Had a great morning cooking up lunch w/ friends and serving to people at Evangel Hall. Scroll down to see us in action. We’re doing #givingbackvibes again on New Years Eve if you wanna join. ☀️
If you are looking to do some volunteering over the holidays they’re always looking for people. You can also visit the website and buy candles from their in-house candle shop to support. Visit evangelhall.ca for details!
Yesterday I updated the look of this ol’ bloggy and it’s really making me happy. Over the past 6 months I’ve been working lots (which is good but tiring), recovered from a major surgery, and was in a car accident. I don’t usually share much the blarghhhh days I but there’s been a few lately. It’s not ALLLL sunshine and rainbows, I am HUMAN! I feel like post-election world has been really getting me down. Every single time you turn on the tv, internet, Facebook bad sh*t is happening. It’s sad and exhausting. ?
Do you ever just feel like you need a f’n break?!
AND THEN, on the opposite end of the spectrum you scroll FB/IG and it seems like people have these perfect lives. Last night I spoke on a panel about beauty & aging and something I mentioned is the ‘Facebook Self’ we all put out there. You know the one I mean! The curated version of beautiful photos, the clean house, smiling well-behaved children, the perfect meal etc. Well LIFE ISN’T ALWAYS LIKE THAT. It’s messy lol. I hardly ever share the house bc there’s always a clothes pile somewhere. Pile on the holidays and it’s all kinda overwhelming.
This weekend I’m volunteering to serve lunch to 80-100 in need at a mission with some friends. I’ve been looking forward to it all week. Bringing joy to others, you can’t help but have some yourself.
Sunday I’m part of a big ‘Boss Babes Brunch’ w/ some power ladies which will be fun and inspiring.
With my recent obsession for Amazon I got a huge ring light and photo setup for home so I will be playing with that too.
New ring light!
This post is #12 in a series of blogposts I’ve written when I don’t really feel like blogging. I find blogging about it helps me blog through the feelings. A blog is pretty good therapy haha. BLOG LIFE GUYS, IT’S OK.
Anyhooooo, follow me on the ol’ Snapchat or IG Stories and I will try to bring some sunshine your way. Tomorrow we are serving salad, jambalaya, cornbread, and apple crumble pie, that alone will make anyone happy!
What would you do if you lost your job!? Main source of income? Would you be ok for a month or two OR would you be freaking riiiiight out?
Over the years I’ve mentioned my finances a few times and how I dealt with debt and that whole ‘money’ thing. In a study from the Financial Planning Standards Council (FPSC), they found 2/5 Canadians worry about $$$ at least once a day. 1/4 worry “almost constantly.” They also learned, 4/10 Canadians said they’d run out of money in One in five Canadians said they’d only last A WEEK.
After I finished Uni in Australia, I came back to Canada with mounting debt and no job. I took a couple weeks to find my first job and moved to Toronto. It didn’t take long to realize I wasn’t getting ahead but falling further, and further behind.
That’s when I met with a financial planner on the show ‘Maxed Out’, who was able to help me with financial management Anyone remember that show?! ?? Meeting her changed my life and was also kinda embarrassing. The show was on the W Network a few years and then it popped up on Oprah’s network for a couple months. Every time I’d kinda put thinking about my money situation on the back burner, someone would mention they saw my episode and it was back on my mind.
The host and I made a plan and by the end of the episode (6months had passed) I had a new job I was finally on the right track. My goal was to pay back all my school by the time I was 30 and I did it at 28! It was hard but I’m so glad I stuck to my guns because the feeling of not having to deal with it anymore is priceless.
The first step to getting your finances in gear is having a plan. Hard to get somewhere if you don’t know where you’re goin’! If you’re looking to get a new home and subsequently purchase insurance, you may be working with an average premium of $1,496 per year so planning is key! Working with a financial planner relived my stress and made my debt slowly melt away, month after month. We figured out a plan that fit my unique situation and set it in motion. If you think you could benefit from the services of specialists in wealth management jacksonville fl, why not get in touch with them and see how they can make positive changes to your financial situation?
The FSPC also has a handy tool that makes it super easy to find a reputable financial planner in your area to help you out. Find that perfect match to help you get that dream house/kitchen or vacation of a lifetime. Find a financial planner HERE.
