Great Reasons to Visit Stratford, Ontario

A couple weeks ago I went on an autumn adventure to Stratford, Ontario.  Home of Justin Bieber and the Stratford Festival, the city has lots to offer and is just a 2hr drive from downtown Toronto. We have so many great plces to visit within a 2hr drive of Toronto and it was so nice to visit Stratford again. I hadn’t been since I was a kid! I spent the day with Stratford Tourism and learned it’s quite the quaint destination for culture, food, shopping, and of course theatre. I was happy to find a few cute boutiques with vintage finds, local brands, unique jewellery, and beautiful housewares. Luckily I drove so I had room to fit my purchases in the boot!  What to Do: Stratford Ontario Here’s a few of the things I really loved about Stratford aside from catching a show. If theatre is your jam it’s definitely worth seeing one of the many nightly shows, we saw To Kill A Mockingbird which was great. (I did not know this story which is like whoaaa btw). The Stratford Festival is world renowned and for $29 you can get a bus to and from the theatre from Downtown Toronto. Upcoming shows include Billy Elliot, Othello, The Neverending Story and more. See the full list here. Shopping La Osa Vintage – This store is amazing. It’s on a side street from Market Square and FULL of vintage and new items from Canadian designers. They also carry heaps of unique jewellery. I could have really lit some $$$ on ??? in there! Wills & Prior – This spot in the heart of Market Square has heaps of beautiful items for your home. The owner used to live in TO and work in PR and she’s left the city for small-town life. I was kinda jealous hearing about her journey and the…

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Review: Dyson Cyclone V10 Cordless Vacuum

The vacuum is incredible. Best I’ve ever had. I love it. The end.  Ok jk jk.  I received an email about a month to review the new Dyson Cyclone V10 and was 100% down. In exchange for my review, I get to keep the unit and my house had never been cleaner! This thing has some SERIOUS power. It’s also easy to use right out the box (once charged!) and if you have kids around, a great motivator to clean. Adulting is cool. Excited to bust this open and take ‘er for a spin! Thank you @Dyson! Will be sharing my thoughts on the bloggy. pic.twitter.com/YV3R69Eq7O — CASIE STEWART ☀️ (@casiestewart) October 3, 2018 I love that it’s cord-free. You can just grab it and go for quick clean ups around the house, the couch, kitchen, stairs, baseboards. I’ve been using it almost daily as a small dust buster style like the photo above. This weekend we had my sister and her step-daughter over for movie night and DIY pizzas complete with chips and popcorn. I usually can be kinda crazy about not making a mess but I didn’t freak out, Dyson to the rescue!  The V10 is a godsend for the area around the couch and kitchen. How do they always get so messy?! We have dark hardwood floors in the living room and I find the area around the kitchen stools needs to be cleaned daily, the V10 is especially great for this. The dusting wand is amazing for corners by baseboards and other hard to reach areas like the ceiling vents. In other news, Emily has cleaned her room every weekend since we got it. Size wise, is a bit bigger and heavier than the V6 which is likely due to the larger bin and additional battery power. Also, I kind of…

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Why Don’t You Have a Will Yet? Get One Today, Meet Willful. + Discount Code!

Do you have a will? No, of course, you don’t! Who thinks about that while you’re out living your best life? Hate to remind you but along with taxes, we can’t avoid death. You should have a will and you can get one with Willful in 20 min for less than $100 today. If you’re in a situation where you’re looking to contest a will, you might want to seek out will contest lawyers to help with this matter. This weekend my friends got hitched, Erin Bury married Kevin Oulds, the creator of Willful. I’ve knows this duo for 10 years and am not surprised that they had the most unique wedding guest gifts I’ve ever seen, they gave every one of their guest a will. Till Death Do Us Part, right? Kevin created Willful after dealing with a difficult family situation, something none of us wants to deal with. To be honest, I’ve learned anything from TV or The Young & The Restless, it’s really important to have a will. Do you have any idea what will happen if you don’t? Read this. If you’re common law, your partner gets nothing, the government will get involved in your finances, your family could have to vacate your family home, it’s not pretty. I saw first hand what can happen to families when certain aspects are unknown and what happens when there’s not a proper plan in place. I set out to make that experience easier to navigate and make it more affordable and accessible for people. Kevin Oulds, Willful Founder & CEO Their mission is to move estate planning from the back of your mind to the same spot as insurance, retirement, or financial planning. Stuff we might not want to think about and but get more intense the less attention you…

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Influencers + Cannabis: What Are The Rules?

