Events

Events, usually they have a hashtag.

Vaughan Mills Fashion Truck – Find it, Win Things, Have an Ice Cream!

Last week I popped out to Vaughan Mills to do some shopping and mentioned an upcoming project. Well, the cat’s outta the bag, I’ve been chosen as a Toronto style-maker and picked an outfit go on tour around Toronto this week from July 13th-19th. Inside you’ll find a selection of outfits pulled together by Toronto influencers. You also have the opportunity to win 1 of 5 prizes picked by us valued at $250 or a Vaughan Mills gift card. Share your fav pick from inside the truck and make sure to share #treattheheat + tag @Vaughan_Mills (AND ME!) in your post. The inside of our Fashion Truck featuring 5 stylish outfits curated by our bloggers @realliferunway, @casiestewart, @natalieast, @christellasays and @christianconfidential! #treattheheat A photo posted by Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre (@vaughan_mills) on Jul 13, 2015 at 11:33am PDT My outfit: Hat – hr2 Holt Renfrew Dress – AX Armani Exchange Necklace, glasses – H&M Shoes – Le Chateau The Vaughan Mills ‘Jam Van’ can be found at the following locations: July 15th – Yonge and Dundas, Liberty St. and Dufferin St July 16th – Queen St. W and Soho St.,  City Place July 17th – Queen St. W and Soho St., Church St. and Carlton St July 18th – Woodbine Park, Queen St. W and Soho July 19th – John St. and Front St. W, Trinity Bellwoods Park This week is REALLT hot so if you see the truck, walk up and grab yourself an ice cream. See you in the park! <3 CASIE  

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The Perfect Cottage Weekend #SummerCovered

If you’re new here or you’ve been around the blog for a while, you’ll be well aware just how much I love to cottage. I like spending weekends in Muskoka, on the dock, on the boat, tanning, floating, or cooking up a big feast for our guests. I’ve partnered with Shoppers Drug Mart to share a few of my cottage weekend essentials. One of the neat things about this post, my next post about The Perfect Summer Road Trip and working with Shoppers Drug Mart is, I’m truly an expert in their products. I used to work at Shoppers in my hometown! I spent the better part of evenings and weekends behind the cosmetics counter during college. Ok, now onto a few items to make.. THE PERFECT COTTAGE WEEKEND: President’s Choice S’mores Bites: No cottage weekend is complete without S’mores. Neutrogena Ultra-Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen Lotion SPF 45 – This is a great sunscreen. Dove Revive Dry Spray Antiperspirant: Quick spray after SPF/bug spray and you’re ready to roll. Off! Deep Woods Dry Insect Repellant – Cottage ESSENTIAL. Life Brand Allergy Caplets – Being in the woods can be a wonderful thing, unless you get allergies. St. Ives Naturally Soothing Oatmeal & Shea Butter Body Lotion:  Swim and sun can dry out our skin. A long day in the sun can be really draining, it’s hard work being cottage fabulous! It’s really important to make sure you stay hydrated, drink lots of water, and ALWAYS wear sunscreen. Even if it’s not sunny! I like this Neutrogena product because it’s dry and not greasy. I keep this Dove antiperspirant in the shared bathroom because aside from smelling nice, the spray means any of our guests can have a little spritz should they need it. Wink, wink. I recommend wearing this bug spray with deet in the daytime, not just at night.…

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Toronto Wine & Spirit Festival + Schick Hydro Hotel

I recently went to the Food and Wine Festival at Sugar Beach, it was my first time there! It was such a beautiful day! At the festival I stopped by the Schick Hydro Silk Hotel for a relaxing break. Sugar Beach has really cute pink umbrellas. Fish taco + lobster poutine. So good. From June to August, the Schick Hydro Silk Hotel will be travelling to different festivals in Canada, at the hotel you can  drop by to get yourself a sample of Schick Hydro Silk TrimStyle razor and Hawaiian Tropic after sun moisturizer or get a chance to spend some time in the Schick Hydro Silk Hotel, where you can relax, have some water, charge your phone, or even have a massage. In order to receive a sample of the new Hydro Silk TrimStyle razor, Hawaiian Tropic After Sun moisturizer, and Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration sunscreen, people are asked to snap a photo with the bushes from the commercial (get it? haha!). You may have seen it on tv. I picked the heart one of course. Hooked up w/ samples and a massage. I’m always down for a massage!   The Schick Hydro Silk Hotel will be at the following locations across Canada this summer.  For your chance to win a trip for 2 worth of $5,000 or 1 of 6 $500 prepaid credit cards visit hydrosilkhotel.ca. Thanks Schick Hydro for event tickets, samples, the charge-up, and massage! As an avid traveller, getting ready for vacation is one of the skills I’ve got done to a science.  Here’s a few items I keep in my summer travel bag or tucked away in my purse to help me look and feel fresh. Everything is small and compact, just what you need when you’re on the go from one destination to the another. A refresher kit of my own 🙂 Eye makeup remover…

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#OfftotheRaces: The Queen’s Plate 2015 at Woodbine Racetrack