2/3 of Canadians believe the economy – and their own financial situation – has either stagnated or worsened over the past five years
Most Canadians don’t feel they make good financial decisions (less than half @ 41%) and making a plan on your own can be daunting. Working with aCFP® pro means you’ll make the right decisions with your money, lower your stress about it, and start that journey to financial freedom. Get started by visiting fpsc.ca/find-a-planner. ??
I wanna see you ditch those money worries and so does Financial Planning Standards Council (FPSC), so they’ve sponsored this message. If I could help people with this stuff I would! ?
POST SPONSORED BY Financial Planning Standards Council.
If you haven’t seen my tweets over the last few days I’ve been kinda obsessed with Amazon Prime. I forgot to cancel the ‘Free Trial’ and got charged the full ~$100 Amazon Prime amount for the year. Yeah duh. Whatever. I’ve decided to embrace it and tbh it’s amazing. [This post sponsored my bank account.]
I ordered a whole bunch of things this week including a big ring light, tripod, studio backdrop, citric acid, and an iPhone ring light. The acid is for making bath bombs! It was $5 for a small canister at Bulk Barn yesterday so I checked Amazon and bought 2 pounds for $10 AND it arrives today.
A couple people asked me about my little baby ring light for my iPhone. It was from Amazon and is on SALE FOR $14.99 ($16.99 CA). The package was all in Japanese (?) and it came with batteries.
I got a few other things this week but I haven’t opened them yet. Thinking about using them to make a video but idk so, no promises. That’s all for today.
THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING. DO YOU LIKE THE NEW LAYOUT????
This summer I went on a really fun adventure with Ford Canada. They sent us these great luggage bags and told us to pack for a weekend. We had no idea where we were going and in my fret of nervousness the night before, went crazy I decorated my bag. In a group of 20 or so bloggers, it wasn’t hard to know where my bag was at all times. Dare to be different! ???
They sent a driver to pick me up bright and early on a Saturday morning when I was whisked off to a Ford Dealership to meet the gang and find out what was going on. After some snacks & coffee it was time for the reveal.
I was handed an envelope with this card and a boarding pass. I did NOT think we would be going anywhere by airplane. Good thing I didn’t pack full size lotions! My team and I jumped in our next car and went straight to Porter Airlines. It felt a bit like The Amazing Race when 4 groups all went separate ways to different destinations.
There was a Comicon happening downtown in Sudbury that weekend. Noticed a lot of really cool street art. The paper is called the ‘North Bay Nugget’ ? ?. Went for a hike in the Duchesnay Falls. Ate a seriously huge poutine.
We spent the night at a great little 3bdrm beach house bed & breakfast on the lake. We had planned to try loads of water sports and I had packed my wet suit and my dryrobe equivalent, but after a toe-dip inspection we decided it was a no go. The water was pretttttty cold.
I had been to Sudbury as a kid but I didn’t remember much. It was pretty neat to see the Big Nickel. We checked out a few other sites around the city before checking into accommodations.
One of my fav moments was when we decided to hang out in Sudbury a few hours longer, we got pizza and went to the mall. When I’m in a small town I love checking out the local shopping centre to see what stores they have and other attractions. WELL, did we score or what?!
They had these little animals you could rent to drive around the mall. It was mostly kids but four had a hilarious 2o cruise. After we got pizza at Greco’s. It was that deep dish kind with so much dough but it was amazing.
The Escape was a great car to drive, SYNC3 is amazing for music & GPS, Eco-Boost saves gas, and we had more than enough room to road trip w/ 4 passengers. I really enjoyed how Ford made the event a mystery and kept all details secret about where we were going. For info about the 2017 Ford Escape visit ford.ca.
Last week I met up w/ Jen aka @jennandthecity for after work drinks, we’ve been meaning to hang out for ages and our schedules finally aligned. It was my first time checking out Bar Reyna in Yorkville which has a gorgeous back patio that feels like an escape from the city.
I picked up the tab bc we were in a bit of a hurry and a couple days later, Jenn sent me money via PayPal using Siri. I’ve had PayPal for ages and it’s my fav way to shop online, this new integration makes sending money to friends super easy. If you’ve ever had to pay someone back or been waiting for someone to pay you back, it can be super awkward and/or annoying. Luckily your girl Siri makes it super easy.
Starting November 10th, for the first time in Canada, iPhone users can tell Siri to send or request money through an integration with the PayPal app.
Once you’ve got the PayPal app [download here if you don’t have it yet!] and your phone is on iOS 10, you’re ready to roll. Wake up Siri and ask him/her to send money to a friend. Contacts who match the name will pop up, select the person, and voila, Siri will send it.
