CREEP IT CUTE ?

Happy Halloween weirdos! I wasn’t really feeling in the ‘spirits this morning but Sean asked what I was dressing up as so I started into a ‘little’ Halloween lewk. Well, about 45 minutes and huge coffee later, VOILA! This haunting creeper was born out of a desire to make a cute skellie with pink and sparkles. I love looking like this so much. I also really adore this wig (from Amazon) and will likley wear it more just for fun. BTW, superzoom in Instagram is so much fun. See video below.  I tried it out finally. I’ve been a but quiet the last couple days dealing with some family things but I’m a-ok. I’m working on a HUGE adventure for December and I want to tell you about it so bad but it must wait. Be safe out there and let your freak flag fly! A post shared by CASIE |Writer Speaker Director (@casiestewart) on Oct 31, 2017 at 8:06am PDT Not sure what my plan is for tonight after handing out candy but I’ll be creepin’ it real all day!    

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Casie & Emily’s Review of Prodigy Game on iPad

On a rainy day last week I was almost late to pick Embot up from daycare so we decided to go for burgers and test out Prodigy Game. Em spent hours playing over the next few days. In that time she created an avatar for herself, explored Prodigy Game’s world, enhanced her math skills and even described it as ‘really fun.’ Prodigy is a free math game with over 20 million students, teachers, and parents using it worldwide.  It combines gaming and education for students in grades 1-8, alleviates math anxiety and teaches valuable math skills aligned with the student’s curriculum at school. Prodigy Game was also recently named by Canadian Business as one of the top 10 fastest-growing start-ups in Canada. Companies like this are educating our young people and also providing cool jobs for our tech sector! I wasn’t very good at math in high school and did summer school or night school every year until I graduated. Safe to say I’ve always been on the highly creative side. It’s important to work on these skills as a kid so you’re equipped with the tools you need to excel in the future. Last year, our provincial government implemented a $60-million math strategy, but math scores in Ontario are still low with half of Grade 6 students not meeting the provincial standard. Prodigy Game addresses that major issue in our education system and helps students tackle – and beat – their math anxieties. Emily doesn’t mind math but she reallllllly loves her iPad. Legit this kid could watch videos all day of people making slime or doing funny challenges on YouTube. I was so glad to see her using it to play an educational game, by choice. Parenting WIN. Em was on Level 3 when 2 kids about her age passed by and saw her playing. The younger one said…

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Helping Communities Grow w/ the TD Common Ground Project

This post is sponsored by TD and the TD Common Ground Project On a sunny Sunday afternoon, I took a drive to Morningside Park in Scarborough. This year as part of Canada 150, TD is revitalizing over 150  community green spaces across Canada. It’s so nice to adventure and stroll through a new park discovering things along the way. I took some time to sit in the sun, watch the water, and admire the light shining through the trees in the middle of the forest. ???? When I was a kid in Cambridge, Ontario  I spent heaps of time at Riverside Park near our house. Playing there as a kid, volunteering for summer camp in high school, riding bikes, and watching friends play baseball when I was a bit older. To this day I always take a drive through the park when I go home to see how it changes and go for a walk if I have some. Sometimes I just sit in the car and listen to music with a friend like the good old days. So many memories.  A park is such a big part of a neighbourhood and city. TD’s Common Ground project encourages Canadians to come together in green spaces across the country. The scale of projects varies and there are 7 flagship projects, the outdoor gathering space at Morningside Park is one of them.  There are 82 projects in Ontario, with 7 in Toronto, find them all here. Next time I’m in KW I’ll be checking out Waterloo Park to see the new bridge connecting the two universities, provided through the TD Common Ground Project. Step Into the Forest – 360 Photo of Morningside Park, Scarborough I hope you’ll look up your local TD Common Ground revitalization project (here) and see what spaces are changing near you. For more information about the project find my…

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Hocus Focus, Put a Spell On me Please!

