if you have to post. If you post a cookie photo every day, I ain't sweating you. If you post strategic content and people are getting to know you, I'm cursing your name.

[A]

Cursing your name while she's booting up her video.

[B]

Oh, gosh darn it. You're telling me I gotta do my hair today.

[A]

Yeah. So as with anything in life, the shortcut is the long cut. The short. The shortest way to do something is not the successful way. There are ways to optimize. You know, why don't you get AI to help you storyboard the real. Sure.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You stand in front of it and record it in your own way.

[B]

Yeah, you might. Here's the thing. A lot of people aren't going to be on your page being like, don't use AI. I'll never buy from you. You don't know the people who are seeing your AI post and not buying from you because of it. They never even made it close enough to buy from you because they were turned off from the get go. That's why I see a lot of people are like, well, it saves me time. It saves you time. But it's Costing you orders you don't know about. And it seems like no one said anything.

[A]

They did. They didn't. They said nothing. That was a problem. They didn't place it. I always say good AI is like good plastic surgery. You don't know somebody's had it done.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

You don't know it's there. It's working in the background. It is helping your workflow and optimizing, which we talked about with Taylor. Her ideas. That was two podcasts ago. If you want to go give it a listen. Her ideas of how she.

[B]

She.

[A]

She drops in client communication into the software and it says, what is this client really focused on?

[B]

She's utilizing it to better her client relationships in the background in the back. And the. The customer doesn't even know she's trying to perfect her relationship with them.

[A]

She's saying, here's a customer's idea. What can you generate from you? And then I'll take this and implement it into a cookie set. It's just that. That's the use of it. So I know I. I see some murmurings about other twins hate AI or the twins love it AI. Both. Both. Yeah, you're right. I love it and I hate it. I love the great use of it. I think it has a place. I don't think it's going anywhere. So you beggars who love to fight about it, I don't think you're in a winning battle. I also do believe you're using it whether you know it or not. And for the people who love it. Yeah, I think it has a great place. But if it's replacing you, I think it's. It's going to hurt you.

[B]

It's gonna. It's gonna hurt you. And you become one of the many other businesses who are just utilizing AI and you be. And the problem with that is, is when you sound like everyone, you sound like no one.

[A]

You're forgettable. You're just background noise.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So there's a Zen cor. So just a little Zen cor of like a caption somebody's written, somebody just shows on my feed. Somebody I don't know. And I'll be like, read this and tell me what you now know after reading this you didn't know before. And course, like, I. It said nothing. I was like, yeah, it said nothing. It just filled up a page full of nothing.

[B]

And Heather's making fun of me for using the content days national calendar things. But people now are being like, tagging, mixing bowl. My little company in a National holiday because they utilize it so much. What they have done is tied me to something like I like to post in my stories a lot of fall things. Like because I like fall, I like the season. People are tagging me when they see fall things because they've, they've been like, Corey likes that. And only they know that. That because I am putting myself out there, my individual self. AI doesn't know that Corey is obsessed with a crinkled leaf outside that is a orange color.

[A]

I love the tiktoks that show up around the fall where somebody just is trying to find the crunchiest leaf of the season.

[B]

Yeah, just stepping on it. But your oddities, your little passions, your little side projects, you and your personality is what makes people want to buy from you. When you use your website might look so nice, but if it's missing the U factor, it's just another website. If your content is all AI generated, it might look nice. And AI can do a good job on staging a photo. It just doesn't have you in there. I can't say, wow, that's Heather's photo. Because it's not, it doesn't. It's not a representation of Heather. It's something Heather ran through AI.

[A]

It still looks good. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

But it's not. It doesn't make me know Heather and it doesn't make me like her. It's just another pretty photo in my feed.

[A]

Oh well, we gotta like Old Head.

[B]

We don't like Old Head and Neo the lion on that.

[A]

Just to recap what the content buckets are here, Zoom said.

[B]

Are you playing music? Thank you for recognizing that as music.

[A]

Segment the cookies in a cookie set. Make that one set. Have more Runway, make it, spread it out, zoom it in, crop it, restage it, find trends and recreate them. That's going to be video based, behind the scenes content. It could be video and photo based. It's going to allow people to really see what goes on. But yeah, again, clean up your house. If you have people in your kitchen, clean off the countertops, wipe it down, make sure it's presentable. Not a cookies or that. Just practice. Cookies are a great way to get content under your belt while also learning a new skill. And bake for giveaways. Giveaways to gain local followers. Giveaways to get reviews with a strategy in mind. Giveaways to just do brand awareness like Corey did with her neighbors and the police department. And the biggest, the disclaimer there is do not have AI take over any of these content buckets it will just one. It'll stick out like a sore thumb. If all the other stuff's about you and this one, you're like, that's not it. It almost make all that other effort go, by the way.

[B]

I said, yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's your business to run with how you want. Me and Heather just have been at this for a long time.

[A]

This AI stuff's pretty new. Open AI. What rolled out at the beginning. The AI photo generator was super, super funny. It was so.

[B]

It was hilarious.

[A]

It was just like things fused together that should have never been fused together. And that was what, two years ago. It was. You can actually get usable content from it, which I would say in the last. What, Nano banana, like late last years, where it kind of really figured itself out. It still has that feeling to it. And I'll be curious if they can bake that out of there.

[B]

To bake that out. Is that a baking pun right there? Yeah, I can still. I'm still young enough.

[A]

My eyes are still good enough to

[B]

be able to clock it, but I

[A]

think I'm on the cusp.

[B]

I think it's on the cusp, but I'm also on the cusp.

[A]

Somebody is something on TikTok. I was like, oh, it was this semi truck. He's following another semi truck. And you can see that the semi truck in the front is having a tire about to. It put blow out. So we're in the guy's POV from. You know, the semi trucks have those cameras always on.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And he's like, oh, no, no. Then the tire blows out of the semi truck in the front, but a semi truck from the back comes and catches the load before falls. And I was like, wow. And then the top comment is like, the fact that I didn't realize this is. This is AI. I have to step away from.

[B]

From the platform for a minute from now.

[A]

So there is a time. And I was listening to a podcast alone Loneliness as it applies to these AI large language models talking to them like therapists. And it was like, right now, AI can only validate you, which is dangerous in terms of like a narcissistic. If everyone tells you you're right, you start believing it. Unfortunately.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But it says the minute should it ever. Which the speaker was some PhD. He was like, when it becomes sentient, none of this matters anymore. It's now just a person who'll push back as people would.

[B]

Yeah, just like your sister says, you're dumb.

[A]

Now you have an AI generated sister. Welcome to know I did fall for

[B]

one the other day and it's because octopi, octopuses, whatever, they're the octopi of the bottom of the ocean. I'm not familiar with them. Let me tell you, my octopus knowledge, very low. But this guy's playing with it. He's in his snorkel and the octopus goes. And he actually puts a little camera on him. I don't know, you guess you can. They have a little knob for a head. And the octopus goes. And he finds his octopus friends. This is a very fast video. But the, the next he flows over and then all the octopi have glasses on and they're doing a dance party.

