Winter Doesn’t Have to Suck: How to Make Snow Paint + Some Stuff to Watch

War Paint on Netflix = hilarious

Woke up early yesterday and made myself breakfast in bed. Spent some quality time on my computer quietly typing away and chatting with other early risers. Our roof top patio extends from the loft bedroom upstairs and the morning light is so lovely. I like making the most of a cold winter morning all cosy up in the bed reading or writing.

My Lost My Marbles laptop skin is quite a hit. The Apple cutout gives your laptop a sleek and classy look. If you wanna add some marble to your gadgets (iPhone, Android, computer, tablet, gaming system) visit nuvango.com/casiestewart. They don’t offer the apple cutout on designs but if you email [email protected] with your order and request it they’ll make sure you get it. TBH this design really looks better with the cutout.

We got some pretty gnarly snow in the middle of the day. Thank goodness we have new tires on the truck. EmBot really wanted to go play outside with the snow paint so I put on the hot pink 80’s 2 piece I inherited from Sean’s mum and got ready to roll.

These exact paint things were a Christmas gift for her but making something like this to do with friends or kids is super easy. We used to do this heaps when I was little.

How to Make Snow Paint

  1. Get some type of squirt bottle ex. old shampoo, dish detergent
  2. Mix food colouring + water (careful it WILL stain your clothes)
  3. Go outside and have a blast!

Sean picked up this little snowball maker from the dollar store and it works awesome! After we coloured snowballs and drew all over the hill we went across the yard to make a snowman.

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I absolutely love playing in snow! You probably forgot how fun it is because getting all bundled up seems like a burden but it’s NOT.

The snow turned into rain mid afternoon so we packed up and went inside for hot chocolate. Next snowfall I really wanna go sledding. I’m not one for skiing and I really don’t like snowboarding but don’t mind sliding down a hill. Weeeee!

How cute s this little guy? I’m sure there’s a whole whack of things to do with them on Pinterest.

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Discovered these at Loblaws and they are SO GOOD. This is your warning that you’ll eat the whole bag in one sitting.

Sweet chilli Pistachios, so yum!

Dad gave us a bunch of meats from his shop Gone Local Meats & More for Christmas so I cooked up some delicious free range chicken breasts with a ton of roast veggies.

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If you’re in the KW area go check out the store in Breslau. They’ve got TONS of local meat, bread, jams, produce, and other stuff from local farms close by. Their logo is an illustration of my dad and his wife Cheryl. Cute as!

Gone Local Meats & More, local, organic, free range, produce & meats

If you’re looking for something to watch on Netflix Iliza Shlesinger is HILARIOUS. We watched her standup for the second time last night and it was just as funny. Also watched Top of Lake, a mini-series based in New Zealand from BBC. It’s a crime/drama and well worth the 5 hour binge.

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Day 3/365; ate well, played in the snow, had some good laughs, and a great sleep. Day 4 is workout and de-Christmas the house. Here’s hoping the tree doesn’t make a huge mess!

<3 CASIE

On Day 2 There Were Wearables & Edibles + The #SelfieStickSpin

@casiestewart @jeniestewart #selfiestickspin

Day 2 of 2015 started and ended great. It was beautifully sunny when I got up. Made Embot some brekky and dropped her at school. With my reclaimed love for granola, stopped by to pick up a few groceries, came home made a nice brekky and got to work. Selfie stick put to use to capture the sunshine.

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I have a feeling it’s only a matter time before we see “no selfie stick” signs or theres an assault with a selfie stick. They’re really intrusive and super annoying when travelling. People on phones are already a bother, add in a metal rod with a phone on it and things get a lot more hairy. I admit I’m fully part of the problem here but for the record, I am a documentarian observing culture and selfies are part of my work. 🙂

Decided I missed violet hair and tinted it again. It’s a bit brighter than I expected, it’ll fade with each wash though. This photo makes it look almost neon. I must remember this for next time.

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Later in the evening I headed East to visit my sister. We went for fish n’ chips (or fush n cups as they say in NZ!) and laughed our heads off while casually watching hockey. Not because the hockey was funny but when us sisters get together we can’t help but have a hilarious time.  Yay Canada for the win.

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In 2015, fashion & food come together for the latest in wearable edibles. Onion ring jewellery! Ate these right off my arm bc they were burning. And delicious.

Moderation is key when it comes to healthy eating. Nothing wrong with throwing down some greasy goodness here and there. I think there’s no real point in limiting the things I love in life. YOLO!

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I was showing her my selfie stick but didn’t want to take a photo that showed the inside of her apartment so I spun around to blur the background. This was one of those aha moments of inspiration. SELFIE STICK SPIN.

