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Showing posts with label cookies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cookies. Show all posts

Thursday, April 28, 2011

cupcakeMAG is LOCO for SUGAR LOCO!











Sugar Loco is our favorite site for all things sugar. And no, not just because we absolutely LOVE & ADORE the two FABulous ladies behind it but, because we are crazy for sweets! We are beyond thrilled to share with you our one-on-one chat with the {sweet} gals behind Sugar Logo. {Warning: You WILL crave something sugary & sweet when reading. Our advice? Grab a cupcake before you begin!}

{Two of the SWEETEST gals we know!}
Tracy + Jenny
{1} Tell us a little about yourself & what made you collaborate to create Sugar Loco. 

Tracy began her first business, Sweet Harper, on Etsy in 2008, along with a coinciding blog - which had an amazing following.  She  promoted the wonderful world of Etsy and it's impressive group of artisans.  She loves shopping handmade and really loved sharing her unique finds.  She's become quite the genius at social media.  Tracy recently jumped on board the women supporting site -LaunchHer.com.  Launching and supporting fabulous women owned brands.


Jenny began her first business, Monkey Toes (a line of hand painted children's shoes) almost 10 years ago.  She began hand painting every pair of shoes herself and finally grew to obtain a licensing deal with a major manufacturer.  Along with sweets she has a major love of business and even consults others on growing their business.

Our site came from a GIANT love of sugar, ice cream, chocolate, cake, cookies, whatev.   Seriously, we don't discriminate.  We met via Twitter, it was love at first sugary tweet.  Or were we frenemies?  Well, we became quite competitive (and good friends) with who had the better dessert, in fact we made up a hashtag - #sweettootholympics.  We decided to take our love of all things sweet to the internet by launching Sugar Loco and bringing our favorite finds to all the other sugar lovers out there.  Voila - Sugar Loco was born, January 15, 2011, weighing in at .2 of a milligram (surprisingly, the same weight as a grain of sugar!).

{Tracy + Jenny bring us FABulous interviews on Sugar Loco}
{2} What is your all time favorite sugar fix?

Tracy:  Ice cream is my weakness.  I have literally chased down the ice cream truck before...probably just more for the thrill of the hunt, but I digress.  My favorite place to get ice cream is Grand Ole Creamery in St. Paul, MN. I love to order Birthday Cake ice cream, and it's best in one of their fresh made waffle cones. YUM!  There's always a malted milk ball waiting at the bottom too - I love surprises! 



Jenny:  Oh the one thing I could never live without, which might seem really boring, is a giant slice of Birthday cake.  It's gotta be yellow cake, white (piled sky high) butter cream frosting - oh and can't forget a heaping scoop of vanilla bean ice cream to go with it.  I'm a sucker for this..  If I can't get my hands on a giant slice of cake, I will totally "settle" (HA, not settling at all) for a Nomelie Vanilla Love Cupcake. 


{3} What are you go-to places for all things sugar?

Tracy: Of course it depends on the type of sweets you're after.  I love to stop in at Sugar Sugar Candy in Minneapolis to get a sampling of a few treats.  The owner Joni, is always switching up the bulk candy, and it's interesting candy, not your typical stuff.  For beautiful inspiration, Bakerella is where it's at. OMG, she rocks!  For recipes, my standards are Vino Luci, The Pioneer Woman, and All Recipes. We can't give away all of our faves, you will have to stop by Sugar Loco in November when we announce who made the list of Loco Loves!  



Jenny:  How much time do you have?  I have found some awesome recipes in Sandra Lee's new Bake Sale Cookbook (heads up: one lucky reader will get to pry my personal signed copy from my hands - I won't be giving it up willingly).  So many fabulous and easy dessert recipes.  I'll be making the Dark Chocolate Caramel Slices for an upcoming Share our Strength Bake Sale in Denver (mark your calendar - May 14, in Highlands Ranch, CO).  Assuming I don't eat them all first.  If I want classic sweets, my go-to has to be Lola's Sugar Rush in Old Littleton, CO.  Mainly I love going in their because everyone is so lovely and they all feel like friends.  I stopped by last week for some good old fashioned Cherry Mash.