I really should not be blogging right now. I have a report to finish but I just can’t get my head in it today. Back in the day when I worked at a big agency I was the Director and had a team and would oversee the reporting but didn’t have to make the reports. It takes me so long, I hate doing it. It’s nice outside. I already went for a walk, got a snack, opened some packages. Looked up flights. Scrolled FB. Sent a few tweets. Talked to other people in the office. Looked for music. Got some ie water. Had a call. Omg, time is moving so fast and the deadline is getting closer. WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF. I do this every single time though. Urgh. We are our own worst enemies sometimes! I think I’ll have a cookie and a coffee. It’s really nice outside. I wish I was at the cottage. Help! I just can’t concentrate today. Do you have tips? Music suggestions? Help, I need to get a report finished asap. pic.twitter.com/P9OhA5fdxi — CASIE STEWART ☀️ (@casiestewart) October 24, 2017

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Healthy Eating FTW! My Food Prep Favs from Amazon

I love making things, cooking, baking. Have been eating a bit healthier after a few changes in the diet/exercise category back in January. I generally feel healthier, happier, and that my life is better since. I don’t really blog about food much because it’s a time I like to put my phone down. I find it relaxing. I usually put on music or a show and take my time creating things to eat. I have, however, been using some badass kitchen appliances I’ve bought over the last year and they’ve helped with the food prep and healthy eating. I always read reviews before buying appliances, from places like All Great Appliances, because they can be pricey so I don’t want to make any rash decisions I might regret later down the line. They’ve helped me find some real treasures that made food prep so much easier.I love making a bunch of things on Sunday afternoon, I’ve even started planning them. We’ve been at the cottage the last few days and the weather is amazing. I’ve got the windows open, music on, and I’m putting things in the oven and prepping food, while typing away on this week’s work. When I look out the window the leaves are falling every few seconds and catching sunshine on the way down. Instant Pot: Last year for Christmas I got Sean (well, us!)an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker and I use it so much. I love that little thing. It’s great for cooking a bunch of chicken breast, rice, stew, chilli. I even made up a risotto recipe. I’m planning to get more adventurous and try some new stuff this winter. Spiralizer: I’m obsessed! I would love to get an electric one but I have read some bad reviews so I haven’t ordered one…

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A Night of Style + Sassoon AW17 Salon Collection

I am so in love with all the looks below from the new collection at Sassoon. Every single time I go to the salon I take a peek at looks and cool haircuts from the past. I like working together because I feel like their style and my style are in the same lookbook. In other news, I low-key stalked someone at the event last night because I love, love, loved her Sassoon cut. (I mean, I only have about 8 photos from the night of her hair. ??) A Night Of Style night featured a hair presentation by Salon Creative Directors and the SS`18 Ready To Wear collection by Atelier Guarin. It was so nice to mingle and have snacks with the salon gang outside of my appointments. I did an interview with my Sassoon colourist Kim a little while back and she is so funny we laughed our heads off again at the event. Here’s a sneak peek at the new MONDAINE collection for SS 2018. I love these looks so much. The cuts, colours, glasses, sass. You can see why Sassoon is a good match for me. I would rock every single one of these looks! The bold, block colours and graphic shapes of this ideal echo the experimental silhouettes of Cristobal Balenciaga who utilised austere architectural shapes and bold colour combinations in his inimitable designs. I had a cut on Tuesday by Jason Kwan and my colour done about two weeks ago. I absolutely love how they’ve been doing my hair. It feels healthy and I’m looking forward to growing it out a wee bit for the winter.  For Sassoon Salon info or location visit the website or give them a ring at  (416) 920-1333 book your appointment! Have a great weekend. It’s going to be BEAUTIFUL!      

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Speaking at Blue Mountain – Digital is the Direction

If you’re not constantly innovating, you’ll get left behind. Last week I spoke at a conference where I stressed the importance of a ‘digital first strategy when it comes to marketing and expanding your business. On the way to Blue Mountain, I stopped by a corn field to take a couple photos in the corn, a la Children of the Corn. I like to spend some time by myself before I hit the stage so I grabbed lunch at the Italian restaurant in the village. Wore my fav new blazer from Zara. Yes, the same one I was wearing in the video last week. We all know what happened to Blockbuster when they didn’t think ‘digital first’, they essentially died and were overtaken by online movie streaming services like Amazon & Netflix. we’ll always have traditional media but if you want to connect directly with your audience in real time, social media is the future    

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No Dress Rehearsal, This Is Our Life

