Another transitional jacket! This is one of my absolute favorites, it says ‘Bad Girl’s Club’ on the back and my name on the front. It’s from the Varsity Collection by Canadian designer Hilary MacMillan. It’s from a couple of years ago but a piece I’ll have forever. Last September, I visited Hilary’s Studio in Cabbagetown and wrote about it here.
Posted a short Reel in the jacket on IG, click the video below to watch on Instagram with music.
This week has been hard, I feel so drained and tired. Maybe it’s the rain, or the lockdown, I’m not even sure anymore. Work is good and I look forward to laughs with colleagues. I’ve been going to bed early but skipping my morning run to catch a bit more sleep. I’ll get back to it next week.
A new month always feels like a new start and May is my fav month. My birthday is May 8th and I think Sean and I will be sending the weekend up north.
In other news, my plants are FLOURISHING. I love tending to them and watching them grow. I’ve got a bunch of cuttings growing in water. Like plants, we all grow and I’ve changed heaps over the last year too. I trimmed my Monstera about a month ago and the new roots are about 2″ long already.
Hang in there, we’ll get through this NEVER ENDING LOCKDOWN.
I haven’t been taking as many photos over the last few days. I feel like my life is so boring these days! With everything shut down, there’s nowhere to go, nothing to do, and we’re not allowed to hang out with friends. I can’t wait for this damn lockdown to be OVER. It’s still going to be a few weeks before I get vaccinated. I really hope Ontario gets it together, we’re all getting so sick of this.
So today, I share a photo from my bike ride and a beautiful smoothie bowl. Hopefully, the next month brings some excitement. I have a couple of campaigns coming up so those will be fun to share. ?
Had a quiet Friday night after a long week. Sean got his vaccine yesterday and we spent the night watching The Serpent on Netflix. Idk why but just love a serial killer story, thought the show was really well done.
This morning we cleaned up the roof patio, tossed a few old things, and packed some in the truck for the cottage. I biked over to meet April at Dundas & Ossington in the afternoon. we walked to Kensington picked up ome groceries and got coffee. It was so nice and sunny out. Felt great to be outside the house and in a different part of downtown. I biked back home and spent some time reading on the roof. I am loving these warmer days.
I was planning to do some work on the garden but I sliced my hand pretty bad with a bred knife making breakfast so I’ll have to save that for another time. No plans tonight, I’m sure we’ll find something to watch.
Title is a song from Ben Harper that always makes me think of my sister. ?
This happens every year so we shouldn’t be surprised! Still, every spring we hope, we truly hope that warn sunny days will arrive by May. The long-term weather has us above 10 degrees next week and into May, so I feel pretty good about that. My birthday is Saturday, May 8th and I would love to tan outside. Just throwing that out there to the universe!
Today is pandemic diary day 404, in website owner/internet terms, a 404 error is when a website doesn’t load. It indicates that the server is reachable but the specific page is in error.
You’ll most often get a 404 when the page name has changed or the URL was typed in wrong. Since we had snow yesterday, ‘Spring Not Found’ is an homage to a 404 error where you’d get a message like ‘Page Not Found’ or ‘Server Not Found’. I thought it was funny. ??
April is rainy and cold, we know this. Like winter, spring can be a sad season but if you have the right thing to wear, it’s not so bad. ? I wrote about my love for Transitional Coat Season (spring moody temps!) last month on Day 374 and my love for ‘coat season‘ back in October (Day 205), another transitional month. Remember, in the worst of weather dress appropriately, layer, accessorize and wear the right shoes.
When it rains, I have two fav coats depending on humidity. One of my favorite raincoats is a rubberized cotton number from Stutterheim in Sweden. It is easily one of the most $$ things I own and cherish it! (I found out I’m 10% Scandanavian shortly after getting this jacket so maybe that makes me love it more?)
My ‘Stockholm Red‘ jacket was a gift via my friends Leslie & Lindsay of WRG (What’s Really Good Studios) in Montreal back in 2015. This coat is MADE TO LAST and only gets better with age. If it’s realllllly raining and I have to face the elements, I also have cute rain boots and a nice umbrella. A wild weather day is an outfit adventure opportunity, or a reason to stay home, you decide.
This is a photo from 2015 on the bridge near our house. It’s crazy to go back and read my own posts, memory is weird. I look at the photos and I read the post in my voice, but I don’t really remember the moment. The title of the post that day is “The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.”
