CASIE STEWART
THIS IS MY LIFE • BLOG EST. 2005
LIFE Muskoka

260: Use What You Got pt. 2

260: Use What You Got pt. 2

I spent hours this weekend sewing at the kitchen table making big floofy scrunchies. Each one is 100% unique and handmade with recycled fabric from my personal wardrobe. I had planned to donate items at the start of the year, then lockdown happened. Instead of buying new fabric, I decided to make them into new things. Since I didn’t buy new fabric, I could work my way through learning to sew again after 20 years, without worrying about fucking up. At the start of quarantine I shared my theme of ‘use what you got‘, I think that’s really carried through the rest of the year. Each tag on my floofy scrunchies says ‘Handmade by Casie w/ recycled fabric.‘ and has a little background story on the original item. Today picked up some clear plastic packaging and thread (and glitter thread!) from Dollerama and I can’t wait to put everything together. Put my wreath up on the front of the cottage. First time making one since I was a kid! In other news… Use What You Got pt. 1 was Day 34!

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Fashion CREATIVE ART STEW

Day 34: Use What You Got – Tie Dye DIY

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.…

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LIFE WITCHES UNITE

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

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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2023

Being Yourself is Exhilarating

Being Yourself is Exhilarating

On Saturday, April 1 at 10 am, Sean and I hopped in the car, drove to Budapest Park, and went in the lake with 20+ people. SO FUN! The cold dip was hosted by my friend Meghan Yuri Young x Soho House Toronto x Othership. The water was cold (obviously) but the sun was shining and the sand felt warm on my feet. We started with breathwork led by an Othership Guide, did 2 min in the lake, then had coffee and hung out at the beach. On the way there, I got a notification from the Co-Star app that said ‘Being yourself is exhilarating”, what perfect timing! I’ve been leaning into trying new things and honestly, it’s so much fun. When we got home I walked over to Lucky Tiger Vintage at Lansdowne for their first-ever bin sale. I waited about 45 mins but it was totally worth it. Everything was $5-20 and I came home with a huge bag of goodies. 🤗 10/10, a fabulous day!

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Fitness

Bend when you can, snap when you have to.

Bend when you can, snap when you have to.

I’ve been going to yoga again since the start of January and it’s made a difference in my life. I love yoga; moving, stretching, bending, breathing. It sounds so simple but they call it a practice for a reason, you have to work at it. For years, I had class 4x a week with Sandy, and it changed my life. Part of my ‘Trying New Things’ this year includes going to more fitness classes at different places. I signed up for a free month of ClassPass this month to experience new places. I went to Mosiac Yoga today and I was kinda nervous for a few minutes before leaving the house but once I got outside I was fine. It was great, I already booked another class. Join me for free here. I used to have a really hard time being still, alone with my thoughts, resisting the urge to move. In 2019 I wrote a post called ‘It takes Practice” where I talked about learning how to be still, slow down. Looking back, I’m so glad I started to make changes before the pandemic. It would have been harder otherwise. Seeing the person I was in old blog posts makes me prouder of the person I am now. It’s hard to grow & change, but so worth it when you come out the other side. This is a quote from the end of that post from 2019: “If you’re feeling stressed or holding something inside, let it go. Write it on a piece of paper and throw it in the fire. There is no sense carrying it with you for another day, week, or year. Free up that space in yourself to fill it with something that makes you happy, with sunshine.” CASIE STEWART, 2018 ‘ It Takes Practice‘ The…

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LIFE

Press the Pause Button

Press the Pause Button

I heard this quote in today’s ‘Daily Calm’ in the Calm app and it stuck with me. I got out of bed went right to my computer looked it up, found the author, and got his book on Audible. Finished my latest read yesterday and wasn’t sure what to read next but usually, when I least expect it, something happens to inspire my next read or listen. “When you press the pause button on a machine, it stops. But when you press the pause button on human beings they start,” argues my friend and teacher Dov Seidman, CEO of LRN, which advises global businesses on ethics and leadership. “You start to reflect, you start to rethink your assumptions, you start to reimagine what is possible and, most importantly, you start to reconnect with” ― Thomas L. Friedman, Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations I’ve been working on more of a slow-living type of life and honestly, it’s bringing me so much joy. Exercise, more sleep, good food, less drinking, and lots of time with my thoughts. Slow living means going through your life in a more thoughtful, meaningful way. Before the pandemic, I was always on the go, for like, my entire life. That 2-year pause we all went through + living up north in the woods, taught me so much about myself. I am resilient, creative, and determined. I’m thankful for each day and there is so much happiness to be found in what you already have, who you are, and the people around you. In other news, today I signed up for a course starting in January that I am so excited about. I’ll share what it is soon. If you can guess I’ll give you a prize. Until…