I’m at the Drake Commissary to do some writing on a new project, biked here in the sunshine, feeling it warm on my face. As I was walking to the door I checked my phone and saw that Gord Downie has passed away. Sad, I was hoping a miracle would keep him alive,but we all knew it was coming. Listening to Tragically Hip over the summer has been a tradition as long as I can remember, driving up to Grand Bend or Wasaga Beach in the 90’s, summers in college, missing home while at Uni in Australia, and all the time at the cottage. Thank you Gord Downie and the Hip for so many memories and being the most Canadian, Canada loving band of all time. You will be missed. ?❤️ Years ago The Hip played Bridle Bash at my friend Lorne’s house for a few hundred people in the backyard. We were so close to the stage and everyone sang along and danced into the wee hours of the night. Another summer a bunch of us went to see The Hip for Canada Day at Burls Creek. We had a whole gang at the cottage and it was so much fun. I remember dancing around in the field with Carly and everyone singing at the top of our lungs. Sean has no beard here. Two summer’s ago Mark & Sean set up a huge screen on the dock and we watched the last Hip Concert on CBC from the lake. So many great memories over the years. I’ll think of the great times and celebrate his life whenever I listen to the Hip. Sending sunshine in your general direction,  

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Winter Weather, I’m Ready for Youuuuuu!

I went early to the Roots Cabin because I was planning to get home to yoga. However, traffic was (is?! FML) super intense and it took way longer to drive home than I expected so, no yoga. We ordered takeout and am working on blog things. I’d never been to CHILL Ice House so decided to turn my photos into a wee blog post because I love blogging more than doing other things!  (Like reporting ? or cleaning the house! ?) Roots invited media to pop by the #RootsCabin to ‘chill out and warm up’ in their new Packable Jacket. It was cute. Along with the new jacket, they gave us all matching hats, and gloves. I wore the jacket under my new trench, it fits nice and snug, is super thin, good for layering. Mum has a vest similar and wears it all the time. It was decorated like a winter cabin and there’s a warm bar out back with a fireplace. Cute date spot for a couple drinks. It was looking pretty Christmassy to me and now I want to put on Jingle Bell Rock. Winter I’m ready for youuuuuuuuuuu!    

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“Dreaming is Free. You can’t be stingy with your dream you have to go big. “

The other day I watched Franca on Netflix. It’s a documentary about Franca Sozzani, former Editor in Chief of Italian Vogue, who died at 66. She was cutting edge and groundbreaking. I won’t spoil it with too much detail but it’s an inspiring film. I wrote this quite down as I watched it and it stuck with me. When I was in high school I printed out a Shakespeare quote, attached it to a magnet and stuck it on the fridge. I still have that magnet on our fridge today: “Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure This quote stuck with me because it’s easy to give up on your dreams, it’s easy to do something everyone has done before, easy to get a regular job, or not step out of your comfort zone. HOWEVER, when you do that, that’s WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS. By fearing to attempt, you lose the good you might win by trying. By not trying, you give up on yourself before you even start.  I’ve always done things my own way. A lot of the time it made it harder, took a bit longer, but it’s given me so much joy. I didn’t go right into a ‘regular’ 9-5 job, get married, have kids, like so many of my old friends but that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted a life less ordinary.  Yesterday was a hard day for me reading the ‘me too’ posts from almost every single female friend in my timeline. I was overwhelmed with anger and sadness, I took a 2hr nap in the afternoon. BUT THAT WILL NOT STOP ME. We are resilient and we can do this. I found my inspiration today and I’m…

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Me too.

Seeing almost every single woman on Facebook posting this as their status makes me feel sad and angry. I’m upset. I have let so many things slide and just shake them off like it’s no big deal. IT’S A FUCKING BIG DEAL. I think back to how many times in my life a dude has said something inappropriate to me, made me feel like I was less than him, over-sexualized a non-sexy situation, made me feel shame, or flat out assaulted me. Up until last year, I had lived with pretty huge boobs my whole life. I was approved by OHIP for a Breast reduction that changed my life. Aside from the physical pain of huge boobs, I hated/hid them because of the negative attention I would get from men. It made me feel disgusting. I was ‘blessed’ with a chest before I started grade 7. The next two years were really hard. Going through puberty, trying to figure out things with boys, get good grades, and fit in. There was a group of boys in my grade 7-8 school who really made it their entertainment to torment a few of us. Tom, Nathan, Dan were notorious for unzipping the front of our shirts (zipper shirts were in style it was the 90s).  That boy gang had no shame, they would walk home with us and tell us we had to flash them our boobs in the forest or they’d have Monique beat us up. We didn’t know any better. We wanted to be cool and liked. I remember a specific incident where this guy Aaron had just gotten a cast removed on his leg and he was known for throwing water on you if we wore a white shirt. Why or how they thought this was ok beyond me. I…