“I dunno what it is about this time of year of this weather but it’s really got me down. I was feeling so meh today I could have just crawled into bed and played on my phone for 2 hours until I fell asleep.“
The thing I really love about Stutterheim is their motto ‘Swedish melancholy at its driest‘, my coat is called ‘the melancholic heart of Stutterheim‘. Maybe I’ll start writing more stories about my clothes like Worn Stories on Netflix. Good show if you haven’t watched it yet.
A 16th birthday is a coming of age year, you’re a bit more mature and figuring out who you are. You’re in high school, you can get your license. I can hardly wrap my brain around the fact that I’ve been writing this for so long. And for 400+ consecutive days of a global pandemic. I would love to have had a post written with all kinds of favorite moments in blog history: travel adventures, red carpets, film festivals, tweetups, and events, but that life seems so incredibly far away right now. I didn’t have the energy but now thinking about it, going back in time seems kinda fun.
This was my first blog header design in 2005 at casiestewart.blogspot.com
Looking back, the thing I’m most grateful for is all the people I’ve met through this blog. Nearly everyone I know today is somehow connected to my blog, by way of social media, work, or events. It’s changed my whole life. I changed my whole life.
THE ORIGINAL BLONDE BLOG GANG: THE BLONDETOURAGE Lauren, Raymi, Carly, Keri, and me
The thing is, if you want to achieve something, or be something, you have to work at it. You need to do something each day that brings you closer to that goal. You get up early and work on it before your job, you think about it on your run, you stay up late, you work on it. You skip going out with your friends to learn HTML and use what little extra money you have to make stickers and cards with your name on them. You do something each day to bring you closer to your goal. You take a step forward each day.
A couple of things I’m pretty proud of are being recognized by the Canadian Academy of Film & Television as an innovator & pioneer, receiving an Alumni of Distinction award from Conestoga College, and being recognized by Ontario as a nominee for the Premiere’s Award for Creative Arts & Design. I walk past these daily in my room but I don’t think I’ve ever shared them here. It’s important to recognize your success because you can easily get caught up in the hustle of moving forward.
When I started blogging, social media wasn’t invented yet and I made casiestewart.blogspot.com as a way to keep more memories. I was in my 20’s and figured a diary was the best way to keep track of the things I did each day. I kept forgetting details with my 20-something, somewhat reckless lifestyle. I always loved writing and the fact that I could put my thoughts down and publish them FOR FREE was exciting. One of my fav quotes from mum is “Just because you don’t have money doesn’t mean you can’t compete, you just have to be more creative”. So that’s what I did.
If you want to create something YOU CAN. Just start, do it today. Time goes fast and if we have learned anything this year, each day is precious. Don’t hold back. Do the damn thing.
Thank you for reading and following along in this adventure of my life. Here’s to many more years and hopefully a party one day!
Side note: A couple of years ago, I did a 23andMe genetic test to find out that I am at risk for Alzheimer’s, it’s like I can tell the future or something.
What day is it again? Feels like that sometimes now, eh? It’s Monday and I always like to dress up but today I went a little casual and put on a Canadian Tuxedo.
Got a new chair for my desk recently and it’s pretty nice. Not as comfortable to sit on for long periods but that’s ok. Need to stand up and walk around more tbh. One thing I love about my Apple Watch is the reminders to stand each hour. I’ve been meaning to write a review on it because there are so many great features that I now use every day.
Pretty sure I got this chambray top from a clothing swap and these jeans are old ones from Cory Lee. I never used to wear jeans but I kinda like them now. Took a nap in my jeans the other day. Can’t wait to have clothing swaps again one day.
Hope you have a great day & week! Tomorrow is 420, the start of Taurus Season, AND my blog’s 16th birthday! BIG ENERGY COMING THROUGH.
How you doing? I’m feeling the weight of everything this week and it is heavy. My new job is great but adjusting from 6+ years of freelance to work 40 hours a week has been tiring. Watching the news and seeing things get worse is extremely draining. Not being able to see family when they’re going through their own things is heartbreaking. We’re not even allowed to meet friends in the park anymore.
