Night At The Library of Scents

Celebrate the holidays with Ayala in this last special event of 2014: Book signing at her perfume apothecary on Twelve Thirty Haro Street, Dec. 11th, 5pm-10pm. Ayala will read select passages from her new book, answer questions, let you sniff some special aromatics, and sign your copy of "Foundation of Natural Perfumery" - her new, self-published book. 

Also introducing: the new perfume, Narkiss (a haunting narcissus soliflore); and debut art exhibit by the perfumer's daughter, Tamya.  

Also planned are wintery libations and brews, old-library-scented chocolate truffles (with pure oud essence - yesss!!!), and after-hours shopping for goodies that can only be found in person. 

Free Shipping Thru Halloween

Free shipping on all orders of $120 and more at ayalamoriel.com thru October 31st.
This is a much needed promotion to help me fund the re-launch of my tea line at the inaugural Vancouver Tea Festival, November 2nd.

Gastown Shop Hop Tonight!

Tonight, November 4th, 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m it is Gastown Fall Shop Hop. Click on the image above to enlarge it and see all the participating shops and boutiques. They will all be open till late tonight and have special discounts and complementary

And I should mention in particularly the two boutiques in Gastown that carry my line:

Dream (311 West Cordova @ Cambie) will have 3 of my scents, plus some wine, cheese and White Potion truffles (since it carries this perfume at the boutique). You can find there Bon Zai, Tamya and Ayalitta perfume and many other amazing fall fashions, jewelry and accessories by local Vancouver designers, including my personal favourites Jola V Designs, The Dancing Leaf Design and Cuche Bikinis.

And I will be in person at Gentille Alouette (227 Carral street @ Cordova) with my entire perfume collection. I will be giving complementary fragrance consultations to help you find the best perfume for yourself and those special people on your list!

I'll also bring my new Song of Songs body oil, scented soy wax candles, bath salts and other concoctions to make your life fragrant and beautiful.

We will also be serving perfumed chocolate truffles (Blood Truffles and also some Lavender Earl Gray Tea Truffles - as per Eliza's special request: she's die-hard lavender and Earl Gray lover). We'll also let you sip some home-made mulled wine and Immortelle l'Amour tea!!!

Hope to see you all there!

P.s. For my out-of-town SmellyBlog readers, you may be relieved to hear that after this event I may have some time for more meaningful blogging besides event announcements ;-)

Hanami Tea Party

It's all in the details..., originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

This weekend was dedicated to the Vernal Equinox and welcoming spring with a flower-viewing tea party aka Hanami. Hanami is the Japanese flower-viewing parties, taken place under blooming trees in nature as well as urban Japanese gardens everywhere during the sakura peak blooming season.

From a very young age, I had high regard to Japanese culture and everything Japanese seems to possess such refinement and poise. My mental vision of hanami comprised of geishas and samurai (or just modern day people dressed up in kimono and obi) writing haiku poetry on rice paper under the cherry trees, playing the koto and performing chado ceremonies. I could not have been more far than the truth: Hanami is for the most part a picnic under the cherry trees, where everyone gets completely drunk with sake. An outdoors happy hour of sorts. The most popular spots for Hanami get packed pretty quickly, so companies and offices send their rookie employees to go early in the day and reserve a good spot while the more senior staff keep getting work done till the end of the day. By than, I heard, the rookies are quite thoroughly drunk and can be easily made fun of for the rest of the evening…

Spontaneous Hanami Picnic on Bute street, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

The custom of drinking sake under the cherry trees originates in Shinto (the native religion of Japan) tradition of making a sake offering to the spirit of the trees during the sakura blossom season.

The weather was a fickle spring day, not nice enough to do a picnic (which is how a hanami should be celebrated!). And in any case, drinking outdoors is illegal in Vancouver and I did not want to get into trouble with the authorities so I would have felt really guilty if it was a beautiful picnic day and had to keep everyone indoors for my tea brewing and perfume sniffing!

Ambiance

In my Japanese sachet..., originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

I love creating ambiance with small details, which sometime I can get carried away with. The napkins, for example, were almost too pretty to use (they are made of pearlescent paper!). I also burnt a Japanese ume incense before the guests arrived, and they could even smell it from the hallways. Another part of the ambiance was flowers, and lots of them. Including a giant bouquet of hyacinth which ended up in the guest bathroom because otherwise no one would have been able to smell the perfume or taste their teas and food without thinking about hyacinths! They are so strong.

The Flowers

Camellias, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

Did you know that Camelias are from the same family as tea?

The flower arrangements, like the incense, create an ambiance. I didn't think I will be able to get the flowers I need in a flower shop, so I just picked them up myself all over the West End. I even got scolded once by a passer-by's "you're not suppose to". But I felt that since I was doing this for my guests, it's still part of sharing the community's flowers and I didn't really feel guilty at all (I don't normally roam around the neighbourhood picking up flowers after all, the most I would do normally is steal their soul by taking a photo).