[A]

Like, isn't that cool? Isn't it really?

[B]

How dare you waste 4 seconds of my life. I'll never give in.

[A]

Yeah. I wonder if there was a way to study one that. Are you gullible? Do gullible people fall for AI more? I. I have. I'm bright eye and bushy tail. I'm like, nobody ever told me a lie in my life. But I'm like, well, people are lying all the time. I'm just not talking.

[B]

But I always a. I don't believe it.

[A]

Prove it to cynic. But you like look at this octopus. Yeah.

[B]

It's because I don't have like the bunnies jumping on the.

[A]

I know that one got a lot of people. But it was also that cctv. Yes. So like it's where that, like that,

[B]

that low res is.

[A]

So which the camera in a semi truck. Low res, granted. The other low res.

[B]

I thought maybe a GoPro on octopus. Yeah, no, it's not res.

[A]

I don't know. It's a very interesting. We're in a very interesting time of being, which I'm sure the guy who saw the first model see always stand on his horse was like, I'm in a very interesting time of being alive.

[B]

Like we remember when the Internet and me and Heather were around for when it was weird and blocky and then it became a like more fluid looking, like soft edges to the website.

[A]

Yeah, the horses. We'd go to that website via Pixel.

[B]

Like wow.

[A]

Wow. Yeah.

[B]

That was mind blowing for me back then. This is also mind blowing for me now.

[A]

Now. And I think, you know, they say every two to four years technology doubles. So it's like, it's. It's not a slant up of technology. It's this. It goes way.

[B]

I remember my non smartphone, me and Heather. I was trying to tell Archer I said me and Heather were alive during the Time where it was 10 cents to send a text until I think 6pm and then it was a free for all till like I was so

[A]

adept at those dumb phones, you know. Cause you just hit a three times to. Or you'd hit one three times.

[B]

Oh yeah, right.

[A]

I could text. Do you remember we had the chocolate phone.

[B]

I did.

[A]

I had the green one. You'd slide up the face. I could text from my pocket a whole thing. It would make total sense. There's no typos. I would never even look at the phone. I just could tactile send that.

[B]

But like that's like arcade. Do you remember the silver flip phone in the light colors?

[A]

Right. If they sold that again, I would buy it.

[B]

Yeah. The light changed to the color of the sound and this is where you could have a. What was it? A ringtone tone.

[A]

I'm. Do you remember call back tones when some you'd call somebody would bring back to them a song. We weren't allowed to listen to rock music so we weren't allowed to do that. We're also not allowed to spend it. My mom was like a hawk on that cost of things if you're saying

[B]

10 cents a text. So I told Arch, he just sent me like, like literally a broke by having. I said that would be a waste of 10 cents.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. It's just so funny how technology has ever shifted. Shifted.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Crazy. We were idiots. Probably 12 and we were in chat rooms just because my parents had no clue.

[B]

Asl I'm like, what does that mean?

[A]

You can't just go Google it. Google didn't exist.

[B]

This is. My name's Corey and I live xoit.

[A]

Please come and steal me my suit. Thank you so much. I trust everybody. So that is the today's content bucket. Moving on to the cookie college. We just wrapped up the midsummer membership sale. I'll get you guys in the Facebook group today. But Corey and I wanted to focus on a course in there. And the one I want to talk about is Google Calendar. I use it religiously in my personal life and now Corey does.

[B]

So my little as with anything, Heather brings me kicking and screaming.

[A]

Corey now says, I don't know what I'll do without it. Yeah, what I do for Google Calendar is I create one within a calendar, within an account. You create multiple different calendars and within those calendars you can have different settings. So what I'll do is I have having a. A calendar from appointments, dentists, whatever and I'll add it to that calendar. Now when I go to Add something from my phone. It'll say, hey, do you want to duplicate this event again? All this streamlining just to do it. Now, within my calendar, let's say I have Botox, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Within the calendar's description, I'll include the link to change the schedule, their information and the address so I'll never have to look that up again. Just really working efficiently.

[B]

Now, if you have a Google work

[A]

workspace within calendar, you can have schedules. So that means you could say hey to your client. You can schedule your pickup on this day, what time works best for you. And it will black that out when they choose the pickup time.

[B]

People with iPhones and what I've found since I've switched from team Android to team Apple is iPhones don't like Google products. Never.

[A]

Guess that's because they're and that's why you can't switch.

[B]

Yeah. So the funny thing is is like I'll get a text message like I have an H vac guy coming this week and the text will say something and Apple will recognize that there's a thing and it'll add it to my Apple calendar. It does not want to add anything to my Google Calendar. The best part about the Google Calendar is if you have a Gmail, you can add the things from your Gmail to your Google Calendar. I can share my Google Calendar with Heather because Heather doesn't have an iPhone. I can't share my Apple.

[A]

You know what Google people can do, Andrew? This is cute. I don't have a boyfriend, so it doesn't really matter to me. But like you can share a keep note which is Google's note taking software. Google, Google keep.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And you can both edit it and people like leave each other little notes and you'd be surprised because it's not a text message where you're pinged. You would just log into your note.

[B]

What I did find out is that's how people are cheating on their spouses.

[A]

Oh, I did hear that as well. You know every. There's due edge sword to everything.

[B]

There's an underbelly for everything.

[A]

I saw this TikTok and this girl's like when he leaves his phone unlocked. But like you have a lot going on in your personal life and she just flipped it over and slid it

[B]

away like she didn't even want to

[A]

find out what was going on.

[B]

Pick your battles.

[A]

We just wrapped up. You know what, I want to bring that one up as well. We just wrapped up the procreate course and the way I decided to approach it is. I don't want to overwhelm somebody with

[B]

like the razzle dazzle.

[A]

Here's everything I know. And you don't know how to do it. I feel like that's pointless. Type courses. What I want to do is like, hey, we don't know this. I'm speaking to you. We. I'm going to show you. Step in my. Follow my steps. Where my step is. You put your foot.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

So we downloaded the app together and then we open the app. We went through the entire dashboard. What's this? What's that? Oh, I love that, Love that. I had them make some minor settings, some hacks that I've actually learned from classes I've taken that I was like, wow, I use this one a lot. So what we did was able to quick select a layer without having to go to the layers panel. We talked about layering and in the first cookie, what we did is import a cute Etsy font, which you could import. You could buy the font from Etsy, import onto this cookie, and then you can use a projector to recreate that exact same font font. Right. Oh.