{4} You get to visit some great places to bring us all the details for Sugar Loco. What is the best part about this gig? 

The best part about this gig?  UH, the SWEETS! But more seriously, seeking out unique finds and meeting the passionate artisans and pastry chefs.  They've got such amazing energy - it's contagious (well, that and the sugar high).  Oh and tasting some marvelous desserts isn't too shabby either.  

Tracy:  Not only do I get to try all sorts of new desserts and sweets, but it is also truly amazing to work with Jenny.  As she said, we met on Twitter, and have become amazing friends and business partners.  I also love exploring Minneapolis to find the best in desserts in my own city, it's kind of like a scavenger hunt.  


Jenny: I love that I go beyond what I would normally order at a restaurant and try new things - and it's all in the name of "work" (I can hear my husband rolling his eyes).  I also love that people are coming to us for recommendations, sharing their favorite recipes or hot spots with us - I swear we receive a new recipe or a "lead" several times a week.  Who knew that we would be come the sweet experts??  Ok, one more thing I love about this gig?  Promoting these wonderful products.  It feels good to put a smile on the faces of the hardworking people behind them, spread the word and hopefully generate some sales for them too, they really appreciate it.

{We LOVE the ideas they share on Loco Kids!}
{What's new?}

Well, currently we're seeking the next city to expand to...Vote here. We've got some great features, local businesses and online, along with yummy recipes.  Let's just say, you're not gonna want to miss it.  

PS - we're ALWAYS on the hunt for new and unique confections, don't be afraid we won't bite (YOU), contact us!



{Don't miss a thing!}
Sugar Loco
Crazy for Confections!



Twitter: @Sugar_Loco

Ahh, don't you LOVE Sugar Loco? We do! 
Plus, your {sweet tooth} will thank you! 

Monday, April 11, 2011

Sponsor Week starts with this Sweet Shoppe: Firefly Confections





We first met Sandy when she made us beautiful shabby chic silhouettes cookies for our First Birthday Feature - it was love at first sight. We adore Sandy and bakin' biz, Firefly Confections!



Want to sink your teeth into the most delicious chocolate chip cookie you have ever had?
Check out Sandy's Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies - they are simply divine. 


Make sure you check out the NEW Firefly Confections blog to see their first post & win a FABulous giveaway! AND read on below to enter our FABulous giveaway too! Who doesn't LOVE sweets?

All Things Firefly Confections

Sandy's sweets are almost tooo pretty to eat! 
We drool over everything bakes!
Birthday, Wedding, and even Logos! Sandy does it all.



Giveaway below for our cupcakeMAG readers! 

Want to be a cupcakeMAG sponsor? 
It isn't just ad space. Sponsor dedicated post, weekly Facebook & Twitter mentions too! 
We have 3 spots left at our super-FABulous discounted price! 
Email us for all the details: cupcakemag@gmail.com 

{GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED. WINNER HAS BEEN CHOSEN.}
Announced on Twitter. 


Giveaway: One pound of each the Salted Caramels and the Chocolate Caramels.....see them below! 



For extra entries you can do the following below and leave us a separate comment for each letting us know. The more you comment the better chance you have to win!

1. Follow cupcakeMAG on Twitter.

2. Follow Sandy on Twitter.

3. Make sure you "Like" us on our Facebook page.

4. Make sure you "Like" Firefly Confections on Facebook.

5. Subscribe to our updates (top right corner above) - just sign up with your email!

6. Tweet about this giveaway and include @cupcakemag -- you must tweet, not just follow.

7. Tweet about this giveaway and include @sandysbaking -- you must tweet, not just follow.

8. Write a blog post about this giveaway on your blog and send us the link.

We will select a winner via random.org on Tuesday, April 18th at 11pm. Please make sure you enter the mandatory comment first before doing the extra entries.