Last weekend I took Carla to Woodbine Racetrack for her very first Queen’s Plate. In case you missed my post about it last week, the Queen’s Plate is the oldest continuously run race in North America and Canada‘s oldest thoroughbred horse race, having been founded in 1860. (Wiki). We attended the Hats & Horseshoes party and dressed according to the ReThink at the Races theme in black and white. My dress is an oldie from JacFlash that has a cape and I absolutely love it. It’s that LBD I can always count on when I need to throw on a dress and feel fabulous.  (LBD = Little  Black Dress)   Picked up my hat at Winners while in Ottawa with Mum last week. Bag is Betsy Johnson, shoes Nasty Gal – Shoe Cult, necklace is vintage silver from Tiffany’s (Sean got me me a couple years ago). Glasses are from Polette Eyewear in France. These mirror men were awesome. It was the perfect day to be outside in the sunshine.  Felt like I was wearing a disguise hiding under my huge hat and glasses. It was great! Thought this was a funny moment. Once we arrived and did a tour we took a break to tweet about it. We did ACTUALLY talk to each other.     Caught up with Vanessa and the KP Squad. I decided to take my chances and bet on a whole bunch or horses for the Queen’s Plate. Unfortunately, I didn’t pick the RIGHT ONE. I’m learning to bet as I go here. The winner was Shaman Ghost by one and one-quarter lengths. I’ll be at all the big races for the rest of the season through a partnership with Woodbine Racetrack. Hope I pick a big winner at least ONCE. I did win $10 which is better than nothing. 🙂   Carla and…

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TD Canada + MusiCounts + Serena Ryder in Ottawa

Last weekend mum and I went on a trip to Ottawa. I was invited by TD Canada & TD Music to bring a guest to see Serena Ryder and attend a special ceremony where TD Cafe & MusicCounts made a music announcement. It has been a loooooong time since mum and I went on a plane together (NZ in the 90’s) so we made the most of every moment and it was so much fun. We flew Porter Airlines which involves taking the worlds shortest commercial ferry to the island. It’s a wonderful flying experience! MusiCounts is Canada’s music education charity associated with The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) to help keep music alive in schools across Canada. TD Canada has been working with MusicCounts since 2012. They support Community based organizations, schools, and picka  MuciCounts teacher of the year. This year’s winner was Steve Sainas from BC and he received the award at the JUNOS. TD Canada has worked with some great Canadian artists through MusiCounts including Arkells, Kevin Drew, and Tegan & Sarah. They’re excited to add Serena Ryder to the mix.  WThey also work w/ the JUNOS team to partner with artists. TD Canada is committed to music as an organization with a genuine interest in music and communities. They’re not just a cheque signing bank, they actually follow through and make communities better. Serena made a $25K donation to Musicounts.ca! These kids were SO EXCITED to hear the donation news, receive violins, and to find out they were performing on stage WITH Serena Ryder herself. It was a magical moment.  A photo posted by Gracie Carroll (@graciecarroll) on Jul 3, 2015 at 2:39pm PDT The concert was at TD Place in the new Lansdowne Centre and was opened by The Strumbellas. They were amazing. The 6 piece band rocked…

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Heading to Our Nations Capital, Ottawa!

Friday morning Mum and I are heading to Ottawa and it’s her first time flying Porter Airlines. I’m so excited to be travelling with her! Last time mum and I went on a trip together I was in middle school. We don’t often get to hang much, especially not in the summer is mum is usually at the boat and we spend heaps of time at the cottage. We’ll be seeing Serena Ryder, with special guests The Strumbellas at TD Place Stadium to celebrate Canada Day weekend. Earlier in the day, TD Bank and MusiCounts will be be announcing the 2015 MusiCounts grant recipients and have a special surprise planned for a local Ottawa recipient.  I’ll be doing a short interview w/ TD Canada about TD MusicCounts and sharing it with you next week. Oh hey @serenaryder! See you on July 3rd! #tdmusic #lansdowne #tdplace A photo posted by TD Place (@tdplace) on Jun 18, 2015 at 1:09pm PDT Feeling excited to take mum on a press trip and hang out at the hotel together. We don’t leave until 4pm the following day so hoping to take a walk on Parliament Hill. I’ve never been to Ottawa around Canada Day. Last time I was in Ottawa was March 2012 for Ottawa Fashion Week and it was very snowy. Looking forward to some fun times w/ mum and lots of laughs! 💛 CASIE

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#Esakaquest 2015 – Find Eska, Win Prizes!