[B]

What I thought would be a good idea for this, for your procreate thing is have your go to favorite fonts, like choose five of them. Let the clients pick their favorite of the five and you already have them

[A]

ready to go load it in there. If they pick this font, then you can go. So what we did is we. We created the name. It was Olivia was the example name in this cute font. And when you created the sketch around that, picking colors. So we had ourselves email the client emails, I'm the client. And the emails from Canva, they emailed us a birthday invite and we said this is our theme. So from there we did a birthday cookie with her name Olivia, using the colors from her birthday invite. And then this one, we took the Nancy cutter from Kaleida Cut, we traced it and then we turned that into a plaque cutter. And I think we wrote Happy birthday on it using a clipping mask, which is a pretty cool. Like you'd have to almost take the class. Then in the final one, what we did was we took her invite and had a number seven on it that would turn into a candle. And we created a couple cookie from the number seven by tracing it. By tracing it straight from the inline. Yeah. Ended with a hack. You can take. You can create an outline. So we created the outline of the Nancy plaque cutter from Kaleida Cutter. Sure. And you can turn that outline into a brush. So you can always Just trigger the Nancy cutter from the brush panel. Meaning takes two seconds to trigger a brush. So while it took us five minutes to trace, we turned it into a brush. And you can do that with every cookie cutter you have. You just trace it, turn it into a brush, and just. Oh, I have my cut kaleidicut set. Here's my Nancy cutter. Boop. And then you can start sketching within that.

[B]

I find that out of the hundreds of cookie cutters I have, I always am grabbing for the same plaque type ones because I'm like, I just. It's easy for me to work with. I know where the graphic is.

[A]

I would turn all those into brushes with this.

[B]

That's nice.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You could save you some time.

[A]

Tons of time. Easy to create the sketch again. It's about you, but faster. I really feel like that's where the sweet about us. Yeah, you, but better you, but not you you. But everything we don't like about is gone. It's just fully replaced completely. Just not even here anymore. We went to the gossip column. Cory has two gossips. These are.

[B]

I'll just use my one. Go. I feel like we've done cookie goss a lot.

[A]

This one is a.

[B]

A local lady. You know, I run that local group. The whole group's on post approval. Let me tell them.

[A]

We don't allow anonymous posting because we find that it's abused nickname. Posting hasn't been added to the scrip yet. The Lord. So anonymous is disabled. Nickname doesn't exist. But there's still people who have a cause that they. A lot of people, like, I lost my job, but my friends are in the group because it's a hyper local group or I'm pregnant. I'm not ready to make the announcement yet, but I'm looking for the doctor. Right. So those anonymous. However, I refuse. I refuse to post anonymously on behalf of people because what happens is that one post that makes a ton of sense to me. Anonymous breeds five guys. I'm looking for a new paint color. Can you post this anonymously? Why?

[B]

Yeah, I. I know and Heather is correct. But to appease the people, I have a template saved to my notes app. I just copy and paste whatever their thing. I don't like doing it. Sometimes I wait too long.

[A]

They actually delete their other offending request. I can tell when Corey doesn't think it should be anonymous. You'll let it pen for about 48 hours. Yeah, something like that doesn't need to be.

[B]

Someone will be like to the person who ran me off the road 1.

[A]

They're not in the group.

[B]

This one lady says, this past weekend, please post a non delete if. If not allowed. So I already know you know something about this.

[A]

My favorite kind. So I grab my popcorn. Yeah.

[B]

So this I. I ended up not posting it because it was dramatic. And she ends the whole thing with DM me and I'll let you know who it is. How can they DM me? You're anonymous.

[A]

Promise.

[B]

But she says, we hired somebody to watch my kid. And she's 30 years old. She has brown eyes, brown hairs, a good body. I'm like, what is this going? She's like, she was a babysitter for six months. She made me feel bad about not buying her kids a birthday gift. I'm like, there's so much context here. I didn't feel like I should have to buy her kids stuff because she's just the babysitter. But you know, she ended up texting me less and I was like, maybe she's getting the hang of it of things. Turns out she was texting the husband naughty photos and the husband was texting them back. And she says, please post anonymous. But at the end it says DM me. I'll send you who it is. So you don't hire.

[A]

Yeah, right. You post who the man is because it takes two to do.

[B]

Yeah, but she was just mad at the babysitter girl. I said, not today, friend. We are not doing that drama today in our area.

[A]

Area. You, you may have heard this on the news because it's led to a murder. Yes, there is a lot of the au pair and au pairs. Hiring au pairs to be live in nannies is a really popular in our area. So you, you'll go to these like nanny job boards and you'll find hire the au pair. And sometimes it's through a brokerage where they make a ton of money off that.

[B]

Or you can do private hire.

[A]

But typically the au pair will live with you. You'll have to supply them a car. You have to have payroll. It. It works that way.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And they have to get a visa because they're only here for a certain amount of months. I have a friend that's very into this. It really helps them raise their kids. So there's a place for it.

[B]

I've had a few au pairs come and pick up the, the cookie orders.

[A]

Makes a ton of sense. It sounds like it really helps them. But on the flip side, so you know and talk about my insecurities. Some of these people are just stunning like, why aren't you a model? Why are you babysitting kids when you should be walking down the couch? Don't walk the dog catwalk. Because we. You're supposed to be. See, so if you guys have listened to any of the news cut. Two years ago, the husband in Ashburn, which is where Corey and I are meeting for lunch in just a couple minutes, he and the au pair decide to have this bright idea to have a guy on Craigslist show up. Oh, you know, coming. And I'm into this, you know, raping or stuff.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Come in and. But she wasn't privy to it. And he was going to be defending his wife's honor by. By killing both. This guy who knew the real street, you know, he found the list interesting. And having this guy kill the wife or have, like, whatever. Anyways.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Killing them. Yeah.

[B]

So him and the nanny could live.

[A]

She got life in prison together.

[B]

She ended up turning on him.

[A]

Right.

[B]

She did get. He got life, no parole.

[A]

Right.

[B]

I'm pretty sure she got life with the opportunity of parole, though.

[A]

Just insane. So. Yeah. So really, that drama that's in this area a lot. Yeah.

[B]

And I said for me to even insert my.

[A]

Myself a.

[B]

A minor part to have my name associated with that post.

[A]

Could not be me.

[B]

You. I do not get paid anything if

[A]

we read every single period and adjective and noun. Yes.

[B]

The craziest part is I can see the lady's name like it's not anon to me.

[A]

You never. You're never fully anonymous. And if you think you are, you're not. Don't. Don't post it. If you said, if somebody found out who I was, this would be a problem. You shouldn't have posted it. However, I get hurt saying, like, I'll tell you who this lady is, but also file for divorce, sweetheart. Yeah, I know it's easier said than done. And call me a Redditor, but, like, throw the whole man away. Yeah.

[B]

Don't get mad at just the girl. Post him up.

[A]

Where's every. You know, you see those. And I'm reading on Reddit and was like, I can't believe she would sleep with my married husband. I can't believe he'd do his.

[B]

Yes, your married husband would stay with her.

[A]

I agree. I agree. You know what? Everybody just. Just don't. Just don't cheat. Just.

[B]

What we say is keep your hands to yourself. We say it to our kids.