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IF YOU GOT IT HAUNT IT!? Haunted Houses + Halloween Things ?

I had a very Halloween weekend and it was so much FUN! ????⚰️ On Friday I went to Screemers at Exhibition Place with my sister. We put on zombie makeup, all black, and had a few spooky cocktails. There wasn’t really anyone else in costume so everyone thought we worked there. ? We took heaps of photos with randoms and spent a good part of the night scaring people. Seriously so fun. It was hilarious. We almost laughed our heads right off. Screemers has 7 haunted houses and most are inside. They’re super scary. We didn’t do them all bc were too scared tbh. You can have drinks at the Vampire Lounge, there’s food onsite, and you can smoke outside.  I highly recommend paying the extra $12 for front of the line access. Screemers hooked up with passes and it made the night more fun because we didn’t have to wait! Screemers is $32.95 and +$12 for front of the line access. There is metered parking onsite. ?? On Saturday Lauren and I went to Canada’s Wonderland for Halloween Haunt. The entire park is lit up for Halloween with hundreds of staff in costume creeping around corners and popping out all scary. I was super nervous going because the park is huge and the so are the haunted houses. There’s a lot of ground to cover.  A bunch of the rides are open so aside from scary people everywhere, the’s roaring rollercoasters soaring past your head. If you are not into being scared you can get a No Boo necklace and workers and creepy people won’t try to give you a fright. There was haunted house experience called Blackout where it is literally pitch black and you have to walk through not knowing if someone is going to jump out at any minute or where you are going.…

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Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come

I wore tights today for the first time this year. And a hat. I’m glad that berets are back in style because I have a few and love wearing them. It must be that French feeling you get when you wear one. Fall fashion is my favourite in that you can wear something cute with a light jacket and never be too cold. I don’t even mind the winter, light layers are the key. ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing’ – source is unclear on this one Over the past couple months I’ve been beefing up my wardrobe with essentials for fall and a few arrived today! In exchange for sharing my favs, Romwe and I have a deal where they send me clothes. Honestly, what a dream! My three latest picks arrived today and I’m wearing the pink rose jacket in these photos. I picked this wild all-over print shirt because it will look great over a bathing suit in summer and under a sweater in the winter. The olive green sweater was on my wishlist and it matches my eyes so, it’s perfect. The cropped rose jacket is light enough to wear under a warmer jacket in winter. Other items on my winter Romwe wishlist are this yellow mustard jacket and all the stuff below. The prices are good and there’s no extra shipping costs. I’m kinda of obsessed with embroidered things, light pink, and dark green right now. Wishlist JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.  

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Influencer Marketing 101 w/ Casie Stewart – Incite Creative

A couple weeks ago I sat down with Stacey from Toronto based production studio Incite Creative Media, to have a candid chat about influencer marketing and how it really works. It works well with small business software as well! I think there are a lot of misconceptions about this whole new world of social media/influencer/brand partnerships so I shared some things I’ve learned over the years. Stacey asked me a few more questions than you’ll find in this video so please LMK if you want to see more. I love talking about this stuff and think that’s the only way to build a better industry. If you have any questions I’d love to know! Comments are open! Ever wondered where to start with Influencer Marketing? Well today we’ve got you covered with 6 insights from Toronto blogger + influencer Casie Stewart. From where to find them, to what you can expect to pay – it’s all here. Enjoy friends! – Incite Creative Media We shot this at my fav local spot in the Junction Triangle (where I live), Drake Commissary. They have amazing food and the entire atmosphere is trés chic. Very Drake. I highly recommend the tomato salad, miso cauliflower, sweet potato walnut loaf, and the Sterling Road Tiramisu.    

This is not a sponsored video ?

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