This summer Eska Water is back for round 2 of Eskaquest. Torontonians are invited to explore the city in a Toronto-wide scavenger hunt. This year, ESKA will is teaming up with six Toronto influencers (including me!), and challenging Toronto to ‘Find ESKA’ for the chance to win tickets and prizes from June 22nd to July 31st. During the six week campaign,we’re each giving away 2 prizes per week. There’s two ways to get in the game, follow clues that ESKA releases on social media, or take a peek on the microsite (here), which contains a map hinting at the general location for each giveaway. The first person to successfully find the influencer wins the prize. Follow Eska for Clues Follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram as we release daily clues to help you find the next #eskaquest giveaway location. My Eska Prize Giveaways are July 8th & July 11th Stillwater Spa gift certificate$300 Dinner for 2 at a Summerlicious restaurant The rest of the Eskaquest crew includes blogger Yashy Murphy, Indie 88 radio host Brent Albrecht, MTV Live alumni Paul Lemieux, Sheena Snively, and  Daryn Jones. We’ve planned a really fun giveaway so I’m pretty excited to put the plan in motion. I’ll have more details next week! Until then follow ESKA water for another giveaway on Saturday. CASIE

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New Bike, Snacks, Shoppers, #SMDay

Well hello my friends. 😎✌This photo was taken yesterday and although I look very smiley, I’m not feeling great. I’m so tired. I’m not sure if it’s the small time change last week with my trip to Calgary or lack of sleep but I’m lethargic. I miss the cottage. It’s been weeks since we’ve got to have a good cottage hang and it’ll be at least a week before we get back up to Muskoka. I’m in Ottawa this weekend then back for The Queen’s Plate. In other news, I had some good things yesterday… I used to have a Red Schwinn cruiser bike that I LOVED. I rode that baby all over town for a coue simmers, Junction to Beaches and back. Unfortunately some jerk vandalized my bike and it was unridable, went to the bike graveyard. RIP. 2 years ago I purchased a new one from Bikes On Wheels, Queen West and it was stolen before summer was over. Last year I didn’t ride at all it made me sad. YESTERDAY, my brand new Schwinn Cruiser was ready for pickup. 🚲👍 Schwinn Canada has welcomed me as a bike ambassador and I’m back on the road baby! I’ve got a few things to add (bell, basket, lights) before we’re full time but one little cruise yesterday made my heart sing. 💛 If you stop by your local Shoppers Drug Mart you might see their new ‘Summer Covered’ Campaign. Next week I’ll be sharing some of my fav products for summer roadtrips and cottaging. I’ll also be featured on the SDM social + website. Received a shipment of this yesterday. Have you tried it yet? It’s Social Media Day today and in 2010 and 2011 I spoke at Toronto events. It’s amazing how social media has changed my life and taken…

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156th Queen’s Plate is THIS WEEKEND at Woodbine Racetrack! #OffToTheRaces #QP15

Who’s ready to get dressed up and join me at the racetrack? This weekend is the 156th Queen’s Plate at Woodbine! I’ve been the last couple years and it’s really fun. Food, drinks, fashion, and the chance at winning a few bux by betting on the horses! I love seeing all the big hats, beautiful millenary, and overall style of attendees. Here’s a sneak peek of what to expect. At the event, you’ll be able to sip champagne on the grass while playing croquet, horseshoes or bocce ball, while keeping an eye onstyle. Your red carpet photo (from the party) will be on the Woodbine Racetrack Facebook Page here post event. As the Official Charity Partner of the 2015 Queen’s Plate, $1 from every ticket and program sold will be donated to Rethink Breast Cancer. Things to Note for The 156th Queen’s Plate Races begin at 12pm Queen’s Plate Post Time is approximately 5:38 p.m Parking and Admission are FREE Walk the red carpet in style at the Hats & Horseshoes Party presented by Stella Artois Enjoy live performances by Emerson Street Rhythm Band & more There’s heaps of food trucks onsite, so come hungry! A couple weeks ago I attended Woodbine Oaks, first leg of the Canadian Triple Tiara series where I learned how to bet on horses (read here). At the Queen’s Plate, the The Betting Impact team will be roaming the Hats & Horseshoes Party to teach the Basics of Betting. You can pick based on the odds or get a little wild and just pick your fave horses name or number. Click here to read more about horse racing betting. For Queen’s Plate notes and early probability see here. Read more about the Queen’s Plate race at queensplate.com and learn about upcoming races by visiting woodbineentertainment.com.…

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Woodbine Racetrack #OfftotheRaces Contest – Snap a Selfie & Win!

Earlier this week I announced my partnership with Woodbine Racetrack for race season. I’l be attending all major races AND getting dressed up for The Queen’s Plate on July 5th. This is us there last year. It was so much fun. I love taking a seat and along with the actual horse racing, seeing all the hats and outfits. This year Woodbine Racetrack is hosting a contest where you can win a $1,000 gift card at the end of the season. You could really turn that prize into a big win if you’re lucky!  It’s quite easy to enter, details below. #OfftotheRaces Contest Details: Snap a selfie at the racetrack Post to Twitter using the hashtag #OffToTheRaces Cross your fingers! By posting your selfie at the track with the #OfftotheRaces hashtag you’ve got a chance to win a $1000 Woodbine Racetrack gift card at the end of the horse racing season. Please remember, your selfie MUST be taken in front of the racetrack!     On another note, tickets for The Queen’s Plate on July 5th are now on sale! Get yours here. Looking forward to this, need to find an outfit and HUGE hat!   <3 CASIE

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