[A]

You know, my mom would be like, clasp your hands. This was our punishment growing up. You'd have to Cory And I would always be picking on each other and we'd be touching everything at a store. And my mom would say, clasp your hands. So you'd have to put your interlock your fingers.

[B]

Sometimes she said, clasp your hands in front of you if you were really bad.

[A]

So you can do anything if they're behind it. If you're in front of those, you could still get your finger within a twin.

[B]

Yeah, this we would touch the point. But if you're really bad, clasp your hand behind.

[A]

So here's the thing. If you're going to be an aair, you're going to hire an au pair, just clasp your hands in front of you. Just clasp your hands in front of me. Yeah, clap.

[B]

I honestly, if you're walking into the door, clasp your hands in front of you. My husband, a police officer, the most calls is because someone didn't clasp their hands.

[A]

Clasping their hands behind.

[B]

Don't thank us if you don't clasp in front. He's clasping behind.

[A]

A lot of clasping going on. Upcoming events. The Vendy Blendies in 16 weeks and November 27th. You can go penned in the group right now. You can go to facebook.com groups forward/bendy blendy. Back to school. Many, many of you have gone back to school, but in our area it is in two weeks. My little neighbor is four. She is fortunately going in one week.

[B]

Is it just preschool, though?

[A]

It is. Whatever leads up to preschool. It's.

[B]

There's. Yeah, pre K. Yes, whatever.

[A]

That one that leads you up to preschool. That leads you up to kindergarten.

[B]

Pre K. So it's probably half day.

[A]

I mean, really, like, what are we going to do to have them in school when they're nursing? Right.

[B]

As soon as they're born, hand them to the teacher.

[A]

Back to school. Labor Day is in four weeks, which isn't a major cookie holiday, but for me it marks the beginning of go season. Then we have the NFL. It's also in four weeks. Canadian Thanksgiving is in nine weeks and Halloween is only 12 weeks away. So too early to do the cutters. But if you played the summer wean right, you may have some cutters that fit both. Summerween.

[B]

Yeah. Love Summerween.

[A]

You're big into the weens, man. You. Love you. We've been seeing your content, but Veterans day is in 13 weeks and then Thanksgiving is in 15 weeks. Somebody had asked in the cookie college, when do you guys post up your classes? I posted up our holiday classes already and they have a wait list which for me, if we Wanted to. We could add second classes, start filling those up.

[B]

We've done that in the past before, right?

[A]

We sold our soul. We won here. We said what if we just never said no. What if we just see that email.

[B]

Whoever emailed us this morning emailed me in sugar cookie classes asking for a private class on 914 for eight people. Did you see that this morning?

[A]

No, but that might have been the person I was working with on a private class.

[B]

But you attended. It was a different email though.

[A]

I'd have to look.

[B]

I would have to look.

[A]

It's getting really close to my. Maybe it was.

[B]

Maybe it was her.

[A]

I told them to throw out a couple dates and they were asking if they could do a non weekend. November.

[B]

Would you say 14?

[A]

That's a Saturday.

[B]

It's a lady and her name is Jacqueline.

[A]

I don't think it's her. Not them anyways. Tis the season. We. We had that private class last November that we did. And our biggest takeaway is when people are drinking and they're really good friends, they tend to stop listening. I wish we had had a bell to, you know, a little dinner, mount Ding and just say, okay guys, we're moving on because we were stuck there for forever.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Cookie Design Lab is a sponsor of our STL Me about It segment. If you want to text in and get your questions answered, it's 571-556-5644. If you open up Spotify and find the Baking it down podcast, there'll be a button that says text us and you can text in. That way they both go to the same place. Cory, we have three texts this week. Three trace from 682682 can email me at heather sugarcookiemarketing.com to get a week. I'm sorry, a month of Cookie Design Lab, which is an STL software. That's why we call it the STL Me about it. I found a car in front of me and it said STL her. And I was like, steal her. Steal her. Steelers. It was a punk 20 year old that was tailgating me. So you guys can derive. I just said all I see is STL.

[B]

Yeah, STL.

[A]

STL code twins. You get 15% off a month of Cookie Design Lab. I saw Corey printing up a storm yesterday.

[B]

I was printing up a storm yesterday.

[A]

What are you printing and why?

[B]

I have one client. She's not my ideal client, but she orders multiple times per year. But she only wants mini cookies and I'm not a mini cookie decorator. I've seen But I said I'd fit her in.

[A]

Our question is podcast Podcast question twofer from Sharon, AKA Fabula. She was, she was a podcast guest. She was a first podcast guest. I gotta get my next podcast guest teed up. She's from Fabella Q Cookies in Fort Worth. DIY kits. Do you use class kits for you, your DIY kits. And question number two, if yes, do you include the cookie class kit playlist? So a little backstory. We sell the curriculum you could use to teach an in person cookie class, which is the next one is called Love Bug. The last one was called Lemonade Stand. And she was saying instead of just teaching classes with those, you could easily take that kit and sell it as a DIY kit. Yes. The answer is yeah. Corey will create while she's baking up for an upcoming class. And I'm pretty sure you're probably going to do it for Halloween and Thanksgiving. She'll bake a couple extra sets and sell them as standalone DIY kits. She says you include the playlist within the Cookie College. One of our members, Julia, takes the PowerPoint and turns it into a single page PDF and with the steps, step by step. So take the images, convert them into the PDF. Yes. The question, the answer to that one is yes. Core includes a playlist. In fact, we include the PowerPoint as well. So they can walk themselves through it. The PowerPoint is a lot more comprehensive than a single page PDF because it's a 60 or 45 to 50 slide deck. Yeah, because you pay for the kit, why not include the most value possible? So what I have is I send people the PowerPoint and they can walk themselves through the kit. The kit is identical to the class class setup. In fact, when we teach our classes, we sell the kits there as well. So people who come to class can also take this home. We make an extra. We charge $35 for those. Yeah.

[B]

And in the college, in the last few years, not the first year, I started taking the a DIY kit photo for all the classes.

[A]

So that's included in the Cookie College membership. Yeah. So it's not included in the class kit. So it's DIY kit photos which you could easily recreate yourself. But if you want to take the work out of that and still have that authentic photo, you can get those in the Cookie College. It should be course number 80, which is called DIY kids. So, Sharon, I know you're in the college, so yes. My answer is yes and yes. And I would even include the PowerPoint as well. Yeah. On our classes I send people the link to sweeping Gol to buy the cutters themselves if they want.

[B]

Yeah I we get so much Runway out of those class kits and that's why there is so much Runway because we're utilizing them ourselves. But yeah, I'll turn them in into biggest holiday for DIY kits for me

[A]

at least is Halloween. So that's a great one to jump on. I like that one. Next text. Not a winner, but forever in our hearts a winner. Have you heard of the Buc EE's vs Beaver Mart in Beaver Creek, Ohio? I'm curious on your thoughts regarding marketing of both parties as well as trademark laws. You think about this one. I'm going to just open the door real quick for my cat.