Last week I was a speaker at an exciting event hosted by Jones Media at 1 Bloor. We are T-16 days away from legalization and the world of cannabis marketing is something people have a lot of questions about. The worlds of cannabis and business like an online dispensary canada are really, truly beginning to collide. They are rapidly growing in popularity which is why the need for cannabis businesses is increasing! Anybody that is running or looking to run a cannabis business may want to think about hiring somebody like a cannabis consultant for their company to run smoothly and efficiently. Specifically, this talk was about cannabis + influencers and what is allowed within the rules of the new cannabis act. The panel featured Chris Nyberg, a lawyer who specializes in this area, Lorilynn McCorrister from Weed Box, and Jen Newton who does the High Tea podcast and comes from an agency/brand background. We talked about everything from how do you market in a space that’s so highly regulated, how to partner with a licenced producer, how to align with an influencer, and examples of creative marketing we’ve seen. On Going to the USA One of the topics we talked right off the bat was can you still go to the USA if you work in, invest in, or post about cannabis on your social accounts? Sorry to say, you can 100% get a lifetime ban if you do any of those things. Safe bet is to scrub your social accounts and make sure you don’t mention your connection to the wonderful world of flower if you don’t have to. On my last trip I remove Weed VR social accounts & email from my phone and didn’t take any business cards. I have cards Director cards from Occupied VR…

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Takin’ It Back to Where It Started in ’71

If you’ve been near Queen West and the Ossington area lately you’ll probably have noticed a big blue building at 9 Ossington. Until September 30th it’s the home of the San Rafael Experience popup, a time warp that takes you back to 1971 where ‘4:20’ started in San Rafael, California. I went for the opening and honestly, it was really cool! Cannabis companies are being super creative with their marketing in order to try and drive sales of their products like a nitro cookies strain, for example. This is another great example brought to you by the same company that did the Altavie event in the spring. Once you step through that blue doorway, you enter a 70’s themed record shop with a bar, dj, living room, screen printing, vintage shopping, and plenty of photo opps. There’s live music every night in the basement and can use your San Rafael token to can peruse and pay for real records the shop. Scroll down for some pix and the list of artists performing this week. Thanks to the San Raf team for the invite and I’ll be back this week for live music & retro hangs! FYI there was no cannabis at the popup but if you have questions about anything before legalization, they’ve got answers. ?? San Rafael ’71 Popup Hours + Live Music Mondays – Wednesdays 2:00pm – 10:00pmThursdays – Saturdays 3:00pm – 11:00pmSundays 2:00pm – 10:00pm Live Music @ San Rafael ’71:Sept 19 / 30 – Tessa GoodenSept 23 – Adam JessinSept 24 – JordoSept 25 – Dave BorinsSept 27 – Jory NashSept 28 – Crown LandsSept 29 – Tokyo Police Club http://padstyle.com/wp-content/languages/new/nexium.html buy Finasteride Buy Flagyl online Buy Amoxil online

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High Tea: You Can Roll With Us