Each day this week I opened my blog admin to write something and ended up writing the title and staring at the screen. I couldn’t find the words to document the day. I try to appreciate something good each day like the sun, a call from mum, a good outfit, or laughing over DM’s with a friend. It’s hard to stay motivated/positive right now. Things are pretty bad.
We can only hope things will get better but perspective is hard when we’re stuck in the middle of a storm that’s been going on for 13 months.
Today I woke up thinking about work and excited to get things done. My motivation slowly declined when I checked my phone, laid back down in my fully made bed, and stared at the wall for a while. Do you find yourself staring at the wall too? Next, I watered my plants and moved some around, grabbed some snacks, made coffee, and turned into the couch.
In other news, keeping this pandemic diary is surprisingly therapeutic. Despite some days where I’m completely exhausted, there have been a lot of good days. I find myself looking back and remembering park hangs in the summer, bike rides, cottage life, and great meals we made at home. Thankful for friends and family, also Netflix/Prime, good wifi, and snacks.
Saw this on a walk today. Made me think of this song. We all make mistakes, it’s how we learn. You can’t be too hard on yourself. Take inventory, move on. Don’t let a mistake define you. We are always growing & changing, it’s important to constantly innovate.
Inhale, exhale. Look around. Assess the situation. Feel the feelings. Check your surroundings. Take inventory. Reality check. Determine what’s real. Accept how you feel. Set boundaries. Cover your back. Protect your heart. Be kind. Clear your mind. Walk it out. Have a talk. Take a deep breath. Breathe.
inhale, hold, exhale, hold
How to Do Box Breathing
Close your eyes. Breathe in through your nose while counting to four slowly. Feel the air enter your lungs.
Hold your breath inside while counting slowly to four. Try not to clamp your mouth or nose shut. Simply avoid inhaling or exhaling for 4 seconds.
Begin to slowly exhale for 4 seconds.
Repeat steps 1 to 3 at least three times. Ideally, repeat the three steps for 4 minutes, or until calm returns.
I didn’t make this up but I use it quite a bit to keep myself calm or relax for sleep. More info on it here or give it a Google to learn how it helps with stress & anxiety.
Took a walk in the rain. Had a massage after work. Ordered takeout. Called some friends. Took an edible. Watched The Circle. Melted into the couch. TGIF. ?
Sending you a little love today. We’re going into a strickter lockdown and it will last until at least May 20th. Urghhhhhh! It feels like this is neverendinggggggggg.
Spent the whole day working at my desk and decided I really needed some fresh air. Put on a cute outfit, aka dressing up my hoodie with a blazer, and took a tour around the neighborhood. The sun was out but the air was cool. It’s only Wednesday but I’m looking forward to the weekend.
Sending you some sunshiine in a set of smiley photos. Hang in there my friends, we will get through this sh*t show!
I was thinking about seeing friends and how much I miss events. Before the pandemic, I wasn’t going out as much, I was making myself a priority and spending more time at home. Now, I’d love to be in a packed venue, drinking a specialty cocktail and eating canapés. When it comes time to go out again, she ready.
Today was a busy day and by the time I finished my last meeting, I was almost ready for a nap. Here’s today’s smoothie bowl, I’m still obsessed. Tonight’s activities include watching Wheel & Jeopardy then getting ready for bed. Ya girl is tired, not sure if it’s the weather or general anxiety about the state of the world.
We had out contractor Lindsay over to do some work on the bathroom reno and it’s slowly but surely coming along. We still have a sink & some fixtures in the living room from American Standard ready to be installed. Covid has really put a damper on this whole thing!
In other news, a few packages arrived today including two new bathing suits, new boots from L’Intervalle (yes, again!), and this cute sweater from Made For The Lake Co. in Muskoka. On the back it says ‘Smore’s Club’ and it’s from their kid’s section. Will be perfect for summer nights at the cottage. ?
Sean is up north this week with Emily for April Break. Today the government announced kids will be doing virtual classes indefinitely until the panini calms down. Ontario is reporting some of the highest numbers since this whole thing started and the different Covid variants are affecting younger people more and more. Watching the news is pretty depressing and there is really no end in sight.
I’m trying to stay positive and focus on things that bring me joy but it’s hard sometimes. I really miss seeing my parents and I haven’t seen my sister in weeks.
Hang in there my friends, we will get through this. Stay home, wear a mask when you’re out, and make sure to check in on loved ones.