[B]

Okay. Yeah, trademark laws are big. Most people, most companies don't mind it. That doesn't mean that just because they haven't sent anything, they don't care. A lot of businesses and brands like it when you do it so they, they find that it's marketing for themselves in there. Things that don't would be Disney and all those main little characters from, you know, the kids shows. But if you. I'm not sure the Beaver nuggets, Beaver Mart, what that is. I have seen some beaver stuff in my feed so it, it's a. It's getting down to me here in Virginia, but I'm not sure what that little controversy is. But I find that those types like gas stations, you know, these run of the mil, Jimmy Johns, they don't mind as much when you utilize theirs. You could do a generic Beaver, you know, team.

[A]

Here's the AI overview for those of you who love AI and for those of you who don't. Buc EE's is suing Beaver's Mini Mart, a small long standing corner store in Beaver Creek, Ohio, claiming trademark infringement and unfair competition. The massive travel center chain claims alleges that the local store's cartoon beaver logo and red color scheme are too similar to its own branding and could confuse consumers into thinking that the businesses aren't connected. The allegation Buc EE's claims its registered cartoon beaver trademark used for over four decades is synonymous with its brand. And they argue that Mini Mart, smiling beaver and red text imitate its identity. Beaver Mart notes that the store has used its logo for over a decade without issue and that the shop doesn't even have gas pumps or sit near an interstate community backlash. The lawsuit sparked heavy local and national criticism, prompting a wave of support, crowdfunding and other local highways. Businesses temporarily changing their logos to feature beavers in solidarity.

[B]

That is actually a big marketing thing that's going on right now where brands will are actually doing the opposite because they're making a stand. We've talked about it. When something's trademarked, if a business doesn't stand up for the trademark and you know, argue for the trademark, they can actually lose the trademark. So I can see it might be one of those things. We don't know what's behind the scenes things but you can see it's working against BUC EE's if the other businesses around them are standing up for it and standing behind this the problem. And that's why I have told clients that hey, I don't do copyrighted things. Like with Disney we can do an inspired buy set but I don't want to do on the nose set because I don't have big enough pockets. Even if a GoFundMe was started Disney. Mr. You have to get the right

[A]

kind of branding behind.

[B]

Yeah. Mr. Walt. I couldn't take them on in a million years. Nor would I want the stress bomb behind it.

[A]

The interesting thing there is if you want to. It's easy to demonize BUC EE's in this one. And I don't even. I don't think West Virginia has them. So I can be bipartisan in my opinion. Velcro. Velcro, you know, strip is.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

What is its real name? Velco is actually a brand.

[B]

It's hook and loop.

[A]

Right. So Velcro came out this really funny commercial on a pretend lawyers. It was a. It was a singing group said please stop calling it Velcro when it's not. When it's hook and loop. If it's not made by Velcro. What happens is because they didn't enforce that for so long, you can lose your trademark to like some commonality, common use.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And Kleenex is also suffers from that. Okay. Hand me a Kleenex. Well no, you said can you hand me a tissue? Kleenex is the brand of tissues. Yeah. It's marketing almost so good. It works. It did too well. Right. So there is the. Yeah. What if I saw red Beaver? Would I think it's Buc ee's. Yeah. From.

[B]

I would but I. I don't know if is your question should you get involved in it? Like should you partake in standing up for the small beaver? Whatever that beaver mar Everyone.

[A]

Everyone roots for an underdog. Everyone. I would be devastated to think I was pulling up to a buggies and it was like some gnarly bathrooms and not a buc EE's.

[B]

But I'm wondering, is she saying like, should I get my feet wet and maybe change my logo just for funds? Should I see them for. The problem is, is if Bucky shows up at your door, could you take on BUC EE's if they're like wondering.

[A]

But see, it has to do with that they are similar business models. You know, like, you can't enforce a trademark. Buc EE's couldn't enforce a trademark against something that was like.

[B]

Like a wildlife shipping, I guess.

[A]

Oh yeah, it's a Cincinnati area code. So yeah, she's saying both are no Ohio. Both are buggies and. Well, I'll be curious as an Ohio in. What do you feel? Do you feel that Beaver Creek has a leg to stand on? Beaver Creek's been around for 10 years. Buc EE's have been around for 40 years using the logo. I mean, who knows what was before there.

[B]

I guess I have seen a little bit of the drama. I didn't understand it, but this one truck was like using obviously AI and being like, this is what our new design for our food truck would look, look like. And it's this smiling beaver. So I can only assume that I was getting some Ohio drama.

[A]

Ohio girl, you guys are landlocked and fighting for it.

[B]

But I don't know. I. I wouldn't get my noses wet and dirty because I don't want Bucky's or Walt showing up at my door. I still don't have the funds to. To be even funny enough to get my elbows.

[A]

There are some trends, you know, there's a time and place and we're not in Ohio to see if that's the trend. Sure. Which everything over over to red. There may be a time where that would actually make a ton of sense. Corey's saying she wouldn't, but she's also 10 hours from her ex husband's state.

[B]

So I'm trying to be like less involved.

[A]

When I'm driving through Ohio tomorrow, I'll make my judgment call, let you know if I feel the presence of the beaver.

[B]

People love to rally around behind the underdog, a small business. So yeah, you rallying around shows a sense of like small business to small business business.

[A]

However, I know this is quite the fandom as well.

[B]

Bucky's does have some fandom around them and they were small businesses.

[A]

Every gas station, like having really clean bathrooms. That wasn't. We already have the bathrooms. We have the technology keeping them clean. Why can't we why is it that

[B]

profit system you don't you want to pay the cash register lady.

[A]

Women's bathrooms have to be clean.

[B]

But when you're des. That that. That's the thing. If you're desperate and the only option is the disgusting Exxon you they know that you're going to stop.

[A]

Absolutely.

[B]

The problem if tank is on e

[A]

I'm going to be stopping it.

[B]

If a BUC EE's or beavers marched moves in and disrupt you like

[A]

bring a beaver. Bring either of those next to a grody gas station, you got my business. I want to let you guys know though, if you're big into g after that like gas got to $5 a gallon. I got some strategies going on finding good gas prices prices. Someone told me to download the 711 app so I did. Now through October on the 7th and the 11th, you can get 50 cents off a gallon.

[B]

What's an app off every gallon you consume?

[A]

I am not sure but every once in a while it'll text me like hey, click this button, you get 10 cents off a gallon. So I click it right Then it. The app is quite bedazzling. It'll show me like their price and it would take it down 10 cents and it was like would you like to lock this price? So even if tomorrow, tomorrow there's a fuel shortage, I locked it in for seven days. That's only gambling because what if the price went lower?

[B]

That's how you create gamblers.

[A]

I mean when I play their little games which they'll send the text maybe once a month, I'll save about like $5.

[B]

Do you find that you. Is the gas cheaper than a wawa?

