Vanilla Strawberry Jam

Strawberry Vanilla Jam, Kiku Corner

   I first learned how to make strawberry jam at the Whetung Ojibwa Crafts and Art Gallery Tea Room. My cousin and I spent a whole day picking strawberries, and then spent the better part of the next day churning out the strawberry jam that was to be used for Tea Room that year. Alas, […]

Canadian Design: Water In My Paint by Deidre Wicks

Bubble Blowing Up Close, Water In My Paint, Kiku Corner

Deidre Wicks creates original animal watercolours for Water In My Paint. I first saw her adorable and whimsical watercolours of cheeky animals at the Cabbagetown Arts and Crafts Festival, and then again at the Toronto Etsy Made in Canada festival. Her adorable ballerina birdie was the poster child of the Cabbagetown Arts and Crafts Festival, […]

Toronto Eats: Lunch at Mom’s Korean Food

Toronto Eats: Mom`s Korean Food, Kiku Corner

On a brisk fall day, Tomiko, our mom and I tried out Mom’s Korean Food, a no-frills restaurant in the Koreatown neighbourhood of Toronto. Korean food is famously spicy, and any dolsot (stone pot) dish is also extremely hot, and seems to get hotter the longer it sits! This all makes for a cozy, warming, […]

Canadian Design: Kempton Jones by Michelle Matsui

Life's Soundtrack Tea Towels by Kempton Jones, Kiku Corner

Kempton Jones is a Toronto-based company by self-taught designer Michelle Matsui. I first saw her tea towels at the One of a Kind Show in the spring, but then I saw them again at the Cabbagetown Arts and Crafts Festival and then at the Toronto Etsy Made in Canada Day at the end of September. Her tea […]

Happy Hour: Cinnamon Bourbon

Happy Hour: Cinnamon Bourbon, Kiku Corner

   Even before the official first day of Autumn on September 23, I saw stores and recipes go crazy with Pumpkin-Spice everything. I was never a fan of pumpkin pie, so this whole mania is totally lost on me. However, I have nothing against cinnamon. When our parents took us on a trip to Sri […]