Day 37: My Blog is 15 Today!

At the start of the 2020, I’d planned that this year, finally, I was going to have a blog party. Well, that didn’t quite work out! Today marks 15 years since I started writing ‘Casie Stewart: This is My Life‘. My first online diary was MSN Spaces during university in Australia (2004), next I moved to casiestewart.blogspot.com (2005), and finally, found a home at casiestewart.com. I have grown and changed so much over the past 15 years. I’m really thankful to everyone who has been part of this blog. It’s been a huge part of my career development and me growing as a person. I was in my early 20’s when I started and over the years, keeping this diary has helped me work through so many ups and downs. Glad I didn’t give up, there were many times I didn’t feel like blogging but writing was what helped me though. Thank you for reading, commenting, reaching out, and for your friendship. Maybe next year I’ll do a Sweet 16!

View Post

Day 36: How to Bleach Dye Your Denim

This little project turned out so good! I’d seen this DIY on Pinterest and Instagram (@primandprimp) so I decided to give it a go. If you want to try, it’s easy, here’s a how-to. You Will Need Jeans Tape Plastic Bag Bleach Spray bottle Gloves Somewhere to bleach with good ventilation ex. outside A couple hours 1: Tape Your Denim Pick a side you want to bleach then tape along the middle seam. Make sure to really get in there so the tape goes right to the edge of the stitching, you don’t want bleach to leak onto the darker side. Once done, grab your plastic bag, roll up the leg that’s not being dyed, and secure the bag. Tape to seal. 2: Spray Get your gloves and workspace ready. If you’re able to go outside, great. I like to use the lid of a storage bin and cover with a garbage bag to avoid making a mess. If you have to do this inside, open a window and turn on a fan. Start spraying your denim and make sure the whole leg is covered. Don’t forget the inseam and sides. If you don’t have a spray bottle, a sponge will work. Use what you can find! 3: Wait Set your project somewhere safe where the colour can develop. I had mine outside on the lawn for about 2 hours then moved inside to the shower for about 45 minutes until the colour stopped changing. It might be a bit drippy at the start, so keep away from anything bleach will ruin. 4: Wash Rince the dyed leg in cold water. You might find he tape is starting to come off because the fabric is wet. This is ok. Throw your new jeans in the washing machine and then the…

View Post

Day 35: Stages of Isolation

I’m at the stage of isolation where I have now cut and dyed my hair. It’s just temporary but I feel like a change, so why not?! Nothing holding me back from making things and doing stuff at this point. Inspired by Briony (amazing Toronto artist) and Martina Martian (fav artist in Australia), I’ve been drawing on iPad Pro more. Made this line drawing yesterday. Took ages but it’s nice to just sit and create. Click to see the video animation from image to art! View this post on Instagram A post shared by CASIE STEWART ☀️ (@casiestewart) on Apr 19, 2020 at 5:33am PDT I used to love drawing on iPad and when I got my first one a decade ago, my old blog Borderline Artistic was thriving. I was drawing almost daily and posting art I made. Around that time I created the ‘Unnecessary Wheels Collection‘, might start that up again. It’s nice to get back to creating just for fun. Not sure I can stop now! I also bleach dyed a pair of denim and they turned out AMAZING. WHAT WILL I MAKE NEXT?!

View Post

Day 34: Use What You Got – Tie Dye DIY

My tie-dye yesterday turned out really good. I decided to crop this top and make a couple of matching scrunchies. I used old promo shirts I found in a drawer and made them into new clothes. ? How to Tie Die with Bleach The process was pretty easy and not too messy. It took about an hour from start to finish, including a short cycle in the wash. You Will Need: Clothes  Gloves  Bleach (you will be mixing 50/50 w/ water) Water Squeeze bottle (I used one of these) A Plate – to rest your things on Garbage bag – to set up your area Rubber Bands Paper Towel A well-ventilated space Before You Get Started It’s a good idea to make sure your fabric has been washed at least once. Decide on a style you want to create, I watched a couple of tutorials with different tie-dye techniques and went to town. It’s hard to mess this up so don’t worry. This video on Pinterest has a lot of methods in 5 min (spiral, shibori). The video below is short & sweet with 3 different ways to tie-dye. Open a window, let some fresh air in, you want to have good ventilation since you’re working with bleach. Get your gloves and workspace ready, tape the garbage bag to your space do you don’t stain ruin your kitchen table/counter/floor. ? 1: Rubber bands Wrap your garment in rubber bands in the desired design. The item on the left is has been bunched up to make a wild style, the right is a spiral. Place each item on a plate. 2: Bleach Mix 50/50 bleach water in your squeeze bottle. I like to use the lid of a storage bin and cover with a garbage bag to avoid making a mess.…