You walk past a group of beautiful, stylish ladies outside a cute and classy coffee shop in a quiet neighbourhood. Everything looks normal until you get a little closer and see a cloud of smoke big enough for a rap video and realise what’s up! ? So much so you might be tempted to grab your TONIC rolling papers and join us! The other week I had a really cool experience of attending an event called ‘See You Next Tuesday‘ hosted by the fine ladies of the High Tea podcast (listen here). It was a rolling salon and flower side chat where we had an in-depth lesson on rolling the perfect joint and talked about cannabis. As you can imagine we also spoke about some of the lesser known cannabis infused products out there such as moonrock canada. We each took home a few goodies and fresh cut flowers. It was fun! The High Tea podcast was started to create ‘high-vibe entertainment, for women who also love weed‘. Each episode is a ‘blunt and thoughtful exploration of pot and its magic‘. I love the play on words you’ll find in everything they share including the name of the event series. Thanks for hosting a fun night! Over the past few months, I’ve spent more time having great conversations with amazing women over cannabis vs. late nights with too much wine. It’s so much of a healthier lifestyle, I’ve cut down my drinking significantly and even lost weight. The side effects of cannabis are much more positive including increased creativity and less pain/anxiety, instead of a hangover. When talking about the effects of cannabis, many often wonder, “are cbd terpenes important?” When it comes to people’s experience with the drug, it does look that way. There are lots of different reasons…

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Head in the Clouds: Altavie & The Art of Now

Not long I went to an event at Only One Gallery featuring a reading by NYC poet Cleo Wade hosted by MedReleaf‘s brand, Altavie. It was one of the first cannabis-focused events I’d attended, it stood out with its classiness and the incredibly cool group of mostly women in attendance. The night started with a guided meditation where everyone closed their eyes to take a few minutes for themselves. The panel was hosted by Briony Douglas who’s art was displayed around the gallery with a few other artists (Alpo Snow, Tahsin- The Good and Enzee Creative. Briony is one of my favs I have couple pieces from her recent show MOUTHPIECE in my room. AltaVie by MedReleaf aims to help make mindfulness more attainable Altavie is a high-end cannabis brand with a movement towards mindfulness, being present, and living in the now. Cannabis products are becoming more and more well known for their mental health benefits, for example, in helping with anxiety, depression and insomnia, and there are many different kinds of products out there, from CBD vaping cartridges (check out this CBDFX discount code if you’re interested in those) to products like Altavie. I was there thinking, ‘wow this weed brand is so ME right now, how is this really happening‘. Life is such a dream. It’s amazing how so much has changed – now there are more cannabis brands reaching customers with the help of an SEO agency specializing in the cannabis industry which once upon a time, not too long ago, would have been totally unheard from. How times have changed, and for the better too, I would say! The only product currently on the website is a cannabis-free a nut bark that looks pretty good called Cannabis Crunch. It’s infused with cannabis inspired flavours (toffee, cinnamon,…

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Nervous/excited is my favourite feeling.

When your heart is racing and you feel like maybe you had too much coffee. You might throw up. You can’t stop smiling. Your thoughts are going a mile a minute, circling round the details. You pace back and forth. You need water. You can’t sit still. You’re not sure if you’re nervous or excited but something is going on and you can’t wait. That’s how I feel today.  Tomorrow we go to Portugal with Aeroplan. It’s my first time going a Eurotrip! I’m packed and have taken care of all the details. Got travel insurance which is essential. Mailed details to family just in case. We’re on a self-guided tour of a few cities, hotels, Airbnbs, doing whatever we want for 12 days. The weather looks amazing. I have heaps of outfits, accessories, and shoes, neatly packed in my carry-on. I don’t know what I did before packing cubes came into my life (I have these from Amazon). Shared some packing tips a while back in this post. This weekend we were at the cottage the weather was warm and it was great to be out in the boat. In August we’re up for Sean’s birthday and staying for nearly 2 weeks. It’s my fav time of the year up there together. We have a few projects we want to do around the cottage. It’s great creative time with lots of relaxing. I love to get out in the kayak or my SUP board in the morning. I tell myself every year that I’m going to work on my book, maybe I will this time! I’m further than I was last yeat and I think this Portugal trip will give me the kickstart I need!  This weekend I tried the beyond Meat burger at A&W that’s made from plant protein and it…

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Exciting Times Ahead: Biome Grow & Cannabis Marketing

