Mexican Ice Cream Parfaits

 

A couple months ago I got to visit Maidreamin, a popular maid cafe chain in Japan. I was so excited to try one of their iconic animal ice cream parfaits. It was not only super cute but also really delicious. When I got back from my trip, I was determined to recreate a maid ice cream parfait at home.

me trying a maid cafe parfait for the first time in Tokyo 

I thought it would be so cute to be able to casually make them for friends when they came over or when I wanted a sweet treat. I switched it up a bit and decided to make a Rilakkuma version, but then an even better idea popped into my mind. I wanted to tweak the recipe a bit so that I could turn this idea into something for the blog. That is when I got the idea to make some inspired by some of my favorite Mexican sweet treats. The final result was Gansito, Paleta de Payaso, and Sponch ice cream parfaits inspired by the ones you see at maid cafes. 

My first attempt at making one of these

The first step was finding the glasses. I wanted to find the classic vintage ice cream parfait glasses that would perfectly display the ice cream and all its toppings. After lots of searching I found the vintage perfect set of four on Mercari. There were also lots of options on Ebay and also various restaurant supply stores. Your best bet is checking out these sites and searching and using keywords such as "Retro Vintage Ice Cream Sundae Parfait Glasses."

I made the diagram above which breaks down everything you'll want to pick up before you get started. Castella cake is what is traditionally used for these but angel food cake or even pound cake is an accessible substitute. But if you are going to be making a Mexican snack version, this is where you are going to use the snack cake or cookie you've chosen. Some options are Gansito, Sponch, Paleta de Payaso, or Bubu Lubu. You can find these at your local Mexican grocery store and they'll have even more options than the ones I've listed. You'll use those same treats as toppings as well, along with sprinkles, marshmallows, pocky sticks and anything else your heart desires. I used wafer rolls and Sanrio chocolate I found at Mitsuwa, which is one of the Japanese grocery stores that is closest to me. If you visit your local Asian grocery store you'll be able to find an array of candy that will be perfect to use as toppings. .✦ ݁˖

After making a few of these I've nailed down a few tips that will help you make the dessert of your dreams. For the ice cream (I used Neapolitan for all of these btw) scoop your ice cream and freeze it on some parchment paper ahead of assembly. Having a prepared frozen scoop will make assembly easier and slow down melting so that you have more time to take cute pictures of you creation! Also the assembly is just layering the ingredients one at a time and it's best to go slow to keep the whole thing looking neat. I can't wait to see the parfaits you end of making and be sure to tag @kawaiiylatina in any pictures of your parfaits. (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) ₊˚⊹ ᰔ

Thank you for 1k!

 

Last week we officially hit 1,000 followers on Instagram! I am forever grateful that so many of you have an interest in my blog and have decided to follow along with what I've been working on. As I'm typing this I realized it is actually a year on the dot since I first announced the blog. So crazy to think that just a year ago this blog was just an idea I decided to pursue. Since them I have met so many other talented Latina artists and creators. I feel like I've created my own bubble online of all things Kawaii y Latina which has been comforting especially after such a insanely rough time it has been for the Latino community in the United States right now. I hope that this blog can continue to serve as a safe space for those of us that need of a reset from some of the heavier things that get pushed to our feeds online.

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Right now I am currently working on updating our online shop to new platform that will make the shopping experience 100% times better. There is also a few different blog posts I am working on centered on some DIY craft and recipes. I did a poll a while back and I had a handful of people express they wanted to see some DIY craft posts so I'm excited to get those out there soon. If you have submitted to the blog in the past but have not heard back please do not be discouraged. I am saving everyone's submissions for when I start working on the print version of Kawaii y Latina that is coming in the future. I've got so many ideas but sadly my main gig doesn't leave me much time to put into this blog as I would like. It is a one woman operation behind the scenes here at Kawaii y Latina so I an eternally grateful for everyone's interest despite how slow things tend to move sometimes.

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Thanks for your continued support!<3

xoxo

- Nathalie 

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ ₊˚⊹♡

Kawaii y Latina x Babylipgloss1995 Bumper Sticker

One of my favorite things about running Kawaii y Latina is getting to make cute merch to go along with the blog. Admittedly, sometimes my ideas exceed my current skill set. One of these ideas I had was to make a bumper sticker and the perfect solution to this was to reach out to an artist to collaborate with on this to bring this idea to life. I had to reach out to none other than Jessica Esperanza aka @Babylipgloss1995. I've featured her on our Instagram before and her Esty shop is listed on our shopping master list so I'm happy to have a proper blog post dedicated to her art. I was happy that she was totally down for collaboration. I pretty much gave her free range on the design because I knew anything she came up with was going to be amazing.

A picture of artist Jessica Esperanza included in one of her journal spreads

I've been following Jessica on Instagram for many years at this point and seeing her art always brings me so much joy! I love the combination of nostalgic Latino themes in her art and the super cute art style that is so unique to her work. I first met Jessica at one of my Rilakkuma fan meet ups a few years ago and we've kept in touch since. I also have a bunch of her stickers all over my journals. I did a little photo shoot for the stickers and sprinkled some Mexican candy charms I had on hand to go with the theme. So insanely happy with how these turned out and I'm excited to see how you guys use them.