View Post

Day 33: How to Dye Clothes with Turmeric

After getting heaps of comments and questions about my turmeric dye, I’m writing this post for you! It’s very simple to turn your clothes a beautiful bright yellow. THIS TURNED OUT SO GOOD. It has faded with a couple of washes but it’s still a nice yellow. There are lots of tutorials on Pinterest, I checked a few and went for it. I made a COVID19 board that has a couple DYI videos if you’re looking for more info. I am so happy with the final result. I worked with a white hoodie, a leopard print top, and a vintage tank top that was a washed-out yellow. You Will Need Clothes – Older stuff that has been washed works best. Gloves – Otherwise you will have yellow hands! Turmeric – Find in the spice section at the grocery Big Pot – To boil water Tongs – To transfer the hot fabric Roasting Pan – To rinse/transfer to sink/drying area Sink – To rinse clothes Water How to Dye with Turmeric Step 1: Soak Your Clothes in Hot Water Soaking your clothes before you dye them will loosen up the fibers so the colour can really soak in. I soaked my hoodie in a roasting pot in the shower. I didn’t soak the leopard print or tank top before dying them. Step 2: Boil Water & Add turmeric Grab a huge pot and fill 3/4 with water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling add the turmeric. I eyeballed it and didn’t use a specific amount, kinda like my cooking haha. I started with about 1/4 tablespoon and then added about 2x more. The water will turn a bright amber. Step 3: Add Clothes & Soak Transfer the clothes to the pot and you will start to see the colour right away.…

View Post

Day 32: It’s Winter Again!

Woke up to about an inch of snow and it’s -3 outside. Went for a run anyways. When Sean got back from his, he was covered in snow! At night, I joined a Houseparty for Brock’s 30th birthday and watched Ocean’s 8 in bed. Found some new hair inspo!

View Post

Day 31: Counting Ducks

I went outside first thing in the morning despite the fact that it was pretty cold and snowy. I was determined to do some type of exercise. After getting to the end of the road, I kept going and eventually did 3.3km. In the afternoon I watched a movie on Netflix and did some food prep. We are having roast vegetables and steak bbq. Sean worked most the day doing calls and emails. It’s quite cold and windy, the next few days are going to be the same. Thankful that’s my hair is growing into a nice shag but my nails look terrible. This is the longest streak I’ve gone without eating any takeout or having my nails done. It feels weird when I type because so many of my nails are super short, they don’t tap the keys anymore. I hate it but at least I have hands? Yesterday I saw a beautiful black & white duck outside the window and today there were two. The Bufflehead is one of the rarest ducks in North America and Canada’s smallest living duck. Tonight we’re going to finish Ozark and maybe start The Trial, a new murder show also on Netflix. This cold weather has me feeling quite unmotivated. Each day I try to do something productive but it’s been the bare minimum the last few days. Watching the news and seeing what’s happening around the world is so sad and depressing. I keep thinking about friends & family, and their friends & family, knowing it’s hitting close to home. Please stay safe, this will be over eventually. ?

View Post

Day 30: Netflix & Chill

Today we watched 8h of Ozark. That’s it. That’s the post. ? The show is long and slow, we still have one ep to go. Ate so many snacks, I’m a total couch potato. We also watched the extra episode of Tiger King so that brings us to 9+ hours. Tomorrow is a new day, a short week, I’ll cook, clean, and exercise. I’ve come to the realization that if I make it through this lockdown with a few extra Lbs, at lest I’m alive. This situation is new for us all and we’re trying to find our way through it as each day passes. It’s totally fine to lack motivation and to recharge my batteries with a full days work on the couch eating Easter chocolates. ? It’s gonna be ok. Stay safe. Stay home.

View Post

Day 29: Take a Break

Sean set up the hot tub and we had a lazy day. Tomorrow is our 8th anniversary, we casually dated for 2 years before that. Sean has been in my life for 10 years and I cant imagine life without him! ❤️ On Saturday night we had some drinks and went to Club Quarantine via Zoom. It was fun to connect and ‘hang out’ with people even though we are all at our houses. ? Taking a break from productivity, news, and house work to sit on the couch and watch S3 of Ozark.

View Post

Day 28: The Bright Side

Remember a couple of weeks ago (Day 19)when I was collecting onion skins for fabric dye? Well, it didn’t really turn out, the colour was a washed-out beige and not very cute. However, I discovered you can dye clothing with turmeric which makes fabric BRIGHT YELLOW. I tested it on this (formerly white) sweater from Superette and it LOOKS AMAZING. I love it so much, this yellow is my favourite colour. ??☀️ I did laundry at home because the washing machine up here has been out of service for a week. On the way back, we stopped at an appliance shop on the highway, which was surprisingly open. The man working came out to the car, and after letting him know what we needed, came back out with the part to fix it. I am so impressed with Sean’s handyman skills, he has now fixed the water, the washing machine, and the plumbing. ❤️