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This Instagram is the first ever recorded mention of #selfiestickspin on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. I know this could be really annoying at festivals or any public place but it’s an absolutely hilarious and addictive thing to do at home. We changed outfits and spun around together full of laughs until we fell on the floor almost peeing our pants. Now that’s a good Friday night!

Day 2 of 2015, invented something, had lots of laughs, and spent time with someone I really love. This year is off to a great start!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend. 

<3 CASIE

 

 

 

 

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

Sean and Casie, Jan. 1 2015, Day 1

Writing each day is really good for you. It helps you get things done, assists in memory, and for me is really great therapy. If you’ve ever wanted to start a blog and think “what will I write about?”. Let me tell you, there’s so many things that happen in a day, you can find inspiration everywhere. What you eat, drink, wear, or where you travel to, even in your own city. If you open you eyes to the world and shift your perspective, you’ll see it in a new light.

Day 1/365, 2015: Here are some great things that happened

  1. Made notes about my day in a new notebook. I like spiral bound 5.5 x 8,5 in blank sketch paper. It’s for things I don’t blog like what I eat, vitamins, workout, how many Mason jars of water I drank.
  2. Did a new workout. Sweat my ass off.
  3. Ate good food. Nothing deep fried or heavily processed/takeout. Not being hungover really helped with that.
  4. Reclaimed my for love for granola. Yes, I like granola. Used to eat it heaps when I was a kid and my new found love for lactose free milk, it makes a delicious snack.
  5. Got a selfie stick. Sean bought one for me at Pacific Mall AND I LOVE IT. IMG_0006.JPG
  6. Opened my new Clarisonic Pearl and used it. Started with Clarisonic in December 2014 and have noticed my skin is more soft and ugly.  It’s important to write this down so I always remember to use it. One minute can seem like a long time when you are in a rush.
  7. Put on fuzzy socks with Vaseline. If you read any beauty blogs or check Google this is a sure way to get super soft feet.
  8. Tagged my images properly in WordPress. Sometimes I’m a lazy blogger ok.
  9. Enjoyed a clean bedroom and fresh brand new sheets.
  10. Cleared space off my iPhone and Macbook Air. Have been meaning to do this for ages. This was an old text from an Uber driver. I laughed. LUBER haha. IMG_0075.JPG
  11. Folded the laundry AND put it away.
  12. Spent some quality time w/ my love. Including foot massage!
  13. Drank heaps of water.

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I feel like I’m forgetting some other little gems that passed through the last 24 hours but I’ll remember those tomorrow, day 2. I’m trying to write more (~500 words/day). My goal of 2015 is to spend less time on the computer and more time doing things worth writing about.

Until then, this is my life 🙂

<3 CASIE

 *  title is a quote by Arthur Ashex who was an American athlete.

 

 

 

 

#NewYear2015: Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.

#NewYear2015: Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.

Casie Stewart, Happy New Year 2015

Waking up not hungover feels great! I’m ready for an amazing year and focussed more than ever on making it a success and being the healthiest I’ve ever been. 2015 marks 10 years of my blog and we’ve been on quite the journey together. I’m glad I never gave up and can’t wait to see what adventures the new year brings.

You'll never be younger than you are today, make the most of it. - Casie Stewart

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Here’s to a healthy and happy 2015!
With love,
CASIE <3

Title is a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of my favs. 

 

OPEN YOUR EYES

See the potential in your current surroundings. There are no limits. You can be everything you’ve every dreamed of. The world is your oyster. Go out there and get it!

*Amal & George being chased down the canal by media 🙂

365 Chances to Create the Life You’ve Imagined

So, yesterday I wasn’t feeling so hot and I was hoping I was just tired from a busy weekend but today I am worse. My throat is sore and my whole body aches. I’m trying to look on the bright side, it’s forcing me to sit on the couch and spend some time with my computer and there’s a chance I might drop a few lbs before the New Year. I’m drinking heaps of water, have chicken soup, and Sean is home sick too. Our house is quarantine.

I don’t get sick very often but I’ve blogged about it a few times:

Looking back, I usually only get sick in winter. Apparently ‘it’s going around’, from my limited interaction with other humans the last 24 hours. After a really busy year I think a few days thrown up on the couch will do me well.

I’ve finally set a date for the release of my book on Amazon and have an ISBN number. There’s no turning back now. When I wrote my first book, JEANS, back in 1996 there were waaaaaay more hoops to jump through in order to self-publish. Thanks to the Internet, you can now publish at the touch of your fingers.

I also signed up for ukulele lessons and I will be able to play by the time summer rolls around. I’ve been meaning to to both those things for a while so feeling pretty good the wheels are in motion for 2015. I have a great feeling about this year. 365 new days and chances to create the life you’ve always imagined.

