SUMMER, I'LL MISS YOU

It's the last weekend of summer - good bye patios, food fests, and water sports for yet another year. Prolong summer in your mind with this must read - Mediterranean Summer by chef David Shalleck. It's a yummy tale of a chef on a private yacht that used fresh, local ingredients from each port city that dotted the Cote d'Azur and Costa Bella.

Now it's no secret if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook that I'm a fashion foodie (a name given by The Star's Ecologic Erin). So it's no wonder that I selected this book whilst cruising the Mediterranean last year which inspired my first seasonal SS10 collection (color, colour, couleur!)

It may be time to pack up our summer wardrobe for the brisk breezes of fall and Aime Seasonless 10/11 will be available online to ease the transition - stay tuned!

AIME EATS ... GREEN EGGS & HAM

As a child, one of my fave authors was Dr. Seuss - I loved his crazy characters, imaginative illustrations and rhetoric rhymes (albeit I didn't realize it back then!). My top two Dr. Seuss picks still are The Lorax and Green Eggs and Ham.

The Lorax - a metaphoric, environmental tale of the greedy Once-ler who chopped down all of the beautiful Truffula trees to make Thneeds.

Takeaway: the 4 most important lines in the 24 minute clip below:

"I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees.

I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues,

...

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,

nothing is going to get better. It's not.

Green Eggs and Ham is about a nameless character's refusal to try something new - green eggs and ham - but by the end, tries it and enjoys it.

Dr. Seuss's simple stories help us realize that conscious consumer choices are important for our community.

Did you know you can now check just how 'green' your eggs are? I buy Verified Cage Free Vegetarian Choice eggs from Whole Foods. You can trace your eggs and find out information on the bird welfare and food safety. Things to look for:

1. Produced by hens that receive a vegetarian diet of fine grains and supplements that are non-medicated and free of hormones and animal byproducts
2. Produced by hens that are free to roam about an open-concept weather sheltered barn, where they can roost, nest, perch and feed freely
3. Produced in accordance with HACCP Based On-Farm Food Safet Programs, observing all Bird Welfare aspects of the Recommended Code of Practice

Love yourself and love others.

- M

AIME DRINKS... GOOD EARTH BANROCK STATION FINE WINE

At Aime, we love Good Earth Banrock Station Fine Wine. Their philosophy is inspiring "Help us Help the Earth" which parallels with what we strive to achieve at Aime.

Love yourself: Enjoy a glass of Banrock Station's Pink Moscato. It's light and fruity with hints of aromatic melon, grapefruit and lemon. We love the pink colour and adding in our own fresh fruit to make sangria. With a 5.5% alcohol content, we recommend sprucing it up

with Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka.

Love others: Part proceeds of every bottle of Banrock Station wines help support environmental projects around the world - even Canada! They help save salmon in Lake Ontario, and their winery in Australia uses sustainable techniques in their vineyard. Poland's Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka also plants trees to show their love for the environment.

Travel Tip: Visiting South Australia? Banrock Station has a Wine and Wetland Centre which is certified for eco-tourism. Learn how they are reversing the effects of a century's worth of destruction on the wetland.

AIME BAKES...VEGAN ROOIBOS de PROVENCE TEA CUPCAKES

The girls of Aime love to eat out + in, so we're testing out different restos + recipes to share so you can love yourself & love others.

Love yourself: Indulge in Vegan Rooibos de Provence Tea Cupcakes with Butter Cream Lemon Frosting! We updated a recipe we found on the cute blog, Batter & Beat, that used Earl Grey Tea. We made both and found that our version had the elegant, delicate flavour of lavender, rose petals, and dried blueberries - tealicious!

Love others: By using soy milk instead of regular milk, and soy yogurt instead of eggs as a binder, these vegan alternatives uses no animal by-products.

Ingredients to make 1 dozen cupcakes:

• Rooibos de Provence loose leaf tea from David's Tea (Creative Director Monica Mei's fave)
• 1 cup soy milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup plain soy yogurt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
• 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 stick of unsalted vegan butter
• 2 cups of powdered sugar

For the cupcakes...

Preheat oven to 375º and use silicone cupcake liners for your muffin tin. Heat the soy milk in a saucepan. Before it boils, remove from heat and add tea leaves (either in a tea ball, or strain out the tea leaves afterwards).