I know it’s hard to stay positive with everything going on but I encourage you to look for joy where you can. Go for a walk, call a friend, organize your cupboard, do a workout. Keep your spirits up! This will all be over one day and we’ll look back at how we’ve grown from it.
Feels so good to be outside now that it’s a bit warmer. Looks like we’re gonna have a lot of April showers next week. Gonna try and find that sunshine in the little things each day. ☀️
Today was another super sunny day! I went to the Canadian Tire garden center to pick up some new plants in the morning before Sean and Em went up north. Last night I decided to put on a bunch of fake tattoos because why not? It’s not like I’m going anywhere where I need to be ‘professional’ and tbh, I don’t think anyone would really mind. I originally had a tiny moon tattoo on my face but I took it off before heading out into the world. Neck tattoos were ok but it felt too out of character to have one on the face. I’m not that badass!
Went for a nice bike ride in the afternoon near Trinity Bellwoods. The park was so busy I decided I didn’t want to hang out there. One day last year, I was in the park when it was busy and it was all over the news about people breaking the rules. I was there alone and not in a crowd but I still felt bad just being near the scene. I learned my lesson that day and if I go somewhere with too many people, I won’t stick around. I do NOT want to get covid or god forbid, get caught anywhere with too many people.
As I was biking my friend yelled ‘she’s like sunshine’, I carried that thought with me all day. Found so many bright & fun summer clothes when I switched over my closet. Felt great to try everything on again!
Had a great week and was ready to close my computer at the end of the day. It felt like summer outside so I hopped on my bike for a cruise around the neighbourhood. I forgot how much I love bike riding! I’ve been drinking less lately but with the sun on my face and wind in my hair, I decided it was a great day for a beer.
I stopped into Henderson Brewery just down the West Toronto Rail Path and cracked a can on the wooden platform. I love sitting there at the end of the day to watch the sun go down.
Emily came back to our house after school today after being with her mum for the last two weeks. It’s official, we are the same height now! She is growing up so fast. It seems like just yesterday she was a little 8-year-old girl who didn’t mind me doing her hair or wearing dresses. They’re heading back up north for March April Break next week and I’m staying in the city for work.
Today April and I met up for a socially distanced photoshoot at my fav rainbow wall on Orfus Road. Cory Lee and I shot here a while back before Covid started. It’s always a bit nostalgic to back to this area, my first ever job in Toronto was on Orfus Road at the YM Inc. head office. I was blogging on MySpace back then (2004) and casiestewart.com was born while working there in 2005.
We totally underestimated how crazy the wind was but it made the experience even more fun. It’s amazing how spending a bit of time with a friend can lift your spirits. We laughed our asses off trying to get the right photos and I had a few dress mishaps à la Marilyn Monroe. ? See my video on Instagram here.
I hadn’t posted anything on Instagram in a few days so it was nice to shoot some colourful photos. Before Covid, I always had places to go and things to do but over the last year, well, nothing has been happening.
In other news, I’m really excited for warmer days & spring outfits. This weekend I’m planning to do the seasonal switch over and pack away my wooly sweaters for summer. Crossing my fingers that doesn’t jinx me and we end up getting snow again lol. Last year we had snow in May on my birthday!
My thought for today is to try and follow the rainbow, you might find some gold when you’re there.
Well, ladies & gentlemen, we’re back in a full lockdown. The good news is they are now starting to roll out vaccines to anyone 18+ who lives in a hot spot area code. I’m happy for everyone that can now get vaccinated. We live in an area that’s right beside 3 postal codes in the new rollout but don’t qualify just yet. I don’t expect to be vaccinated until the end as I’m not high risk or essential. I will stay home for months if it means we can get back to some kind of normal.
So, photos of me doing next to nothing with nearly no one will continue to fill the blog as I am determined to keep this diary going until this pandemic is over. I was looking at event photos the other day and really missing seeing everyone, being in a crowd. One thing I really miss, surprisingly, is joyfully yelling in a crowded place. You don’t really do that when you’re at home. One day we will excitedly scream together. I also can’t wait to talk about fun things again, events, product launches, lunches, dinner dates, dance parties, and more.
Been singing this song in my head so placing it here for you, London Still by The Waifs. I listened to it heaps when I lived in Australia. Now when I head it I think of singing ‘Lockdown Still’ instead.
