This is My Life | Is it Friday Yet?

Oh man yesterday was one of those days…I was trying to get something done ALL afternoon and every. little. thing. was distracting me and before I knew it, the day was almost done. I’m ready for the weekend. You? We’re heading up to the cottage and I seriously can’t WAIT. It’s amazing how I’ve become so addicted to silence and the wilderness. I love staying home, sitting, reading, relaxing. I guess that’s what happens when you get older?!  Yesterday I had to turn down an offer to go on a press trip to Tulum, Mexico because timing conflicts with another job. A bunch of friends are going and I was pretty bummed. I’ll just have to plan another trip! This winter I’m determined to get away 1-2 times. Sean and I both worked so much last year we didn’t go on vacation. I’m not tooooo crazy about the stars but Mercury is in Retrograde  ? until the 9th and I’m ready for the switch back. Kiwi blogger Gala Darling who lives in NYC now has written a few posts about Surviving Mercury Retrograde. Read her 10 tips here ? A few of my favs from her list of Ways to Make the Most of Mercury Retrograde: Clean out your closet. (Me today) Forgive and Forget ? Rejuvenate your living space! (See Pinterest!) Work on your CV or personal mission statement. Read old journals. (Or Old blogs ➞ 2013, 2011, 2010, 2009)

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Fashion | Converse Holiday Preview 2015

Last week I went to the media preview for Converse 2015 Holiday. I’ve been wearing these kicks my entire life. Mum reminded me the other day that I had them as a wee little kiddo. I’ve gone through heaps of pairs over the years and love how they change slightly, yet remain the same. This year Converse released the Converse Chuck Taylor Chuck II. The new Chuck II is nearly identical to its predecessor, with advances in construction and technology, including Nike’s Lunarlon cushioning. They’re more comfortable! This neon colour is limited edition FYI. A photo posted by StephenThomasM (@stephenthomasm) on Sep 29, 2015 at 6:27pm PDT “[The Chuck II] continues to reflect the spirit of the Chuck Taylor and what it’s meant all these years. It still has all of the most recognizable exterior attributes of the Chuck — that’s important to the consumer. We’re just addressing the new needs of the consumer while staying true to this iconic sneaker,” said David Allen, GM and VP of Converse North America. There’s two new styles from the Holiday 2015 Collection I’m majorly crushing on. First, these rubber Chuck Taylor high tops. I can see myself wearing these all winter, summer, spring, and fall. They’re waterproof and have a sleek zipper down the back. Get on my feet you guys!  ???? Second is not released in Canada yet but they will be soon.  I’m not supposed to say anything about the collab just yet but I found this tweet on Twitter and won’t go into detail and just leave it here… You can see why I love them! Give your feet the warmth they deserve this Winter with the exclusive #Converse Woolrich pic.twitter.com/0psx3J2mSU — Foot Locker EU (@FootLockerEU) October 2, 2015 MAJOR SWOON BABY! ✌️??? CASIE

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Events | WeDay 2015 w/ Team Telus Advocates

On Thursday last week Emily and I got up realllllly early and drove down to the ACC to see the red carpet for WeDay with the Team Telus Advocates. I’m pretty sure it was her first time attending a red carpet. She did however, do her first live hit on TV and was seen on Breakfast Television by people across Canada. I’m teaching her the ways of the media early! Don’t mind the pixelated photo and my windy hair.  The ACC was filled with about 40K people, mostly students, there to kick off 365 days of making the world a better place. It was a bit overwhelming but totally inspiring. Loved seeing all the performers and speakers including Hozier, Nick Jonas, and Shawn Mendes, Rookie Mag editor-in-chief Tavi Gevinson (LOVE HER) and social change activist Tonika Morgan. It was great spending the day with this group of ladies from the Team Telus Advocates. Having a blast with these #TeamTelus tweeps #WeDay pic.twitter.com/60UmG5MyZu — Julie Height (@SoberJulie) October 1, 2015 This is Em watching Nick Jonas perform ‘Levels’. I snuck her down to floor level to see him up close, it was for her I swear. ? After lunch, Telus took us back stage to the media area where we had a meet & greet with Francesco Yates. He was so nice. Very chill. Took heaps of photos with everyone. I chatted him about meeting Justin Bieber in NYC a couple years ago. Leading up to WeDay 2015 Telus asked people to answer the #CallForChange and be part of his latest music video. It premiered at WeDay for all 40,000 people to see. Take a peek below and see who you recognize, there might be a few people! YOU joined the movement + helped remix ‘Call’ by @FrancescoYates. See who else accepted the #CallForChange!https://t.co/kFeIv9jg88 — TELUS…

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Fashion | Fitzroy Boutique X Adidas Popup