Use a hand or power mixer to whisk together oil, yogurt, sugar, vanilla and tea mixture until smooth. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into wet ingredients and whisk until the mixture is velvety. Scoop mixture into tins and bake for 16-20 minutes. Then do the toothpick test to ensure it's ready.

For the frosting...

Cream the butter and slowly add in the icing sugar until the mixture is very fluffy. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and mix until smooth. Spread or pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and top it off with a garnish.

The Aime Rooibos de Provence Tea Cupcake - a perfect summer treat!

Do you have a fave recipe that you'd like to share? Tell us on Facebook or Twitter!

AIME TRAVELS...TO KENNEBUNK

Here at Aime, we love to travel and discover new things. Aime Creative Director, Monica Mei, recently traveled to Kennebunk, Maine in search of some R&R and came across a few surprising finds.

SEE: Nick's Chance Whale Watch. This whale watch tour takes you from Kennebunkpo

rt to a feeding area to see a variety of whales including the Blue Whale and the endangered Right Whale. Bonus: Monica also saw seals sunbathing near the Boon Island Lighthouse, playful dolphins "wake boarding" the ship's waves, and a thousand pound tuna!

DO: Maine is known for its selection of antique shops. Monica found some great wooden crates, a typewriter from the '20s, a turquoise

glazed pot, and an MJ Thriller album at an antiques barn along Route 1. ECO-TIP: Antiquing is a great way to love Mother Earth. Why buy new when you can re-use someone's once-loved treasures?

EAT: After a morning of antiquing, re-fuel at Capt'n Hook's Lobsters. This lobster bake shack is a cheapie place to get your fresh Maine lobster fix. With picnic benches surrounding the lobster tanks, the atmosphere is like eating in your friend's backyard. The steamed sweet corn is a do-not-miss with its lobster butter - delish!

STAY: Monica stayed at the historic Beach House Inn which has a gorge view of the ocean. ECO TIP: The Inn has free bicycles, helmets and lock available for their guests. Monica says leave your car in the lot as Kennebunk is a perfect town for cycling. The ride to Walker's Point (George Dub's summer home) is picture perfect.

AIME CITY GARDEN DIY

The Aime studio has been growing our own little city garden - sweet basil, Italian parsley, mojito mints and red lettuce - all on our juliet balcony! This simple DIY project is a great way to ensure that your fruits, veggies and herbs are 100% organic and locally grown. It's also a way to greenify your space!

Love Yourself: edible gardens are easy on your wallet and beneficial for your health.

Love Others: Growing your own vegetables and herbs is an excellent way to reduce your carbon footprint.

Another way to reconnect with nature is to check out a Green City Workshop. Tomorrow, Saturday July 17th, there will be a workshop on Edible Native Landscapes at 550 Bayview Avenue where you can get tips on eco-gardening in the city.

Do you have a suggestion for an eco-DIY? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter.

MEET TEGAN: SHE LOVES...

Aime intern Tegan enjoys weekends at The Evergreen Brick Works Farmer's Market. Open Saturday mornings 8 am to 1 pm throughout the summer, she says it's the perfect place to grab a deliciously organic breakfast or lunch with an assortment of fresh produce, meat, fish, dairy and prepared foods from local farmers (you can also peruse crafts made by local artisans!) Ride your bike to the Toronto Brick Works as it's conveniently on The Don River Bike Trail. Not only is this a fun weekend activity, it's also a great way to practice environmental sustainability and to support local farmers.

Do you know of other fun, eco activites? Let us know via Twitter: @aimeluxury

LOVE YOURSELF AND LOVE CANADA

LOVE OTHERS: In celebration of Canada Day, Aime will donate 5% of sale proceeds from Enviius.com to The Nature Conservancy of Canada which protects Canada's most threatened natural habitats and the species that call them home. The NCC is a non-profit conservation organization that is dedicated to protecting Canada's natural heritage so that it can be enjoyed by future generations across this beautiful country. Since 1962, NCC and its supporters have protected more than 2 million acres of ecologically sensitive and diverse land nationwide.

Here's an invitation for a free membership. The 4-day sale begins now at Enviius.com!

You can also donate directly through CanadaHelps.org here.

