I’ve recently discovered the Kusmi Tea store on St-Denis. Me + tea shops = a kid in a candy store.
If you are a green tea lover, I would suggest the following from Kusmi Tea:
+ ginger-lemon green tea
+ green tea flavored with almond
+ Chinese green tea flavored with bergamot citrus fruits and flowers
+ Chinese green tea flavored with scents of buffalo grass

I baked some traditional Italian cookies for the holidays. Most of the cookies taste yummy with a cup of cafe latte or an espresso. Enjoy!

Almond Biscotti

1 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cups of chopped almonds
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 tsp grated orange rind
1 egg (remove white part) with a little milk to brush on top of the dough for shine

+ Mix flour, baking powder and almonds
+ In a separate bowl, mix eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract, and orange rind
+ Stir liquid ingredients into flour and form into a dough
+ Roll into 2 logs (like in the photo)
+ brush the logs with the beaten egg
+ place into oven at 350 for 20 min
+ remove from oven and chop in one movement (do not saw into the dough or else it will break) into cookies. Please cut diagonally.
+ place into oven again for another 20 min at 350 (this is so the biscotti becomes harder, I usually don’t do this because I like them soft so I keep them in untill they are cooked)
+ leave them out to dry.

Here is another one for you.  Hope you’ll like this  one as much as I do.
LEMON COOKIES
4 eggs
1 cup of oil
1 cup of sugar
4 (full) cups of flour
1 cup of milk
3 lemons (zest and juice)
4 tablespoons of magic

+ Mix all together (powders in the liquids)
+ Make a thick dough
+ on flour roll a tablespoon full (1 cookie) and place onto pan
+ Oven 350 for 20-25 min.
+ For lemon icing: mix icing sugar, half a lemon juice and very little milk.
+ dip cooked cookies into lemon icing
+ let them dry before serving

I find myself lusting over things way too often. The Frye Erin Workboot has been on my wish list for some time now. The combination between the rich leather, nubuck, wooden heel with a leather sole, and braided laces is impressive. With over a century and a half of experience, you can expect Frye to go through all the trial & errors to finally achieve The perfect boot. With a leather that has so much potential in the aging process, it is hard to resist wearing these every season; whether it being with a thick wool sock or a spring time chino. With the richest leathers and qualities of hand craftsmanship, the American heritage boot companies have me sold on their timeless footwear this season.

Photos: Vincent Tsang

Socks are an underrated accessory; most brands fail to recognize the appeal they can give an outfit. In fact, it can be hard to find heavyweight socks unless they are coming from the hunting/fishing/camping market. At the same time, it ties in perfectly with the comeback that heritage brands are making, because being warm is finally cool. And If your mission this winter, is to stay warm like myself, here are a few that AurawithanM and On&Beyond strongly suggest.

1. Patagonia‘s Ultra Heavyweight Mountaineering socks are soft made with felted merino wool. Is know to last a lifetime.

2. Filson socks are made with a new dimensional knitting technology. The spandex in every stitch provides a memory fit.

3. J.Crew‘s Camp sock comes from the last remaining sock mill in Vermont. This all weather sock is traditional in design and spun from classic ragg marl yarns.

4. Orvis‘s Merino Wool Ultra-Ragg take ragg clothing to a higher level. Crafted in Vermont from Australian merino wool.

5. Scott-Nichol is a traditional British manufacturer of hand made socks. All socks from Scott-Nichol come replete with a hand-linked toe making them virtually seamless.

6. Duray, is a staple amongst woolen mills in Quebec. Their Light Original Work socks are two-ply twisted knit.

I can’t remember the first time I saw Common Projects. What I do remember is that it took me awhile to catch onto it (Probably because Common Projects were catered for men). Then one day… I found a pair in my size.

The brand has been making a lot of noise lately with their recent collaboration with Moscot and debut of their women’s line. NYtimes catches up with designers Peter Poopat and Flavio Girolami in an interview.
Read Asked and Answered | Common Projects.

I’ve been in search for a boot for some time that can endure Canada’s harsh weather. It only made sense to me to go with Red Wing as oppose to those clunky duck boots by Sorel (I still love the L.L. Bean and Sperry ones) that everyone else is wearing. I figured, if their craftsmanship can protect bridge builders and railroad engineers then it can protect little ol’ me. Thanks dad for keeping my feet warm this Christmas.

Photos: Vincent Tsang

I just got this beautiful dress in the mail yesterday. It is my new favorite piece of clothing. The collar makes me so happy. I’m not sure why but it’s a detail I always look at.

Last Friday, Jk, Vince, Jessica and I had our exhibition. As you might know, I’ve been working on this project for a while now. Never having picked up a painting brush before this class, the end results have made me glad that I flirted with the arts.
These pieces were inspired by photos taken by Daniel Pelissier for Society Suckers Zine. These authentics express the rawness and intensity of Hardcore’s stomping, chanting, and dancing. Each are named after influential members of Montreal’s Hardcore scene (Nick Hardcore, Benbass, Fred’Emup). The colors reflect their different personalities, and the cuts of the sneaker express their important roots to the scene.
Acrylic on canvas
13×13

Acrylic on canvas
16×16

Acrylic on canvas
20×20

Thanks to everyone who came by!

This came out of nowhere. Heroine: T-shirts for girls and some boys. Hand screened in a super small quantity. The graphics are a bit big but we really like them that way. Inspired by Justin R Saunders and the first two years of his www.jrsrules.blogspot.com. Thank god for JJJJound, American classic, forced rarity, luxury brands, decadence, street bombing, women, pugilists, fallen heroes, New York city, Lake Como, and rap music. T-shirts are available at Off The Hook
It’s a celebration.