Brownie, peanut butter cookie, and most importantly: frozen custard. (too much?)

If you’ve never had frozen custard, it’s like ice cream made with the addition of egg yolks. And it’s pretty delicious. They normally have chocolate, vanilla, and a flavour of the day. They’re all good, but the vanilla is my favorite.

Jedd’s Patisserie Cafe is at Yonge and Eglinton. And PS he’s very nice.

I recently went to Shops at Don Mills for the first time, and had such an amazing time!

First I met up with Natalie at McEwan grocery, where we spent so long I don’t even want to acknowledge it – I’m pretty sure it was hours. They carry product I’ve only ever seen abroad, like Niederegger marzipan, and brands like Wilkin & Sons who make jams and marmalade (even lime marmalade!) which you can find around, but not easily. And while pasta is not something that is usually of much interest to me, they carry the most amazingly beautiful pastas – I had to pick up some of the rainbow bowtie pasta – they have stripes of 6 different colours. They even carry beautiful butterfly-shaped pasta!

Of course I had to try some chocolate, so I chose an organic mexican taza chocolate disc for drinking, and a small Simon Coll con leche chocolate bar from Barcelona.

Then, passing through by the condiments aisle, I could not leave without some Blackcurrant Tarragon mustard from France. It’s purple. Need I say more?

Lastly, while admiring the whimsical, fanciful pastries, a woman came out from behind the bakery counter to see if we needed anything. We spoke for some time about baking during the holidays, family traditions, and delicious memories. Finally, when it was time to move on, she gave us a little rocky road brownie for energy. It was so something my mother would do and say. Needless to say, I found it endearing.

Okay, so this has quickly turned into a post entirely about McEwan. I’ll post more about my visit to Shops at Don Mills soon. In the meantime, here are some highlights on my List of 10 reasons why you might want to visit McEwan:

1. Niederegger marzipan and drink mixes
2. Large selection of tea (including Kusmi) and drinking chocolate
3. Unsweetened matcha lattes
4. Marble slab ice cream
5. Variety of Honey, including chestnut honey
6. Impressive mustard selection
7. Kewpie mayonnaise from Japan (what?!)
8. Most colourful pasta selection I’ve ever seen
9. Bakery (would love a birthday cake from here!)
10. Customer service

While helping out with visual merchandising in a shop the other night, I stopped by a rack holding a white cotton shirt with cream stripes and little black dots, and said to the girl steaming it, “I really like that shirt!” She responded, “That’s so funny, because when I was pulling this look, I totally thought that Ayalah would like this.”

Am I so clearly defined that others could pick out what I would wear? Or are the people I surround myself with simply very acute visually in the fashion realm? Or, am I just like everybody else?

Recently I joined Pinterest, after a friend was raving about it, and so far so good. It’s a great space in which to post (or “pin”) images you find online in a bit of a categorized collage format of boards, where you link directly to the source without having to remember where you found it. I am constantly pulling pictures from magazines and storing inspiring images and interesting interview and videos in a number of formats, but Pinterest is a nice and easy way to quickly have a overview of your finds.

The site is new, so its relatively few participants are having a large say as to how the site will shape and develop. One interesting thing I noticed at a quick glance, was that the people who have joined thus far appear to be quite similar. Or, visually they seem to share quite a specific aesthetic, not only in regards to the images they select to “pin” in terms of content, but also in the style of photograph, and even the categories which they create in which to post said pins. That said, there are a few generic categories that the site has set up as default boards for posting, however, even the category titles people edit and create are very similar. On this site you will find a lot of girls who like pretty things, textiles, pattern, crafting, home dec, interiors, baking, a particular fashion of dress – there is a definite type. So, are we all the same girl?

Have a look. I am curious to see if more diversity is introduced as the site grows and evolves. In the meantime, I’ll marvel at how I could have posted any number of images that are pinned to the boards of others, and just enjoy all the pretty pictures that we collectively love.

I choose to believe my brother brought these back from Tokyo because he thought I looked like the cute girl in the illustration. And not because I need them.

In other weather-related news, I have just started an official Twitter page (there is a link to it on the right column of this page) and I have posted a link to the recipe of some AMAZING looking popsicles. So pick up some yogurt and fruit today and enjoy!

Toronto and Ottawa

Missing Ottawa a bit. These are from my last trip.

And by OC I mean Ottawa Carleton.

Alber Elbaz has been working wonders as the Artistic Director for Lanvin since 2001. And he’s also a great illustrator!

Pictured above are some stamps my friend brought me from Paris featuring his drawings. So great! His illustrations have been featured on the backdrop for this Acne Lanvin collaboration photoshoot, on numerous Lanvin products, and apparently he has illustrated a song for Mika, which I would love to see.

Personally, in terms of design, his shoes have always tempted me. Have you seen this crystal-embellished satin ballerina flat? Or maybe these leather boots? Size 9 thanks.

Since Spring, I have revisited the bangle. Big time. And rings. Not to say I’ve been shopping at all (well…)

I used to wear most of these, at different times growing up, and now I wear them all together at once. It feels like a uniform, in a good way, in that it ties seemingly different outfits together.

All the rings are my mother’s, as are the bracelets, except the skinny silver one that looks twisted like rope. This was a childhood gift I was never too excited about – until now. There’s fashion for you.

Also in these pictures is a little vintage fur coin purse (herein lies the shopping) that I got in Ottawa on my last visit. The owner of the vintage shop said customers often thought the coin purse resembled an owl. What do you think? I’ve been looking for a coin purse for ages and thought this a cute find – it even has 2 compartments. And a key fob. Awesome.

A little local shop is closing quietly on Saturday. I first visited Finn a few years ago after missing a flight to Paris. And it made me feel a bit better. Owner, Amalie Bruun, was having a sample sale for some Scandinavian designers and I picked up a white collarless pinstripe shirt with unusual detailing by Resteröds.

This week I had to visit and say goodbye, and couldn’t leave without this amazing yellow hand-printed silk tank from California-based designer Jesse Kamm. It is so beautiful in person and is perfect for this weather. With a cardigan it will easily take me through to next season.

When I complimented Amalie on the white bird earring stand in the shop, she took the earrings off and gave it to me. Isn’t it sweet?

Amalie was also the one to tell me about Dessert Lady, who in addition to making beautiful cakes (and selling gorgeous sugar-based orchids – upcoming wedding cakes anyone?), make lovely all natural ice creams – including honey lavender.

If you’re in the neighborhood on Saturday, stop by Finn to wish Amalie luck in her new ventures, and if you’re feeling sad about discovering this special shop too late, then you can always drown your sorrows with ice cream a few steps away at Dessert Lady!

I totally fell in love with this little guy! We had quite the photoshoot and I wish he would have followed me back to Toronto, but alas…