View Post

Day 27: Good Friday

Beautiful sunshine today. I’ve been working on some little creative projects to send friends by mail. I spent hours cutting words from magazines and watching romcoms during our first week here. I always loved cut and paste as a kid. I find I’m really going back to basics during this time and doing things I used to love back then. Had a nice chat with Sean’s parents and my parents. We don’t usually celebrate Easter but it’s nice to checkin with loved ones. I can’t wait to hug friends and family when this is all over! We drove Emily back to her mum’s house in the city and spent the night at our place. Filled up our water jugs, got any remaining groceries, and some tools. I picked up my sewing machine, patterns, and a bunch of fabric I’ve been holding onto for ages. I’ve dreamed of having space and time to make things so, I’m trying to make it happen. Not working with a schedule or deadlines, taking each day as its own and creating when the time feels right. Some days I feel inspired and other days I just want to Netflix and relax. We didn’t do anything in the city other go to the house. We made a plan to head out first thing in the morning. It was nice to be home but I can’t wait to get back to the woods. ?????

View Post

Day 26: Days Go By

It’s quite cold and windy up here today. Sean and I set out to run together then parted ways at the end of the road. I did 3.5km and then we did a short abs workout. I’ve wanted to be a workout couple and being isolated together, it’s slowly starting to happen. ?I finally made those vegan + GF sweet potato brownies (these ones!). They turned out a little more like fudge but they’re delicious. Another success with the food processor! I had to check a date calculator for what day of isolation we are on because I lost track. I’ve been eating a lot of junk this week and not working out as much. Feeling pretty sluggish and unmotivated. I know this won’t last but some days are harder than others. I was working out so much and really loving life before this happened. I’m trying to keep some workout schedule but I feel lazy and anxious. My favourite part of the day has historically been first thing in the morning but I’ve really come to love magic hour up here on sunny days. The light shines so brightly in the windows, it almost makes you forget what’s going on in the world around us. In other news, my hair is really growing and I’ve been taking Hair & Nail gummies each day (these ones!). In my Instagram memories, I discovered this hair I posted 5 years ago, it’s almost exactly the hair I have now. ? I always loved this song and music video. Good one for today and the days pass by and we’re approaching our first month. Please hang in there, we will get through this. If you’re looking for inspo, I’ve been sharing some things that inspire me on Instagram Stories and things to do…

View Post

How To Avoid a Video Chat Faux Pas

Since we’re all faced with this new reality of connecting from home through technology, my friend Jen Kirsch FaceTimed me to chat about how to avoid mishaps on your video chat. The article is in the Toronto Star today, click below to read. Read on the Toronto Star Over the past few weeks, I’ve been more social than normal. FaceTime, Houseparty, Zoom, Google Hangouts, it can be exhausting! During the first two weeks o(f isolation), I was video chatting with several people a day! Tips for Video Chat Success: If using a phone, get a tripod or stabilize the phone (simple iPhone tripod, or tripod with a ring light) Check your wifi settings, faceTime needs wifi, if you’re in a limited wifi area, data might be your best option Wear something presentable for your meeting ex. casual attire for work, a shirt when chatting on Houseparty, maybe something spicy for a date or friends hang. Pants optional and not required. Log in to the video chat early to check your lighting Brush your hair or wear a hat If in a big group, someone should be leading the chat ex. boss, host, or person having a birthday I personally like lip gloss and mascara for daytime If using Zoom, change your background with something fun or download one of these nice design ones to give your home a makeover (or hide the mess!) Find more tips in the Toronto Star article! Have a great day!

View Post

Day 25: New Ways

Wow, 25 days! If I didn’t have this diary, the days would have meshed together into weeks and I would have no clue what number it was. I didn’t make the brownies or go for a run yesterday as planned. I put my workout gear on first thing in the morning and never made it. Y’know how that happens? BUT TODAY, I did a Peleton workout, a bit of yoga, and joined Sean for 4.5km on his route and it was so nice. Not far from here are tennis and basketball courts I had no idea about. I’m not particularly good at either but maybe it’s time to practise? We went out to get supplies yesterday afternoon which took a couple of hours. It’s a 20-minute drive anywhere from the cottage and Walmart is about 45 minutes. The stores were civil and pretty well stocked. We wore masks and had hand sanitizer for our hands. We both changed our clothes as soon as we got home. Today I used leftovers to make fried rice for lunch and we all sat at the table. For dinner, we made a delicious roast chicken with vegetables and salad. I’ve been really loving the food processor Sean’s parents got last summer. It’s so useful! I tried out a brussels sprout caesar with spinach and it was SO GOOD. I tried one at a restaurant ages ago so I found one on Pinterest and gave it a try. I made a board of some things that are inspiring me right now with recipes, garden tips, and natural fabric dyes. This is such a new weird way of life!

View Post