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Fitness

Focus Your Power

Focus Your Power

The title of this post is a reminder for myself as much, if not more, than anyone else. Focus your power. Believe in yourself. You can do hard things. A couple of weeks ago when I heard gyms were opening up I was keen to get back into one. I got an email with a 4-week special at a spot REALLY close to home so I went for it. To be honest, I was a ball of nervous anxiety before my first class. I didn’t know what to expect, what to wear? If it would be too hard if I would enjoy it. In about 5 minutes of being there, my anxiety was gone. I knew it was a good idea and I made a friend. This is my third week going and I love it. I never really knew how to work out, to use the machines. When I used to go to LA Fitness before the pandemic I did free weights & Nike Training app workouts + running. But NOW I’ve learned to LOVE squats and lifting heavier weights, using ALL the machines. I’m proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something different. I can’t wait for my next workout. ☀️ FOCUS YOUR POWER ☀️ Workout set by my friend! Check out Sasha Exeter x Joe Fresh!

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2021 TORONTO

Day 450: I GOT VACCINATED!

Day 450: I GOT VACCINATED!

Don’t say it..don’t say it…VAX GIRL SUMMER! ☀️ I’M SO HAPPY! I GOT VACCINATED! Sean gave me a tip from Vaccine Hunters that there was a pop-up clinic near at Harbord Collegiate offering the first dose of Pfizer today so I biked over soon as I could. If you are looking to get your first or second dose, check out the @vaxhunterscan account on Twitter, they’re posting vaccination clinics all across the country. I just really want to go somewhere ✈️, hug my parents, have friends to the house, and for this all to be overrrrrrr. Y’know?! ?✌️ One step closer to getting back to some kind of normal.

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2020 TORONTO

Day 311: Amber is the Color of Your Energy

Day 311: Amber is the Color of Your Energy

Today was a good day. Left the house late afternoon to meet Natalie and her dog Chloe for a walk before the sun went down. We sat outside in the park by the Telus Centre near the Royal Conservatory of music, then went around the park. Walked through some of the University of Toronto buildings and I recognized a bunch of from Tiny Pretty Things on Netflix. There are heaps of recognizable locations if you’re watching the show, see some of them here on BlogTO. Good show, I’ll finish it tonight. Before heading home I had a little meetup outside with Nelson & Talia. We went to Eatily and got groceries. It felt like being out on the town! It’s been so long since I went to a place with anyone other than Sean. We were all wearing masks and only inside a grocery store, but it was invigorating! Earlier in the day, after my run, I tried a TikTok hair trend to do natural, heatless waves with a belt from a robe. I wasn’t sure how it worked at first but as the day went on, the curls relaxed and my hair looked great. I can’t wait to try it again and get really good at this. I’ve dreamed of having long hair for years and without the pandemic, I would have probably cut it. The title of this post on Day 311 is Amber by the band 311. My sister and I used to love this one so much. It will make you smile. ?

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2020 TORONTO

Day 198: Love Yourself First

Day 198: Love Yourself First

Spent the morning with calls and meetings then went to the 1188 office to work for a bit. I cleaned out my desk there a few weeks ago to de-personalize it, the desks work more like co-working now. People aren’t really coming into the office much these days but if someone needs to for production or a meeting, there’s space. It was so nice and warm out once 3pm hit I had to get outside. I think it’s the last summer0like day we’re gonna have…for a while. Stopped into Visit Zane for a little hangout, Zane is one of my oldest friends in the city. We’re both from Cambridge and used to hang out in high school! Next, I had a margarita in the sun on the Squirly”s patio, read my book a bit, and caught up with an old friend in New Zealand over DM. Forgot I had this great shirt from LX Factory in Lisbon, it says “The love of my life is myself.” You gotta LOVE YOURSELF before you can truly love anyone else. Y’know?! The weather was perfect so I decided to walk back to the house in the Junction Triangle. It was lovely but my feet were not a fan, walking 7km in platform Converse is not recommended. Spotted some Briony street art along the way!

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