You can 100% send money to someone who isn’t on iPhone and if they person doesn’t have a PayPal account, they’ll be prompted to set one up.
Lending money to friends can end bad, on average PayPal found that 30% of Canadians have lost a friend over an IOU. Been there? Me too.
In the PayPal Money Habits Study by Koski Research, they found more than 53% of us Canadians find it awkward to ask friends or fam to pay us back. It’s probably because we’re so nice.
‘Sorry but can you pay me back the money you borrowed? ??’ – me
To give PayPal integration a go, download the app from the Apple Store and make sure you’re on the new iOS 10. If you have any questions about using PayPal with Siri, visit the Help Center. Here’s a look at Jenn’s first go using it.
PayPal, is always looking for ways to make it easier for us to manage or move our money. This new Siri integration now is avail in 30 countries and in a variety of languages. No reason not to pay your friends back now!
*Post sponsored by PayPal Canada but opinions all mine. I was stoked to know about this coming to iPhone be I legit love PayPal and use it all the time.
*PayPal Money Habits Study conducted by Koski Research, 2015. Between May 14, 2015 and June 25, 2015, over 4,000 participants from the U.S., Canada, Germany and Australia participated in the 14-minute online study. Additionally, a five-minute online study was conducted by Koski Research between June 22 and June 28, 2015 to over 4,000 participants from the U.S., Canada, Germany and Australia.
Last week I was a speaker at NextMedia, Canada’s leading digital media conference. the 2 day conference focusses on creation, distribution, and monetization of digital media content and technology.
Our panel, moderated by Amber Mac, was Blurred Lines: Best Practices for Disclosing Paid Content. I’ve mentioned it a few times how this is a hot topic. My thoughts are that if you are working with someone or got the product/thing as an in-kind donation or gift,, just say so.
If you always work on things you genuinely like, being authentic is easy.
This isn’t a great photo but it was a memorable moment. Jake said people who will just work for any brand and do it for the money are ‘brand whores’. It’s hard to trust someones opinion if they don’t really have one and they’re just slingin’ stuff at you all the time.
A photo posted by Kevin September (@septembersphere) on
Amber asked me to be a presenter at the Digis which is the award show closing out the conference. In it’s 10th year, the awards celebrate Canada’s most successful digital media companies and creators.
I wasn’t nervous at all until it came time for rehearsal and I had to read a teleprompter.
Which, by the way, was easier than I thought!
I presented the award for Best Branded Content. The winner was Lilly & The Snowman from Cineplex.
Modern teleprompter!
And the winner is…
In other news, I left getting a dress to the last minute. So, I popped over to my go-to girls at Studio Fitzroy to rent something. Remember in the summer when I blogged about their dress rentals? That biz was SO SUCCESSFUL they’ve opened a dress rental spot on Dundas West.
I tried on a whole bunch, listened to music, and was offered champagne. It’s the most lovely little shop and feels like visiting your cool friend with all the great clothes. See all avail dresses at shopfitzroy.com/rentals. Thanks ladies!
I picked a gorgeous long number from For Love & Lemons. It was so comfortable with a bodysuit on the inside and pockets to keep my phone & lipstick. Didn’t have to carry a purse! Necklace is the Jenny Bird YAYA Choker I wear all the time.
Hung out w/ Taylor Kaye most the night. Check out her ‘Will This Work?’ series on YouTube with her kids, so cute. I love events like this so much because I get to catch up with entertainment people I don’t see that often. It was so great to chat with old colleagues from CTV, Much, and MTV.
This week I’ve got an event with the American Marketing Association and I’m working with RBC for an event on Thursday. Saturday I’m at YouTube Canada to moderate a panel during indie Week.
Let’s hope this beautiful weather sticks around a little while longer. We haven’t closed up the cottage yet, next weekend!
It’s time! I feel like it’s time to grace the world with some good news and great views. The winners of The 48 office space giveaway are announced below. I’ll be reaching out to a few more of you to join me at the offices for a tour and toast in the next few weeks.
The 48 Office Suite Giveaway – Winners
Grand Prize Winner: Cara Rice
– 6 months mailbox
– 8 hours in executive suite
– Invite to cocktail event with +1
2nd place: Martin Rubio
– 4 hours in executive suite
– 6 month executive mailbox
– Invite to cocktail event with +1
3rd place: Michael Brassel
– 2 hours in one of the smaller offices
– 6 month executive mailbox
– Invite to cocktail event with +1
Runner Up Prizes:
I will be contacting a handful of people to join me and the winners at The 48 for a cocktail hour and tour of the office.
