Tuesday 20 December 2016

New Arrivals December - Tarte, Japanese X'mas cake, French meringue and more!

Good evening Littlest Sweet Shoppers

I have been busy with a commission for the Castle Museum shop but managed to come up with these new items for Littlest Sweet Shop. 
December new arrivals
With Christmas only a few sleeps away, I made a special Christmas cake which is sold in Japan. Christmas in Japan is slightly different than here - they buy a KFC bucket instead of having a traditional roast for dinner. Japanese bakeries and cafes will sell Christmas cakes which is essentially a strawberry shortcake with Christmas-themed toppers. Since this cake is made in that style, we have decided to list it in the Japanese menu.
クリスマスケーキ Strawberry Shortcake with realistic cream frosting, icing, miniature Christmas toppers, and fresh strawberries. This is the type of Christmas Cake sold in Japan
There are 2 designs currently but you can also order yours with any combination of Christmas toppers (white chocolate sign, miniature Santa Claus, holly, pine tree). We even made the cake frosting to look like the real thing! Each cake will also be decorated with fresh whole strawberries and piped icing.
Pine tree, Santa Claus, and white chocolate 'Noël' cake topper
Featuring realistic looking frosting and icing just like a real one!
Santa Claus, Holly, and white chocolate sign (Merry Christmas in Japanese katakana script)
When I was a young girl, my weekly highlight is the trip to Toys 'R' Us and I will spend a lot of time in the candy aisle. They had lots sweets that were imported from America and I will always remember Candy Buttons. Little tabs of candy on a strip of paper don't usually come in 6 colours but they do here! Our Candy Buttons is a new Pick'n Mix selection in the Sweets Boutique menu
Candy Buttons, American retro sweets
I am still on a journey to re-create all of the wonderful pastries that I saw in Paris last Autumn. These fruit tarts are extra rich and buttery using only the freshest fruits. They are now available in the French Pastries menu. The tarte is large and should be able to serve up to 6 dolls.
French Fruit Tarts (tarte)
Tarte aux pommes (Apple tart). Littlest Sweet Shop version comes with a touch of cinnamon powder
Tarte aux fruits. Strawberry halves, whole black berries and raspberries, and blueberries. Dusted in powdered sugar
Our French tart features a light and buttery crust
A smaller version of the Tarte is called Tartelettes which can serve up to 3 dolls.
Smaller portion of the tarte
Strawberry mousse
Chocolate with raspberries
Tarte au citron. Comes with toasted meringue top
Chocolate mousse
I saw large meringue nests in the window of a Parisian sweet shop and decided to make them in miniature form. All of our French meringue products are also available in the French Pastries menu.  
Pink French Meringue
I made some smaller French meringues and sandwiched them together with strawberry jam and chocolate. Here in England you can find meringue creams which is similar (whipped cream instead of strawberry jam) but I decided to keep it simple.
Meringue with strawberry and chocolate filling
Last but not least, here is a new parfait which you can find in the Ice Cream menu. Each of our parfait is assembled in a glass container so you can see the layers clearly. The whipped cream on top has a semi-gloss sheen and looks very light and fluffy.
Raspberry parfait with chocolate wafer roll, wafer fan, raspberry fruit on top. Layers of pink and sparkly mousse with strawberry jam, biscuit crumbs, and raspberries. Comes in real glass container
So that's the last update for the year! Littlest Sweet Shop will always be open even during the holidays so make sure you submit a commission request via the order form if you would like to buy anything from us.

Before we say good-bye one last time (in 2016), I am pleased to announce the winner for our most recent Kawaii Box give-away. The winner is......................................................
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Congratulations Kim Herrera from Venezuela!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Littlest Sweet Shop.
 Bye!

Thursday 15 December 2016

Commission(s) update! 1/12 and 1/3 scale orders

Hi Littlest Sweet Shoppers!
Here are some recent commissions that kept me busy throughout October and November.