[A]

Yeah. So I also downloaded the gas Buddy app where I can see all the local gas prices and it's always within there. It's Sheets is always the highest one. There's like something. Sheets is the highest Liberty is ridiculous. I don't know.

[B]

I. I don't. I'm always a wire sheets girl.

[A]

Yeah. Well this sheets is right off the interstate so I think you can. Oh yeah, give me a remote sheets maybe.

[B]

We're so off talk topic now.

[A]

Pick us the next thing. 2A1 says howdy from Texas. It's Karen again. I'm reading Building a story Brand by Donald Miller. It's so funny.

[B]

I have that teed up to listen

[A]

to Tomorrow on my drive brand and he says to convert happy customers into evangelists for our brand by sending an educational video or a PDF to customers who would h hopefully have them share it to their friends. Do you have any ideas for some educational content that we could share with our cookie class customers? I'm thinking maybe icing consistency but that's too simplistic. I, I, I was going to say icing recipe and icing consistency because that's what we actually give away in our classes. Yeah. Do you have any other ideas?

[B]

And she say that turns them into evangelists for the brand.

[A]

Yeah. So something we also include in the follow up email is our shop list. Everything we bought to put on this glass. Here's what you need. So it's a link to meringue powder. It's a link to the cookie cutters. This link to the baking sheets that you used to amount.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

It's a link to that miscribes. Yeah. So it's like hey, here is everything we know to kind of just make us stand out just a little bit more. Then they could go somewhere somewhere else. It's just an email. It's not a lot of effort on our part but I actually created as a template. You can learn about that in the Google Gmail course I I taught. But it's just a template. Fire it up and just send it off to them. I also email them the PowerPoint slide deck. What does it cost me? Especially if you guys buy it through the class kids, what does it cost you?

[B]

Just with I find the biggest fandom and I can speak from experience. Me and Heather took me to one class when I first started and she would not share her recipe and actually just linked to some random video on YouTube and she's like this was one will work. And I was like huh, why are we like, you know, gatekeeping that? So I actually give away the recipe that I use for the cookies that they're making. They seem to be obsessed with that and at one time the link had actually didn't tell you what to bake it at. Like to bake it@ you know375 let

[A]

me fail by learning for you know

[B]

no one had baked, no one had baked it. You obviously would have emailed me and said what do I bake this at? But they still loved that they had something that you know, I found value in and then I gave it to to them and they found value in

[A]

that which is, you know Cory and I are working on a course where I wanted to give her icing recipe away. This is a great use of AI. So I said can you send me your royal icing recipe? So Corey sends me just a wall of text and I was like I don't understand this, nor do I want to read it. So I said, AI, turn this into a recipe card. Like, break this down to me by ingredients and then steps. So then I couldn't. I sent it back to Corey. She's like, what is set 1/7 of a cup.

[B]

That's where I said, heather gave me AI slop. She didn't even read.

[A]

I said, you gave me slop and

[B]

AI slopped it up. I gave you a recipe and you g me AI soft and just sentences masked it as your own. And I. I didn't even read what the crap wrote.

[A]

I had AI have to suffer through that. So Cory and I and AI and it was very interesting. I think Cory should understand that the way AI spits it back to her is how you sound to people

[B]

seven and three.

[A]

Yeah. So we came back and now we have. Have her royal ice. Oh, is it the dual recipe or the royal. It was a royal ice recipe. We revamped it for 2026. That's a great use of AI. But yeah, I'll be reading. I'll be listening to story brand tomorrow. I've read it a couple years ago. I need a. I need a rebirth of it. Sure. But it's the whole point. And Ashley was telling me about it. The whole point of the book is like. Like marketing. When people are evangelistic about BUC EE's is a great example. Turning your. I mean, it's a. It's a. It's a public restroom attached to a mini martyr store, a gas station. I'm not telling anyone about Exxon or Liberty outside of their overpriced. My.

[B]

My favorite thing. I know you're gonna say buckets is if you go to the gym, the brands and shirts and taglines people wear on their gym clothing, like gym clothes are something you get sweaty in. But there's brands out there. One, they might be great quality. Great quality is a good big one. Two, they might align in their messaging. So they might have like a vertical. Like there's this one called sledges and axes was this man was wearing. Little did I know, it's workout attire for the fire department and firefighters. Ax and sledge.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

So that going to the gym and seeing what are these brands doing that are causing people to become the biggest fans that you're willing to wear someone else's brand upon your body as a business billboard.

[A]

I know. Yeah. You gotta say, like, what brands am I a super fan of? Yeah.

[B]

Would you wear an Olive Garden shirt?

[A]

You probably would.

[B]

I would because why did Olive. Why are you a fan of Olive Garden?

[A]

A lot of value for the money.

[B]

A lot of value for the money. So accent Sledge was very hyper specific. You would identify firefighter. Yeah.

[A]

Community. Because not only is it firefighter, it's a fire firefighter at the gym.

[B]

And Heather said no one would buy merch with just a cookie's information on it. You wouldn't probably wear it because you haven't created the community behind the brand. And it comes down to being that community driven brand where people are like, I want to be associated with this. I want to have these labels on. I want someone to identify me as a person who buys this thing.

[A]

And how do you create the brand that people want to be identified that their own identity inquiry. Like, it's fascinating that you see people literally, like I always, you know, you call it a cult following. You'll say like, like, dude, they literally took your money and you're fighting to the death for someone who just made money from you. Like, like, wow, you are a. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

So it would be cool if. And I've seen some cook years, like these underdogs, like, you know, a big brand suing me and the underdogs. And you end up Buc EE's has a great one because their logo's so funny. A beaver.

[A]

I mean, the whole concept is just out of this world.

[B]

And that's what they. This radical thing to gas stations. And people became a big fan of it.

[A]

The. The. It's just fascinating. Fascinating.

[B]

I. It's so fascinating to see brands that can convert people.

[A]

What. What are other brands that people just won't shut up about? What are Hobby lobby. I hear people talking. Max is the whole. The whole discount shopper. Instead of that being seen as like, you're cheap or you're broke or anything, it's like, I'm a Maxinista. Like, I'm.

[B]

So when I went to HomeGoods, they had stickers at checkout, a bumper sticker, and it says, I'm a Maxinista.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

It was T.J. maxx. And I said, even I don't put bumper stickers on my car. But if I did, I would probably like to have I'm a Maxinista because it's such a brand.

[A]

But it's a niche of like somebody else be like, oh, I'm Max. This girl goes from, you know, oh, they're a Max. I'm a Maxinista. We tried to do it for Corey's little community group, which is hyper. Hyper. It's one road in a very populated area. So we created bumper stickers and it was in the shape of a red light with the. The area's logo. Like it's a brand hoa. And it says probably sitting at a red light in Lakeridge is what it said. And people thought it was so funny to find each other in traffic because they're like, oh, that's, that's, that's. You're one of me.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Here's a brand.

