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Many have picked up new hobbies, or brushed the dust off old ones, that bring them joy during the pandemic that has confined most folks to home.

And some are turning their hobby into a part-time vocation.

Southside teacher Chrissy Hinrichs works with children with special needs at Southside High School in Chocowinity, but is now baking and decorating cakes out of her home in Greenville.

“Shuttercakes,” is the name of the Facebook page displaying Hinrich’s assortment of multi-colored cakes in a variety of different shapes, sizes and themes.

Hinrichs said she hasn’t been making and decorating cakes for too long.

“So, I went to visit my sister (last summer), and she’s doing the same thing. So I said, ‘Can you teach me how to do it?’” Hinrichs said. “I’ve always been kind of artsy with sculptures and paintings and stuff like that. It came pretty easy, so she taught me some stuff. I looked at stuff on YouTube, then started putting it on Facebook and people started buying cakes.”

Hinrichs didn’t immediately start selling cakes, though. First, she had to practice to work out the kinks.

“I did a few just to play around with. Then, I made one for a neighbor, and it turned out pretty good, so I put it up (on Facebook) to get some pictures on there. It came a whole lot easier than I thought it would,” Hinrichs said. “I have a lot of (tools). I kind of became a little obsessed with it after I started. So I was buying all these different tools. I basically just started out on Amazon and typed in ‘Cake decorating kit’ and it comes with pretty much everything you’d need to start. Then the more complicated stuff I was trying, I needed some different tools.”

She picked up the hobby last summer, but her cake-selling traffic has increased since the health crisis led to a statewide stay-at-home order.

“(It’s increased) because I’m putting stuff out there more. I need stuff to do,” Hinrichs said with a laugh. “I kind of took a hiatus for a little while, but I am back doing it.”

Hinrichs only does pick-up orders out of her home in Greenville.

“I am not a professional baker, nor am I the ‘Ace of Cakes.’ I am far from perfect, but what I can do is make you a good-looking cake that tastes delicious and that is affordable,” Hinrichs said on a Facebook post. “In order to protect myself from cancellations and wasted materials, deposits are non-refundable.”

All the information about the cakes and order placement can be found on the “Shuttercakes” Facebook page.