First was a custom order for 1/3 scale drinks. This Iced Coffee comes with a ewmovable lid and green straw using a plastic cup with excellent clarity so you can see what is inside. The lid was made using a bespoke mould and the vacuum forming machine. I was really happy on how the lid came out so I do hope the Littlest Sweet Shopper from England will like it as well.
Iced Coffee in 1/3 scale
I knew there had to be lots of little ice cubes in the coffee just like they do in coffee joints. There is even melted ice that floats on the top for full effect.
Lots of small pieces of ice floating on top
Melted ice for realism
She also ordered a Strawberry Bubble Tea with whipped cream and strawberry. You can also find both drinks listed in our 1/3 scale menu.
Strawberry bubble tea in 1/3 scale
Next commission was for a Littlest Sweet Shopper in France. The order was for various Pick'n Mix sweets in 1/12 scale.
1:12 scale miniature sweets. Marshmallows, Toffee humbugs and Jelly Beans 
 She also ordered a batch of our best-selling chocolate bears.
1:6 scale chocolate bears
Another Littlest Sweet Shopper in England (also a repeat customer) ordered very tiny cupcakes. They are so tiny so that they can be made into plugs. The measurements are 8.5mm tall and 2mm thick which officially makes it the Littlest Cupcakes that I have ever made.
Cupcakes 8.5mm tall and 2mm thick
That's all for now. I have a very exciting new line-up to debut next week just before the long holidays. Make sure you visit us again to find out more!
Bye!

Wednesday 30 November 2016

New Arrivals for November - Ispahan, Palmiers, chewing gum, hash browns, and more!

Hi Littlest Sweet Shoppers!

Here are some new arrivals for November! I have been super busy with holidays and commissions so it is a miracle that I managed to create some new miniatures (and managed to list them on the last day of November!). 
November new arrivals
Since my Paris vacation last month, I have obsessed about making more authentic French pastries. Everyday in Paris I would have a savoury pastry and then a sweet pastry. My favourite was the palmiers from Paul and all the pretty sweets from Ladurée. All of the updated French Pastries are now available from the Pâtisserie menu.
French pastries, new and updated
Littlest Sweet Shop had always sold macarons but it was only in Paris that I realise the macarons I was making was in a mini size because a standard macaron is actually bigger (in the U.K I have only seen the mini ones as well). So the macarons have been updated (this is probably version 4) to a more standard size but with pretty new unicorn colours.  
New standard macarons in pink and baby blue ombré. With a pearl sparkly filling
Next update is the Ispahan. Now we have individual Ispahan and a bigger Ispahan to serve up to 8 dolls!
Littlest Sweet Shop Ispahan range. Biscuit macaron à la rose, crème aux pétales de roses, framboises entières. Comes with gold serving disc. Decorated with rose petals and more raspberries
The individual Ispahan is made up from a smaller meringue biscuit with fresh raspberries and cream. It is topped by a single raspberry and rose petal. It also comes with a gold disc to serve.
Single Ispahan
The bigger Ispahan is made from a big meringue biscuit with raspberries and cream. It is decorated with more rose petals and 2 raspberries on top. It will also come with a gold disc to serve. This beautiful pastry is perfect for a tea party with 8-10 dolls.
Ispahan with 8 servings 
The final Ispahan is a special edition for Valentine's Day. You can find it in the Valentine's Day section in the Seasonal menu. Instead of raspberries, the Valentine's Day edition come with fresh strawberries and cream sandwiched between a heart shaped meringue biscuit. It is decorated with a large red bow. 
Valentine's Day edition Ispahan
I have just made 'Palmiers' for August but in Paris I found out that Palmiers were actually quite big and the 'Palmiers' I made previously (which is smaller in size) are actually called Arlettes. I have now rectified the mistake and placed the Arlettes in the Cookie Shop menu and these are the proper Palmiers that is listed in the Pâtisserie
Palmiers
Large flaky pastry with many buttery layers and coated in sugar
Our next new item is hash browns that are now available in the Breakfast menu. It is part of our fry-up selection so you can mix and match them with other items to create the perfect breakfast. The hash browns are made from the best potatoes so you get a tasty and crispy hash brown. 
Hash browns, sausages, sunny-side-up eggs, fried streaky bacon and bread from Littlest Sweet Shop
Mix and match with other items from the Breakfast menu
Hash browns from Littlest Sweet Shop are deep-fried and crispy on the outside
Close-up fry-up breakfast from Littlest Sweet Shop
As a Sweet Shop we have the responsibility to make and create new candy. This month we have a new selection for the Pick'n Mix - strawberry chewing gum. Of course you can also order the chewing gum in other flavours. Find it now in our Sweets Boutique menu.
Strawberry chewing gum
Finally, our new arrivals are for the Winter season. The 'Frozen' cake and cupcakes come in pretty light blue and turquoise colours with some sparkly details. Both are listed in the Seasonal menu in the Christmas section.
'Frozen' themed cake and cupcakes perfect for the holidays
'Frozen' cake with snowflake details
'Frozen' cupcakes
That's all for today. I am currently trying recreate Japanese style Christmas cakes and more new items for December. Please come and visit us again and remember to enter our Kawaii Box giveaway.
Maya loves the new Palmier. All of our items are made to fit 1/6 doll scale (unless specified). 
See you soon! Bye!