HAUTE COUTURE FOR HAITI

LOVE OTHERS: Valentine's Day is this weekend and the fashion community is showing our love and compassion for the victims of Haiti at the Roosevelt Room this Thursday February 11th @ 8 pm at CosmoTV's event 'Haute Couture for Haiti'. Spring/Summer 2010 fashions will be on the runway from Toronto's top fashion designers including David Dixon, Lucian Matis, Vawk by Sunny Fong, Jessica Biffi, Brandon R Dwyer, Franke, and of course, Aime!

Buy tickets to the event here and show love for others in Haiti.

LOVE OTHERS- Pepsi Refresh Challenge

HAVE AN IDEA? Pepsi invites you to submit ideas you think will positively impact those around you. Whether you are an individual, business or non-profit organization- YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Pepsi is awarding grants of all sizes in categories affecting health, arts and culture, food and shelter, the planet, neighbourhoods and education. 1000 submissions are accepted every month and grants are awarded by casted online votes.

AIME REFRESHES:

At Aime, our philosophy is to love yourself, love others, and love luxury. Loving others is about fortifying the communities around us and giving back.

Here's a hint at what new projects the Aime team is up to this year:

Aime @ The Holiday Pop-up Boutique

Sip, shop, and share!

Gather your girls for a festive treat at the The Holiday Pop-up Boutique @ The Loft!

Sip some bubbly.

Shop 4 Canadian designer lines including Psalms 91:1 jewelry, Brazen Hussy dresses, 442 McAdam bags, and of course, our latest Aime holiday collection.

Share the holiday cheer as 10% of the proceeds will go to support Dr. Roz's Healing Place, a centre for women empowerment and healing.

Take a peek at the post from For Those About to Shop that highlights fashion with a purpose - what we try to do here at Aime.

Happening Dec. 5/6 from 11 - 7 pm @ The Loft: 52 St. Lawrence Street #324 (King St.E/St.Lawrence near Queen St. E/River St)

Ottawa & Montreal Bound

After a successful SS10 runway show in Toronto for LG Fashion Week Beauty by L'Oreal, the Aime team is heading to Ottawa and Montreal this weekend! 

First off, we're showing again in Ottawa this Saturday night at 7:00 pm for Fashion Cures a la Mode - there's still time to purchase your ticket to support the Ovarian Cancer Society! 

Then, we're showing love for Montreal until Monday for press and buyers. Message me if you'd like to make an appointment to take a closer peek at the SS2010 collection. 

THANK YOU TO THE AIME TEAM AND SPONSORS

A big THANK YOU to the Aime team and sponsors/partners for making the latest SS2010 runway show a hit!

To my Aime team: Michelle, Katerina, Solange, Lauren, Laura, Stephanie, Lucy, Jayson, and Mark - your efforts for the months, weeks, days, minutes and seconds leading up to the show is much appreciated!!! 

To my sponsors/partners: 

Red Scarf Equestrian: your eco-leather bags traveled from Cannes/Monaco to Toronto and exudes the jet-set lifestyle of the collection!

Town Shoes: thank you for providing the show with another season of amazing footwear!

Lisa Canning Design: your painterly Expressionist set was the perfect backdrop to my Mediterranean collection; and thank you for assisting me the day of the show!

Tongboy Animation: Jeff, thank you for animating Lisa's artwork to show how Aime can go from day to night.

Psalms 91:1 - Sally, I had so much fun collaborating each piece with you and thank you for re-working the pieces to my demands! :)

Lara Vincent: The Dali ruby-lip inspired headpieces were so cute and fun and added that bit of whimsy to the collection.

DJ Vaneska: as her tag line suggest, she's your next favourite DJ! Thank you for turning the tunes to fit our fun, upbeat mood!

A special thank you to Ron Prosserman, Lorie Goldfinger, Farhia Warsame and Caroline Rueben!

Again, thank you ALL - there would be no show without everyone's support. :)

HELP SUPPORT THE FIGHT AGAINST OVARIAN CANCER

Love Others: Join Aime in Ottawa as we participate in Fashion Cures a la Mode from November 4th - 7th. Check out the Aime runway show and even bid on an Aime piece in the silent auction! See you there!

Aime's Tweeting!

Tweet, tweet! Get filled in with the inside scoop of what's happening in and out of the Aime studio via Twitter.

Last week I was in NYC for September market, now it's crunch time to prep for the upcoming Aime runway show at LG Fashion Week.

Follow me through the fashion trenches!