I tried to keep it all quite minimalistic, a-la-ikebana, which I no very little about and was happy with the result. It was my modern and personal interpretation of the season and I also incorporated some botanical symbolism into it (more about that later though!).


Early B-Day Gift, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

One of the tea party guests was so thoughtful and sweet: she noticed on FB that my b-day is only two days away and got me a bouquet of my favourite flowers: freesias!

White Magnolia flower arrangement, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

Magnolias, so fragrant and surprisingly spicy. Unfortunately they wilted a little faster than I hoped (the same evening as picking...).

Hyacinths, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

The Menue

Tea Tray, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

1st Tier: Sushi & Savouries

Ume-Shiso Sushi, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

Tea Tray, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

Ume-Shiso Sushi
Avocado & Japanese Pickled Ginger Tea Sandwiches
Ginger-Carrot Tea Sandwiches
Cucumber-Wasabi Tea sandwiches
Kosho (Hot Green Pepper & Yuzu paste) Tea Sandwiches

The ume-shiso sushi was something I tried last summer at the sushi bar in K-Mart (the Korean market on Robson street, which is also where I get the perfect bread for the tea sandwiches). I wanted to order from them a bunch for the party, but they stopped making them (it is not exactly shiso season yet, so that's understandable). Thankfully, the konbiniya (aka Japanese convenience store on Robson) had some fresh shiso leaves, so I was able to try to mimic what the restaurant did (total failure, because I always put too much rice in my rolls, and also the seaweed would have gotten too soggy by the time the guests arrives; so I stopped myself after one roll). Instead, I invented these little nigiris, using the rice molds in Tamya's sushi kit. I filled them with some ume paste and black sesame seeds, and wrapped them in shiso leaf, which remained fresh and pretty for hours.

As for the sandwhiches - the avocado is drizzled with yuzu juice to prevent it from discolouring. I've really enjoyed the tea-time-meet-Japanese cuisine adventure!

2nd Tier: Scones
Buckwheat Scones & Povidel (Eastern European Prune butter)

Buckwheat scones, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

I tested these prior to the party with three different condiments/jams - ume (sour plum) paste (see above) and cherry & carnation jam, and povidel (prune preserve). The last choice seems to complement the buckwheat the best so that's how they were served in the end.

3rd Tier: Sweets

Tea Tray, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

Sakuramochi (Cherry Blossom pastries)
Charisma Truffles - with matcha, spearmint and jasmine
Hanami Truffles - with ground tonka bean, lotus, tuberose and magnolia
Black Sesame Shortbread Cookies
Torti di Grano Saraceno (Northern Italian buckwheat and almond torte with raspberry filling).

The Teas

DSC09930, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

First guests at the tea party are experiencing the white tea blend.

Sake and a fine selection of teas were served, including white, green, oolong and black teas.
More about the teas in the following post about the spring-welcoming tea ceremony.

Upcoming Holiday Markets & Events

Mark Your Calendars:

Saturday & Sunday, November 28 & 29, 12:00-6:00pm

Portobello West Fashion + Art Market

The Rocky Mountaineer Station (Cottrel @ Terminal Ave.)

Saturday & Sunday Nov. 28-29 12:00-6:00pm

Monday, November 30th

Under the Tree Holiday Market @ BCIT

November 30, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
SE2, Great Hall, Burnaby Campus
3700 Willingdon Avenue, Burnaby
Info: UConnect Resource Centre, 604-451-7087

Tuesday, December 1st, 5:30-8:30pm

Candlemaking Workshop with Nikki Sherritt

Join our guest instructor Nikki Sheritt, an artisan candle maker of Seattle-based Gabriel's Aunt, for an afternoon of candle-making. Tuesday, Dec. 1st, 5:30-8:30pm

Tuesday, December 8th, 6:00-8:00pm

Chocolate Truffles Workshop

Learn how to make scented chocolate truffles with fine chocolate base and precious floral essences. Tuesday, Dec. 8th, 5:30-8:30pm

Saturday & Sunday, December 12 & 13, 12:00-6:00pm

Portobello West Holiday Market

The Rocky Mountaineer Station (Cottrel @ Terminal Ave.)

Saturday & Sunday Dec. 12 & 13 12:00-6:00pm

Thursday, December 17, 6:30pm-11:00pm

THE PURPLE DRESS LAUNCH PARTY

Join us to light the 7th candle of Hanukkah and revealing The Purple Dress perfume.

When:
December 17th 2009
6:30-11:00pm; revealing the scent at 7:30

Where:
#314-1230 Haro Street, Buzz #295,Vancouver, BC

*Guests are encouraged to wear *something* purple!

* RSVP: Email: ayala@ayalamoriel.com Phone: (778) 863-0806 or on Facebook

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, December 18th-20th

The Beaumont Studios Christmas Sale

Last Stop to Shop Before The Holidays - 3 day designer & artist sale at the Beaumont Studios.

Friday, December 18th 7:00pm-12:00 midnight

Saturday & Sunday, December 19-20 11:00am-7:00pm

The Beaumont
316 West 5th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5Y 1J5
604-733-3783

Summer Tea Party

Moroccan petitfours of dried fruit, marzipan and halva - scented with floral water of course!