The 48 is a beautiful place to work with a variety of other services and amenities to make your new workspace the best place to get things done. Aside from a great view and location at 1 King West, you can get 24/7 access with Valet Parking.
You can use this beautiful big boardroom for important meetings, focus groups, team lunch, or shooting the next episode of your soon to be trending YouTube show. ?✌?
The Boardroom at The 48
Once you’ve sorted out the details of your new office, you’ll get access to the hotel gym, discount on One King West dining, preferred hotel rates, and more. Need catering? No problem!
The internet is fast and each office has a TV you can connect to your phone or laptop to use as a second screen or display monitor. The kitchen has full amenities including fridge, stove, and sink for entertaining guests, friends, and or clients.
You’ll always look like a professional with someone at the front desk to greet your clients or answer your dedicated line. “Office of [insert your name], how may I direct your call?”
Once you exit the elevators the space is welcoming and bright. The washrooms are big, beautiful, and very mod.
If you’re looking for somewhere to set up your laptop, have a big meeting, or work on that book, check out The 48 in the prestigious One King West.
The newly renovated space has a bunch of offices with amazing 360 views of the city. Whether you’re looking for long term, short term, or super short term aka a few hours here and there, they got you. The space is also great for office parties or events.
Visit the48.ca for info or to book a tour/office. See my previous post with more photos here. This could be you! ???????
On my travels last month I was in Miami for a short visit so I took a tour of the Wynwood Art District. I’ve been dying to go there and check out the walls.
Telus hooked me up with with the new iPhone 7 Plus before my trip to the Florida Keys so I left my DSLR at home and went iPhone only. Telus has been rated the BEST National Carrier for iPhone and has a variety of plans avail to make sure you get the phone you want. You might be looking to upgrade after all my travel photos! For info about the iPhone 7 Plus or awesome features of iOS 10, visit telus.com.
TBH this phone camera is the absolute BEST I’ve ever had. I strolled around Wynwood for about hour taking photos of walls, doors, various alleys, and art in alleys. When I got to the airport I edited them all using Camera and no apps or filters. I am so impressed with this little thing!
The sky was a little crazy this day because Hurricane Matthew was passing by, it made for a good street art backdrop though. The iPhone 7 Plus has 2 lenses 1 is a reg iPhone camera and the second lens is a telephoto. With the iOS 10.1, Apple released Portrait Mode which uses the telephoto lens to isolate the subject like a professional camera (DSLR). It’s incredible. Works amazing to take photos of friends but also is killer for close up shots of products, nature, just about anything with dimension.
Lots of photos in this post so have the short version here, click below for like 20 more!
I’ve been trying do a better job of keeping tract of my actual blog related work. Since casiestewart.com is a mostly a diary about my life, it can be hard to determine what is sponsored (work) and what isn’t. I share heaps so maybe you miss the little disclaimer line now & then.
I like to keep a good mix of non-sponsored content mixed in with the spon con. Last year I set up casiestewart.biz as my online portfolio website and I UPDATED IT THIS WEEKEND. There’s 100+ examples of sponsored things I’ve done over the past few years. Crazy how they all add up! Found this quote on Forbes over the weekend and it’s what motivated me to stop scrolling social media and put in some quality time building my website. I’m finding/remembering stuff all the time so there’s a bunch more to add.
This week I’m on a panel at the NextMedia Conference talking about this stuff with someone from the ASC, Facebook, and an agent who represents influencers. It’s sure to be a good discussion and spark even more around the topic. In a prep call for the panel, Janet from the ASC said:
“We have simply introduced a new Interpretation Guideline to require disclosure of any material connection, because we identified a gap in the coverage of the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards regarding bloggers and influencers.”
Influencers and sponsored content are a very hot topic right now with new rules in Canada from the ASC based on the USA FTC regulations on testimonials, endorsements, and reviews. If you are interested in the you can find them here. DEFF WORTH READING.
I’ve got a few more things to share on this topic, it’s surely not going away. Until then, make sure you take a peek at my work at casiestewart.biz/work!
Amber asked me to be a presenter at the Digis which is the award show closing out the conference. In it’s 10th year, the awards celebrate Canada’s most successful digital media companies and creators.