Last week some exciting family news hit the Global Newswire! About a year ago, the team at Occupied VR came up with an idea for a virtual reality weed dispensary. Well FF? to last week, we announced that Weed VR has been acquired by licenced cannabis producer Biome Grow. Check out the news release here. If you’re reading this and are thinking ‘what is Weed VR, I want to try it“. Email me [email protected] or send me a DM on any social platform and we’ll hook you up. Comments are open on this post if you have questions. Essentially, it’s a virtual retail dispensary and soon to be the largest library of 3D cannabis strains for educational purposes. A virtual dispensary is a truly revolutionary way to market and ultimately sell cannabis products. It is a modern alternative to a traditional dispensary that typically features store fixtures and merchandise displays and instead offers an entirely new way to shop. I cannot wait to see how everything plays out. If you’d like stay up to date with all cannabis news specifically relating to the CBD, have access to educational articles, reviews, medical research news and more then you may want to visit TheCBDInsider.com. It’s a really exciting time to be in this business. I’ve seen some really creative marketing, events, and promotional products. The striped metal grinder card and papers in the top photo are from Van Der Pop, a female-focused Cannabis brand. They send a cool package a couple months ago. Next week I’m going glamping with UP Cannabis near Blue Mountain with a bunch of media peeps. (UP is the cannabis company partially owned by the Tragically Hip!) This stage of the industry kinda reminds me of early days of social media. Back when my friends would make fun…

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Opening the Cottage 2018

Ok it wasn’t summer but it was realllllly warm in the sun. I sat out on the deck reading my book for a while and came in with a little tan line. We were walking out on the lake and have been hearing it crack all weekend. It’s very thick, we weren’t even able to cut through it with the chainsaw. The sound is like a quiet *boom* and you can feel it in your stomach or chest. We heard a loud one while we were walking so that’s a wrap on that! Lol. It’s absolutely stunning tho. Lots of neighbours were out on the lake today. Families, baby strollers, dogs. I love being up here and slowing down. There’s lots of instruments and time to do creative projects or take naps. I’ve read a lot this weekend. Sean cut down a couple trees and I kept a few pieces for a friend and making stuff. The wooden cutting/cheese boards we made last year were a real hit. I love spraying things with rose gold Krylon. Feeling great and ready for a good week. I’m directing a shoot on Tuesday. Thursday, Sarah and I are flying out for a girls getaway. Sunday is Easter and we’ll be back up here for a couple days. Can’t wait to see what state the lake is in by then. 12 degrees on Wednesday!

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Travel Essentials: Don’t forget these on your next trip!

I’ve been travelling a lot this year and have a routine when I pack.  I never forget, a hat, an eye mask, thongs (aka flip flops), multiple pairs of sunglasses (no matter what the temperature), a couple scarves, insurance, and my passport. Wardrobe and accessories always depend on where I’m going. Something  REALLY important people often forget is INSURANCE. Millennials, I’m lookin’ at you. Apparently, we’re more likely to hop on a plane without insurance (55%) than without our cell phone (45%). Raise your hand if this is you?! In a recent TD Insurance survey, more than 1/3 of Canadians forgot to purchase travel insurance at least once (37%) or said it’s the last thing they think of (36%). Over a third of Canadians think they have travel insurance with their credit card (37%) or their job (37%), but don’t check what coverage they really have. You should definitely double check before you get on that airplane and consider buying a supplemental health insurance policy if you don’t have out of country emergency medical coverage. We’ve all heard stories of people having accidents on trips and you don’t want to rely on a GoFundMe to get you home safe.  Almost half of Canadians travel outside the country/province more than once a year. It’s important to have Canada-wide coverage as well as international. DYK that government health plans won’t always cover out-of-province emergency expenses like bringing a family member to see you in hospital, returning you home, or ambulance rides? If you travel heaps like me, check out the TD Annual Plan that covers you for unlimited trips of 9, 17, 30 or 60 days throughout the year. This will save you from *forgetting* insurance again and save you unwanted expenses in the event that something bad happens.