Here are some photos from the Summer Afternoon Tea Party yesterday at my studio.
Of course the whole purpose is to make you come to the next one, which I'm hoping to host in mid-July (exact date will be announced soon).

You've already read about the menu - now you can see the treats (my apologies for the poor quality of photos - I was trying to sneak in a camera-click between getting the door and the guest consuming this display):

You can't see it, but this is a 5-tier tea tray, the top two tiers covered in chocolate truffles, the rest with petitfours and pastries.

The teas served were many (I made no less than 8 pots of tea!) - my entire current tea collection of Charisma, Immortelle l'Amour and Roses et Chocolat. After the event there is not much tea left (the guests wiped me nearly clean of my Charisma tea - only one tin left) and just a handful of Roses et Chocolat and Immortelle l'Amour!

I also served Moroccan mint tea, both hot and chilled. It's especially good for dipping those fennel biscuits (see below).

View from the top:
Top tier: Blood truffles (dark chocolate, Turkish rose, saffron and chili) and Rose de Mai truffles (white chocolate with rose de mai, magnolia, bergamote & strawberry extract)

Second tier: Guilt truffles (orange blossom and wild orange) and Charisma truffles (white chocolate with matcha tea powder, sambac jasmine, spearmint and citrus)

Third tier: Dried apricots stuffed with neroli-water flavoured marzipan, dried figs stuffed with kewda water flavoured marzipan; and some more Charisma truffles.

Fourth tier: Crystallized rose wafers, Pistachio-Lime buttons, Apple cupcakes, Almond cupcakes

Fifth tier (nearly hidden): Moroccan Fennel biscuits, and my personal favourite - Basboosa made with Goat's milk yoghurt.

Some guests mingling to create an awesome tea party...

The guests received tea candle and samples before they left and also there was a draw for one person to go on a little olfactory journey with me and participate in the creation of their very own custom scent!
There was also a presentation about tea and perfumes - more about that in the next post...!

Spring Fling - Rundown of March Events

Spring wedding, originally uploaded by driababe.

Here's a heads up for several exciting spring events where Ayala Moriel Parfums will be present to add fragrant pizzazz with our cutting-edge perfumes and lovely presentation, and last but not least - our very personable customer service, always giving you the best of ourselves in your search for that perfect scent... Now that the Spring Living Fair is over, we have two wedding-related fund raising events, and finally, at the end of the month, Portobello West is making its 2008 Spring comeback with not just one but TWO full days of art and fashion!

Attention Brides and Grooms - there are two fantastic events coming up
hosted by My Wedding Notes, both with a fundraiser for the BC Centre for
Ability (yes, the place that provided speech therapy and occupational
therapy, excellent workshops and just general support to me and my daughter
in those stressful early diagnosis days - not to mention thousands of other
families with special needs in the Lower Mainland) and I will be donating
beautiful bridal packages and Signature Perfumes for the silent auction, valued at over $1,300. I'm very pleased to have this opportunity to give back to such a great organization with wonderful professionals supporting other children and families going through the hardships of being different.
If you wish to support the Center for Ability regardless of the event, click here to become a supporter or a donor.

If you are getting married soon or know someone who is, let them know about these
two events:

GROOM'S NIGHT OUT
Thursday, March 20th, 7pm-Midnight
Player's Chophouse Restaurant & Lounge (808 Beatty Street)
Admission: $30

BRIDE'S SOIREE
Thursday, March 27th 6-10pm
Stonegrill Restaurant in Granville Island
Admission: $30

And last but not least - Portobello West is re-opening in March 2008 with a
full weekend of fashion and arts made locally.
Come see me and the many other talented vendors and artists and support
local businesses.

PORTOBELLO WEST ART + FASHION MARKET
Rocky Mountaineers Station (Cottrel & Terminal)
Saturday & Sunday, March 29-30, 12-6pm
Admission: $2 (children for free)

Not sure how to get there? here's all you need to know:

By Skytrain and Shuttle
Get off at Main and Terminal (Science World), walk East along Terminal Avenue to Cottrell Street (on the South side behind Home Depot). Turn right and walk about 70 meters to the station OR we offer a free shuttle to the Station from the corner of Station St and Terminal Ave right in front of Cloverdale Paints. It runs from 12:00 to 19:00 every 20 minutes. Just wait by the sandwich board and we’ll come and pick you up!

By Car
Going North on Main Street – Take a right on Terminal Avenue and continue East towards the Home Depot or Clarke Avenue. Stay in the far right lane and take a right on Cottrell Street. Continue straight to the end of the road and you will see the Rocky Mountaineer Station on your right.
Going South on Main Street - Take a left on Terminal Avenue and continue East towards the Home Depot or Clarke Avenue. Stay in the far right lane and take a right on Cottrell Street. Continue straight to the end of the road and you will see the Rocky Mountaineer Station on your right.
There is plenty of free parking available in front of the Station but if the lot is full Home Depot offers additional parking spaces.