Last week the girls from Fitzroy Boutique opened their latest pop-up at 12 Ossington. They’re partnered with adidas Originals and during Nuit Blanche last weekend, you could have your new kicks customized by two awesome Toronto artists, Andre Kan or Madison Van Rijn. My shoes were customized by Madison (above) and I picked a little love note envelope similar to a tattoo on  my right arm. I’ve had a few pairs of shoes customized over the years with my name so now, I’m adding adidas to my collection. I also love the dress Julie (one of the Fitzroy babes) was wearing and I picked one up for myself. I was feeling pretty tired after going to WeDay so a little retail therapy was JUST what I needed. The pop-up runs until the end of November. I suggest making sure there’s some room on your fav credit card because there so many really nice items in the store. If you can’t make it there IRL, check out @FitzroyBoutique on Instagram or visit shopfitzroy.com to shop online. Thanks again for having me ladies! ?? CASIE

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Art | The Inside Out Project – On Display Until October 12!

The INSIDE OUT Project is ‘a global art project transforming messages of personal identity into works of art’ created by world renowned street artist JR. Photobooths for this project have travelled all around the world photographing regular people and turning their faces into massive art installations (Paris, London, New York, Hong Kong, Tokyo, etc) since 2011. ● NUIT BLANCHE TORONTO: INSIDE OUT PROJECT IS TAKING OVER THE CITY TONIGHT! ● Thank you #Toronto for allowing us to turn the city #InsideOut ! After a few days of pasting only, we have already been able to create beautiful installations! Check it out! –> If you would like to participate, catch one of our Photobooth Trucks and come make a strong face to express yourself! We will be taking pictures and pasting from 8 pm to 8 am ! Looking forward to seeing you and your best face at Nathan Phillips Square!# – IOP Team @jr #InsideOutProject #NuitBlanche A photo posted by The Inside Out Project (@insideoutproject) on Oct 3, 2015 at 9:13am PDT   Last week I waited in line for about an hour with Paddy Jane and Jennifer Hollett (former Much VJ, current NDP candidate) at Nathan Phillips Square on the last Toronto dat of photos from the INSIDE OUT project. I really wanted to have my face be part of it! This past weekend during Nuit Blanche, I was spotted! A couple people sent messages with photos of my face in the square. So cool. Here’s a shot of it being wheat pasted to the concrete. A photo posted by C A S I E S T E W A R T (@casiestewart) on Oct 2, 2015 at 12:58pm PDT The documentary on the INSIDE OUT project is on iTunes and I’m planning to watch it soon. If you’re keen to…

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Travel | Sky High in Cottage Country – My KD Golden Noodle Adventure

Last weekend I went on an epic cottage adventure. If you were following Twitter or Snapchat you’d have seen a bunch of tweets from myself and Lauren as 2 planes landed on our lake and took us flying around Muskoka for the afternoon. My guests included Lauren, Steve, Sean, and one other special guest…a golden KD noodle. Ok so you’re thinking what? A Noodle? Yes, a NOODLE!  KD is celebrating the love it’s fans have for it in a way that’s truly worthy,  WITH GOLD. Until October 5, Canadians have the chance to win a 1-LB 24K Gold Noodle, worth approximately $30,000 CAN. To enter pop by your local grocer and pick up a limited edition box of KD Gold. Next, enter your unique PIN, found inside specially marked 4 and 12 pack bundles of KD Macaroni & Cheese, at kdgold.ca.  No the noodle is not in the KD box! It’s pretty heavy!  You can also win hundreds of instant prizes, including gold-plated KD cuff links, sunglasses, flip flips, or a gold plated coin. If you’re wondering how I like my KD, I like to switch it up, sometimes ketchup, maybe hot dogs, other times a healthy dash of black pepper. As a side note, I didn’t actually try Kraft Dinner until I went to college. My parents are from New Zealand and they don’t have KD there. Thankfully my college crew introduced me! It’s one of those things everyone has in their pantry and sometimes the perfect fix  to feed your hunger. My KD Golden Noodle Adventure in Muskoka Here’s a few snaps from our float plane experience. We flew from Bala to Port Carling, went for lunch, and flew back. It was beautiful to experience an aerial view of Muskoka this time of year, the leaves are all starting to change. Special…

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Cottage Life | So Long, Sweet Summer

I had one of the most fun summers of my life. I really took time to relax, recharge. Feeling greater up for all the new friends and old ones I got to hang out with.  I’m at WeDay in Toronto today and will do a summer recap this weekend!  Sending you love and sunshine through the internet!  ?CASIE  

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Travel | See The World Your Way – travelcuts FilmFest