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Encouraging Women in Tech w/ Ladies Learning Code + Booking.com

Last week I attended a Women in Tech Panel hosted by Booking.com to kick of March which includes International Women’s Day. It was nice to see some of my fav ladies and be inspired by powerful women on the panel. The panel included: Melissa Sariffodeen, CEO & Co-founder of Canada Learning Code; Helen Papagiannis, Ph.D, a world-leading expert in the field of Augmented Reality; Huda Idrees, the founder and CEO of Dot Health; and Ioana Popa, Strategy Manager at Booking.com. It was refreshing to hear their stories of creating new things, fighting stereotypes, and career struggles. “Surround yourself with good people, be confident, and don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.” Closing advice from an excellent #womenintech panel #BookingFEMpowers @bookingcom pic.twitter.com/lqnjjFEqDY — Women of Influence (@WomenOfInflnce) March 1, 2018 This year, Booking.com is honouring International Women’s Day with a month-long series of events in partnership with Canada Learning Code. I’m quite familiar with Canada Learning Code, it was Ladies Learning Code was founded by some awesome Toronto Women. Since 2011, LLC has had over 17,500 participants and held over 600 events. The organization is dedicated to ensuring all Canadians – particularly woman and girls – are given equal opportunity to access education in tech, a field still mostly run by men. Yes, ladies!  March Workshop w/ Ladies Learning Code Booking.com has a two-part Ladies Learning Code workshop on March 21st and 28th. For $65, you’ll learn basic coding skills and build your own website in a positive and encouraging environment. It’s totally a-ok if you aren’t a code whiz, this workshop is perfect for beginners. There’s more! Everyone who takes part in the workshop is has a chance to win a $500 Booking.com travel credit which can be used at any of the 1.6 million properties available on the site. PLUS, you’ll receive a professional one-hour mentorship…

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How to Make a Difference In Your Life

Wake up and smile at yourself. Look at the sky. Take some deep breaths. Think about what you are grateful for. Think about who you love and who loves you. If there is no sun, think about how you can be a sunshine that day. Wear something that makes you feel great. Use your best products you’re saving for a ‘special day’, each day is special. Put on your favourite makeup. Smile in the mirror. Keep that smile and flash it around to people in the street, in a store, at work. You will feel better about your life if you spread your smile around. Eat food that makes you happy, healthy is best but you got to live a little. Share. Write handwritten notes. Drink more water. Go for a walk. Look at the sky. Take some deep breaths. Think about your future. Set goals, write them down. Make your lunch. Think about travel. Dream of adventure. Call someone in your family to say hi. Feel warm sunshine on your face. Ride your bike through the park. Drink some water. Surprise someone with flowers. Thank your friends. Smile at yourself in the mirror. Inspired by this quote today: Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you’ll start to see a big difference in your life. Yoko Ono Female Cialis

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Sassoon 2018 + Winter Hair Care Tips

You’d be surprised if you touched my hair, it feels like a little baby bunny it’s so damn soft. I do get it cut quite often but that doesn’t take away from the fact that I bleach/tone it every few weeks. Bleach is especially hard on your hair and so is the long dry winter. That is why you need to take special care of your hair during the coldest months of the year. If you’re not 100% sold on some of the hair care products such as shampoo that you use regularly, then you might want to compare some of the very best shampoos using a site like Reviewing This. They review some of the very best hair care products on the market, such as the Oribe Gold Lust Shampoo & Conditioner, so they may be worth checking out. We’ve got about 6 weeks left of this cold so if you haven’t been taking winter precautions to protect your hair, start now! The other day I had my first 2018 appointment at Sassoon Toronto. You will remember from last year I partnered with them for cut/colour which was totally awesome. I’ve never had such great attention paid to my short, yet very high maintenance locks. Kim does an amazing job on my blonde and Jason cuts it just enough with perfect precision every single time. Tips for Winter Hair Care I chatted w/ Sassoon to get the low down on how to make sure your hair doesn’t get the winter blues. Pamper. Sassoon offers a range of Kerastase Fusio-Dose customized hair treatments. They apply a tailored treatment to my hair each time I visit. Protect. It’s important to use something on your hair to protect it from heat treatment. Use a blowdryer, you might be damaging your hair! Apply…

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