[B]

I don't think it was an on the nose brand. It wasn't like they loved being in this group.

[A]

There wasn't that much community. One brand. I think that can't. I never see anyone look at a Walmart. Unlike me.

[B]

No.

[A]

We all go in there. I don't think.

[B]

I've never seen any K N air filters. They have the sticker that if you have switched out your K N air filter, you're going to put that sticker on something.

[A]

Well, you know Rock Auto, the cheapest car. Rock Auto always sends a magnet. They have for years, but the magnet always has a car on it. But like the thing is, it's never the same car. So you, you order Rock Auto and you get your magnet.

[B]

Oh, you're like collecting it.

[A]

Yeah. Like these guys will have them all down the fridge. It's just 100 cars from 100 orders. Oh, that's so funny. Yeah.

[B]

Just to find out what that brand ding is that brand messaging that.

[A]

I think we all want it. I think we all want to catch capture that. It's hard. Really Small business. This is bigger brands with deeper pockets. Yeah. Like Diet Coke. Diet. There's people who like Coke, but there's, there's a Diet Coke.

[B]

Oh, Diet Coke. Beaver Mart. Going back to the previous question could do that, but I'm gonna have a feeling that they're gonna have to change their name. So whatever thing they do right now might not stay with them long enough down the road.

[A]

I wonder. It's. It's interesting going to our sponsors. Thank you to our sponsors for the the podcast Cookie Design Lab who I mentioned before. Use code twins for 15% off. You can make your STL hers at home. Bakey Bake is a mering powder of choice for the twin that bakes. Use Code twins to get 10% off. It has mering powder raw as meringue powder.

[B]

It is meringue powder and it has vanilla extract, white coloring and corn syrup in it.

[A]

My favorite quarantine rib, Quarantine Daisy. Make use code Twins10 to get 10 off their cookie. I want to call it a technology because it's what it is. It's just a technology to make cake pops for cook years. Yeah. Cake pops for cookie or.

[B]

So you do the same rollout method you do with your cookies. They have like a. A. A specific Joseph and Joseph rolling pin. But it's whatever she's made and it's specific to cake pop pops.

[A]

She got the whole system in place. Now they recently system is. Yeah. They recently did a grab bag where you could get a bunch of things for cheapy to know what you were getting. I was. It was fun to see people unboxing and be like, those are like those

[B]

scoop things that I love it.

[A]

Corey's really into that scoop fizzy thing. I saw. I sent you some drama showed up in my feed from some poor lady. She had taken the beads and went out of order. Is it. That's not what it's supposed to be. It's supposed to be in order. And Bosch Nutri Meal is not a sponsor, but they are an affiliate. And if you use code sugar cookies, you get 20 bucks and they'll give us 20 bucks.

[B]

$20. $20.

[A]

You have a twere? Yeah, I do.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

What? Cor made everybody a gift. She made my sister. Look, look. It's the Target basket, which, you know, I know this thing is full of germs when I use it at the store. Yes. This is so cute though. This is.

[B]

Target has good. Oh, Target has whatever that is.

[A]

My little sister goes to Target religiously on Saturday mornings. In fact, my mom is out of town. I thought it was just something they did to kill time. She was like, no, I. It's Saturday. I gotta go. So I went with it. We went to did all the stuff they do, but I don't think changes

[B]

that often for it to be a weekly, like staple.

[A]

I don't think it does. But I think she finds different interest there. The Corey made each of the sisters a gift.

[B]

It was a Target basket. And the theme had to be red

[A]

lip charms for your lip gloss. You can put a charm on it. Here's the lip gloss. So you poke the hole and put the charm in it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I love this. I'm a huge fan of these incar antibacterial hand sprays. Huge fan. Every time I. I feel like when I get sick, like a head cold, I get sick sick. So every time I'm getting in and out of my car, I'm spraying this stuff down a little bit. Then we also got a kit cap bar going to going to sneak down. I know your son's going to eat it when I'm gone. I don't know. Love this.

[B]

I know my husband did not understand that one. And I said, you don't need to. You're not a girl.

[A]

Here's the thing. I always keep these little tubes, but I film with that double action that I use.

[B]

Use Heather's 2. You learn. Yeah.

[A]

They'll be like, you got. You got a headache, man. Yeah, I'm like the pharmacy.

[B]

You're so, you're. I want to give you a compliment. You're so kind when someone asks for one. You never act like they're expensive.

[A]

Here's the thing. Here's the thing. When you have the start of a headache, you got a couple minutes to act on it. And I want to be there for you.

[B]

You're always nice about that.

[A]

Altoids red.

[B]

Yeah, red.

[A]

I haven't seen Altoid can in a long time.

[B]

They always have my checkout this rock

[A]

candy which we used to eat religiously. It' really hard to. I was eating like a corn cob.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

$5. $5 Target gift card in a Target gift card bag, which is hilarious. And then she made everyone a Target cookie. Now you got these from the cutter

[B]

Sweet design shop and it came in a set of four. The reason why I gave you the Trips and Sips 1. Heather's not like a cookie design lover, but she likes cookie surface area.

[A]

So I gave.

[B]

Gave me a double stacker layer. I gave it the biggest one so she had more to eat.

[A]

So which one? All. Every sister and my mom. We all got different ones. Mom got the cart, she got the cart.

[B]

Summer got the dog and Ashley got the Starbucks one because she's.

[A]

She loves Starbase. She's always going there. Now. Didn't you buy those years ago or something?

[B]

I bought them five years ago and

[A]

they were ungodly large.

[B]

And I said I could never use these for an order, but I so would love to decorate them. And when I saw these, those little baskets is what started this out this store. I said these baskets are so cute that I could do those cookie cutters finally after all these years and make

[A]

them for each basket.

[B]

So I finally checked it off.

[A]

I feel like you could buy these baskets and sell them.

[B]

Yeah, they were $3 if you were wondering. It would be great for back to school or teacher appreciation. Thanks for keeping us on target. Would be a great little gift basket.

[A]

I have another twin dress that. Remember that dummy camera I got last year year? Well, it, it just had some deficiencies. It took forever to turn on and then it had a bright light and it, it was delayed. When you took the photo, they came out with a new one and it fixed its problems. So here is the new one. I do like it. It has a built in flash, it has a built in filter, it's see through and green. So this is called maybe an old one. Yeah. So cor. I said, you know, I'm not one to keep things I'm not using. So I asked Corey if she wanted the old one. So all the sisters are doing this challenge. Shalange is you take 30 photos a month. They don't have to be of anything in particular. But we said that we take so many photos with our phone and we just delete the photos.

[B]

One day I find that because my phone is so readily available, I don't even take them on my phone.

[A]

The fact I'm taking five photos of the cat in the same position means

[B]

the photo means nothing to me.

[A]

So what I do is you, you're taking 30 photos. So we just limited it to 30. So it's not like overburding, overburdensome. And you take photos and at the end of the month you post them. I've been saving them actually to my Dropbox in a. In a folder structure because the. A lot of, you know, they say a lot of life is the in between. It is.