Below is the final product of the bumper sticker and a limited quantity is now up on our shop. Here is a description of the design straight from Jessica herself. "My name is Jessica Esperanza (aka @babylipgloss1995) and when Nathalie commissioned me to make a ‘Kawaii y Latina’ bumper sticker my mind was immediately flowing with cute ideas ☆ !!! I knew I for sure wanted to draw my trinkets and favorite Mexican + Japanese snacks scattered around, like on a picnic blanket then it hit me…serape. A serape is a Mexican bright stripped woven blanket so I knew that would make the perfect background and of course I had to change the traditional colors to fit my style more <3 !"

I also included some of my other favorite art pieces of Jessica's that also give very much Kawaii y Latina for you guys to admire <3 You can shop the new bumper sticker now here! 

Tamakid Decoden Workshop at Pinku Studios

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending Tamakid's second decoden workshop at Pinku Studios in Little Tokyo. Evelyn Gonzalez (also known as Tamakid online) is a digital artist, toy collector, youtuber and multimedia artist. She is a Mexican artist with work that is influenced by many different things including Japanese kawaii culture. I first came across Evelyn's work a year ago before the inception of this blog. I was telling one of my close friends, Tanji (who runs a super cute scanned stationary account btw) about my idea for Kawaii y Latina and she immediately told me that I needed to reach out to Tamakid about being featured on the blog. I instantly fell in love with her work and how it feels like it comes from a totally different dimension of all things cute. Things have felt like they've come full circle now that I had the opportunity to cover her workshop for the blog. 

Flyer for the event

When I arrived to the workshop there was a line outside of the shop. By total chance I got in line behind another Latina youtuber, Chiaverse! We chatted about how excited we were for the workshop and ended up at the same table inside, joined by another mutual and reader of the blog whom I finally got to meet. Before the workshop had even started, it already felt like such a special gathering of the sweetest people. Meeting new friends and then getting to craft together felt like the icing (or decoden cream) on the cake. 

@Chiaverse and @Tama_kid

After we walked in, we picked our two deco cream colors and the type of case we were going to decorate. (I brought a clear case for my pink Nintendo DS that I bought specifically for this event). We got settled at our table where we were served the cutest heart shaped flan to snack on while we flipped through some Japanese deco magazines for inspiration. Everyone took turns going up to the charm bar to pick out our share from both Evelyn's handmade charms as well as charms provided by the studio. This was I think one of the funnest parts. The charm bar literally looks like a mini bakery and it was so hard to choose between all of the choices. I went back and forth between all the options before I settled on the charms that would best compliment the chocolate brown and pink theme I was going for.

It got a lot more quiet once everyone got their charms because we were so locked in on getting the charm placement just right. Because of that I was able to hear the music that was playing in the store, which were cute songs I recognize hearing in some Tamakid videos. Not sure if that was intentional but I thought it was a cute detail and really added to the feeling that we were all in an alternate Tamakid universe for the afternoon.

Another highlight was the Tamakid merch booth set up inside of the workshop. There was a line forming before the workshop even started and to no one's surprise, newer items of hers like the photo holder parfaits and chocolate pencil cases sold out right away. I was able to score one of her iconic chocolate deco pocket mirrors, sticker sheets, and a matcha girl themed memo pad. In all the craziness I totally forgot to get one of her posters I've been eyeing so like I'll have to keep an eye out for her next shop update. It was really to sweet how Evelyn has such a supportive group of people around her to help her run the merch booth, passing out supplies, and making sure the whole event ran smoothly. I know from experience how overwhelming event organizing can be, and how much work goes into making everything look effortless. Being on the other side this time was a real treat, and I truly appreciated getting to fully experience the care and thought the Evelyn and her team put into creating something special for everyone who attended.

@_ajmart_ helping out at the merch stand

After we finished our cases, the final step was having them lovingly boxed up by the Pinku staff in special dessert-style boxes, where they would safely dry once we headed out. So many of us stuck around for a bit to take pictures together and exchange Instagram handles to stay in touch before leaving. Since the studio is located in Little Tokyo, my favorite neighborhood in LA, I took the opportunity to shop around and pick up some snacks before heading back home. I could not think of a better way that I could have spent my Saturday! Huge thanks to Evelyn for inviting me and for generously sharing photos for the blog. Be sure to check out her Instagram to keep up with her art and future workshops, and visit her website to shop her work and support her creations.

Candy Candy Cafe

At the end of last year I visited Japan for the second time and I wanted to make it a point to visit the Candy Candy Museum. Candy Candy is a Japanese anime, centering around a young girl named Candy as she navigates growing up as an orphan. Like many people around my age, I would see old reruns on tv and I knew that my mom was a huge fan as well. She has told me before that she grew up watching the show when she was a young girl in Mexico and that she was obsessed with it. I have also come across videos on tik tok of girls surprising their moms with Candy Candy merch or throwing them Candy Candy themed birthday parties. This peaked my curiosity and I wanted to do my research as to why an anime seemed to be so popular in a completely different country.