I went for two runs love. I love my morning runs but after work, I was feeling stress and anxiety so I went out again. News is circulating that we’re going back into a stay-at-home order tomorrow. They’ve closed the schools again. Cases are rising. I don’t even know what to say. It’s hard to believe this is really happening.
I’m trying to stay focused on the positive and stick o my workouts because it’s the only thing I have going on right now (aside from work). Grateful to have started work at Funday last month because I look forward to the projects on my plate and it gives me something fun to focus on aside from the news.
I love this spot on Dundas West at sunset. As I exited the path, I turned to face the sun and it was shining so beautifully. I like to follow the sun when I’m running and soak up as much as I can.
That’s all for today. Hang in there, we’ll get through this.
Woke up feeling fresh from a nice relaxing long weekend. I love Monday and not knowing exactly what the day will bring. Every Monday, I have two different morning meetings to set the tone for the week. In each one, I laugh a little and leave feeling actually excited to do the work. Went for a nice run at 8 am, the temperature is perfect right now. Can’t wait to run in shorts, soon!
Doing a workout and getting outside each morning keeps me on track for the whole day and I find it gives me energy. I’m still on my smoothie bowl kick and in awe of their beauty. Sean cooked a whole chicken in the afternoon and I made an epic sandwich with chicken, spinach, pineapple, roasted peppers, sweet potato, honey mustard, mayo, pepper, it was amazing.
Had a nice walk after work and I love seeing flowers in bloom. Can’t wait for warmer temps, bring on spring!
Took a little road trip in the woods went up to Huntsville today to shoot some drone stuff with Nelson & Talia. It was SUCH a beautiful day. We were really close to Algonquin Park to capture it’s beauty.
On the way there I decided to put on fake nails, I really miss having manicures! They were a little long and kept getting stuck in my hair but they were fun to photograph. I ended up taking them off later in the day.
Getting my nails done was always a special thing I did for myself, made me feel like I had it together. I could go into any meeting or situation and if my hair & nails were done, I felt confident I could handle anything. These days my roots are so long and my nails arent’ done but I’m home and safe. That’s most important. One day I will return to Ivy Nails for a fabulous manicure.
This week I had a genius moment. I took my seamless background stand for photoshoots and set it up using only half the width. It’s perfect for video calls, IG Stories backgrounds, or Reels. I have heaps of really nice wrapping paper I can pop to use as backgrounds.
Sean and I drove up to the cottage after work and the sun made the drive so beautiful. We’re spending the weekend up north, just the two of us. Looking forward to a nice lazy weekend, running in the woods, and watching the ice melt on the lake.
We stopped for groceries on the way so we don’t have to go out anywhere in the Muskoka region. It’s kinda crazy these big-box stores can be open with heaps of people while all the small businesses can’t. I feel so bad for them especially hair salons and personal services. They’ve had 300+ days of being closed and I can only imagine the stress and weight of the financial burden to try and stay afloat.
I can’t wait to go back to Sassoon Toronto and see my team there but for now, we will wait patiently. I did a poll on IG to see if people think I should go full blonde again or keep the natural look, lucky for me, ‘natural‘ won the vote. Gonna give myself another haircut this weekend, I’m getting pretty good at it by now.
Sending love from the woods. Hope you have a nice long weekend!
Took the TTC to Yorkville after work and went for a nice walk with Natalie and Chloe. So nice to see flowers starting to bloom. We grabbed a bite to eat, chatted about the good ol’ days, and stopped into Nordstrom before heading home. Although we were wearing masks, it was great to feel a little bit ‘normal‘. I found a great pair of red boots on sale and I can’t wait to wear them to the grocery store. ?
Today was a good day. I feel like I’m learning more about myself at high speed the last 2 weeks, testing my abilities by doing new things. It feels good. I’ve been on a 7-week streak of Peloton workouts and consistently running 2km before I get ready for work in the morning. I find getting outside first thing really sets me up for the day. I have time to get fresh air, exercise, put things in perspective, or burn off some anxiety.
I know I said this the other day but I love smoothie bowls, honestly, they’re so beautiful and easy to make. Delicious and extremely good for you. Look at this vision of beauty. I stan.
One of the characters in the show I’m watching (The Arrangement) said “If you’re not growing you’re dying” and it really stuck with me. I often used to say, “innovate or die” and I think it’s really important to always be growing.
