Hi Everyone! So glad you could join us today!
Today's Craftsmom giveaway is dear to me and my daughter, Miss Addie's, heart.
You see, we both like to pretend we are Pastry Chefs.
Right now, Addie doesn't have an apron--I've seen a lot
in the stores, but I've truly never seen one over-the-top cute...
Until now.
How do you know when something for your daughter is really, really
cute and adorable?
When mommy wouldn't mind wearing it, too!
Please let me introduce Lollicakesohsocute:
Lollicakesohsocute makes the most beautiful aprons for little girls.
The girly in me just loves the fab prints and sweet little touches--
ruffles, pom poms, little pleats. They look like they're from another era, yet
are completely modern at the same time.
Look at the details on this--that little pocket is so sweet!
I really love the bright, fresh colors.
This bird house print is sweet as can be.
The mommy in me loves that they are reversible!
Another adorable side to show off--I mean, bake in?
Now we REALLY want one.
Little Miss Addie is quite duplicitous--she would be so excited
to choose which side she wants to wear!
Isn't that only befitting of your little princess?
I mean, when there gift certificate makes you swoon, you know
you are onto something cool.
A cookie! Darling.
Enough drooling. It's time to meet our guest!
Artist: Naomi Gomez
Shop: Lollicakesohsocute
Please tell us a little more about yourself and your shop, Lollicakesohsocute.
Hello everyone! I’m Naomi, am 20 years old, a fashion marketing student and I created Lollicakesohsocute. I love baking, especially if my niece is with me. We bake cupcakes for all of our family functions, it is our bonding time and for being 4 years old she’s pretty good at baking, she has mad organizational skills and an amazing eye for decorating.
Lollicakesohsocute started about 3 months ago when I realized my niece was wearing the ugliest, baggiest apron ever. I wanted a cute, functional and affordable apron for her and I wanted it right away so I ran to the fabric store and started sewing. I must admit my first apron looked like a 3rd grade project gone bad. I had cute fabrics, good intentions and bad sewing skills. I wanted to get better at making aprons so I made 5 aprons and gave them to my little neighbors and soon after, one of the moms made an order for a baking-theme birthday party; I knew I was on to something.
I’ve been selling online for a few weeks and am already starting to take my little shop so much seriously than what I did when I started 3 months ago. I am still learning and am so new to everything that it all overwhelms me sometimes, but then I take a look at all the cute aprons I’ve created and I feel a warm fuzzy feeling inside.
When and how did you learn to sew? What made you want to focus on your adorable aprons for little girls?
I began sewing when I was 5 or 6 years old. Growing up my grandma would take care of me and six of my cousins while our parents worked. We’re all around the same age so sometimes my grandma would go crazy when six 4-8 year olds were playing house and using her flowers as food. Her quick solution was to teach us all how to cross stitch, but I rebelled and I started making clothes for my Barbie dolls, and didn’t stop until I was around 12, and then started again because my sister (7 yrs younger than me) wanted to learn.
I started Lollicakesohsocute, mainly because of my little niece. Also, I remember when I was a little girl, whenever I saw my mom cooking I would always run to the kitchen and ask her if I could help, I remember her handing me her apron and telling me to wash the vegetables or make the salad. It was the highlight of my day and I just loved being like her and hearing my dad tell me how delicious everything was. So when I created the apron for my little niece, all those memories invaded me and I wanted her and other girls to feel the same way I did.
How do you gather inspiration for your projects?
I get inspiration from all around, when I’m creating my aprons I generally lay on the bed all of the fabrics I have, I connect my Ipod to my speakers, open all windows and shades and I just let the ideas flow. Sometimes when I need a little extra flow of ideas or more inspiration I go to the fabric store, I swear I can spend 4 hours there and not get bored. I’ve always been a very color-oriented person, everything I do has to have a splash of color here and there, and I love creating harmony between colors.
What’s your favorite apron-worthy recipe?
My favorite recipe is a very simple and gluten free one that I got a hold of when I was trying to bake cupcakes for my boyfriend. He has celiac disease which means he is allergic to gluten and can’t eat all of the yummy things I love like pasta, cupcakes, pizza and burritos!
Most of the gluten-free pastries that you find at whole foods or Henry’s have a very strange texture and the flavors are too strong for my taste; and if you want to create your own cake batter it can be VERY expensive. So I went to Wal-mart and bought “Pamela’s chocolate gluten-free cake mix” It is delicious, moist and the flavors are right, I just made a quick chocolate ganache for the frosting and filled the inside of the cupcake with a marshmallow filling. TRUST ME, it is not overly sweet it is just perfection and allergen-free too!
Here is the recipe for the ganache:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped ( I recommend Ralph’s brand, organic)
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
*In a 2-quart saucepan, whisk together the cream, sugar and corn syrup over medium-low heat until boiling. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Whisk briskly until the chocolate melts and the mixture is fairly smooth. Add the butter and continue to whisk until the mixture is smooth.
*Pour the ganache into a bowl and let cool, I throw it in the fridge and give it a stir every 8 minutes or so until it is thick ( saves you time)
*When ready to frost, whip some air into the ganache by using either your mixer or with the whisk until it gets nice and fluffy.
For the marshmallow filling:
1-7 oz jar marshmallow fluff
*Combine the salt and hot water in a small bowl; set aside.
*In a medium bowl, beat together the fluff, shortening, powdered sugar, and vanilla. *Add the salt water and continue to beat until combined.
*If you don’t have the long decorating tip that is used for filling cupcakes, get a thin-bladed knife and carefully cut a plug of cake out of the top. I try to keep it cone shaped and keep the plug!
*Fill a plastic zipper bag with the filling, clip a small section of a bottom corner off the bag, and start squeezing a dollop of marshmallow filling into each cupcake hole. *Break off the tips of the plugs, shovel the tips in your mouth, and then place the shortened plug back into the hole, on top of the filling.
*Press gently to seat and when all of the cupcakes are filled, bring out the whipped ganache. Scoop it into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe the desired amount of frosting onto the top of each cupcake and ENJOY!
What other hobbies and passions do you have?
Baking and sewing are my top 2 favorite hobbies, but what I enjoy the most is pending time with my family and being a good role model for my sister. We often go on little picnics and take trips to the museum, we also love going to the beach and flying our kites. Two weeks ago we camped outside on our backyard and bought like 3 bags of marshmallows and sausages, it was the best night ever and I am so grateful for moments like those.I always wanted a big sister and now that I am one, I try to be the best one I can be.
Thank you so much for the feature!
Thank you, Naomi! We loved learning more about you!
Naomi has graciously donated this beautiful apron for our giveaway!
Side one:
Side two:
1) Visit Naomi's shop Lollicakesohsocute and leave a comment on this post telling me which other apron you find too adorable! 2) Be a follower of Not Quite Twins!
For additional entries:
--blog about this giveaway (2 extra entries)
--Tweet and post a link about this giveaway (1 extra entry)
--purchase an item from Lollicakesohsocute (5 extra entries)
(please leave links to your tweet/post and a separate comment for each letting me know what you've done.)
This giveaway ends on Tuesday, May 25th at 12:00am PST. The winner will be chosen using Random.org.