Turns out the broadcasting rights for the show were low, making it affordable entertainment for Mexican television networks to broadcast. Additionally, the show had the same format as telenovelas, which hooked young audiences. The show had themes that young girls could relate to like friendship, jealousy, and love. It became a staple for young girls in the 70's and 80's, gaining cultural relevance all over the world.

Sepia Cafe in Katsushika City, where the museum is located, was an hour train ride from Tokyo city. We made the mistake of going on a Saturday because it was packed but still worth, especially once we got inside. It is a quaint cafe that feels frozen in time with retro decor and vintage toys filling the walls. The food was not only insanely cute but delicious and there was a page in the menu dedicated to different flavored melon sodas. What I was mainly there for though was the Candy Candy Museum that lives upstairs above the cafe. If I remember correctly I think I paid around 5 USD for admission to the museum.

 

 I was so insanely impressed with the collection of merchandise that is in the Museum. There was literally everything you could think of from manga, toys, clothing, bags, glasses, and even framed original artwork from the show. One that that stood out to me was that a lot of the stuff was unopened and its original packaging, making it so much more rare and impressive considering how old a lot of the items were. As someone who is a collector and gets very passionate about my interests, I could recognize how much love and attention went into curating this collection. Because of a lawsuit between the manga artist and writer of Candy Candy, the manga is out of print and to my knowledge there is no new officially licensed merch in production anymore. The show lives on with it's dedicated fanbase, and this museum is proof of its cultural impact.

Turns out there is one person we have to thank for the existence of this museum. Candy H Milky, who sadly passed last year, was a Candy Candy superfan. They were always dressed in a Candy inspired red outfit. They took matters into their own hands to preserve the history of the show and created the Candy Candy Preservation Society, where they acted as the chairman, the director of the museum, and pretty much the only active member. Their dedication and passion about a show most people don't think much about is so inspiring to me as someone who runs a blog for a niche part of the internet. There is an amazing mini documentary on YouTube if you'd like to hear more about Candy H Milky. They will forever be immortalized in the museum and also their face is imprinted right next to Candy's if you order the pancakes from Sepia Cafe. I definitely recommend visiting both the cafe and the Museum if you are visiting Japan. It was a highlight of my trip and I was so happy I got the chance to document it and share it with you all here on the blog. Would love to hear in the comments if you grew up watching the show! 

Chikas Arsenal - Viviana Flores

Meet Viviana Flores! She is an artist creating accessories that have been making waves all over the internet. Her handmade sailor hats have worn by many including the pop duo The Two Lips, Julia Wolf, and featured in Blondita campaign shoots. With her skill and attention to detail, she is able to create pieces tailored to perfectly match each person's unique style.

Viviana grew up in SoCal, and is heavily inspired by growing up surrounded by Latino culture in Santa Ana. "My fathers side is from Jalisco while my mom was born in Michoacan. I was raised listening to Morrissey (who oddly also has ties to Latino culture) while having family cookouts at mile square park in Santa Ana. That being said, being born in SoCal has impacted me tremendously, leading me to connect to Chicano culture."

Viviana started focusing on her art heavily during covid times when so many of us had a lot of downtime. She started out, and still does, make tote bags with a kawaii touch. A personal favorite of mine is one of her Nana inspired designs. "I'm a very busy body so if I'm not creating I tend to feel stuck. Before I started, Chikas Arsenal, I probably tried just about every art form there is. Even tattooing. I started doing markets with Chikas Arsenal as a way to make money off of my art. This included making tote bags at the beginning as an easy way for people to get adjusted but now it has transformed into a space where I'm allowed to post my creations."

Her relationship to kawaii culture started long before the inception of Chikas Arsenal. "I was raised with an “Interior designer” mom who grew up with peak Sanrio, so cute things were always placed around me. At a certain point my parents were resistant to buying me a $40 plushy as a Child, so when I finally got my first paycheck. Sanrio did not know what to see coming. I have toned down my obsession with plushies, but still continue to collect rare monchichi’s." Viviana, I think you need to make a monchichi sized sailor hat...

I love seeing creative Latinas get the recognition they deserve and Vivian's work is so refreshing to see in a time when fast fashion is so prevalent. "The quality I put into my work never fails to impress. Everything is made by hand and with love. I've been inspired by photography and styling from Mexico city that plays a large part in the aesthetics of Chikas Arsenal." You can shop Chikas Arsenal on her site here and keep up with her on social media here.

Kawaii y Latina - Shopping Master List

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, I put together a master list of artists and businesses that inspire me and have that Kawaii y Latina vibe. I created different categories to hopefully make it a bit easier to navigate. I hope to continue working on growing this list even after the holidays to create a resource to help support small businesses all year round. Earlier this year when the blog blew up a bit on TikTok, I got so many submissions. It’s been hard to feature everyone one by one, so this master list is another way for me to share all the amazing people with you all. You can find the link to the list here! Happy shopping and Happy Holidays! 

Shopping Master List