[B]

And I've been a member on this, I want to say two years now. It's called Mooch M O O T S H and it. When I first found an ad H

[A]

or tch it's M O O T S H Mooch. That's very confusing.

[B]

Yeah, it's very confusing, but it's kept me remembering it for all these years. And you are part of a membership

[A]

which I hate a subscription.

[B]

But it. When I first started it was 14. So I said, oh, you get 10 curated photos.

[A]

Print physical photos.

[B]

Physical photos. So this is how it comes. And I just like how it came in this little thing and then it gives you a. This is what all the photos are. But it tells you the timestamp.

[A]

Let's see. I want to see. You got a selfie in there.

[B]

Yeah, I'm never in photos. So I said I'll never be remembered if I go be a format my time. So I like that it came like this. So everyone you lift is a different month. But I want to get out of the.

[A]

But you have 10 photos, not just

[B]

that collage, 10 photos in each one of these. You get one a month.

[A]

That's cute. You've gotten two. How long you've been in it for? Two years. 224 of these.

[B]

Yeah, 24 of these little packets. But they raised the price to $19.06. But I said, let me try this.

[A]

This.

[B]

And get them printed at, like, Walgreens

[A]

for, you know what I found that's, like, pretty good for printing Google Photos. I. I ordered some from them.

[B]

I've gotten some of their. You know where they do it on the canvas?

[A]

Oh, no, I just did the. The paper.

[B]

Oh, no, I've done the canvas one a few times for my pets.

[A]

It's funny because as I'm making everything digital, you're actually making everything physical.

[B]

I think the physical ones will last long. Me and Heather, when you put a thing of us as children, a little photo book as us children, we're flipping through that.

[A]

Oh, my goodness. They say. They say that physical things trigger memories.

[B]

And I said, if it's only digital. My phone clogs up and I go and delete stuff all the time.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's intentionality. I'm taking photos of. I'm zooming in on things I can't see. Just to take a photo, see if I can read it. Like it's. Yeah, yeah. Where it's like nothing.

[B]

But I said these 10 photos where I get 10amonth, I'll. I'll remember them. And I write on the back in permanent marker.

[A]

Oh, that's fine.

[B]

Yeah. Here's where we were. This is Archer celebrating all things you

[A]

wish you could go back in time and do.

[B]

Yeah, that I could remember.

[A]

Oh, very nice. Those are my two twin dress. That's mine.

[B]

And my next one is Heather's taking my son for a few days. Heather, my son. Heather's using my son to watch her cats.

[A]

But I actually got the cats on automated.

[B]

But you would be worried if some human wasn't just checking in on him.

[A]

I'd be fine. I really think Arch wanted to come, and so. And plus, I. The cats benefit. They like hanging around him. He wanted to come watch the house so he gets some time away. He just sits in the basement. I watch him on my camera the whole time. And the cats like that. He sits in the basement. They love the basement. They would rather everyone sit in the basement. And then he does the poop scooping.

[B]

The thing is, Heather has one bed.

[A]

Yeah, I didn't really have a need for no more. How are you doing? I was. I was gonna take my comforter. Those I Have a ton of pillows. Yeah. Set them up wherever you want to sleep. Because when I said, arch, yeah, you're

[B]

going to be spending one night with Head. And he said, but she only has one bed. And I said, and that is something you two will navigate together.

[A]

Honestly, you want to sleep in the basement? The cats will be running on your face. That'd be a dream. Or you could sleep on the floor in the bedroom or pick one of the empty rooms. There's no. I do not have a couch yet. I do to order one, so there's no couch option.

[B]

She didn't want the couch to come

[A]

while my son was there so he

[B]

didn't get his nasty little teenage feet of honor.

[A]

Not why I didn't want to have to deal with shipping men putting it together. Yeah, that's true.

[B]

So we are heading off this so Heather can get on the road tomorrow to listen to a book and go see my ex husband.

[A]

If my car breaks down, go pick me up.

[B]

No, no, I'm not, you know my

[A]

ex husband's phone number.

[B]

Reach out.

[A]

I don't want him to pick up me, me up. I don't want him pick me up. I washed the car yesterday that it's so funny. I have a couple down Viper shirts that they were selling at like Hot Topic once. Yeah, about a couple of them. They.

[B]

Was it a Pac Sun? Not Hot Topic.

[A]

Yeah, Abro. Everyone got the license agreement from Dodge. So men's T shirts are so much higher quality than women's T shirts to me printed apparel. Men shop staged. So I bought a bunch of them. But yeah, I have some repeats. But I have. Yes, they have a bit of a mental issue. I have to wash my clothes after I wear them. I just cannot. Doesn't matter if I sweat it or not, but I'm. I'm really sweating in these things. Washing the cars and doing the lawn care, whatever. But it's so funny. I have two of the same shirt but I was so sweaty one day. Then I come out and I'm wearing the same shirt but it's a clean one. The neighbor girl was like, you only own one shirt. And I was like, oh my goodness. She thinks I only own one shirt. Yesterday I was washing the cars and she was. I was wearing a different shirt. She's like, here's your snake shirt.

[B]

You are not who the 4 year old needs to think of as a real person.

[A]

No. And I, I don't have kids. But she was like, I'm gonna run across the street. And I was like, no we must look both ways. We can't just let her go.

[B]

I have these neighbors. They, oh, if they know when I come out of my, my house in the morning, they're like they, they're standing at their door, but their door faces my door. So I always hear hi. Then they come and then they tell me all of their parents.

[A]

You've given them a lot of gifts though.

[B]

I give them cookies. Like if there's a DIY kit I'll make for them. But I give them the time and attention and that's what's made them the

[A]

big I want you guys here. You whatever. Your kids knows. They're coming outside and telling Corey in the park.

[B]

Oh, they're telling me. So then like, like they're like, we actually call my little sister Oat Milk.

[A]

So then the mom was walk, walking

[B]

by and I said, tell Oat Milk I said hi. She's like, oh my gosh, they told you? I said, yeah, I like little Oat Milk.

[A]

I let you know if I asked my neighbor kid anything, she will tell me everything.

[B]

No, I and Arch went through that. So then there was a time in my life that I had to be super secretive and whisper a lot.

[A]

I'm going to be asking him when he gets too.

[B]

Yeah, she was like, last night we had a dumpling wash party. Like where they were watching those little dumpling squishy things.

[A]

Hilarious. Cuz they're those squishy ones that are dirty.

[B]

And mom came over and I said, I heard, I heard it was a

[A]

crazy Friday night for you guys screaming because you don't know what they've told that you're not telling. Give me. Come to me with your drama, little kids.

[B]

Okay, I'll see you in 40 minutes.

[A]

Minutes. Can you make that in 40 minutes?

[B]

45ish, I think.

[A]

Okay, I'll get this posted and I'll see you at. The.