Anything on your list for 2015? I’ve turned off comments to tweet me at @casiestewart, I’d love to know!

<3 CASIE

That’s a Lot of Blog Posts

Doing a massive crawl through my blog for stories and fav posts from the last 10 years. There are thousands of posts. I wonder how long my blog would be if I printed it out? I’m gonna look into that.

Turns out it’s kinda hard to print out your blog posts when you started writing back in the WebLog ages. I imagined this would happen.

I’m spending the next few days going over my adventures to England, Costa Rica, LA, SF, Thainand, Cuba. Taking a look back at people I’ve met, events, and places I’ve been.

I’m looking forward to taking you through the archives. 🙂

CASIE

Holidays Ova, New Year Right Here!

Holidays Ova, New Year Right Here!

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I’m back! Miss me? You won’t skip a beat if you’ve been following me on Twitter or Instagram or checking into casiestewart.com. I’ve got RebelMouse life feed sharing everything from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, tumblr, and Pinterest.

Took a few days off and lazed around the house after Christmas chilling w/my family and Sean. I’ve been watching Hostages on Netflix this weekend and it’s about an attempt to assassinate the president. After about 8 eps it started to get a bit silly with so many twists and turns but I feel I can’t stop switching now. Dylan McDermot and Toni Colette are the leads and I really love her, she’s so versatile. The guy who played Jimmy Cooper on the OC too. My sister partied with McDermot in Dominican a few years back, they were at the Maxim Mansion opening.

I’ve been thinking about the last year (as one does before NYE) and I’m planning to post a few of my most treasured moments.  More on that starting Wednesday, New Years Eve.

Remember: You’ll never be as young as you are today so make the most of it. 🙂 

<3 CASIE

Protecting Canada’s Wildlife w/ Telus #ShopWildly

Protecting Canada’s Wildlife w/ Telus #ShopWildly

What do trees, burrowing & short eared owls, polar & grizzly bears, beluga whale, and the Monarch butterfly all have in common? Besides being endangered special in Canada, they’re some of the animals Telus is helping to save. They’re also the ones I donated to!

Over the next 5 years Telus is giving $5 million to protect our wildlife. They sent me on a wild shopping spree with $1,000 and I spent it on a  few of my fav Canadian animals and trees. My purchases are going towards protecting our Canadian animals and their habitats, ensuring that wildlife in Canada can stay wild long into the future.

Last year as a gift, Telus adopted a Giant Panda from the WWF in my name. I’ve been with Telus for as long as I can remember. My first ever cellphone was with them ages ago when they were Clearnet.

 

Show your love for Canadian wildlife at shopwildly.ca. Thank you Telus for all you do! 🙂

<3 CASIE

Where You Land is Where I’m Gonna Be

Where You Land is Where I’m Gonna Be

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Was all decked out in pastels this weekend. I really love my hair this colour. Thinking I’ll go back to blonde for spring but it’s gotta get a bit longer. Growing out your hair from a pixie takes real dedication.

Slept half the weekend and feel great today.  Had some time with friends and got some Christmas shopping in. Can’t wait till see all my family on Wednesday. Mum is hosting a huge group for dinner including my Dad and his wife.  It’s gonna be great!

Have you heard this song in the Walmart commercial? I love it, Paper Planes by East of Avenue. Was created by a TO agency. We kept singing it whenever the commercial came on and Sean learned to play it on guitar this weekend. Title is a line from it. Where You Land is Where I’m Gonna Be

How cute is this little Christmas Mini! It’s got pressies and lights (kinda hard to see the lights but we were driving!).  I love all the lights on everything this time of year. Sean told me he’ll have the hugest display of lights when we get a bigger house/yard and I fell in love all over again. Timed to music too. What a dreamboat!

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Discovered a new app this weekend called Shift that allows you to create filters and it’s kinda net. Spiced up this photo of Queen West (it’s $0.99). Will be at the Gladstone Hotel tonight teaching a class on blogging in their new Get School’d series. I believe it’s sold out but if you are interested in coming, lmk.

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After today I’m going to really try and take a break from my phone and laptop. I doubt I’d be able to digital detox without being at a beach, I can’t go a day without my phone. I can barely go a while movie! Is that sad? I dunno! I love learning, reading, knowing, creating things, and the Internet informs me.

On that note, I’m planning to do a nice roundup of 2014 before New Years. 2015 marks 10 years blogging about my life and I’m planning to go over all my old posts and share some of the best ones since 2005. I started blogging to keep track of people, places, and things, so I could keep more memories and it’s worked. Looking back is a great lesson that you really can achieve anything you set your mind to.

I’m extremely grateful for everything me and my lil’ bloggy have accomplished over the years! Thank you for following along and being part of it.

Here’s to a great week!

<3 CASIE