Monday 21 November 2016

Kawaii Box Review and Giveaway

Advertorial


September Kawaii Box
What is the easiest way to get 10-12 different kawaii items from Japan and Korea every month? By subscribing to Kawaii Box of course! I live in the UK where it is hard to find cute Asian goods so this type of subscription service is the perfect way to kawaii-fy your life, no matter where you are.

Each box will usually come with a mix of toys, stationery, craft items, and Japanese sweets. They are exclusively sold in Japan and Korea so it is quite a treat to receive such unique items at your doorstep!

My September Kawaii Box included:
  • Pokemon Ramune Candy
  • Rabi-Dango Plush
  • I Love You Purse
  • Happy Day Notebook Set 
  • Pastel Cupcake Pen
  • Kracie Nyokinyoki Kororon DIY Candy Kit
  • Invisible Secret Pen Set
  • Harajuku Hair Loop Set 
  • Diamond Deco Stickers
  • Dream & Explore Notebook
  • Sweet Animals Sparkle Stickers

The Rabi-Dango plush is so cute and a perfect addition to my soft toy collection. I think they are so happy to welcome a new kawaii friend.
Rabi-dango Plush
This notebook has all the pretty colours on the cover and pretend that you are writing a diary as a mermaid.
Dream and Explore Notebook & Pastel Cupcake Pen
The Cupcake Pen is actually a mechanical pencil and fits so well with my other stationary items in the pencil cup for easy access. That blue and pink lollipop pen is also from a previous Kawaii Box!
Pastel Cupcake Pen
This notebook set comes in a handy case (so you can wear it around your neck) with a pen and some cute stickers. Keep track on things especially when you are out and about.
Happy Day Notebook Set
The safest way to write a secret is by using a secret pen! You use the pen to write in invisible ink and the only way to see/read it is by shining the small torch supplied with the pen. Keep you messages/passwords safe and secure using this system.
Invisible Secret Pen Set
As usual, Kawaii Box will always give you some cute craft items which is perfect for crafters like me. I use stickers for all sorts of things especially personal messages and gift wrapping. I plan to use the Diamond Deco Stickers to bedazzle a piece of craft in the future. The Sweet Sparkle Animal stickers is super cool since it has bits of loose bits inside and smells like strawberry!
Sweet Animals Sparkle Stickers & Diamond Deco Stickers
The Pokemon ramune candy that was included was in Soda flavour and basically tastes like Cola. I love Japanese sweets especially this type of tablet candy. It almost melts in your mouth and leaves a cool feeling on your tongue.
Pokemon Ramune Candy
This must be my 6th or 7th Kracie DIY candy set. The name slightly confuses me as I have no idea if we are making worm-shaped candy or something totally different.

It comes with everything you need to make your own tiny pieces of candy. Just add water to the 'Cream' mix. It also comes with 3 different flavour powder: Melon, Ramune and Pineapple. You extrude the cream mixture (tastes like vanilla) through the pink plastic container and it gets coated in the different powders.
Kracie Nyokinyoki Kororon DIY Candy Kit
Ja! I made these wormy looking sweets using the kit and enjoyed eating them since it was extremely yummy. My favourite was definitely ramune and pineapple flavour. I'm not a big fan of melon (cantaloupe) flavour which is popular in Japanese candy but my husband likes it. The cream is still quite soft and everything almost melts in your mouth. I liked it so much that I might buy more of these again (if only I can find it!).

Want you own Kawaii Box? Win it by entering the competition below. Kawaii Box ships worldwide so as long as you have a valid address, you an enter for a chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hope you enjoyed the review and good luck to everybody! I have just finished a series of commissions and will debut some new Christmas items soon. So remember to come again!

Bye!