After working with travelcuts earlier this year, I’m happy to share they’ve hired me as a travel expert to judge their travelcuts Doc Film Fest. Yeah baby! The festival will be a collection of short travel docs covering awesome featuring young travellers on exciting and unique adventures. This contest gives aspiring filmmakers a chance to show off their talents. It’s expected that a lot of people will enter this competition, meaning that the standard will probably be high. To ensure your film stands out amongst other entries, it might be worth looking into some specialized software. As many professional filmmakers make use of digital cinema package editing software, people entering this competition might want to look for an online DCP guide to include some advertising in your travel film. This is the first teaser trailer for the four-part mini-series. [iframe id=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/-lQOwG2XNAQ”] Now it’s YOUR chance to show us where you’ve been. At the end of November, we’ll have an official screening where the top three submissions will be showcased as well as the full-length videos from the mini-series. One finalist will be announced as the winner of the $2,000 travel card. Look out world! How to Enter the Travel Cuts Doc Film Fest Upload your video to YouTube and include your first name + last initial and #travelcutsDOC in the description. Videos should be 2-5 minutes in length, and must be created by YOU! If you’re using footage from a trip you took a while ago, make a nice new cut for your entry. Contestants must fill out the form on travelcuts.com/filmfest, only entries accepted will be those submitted using the entry form. On October 21st, we’re hosting on online Twitter chat from from 9-10PM and Id love you to join. I’ll make sure to remind you closer to the…

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Beauty | Hair Damage Science w/ L’Oreal Pro-Fiber Professional

This morning I stopped at Wildflower inside the Thompson Hotel soon as we get back from Muskoka. I was there as one of the first in Canada to experience L’Oreal Professionnel’s new technological breakthrough Pro-Fiber Professional Hair Damage Science.  I had my hair done last week and it was the first time in years I didn’t bleach my roots. Over the last 10 years I’ve reallllllly put my hair through stress. Although I love being blonde, it’s really hard on your hair.  Luckily, L’Oreal Pro-Fiber helps reverse hair damage. L’Oreal Canada took me to Taz Hair in Yorkville, a L’Oreal Professionnel salon, where I got to experience the Pro-Fiber treatment first-hand. My stylist took me through a series of questions to determine my damage level. Since I don’t brush my hair heaps (it’s too short!) and I haven’t fully bleached it in a while, I was level 2. I’m sure it was level 3, the most damage not too long ago. This bearded babe Marcus doing my @LOrealParisCAN #ProFiber treatment helloooo. https://t.co/9AIBwrYcgx pic.twitter.com/Ohz7Sw6mJw — CASiE STEWART (@casiestewart) September 28, 2015   There are three different levels of “hair damage” and three different lines of Pro Fiber products: to resurface hair with damaged cuticle [REVIVE], to repair hair with a damaged cuticle and cortex [RESTORE] to restructure hair with a very damaged cortex [RECOVER]. For my hair the perfect line was the Restore. My hair felt healthier right after the treatment. I’m not used to it feeling so soft! Cool thing about this product is it’s the first ever that starts in the salon and continues at home (it never washes out). There’s a whole suite of products to use at home to continue the nourishment. Damaged hair, beware! Introducing #ProFiber featuring #EvaGreen. Unleash the star in you. A photo posted by lorealprocanada (@lorealprocanada) on Sep 28, 2015 at 11:52am PDT…

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Events | LCBO’s Harvest Menu w/ Love for Local w/ Chef Lynn Crawford

Thursday was a busy one! I went to 4 media events and was home just after 8pm. It’s fun but exhausting! Today is chill time, hair, nails, lunch, art show w/ bae.  Had a great kickoff to fall yesterday w/ LCBO & Wine Country Ontario over lunch hosted by Chef Lynn Crawford (Food Network Canada & The Cooking Channel). The event featured a Thanksgiving menu prepared by Chef Lynn, along with several other talented winemakers, chefs, and food artisans from Ontario. I don’t go to heaps of ‘foodie’ events, although I enjoy them! It’s always a bit funny for me because the foodies are REALLY serious about the food, flavours, textures, pairings. I love listening. My take is usually, much more relaxed, a lifestyle writer approach. Does it taste good? Can I cook this at home? Will my friends like it? Can I impress the BF/parents? Here’s some Tweet highlights from the #LCBOTasteLocal event: Ooh, this is a thing! @LCBO's taste local event w/ harvest menu. #lcbotastelocal pic.twitter.com/SWivcM1VOw — CASiE STEWART (@casiestewart) September 24, 2015 Oh my this looks good @LCBO! #lcbotastelocal pic.twitter.com/Lfb43EjWaW — CASiE STEWART (@casiestewart) September 24, 2015 So feellin' this @LCBO local Harvest Menu. Next up turkey, mashed, cheesecake. Not a bad afternoon! #lcbotastelocal pic.twitter.com/XTQuIiAVGd — CASiE STEWART (@casiestewart) September 24, 2015 We learned how to make a thanksgiving feats like a pro using preservatives, and items from local markets, and our own backyards. The menu is now available at LCBO stores across Ontario and looks like the top photo in this post. The little book features ideas for hosting, cocktail & cocktails, food/wine pairings, and recipes. I’m not 100% on our plans for thanksgiving yet this year but it’s one of my fav meals of the entire year. Would love to Chef Lynn’s cauliflower & celery root mash w/ onion thyme marmalade.…

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