Tonight I got wild and used my straightener for the first time in months. My hair is getting so long! I did a tiny trim to the ends, an ‘air cut’ as my Sassoon Stylist calls it. Barely noticeable, just a tiny snip!
Over the course of this year, I’ve often had a list of things I want to accomplish each week. I set out to try and do one thing each day then, by the end of the week, I’ve accomplished a lot. It can so be super overwhelming to see the list and think, ‘where do I start?‘.
Today I called the CRA to deal with my taxes and straightened my hair (aside from work during the day) and tbh, I feel pretty good about it. Some days it’s something as simple as dealing with a laundry pile or going for a run.
This year we have all spent more time on Zoom or Google Meet than ever. If you’re feeling Zoom-fatigue, you are not alone. It’s totally normal to feel exhausted right now, there are so many contributing factors work, health, covid, money, plus the holidays are just around the corner. I used to love getting groceries but I find it stressful now.
The other day I download Snap Camera for Mac and it’s a great way to spice up your meetings. You can get festive for the holidays, add a filter for perfect skin, or use all kinds of camera effects. It’s kinda fun. I’ve been using a colour filter to change my lighting and make my skin look flawless.
Check out this great video by my friend Amanda Cosco on how to easily add Snap Camera to your computer.
I’d like to thank me for all my hard work over the years, and not giving up on me, and for staying committed to my goals. Ha! Jk, I worked with a friend at an agency who helped initiate the process. I’m now verified on Twitter (2012) and Instagram (2020).
If you haven’t seen Snoop give this award speech where he thanks himself, you’re welcome.
Getting verified made me think about some of the cool stuff I’ve done over the years. The process involved submitting a bunch of references to verify my work and who I am in the world. If you ever wanna do a deep creep, I have another website at casiestewat.biz with speaking, directing, brand partnerships (over 100!), and press/media over the years.
Here’s a little hilight of some videos, awards, commercials, etc.
Looking back, this was a pretty neat experience and I don’t think they ever did this section of the awards as a separate event again. I was up against someone I really wanted to beat and was SO NERVOUS I would lose. I remember drinking too much that night to try and escape the anxiety. The Canadian Academy awards (Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television) are kinda like the Canadian version of the Oscars, awarding excellence in film, TV, and digital.
We shot this over a 4 day stay in Mexico. One day to rest once we arrived, 2 days to shoot (all on iPhone!), and 3/4 of one day to rest before leaving. It was a fun shoot but very busy. The whole team was great to work with. This commercial ran during the Superbowl AND the Grammys that year (it came on right after GAGA performed!). In January of 2020, I went on a Sunwing trip to Cuba (not work!) and that was my last vacation. I miss traveling. One day!
This was shot by Sean’s company 1188 Films and the brand rep from Aeroplan was a former client we had both worked with. I remember being on the phone with the client a couple weeks before the shoot when she told me she was able to myself and a GUEST to New Zealand for the holidays. Mum and I went for a month and it was so memorable. That trip meant so much to my family, mum, and me. We were able to spend heaps of time travelling together, laughing with friends and family, and seeing her mum (Nana) before she passed away. I am so grateful for this experience and it warms my heart just thinking about it.
I got a call from my acting agent at the time to go to an audition for this last minute. I didn’t have time to go home and change but the role was for ‘hipster girl’ so I went in what I was wearing. When I booked it, the message from the wardrobe dept. was to wear the same clothes. LOL. This would make me a certified professional hipster.
This was booked by my speaker agency (National Speakers Bureau) and I drove to London, ON, the day before. I will never forget that someone was killed on Highway 401 that day when a tire flew off a transport truck, it happened about an hour after I passed that same stretch. I stayed in a small apartment on the Western University Campus so I was ready to take the stage first thing in the AM. I am a bit embarrassed because I was so nervous that day! I’ve come a long way as a speaker since 2015 but looking back, I’m proud of myself for giving it a good go and talking about something I love. The theme was The Human Condition and my talk was Exploring What It Means to Be Human on The Internet.
I hated this article with a PASSION when it came out. I was so mad. The author had been so nice to me in the interview, I shared all kind of things I was excited about blah blah blah. Then, she turned it right around on me to make me sound like an idiot. Pretty sure I sent her a nasty email. Ah well, no press is bad press and I love this illustration. I think I’ll frame it.
I will remember this day as something great to come out of 2020!
Feeling good today! I love Monday, it’s a day full of opportunity, a fresh start to the week. Yesterday’s outing left me feeling all kinds of happiness.
When I posted this today on IG, a few people were surprised at how long my hair is now. It’s growing like crazy! Longest I’ve had it in over a decade. One friend even said they weren’t sure if it was my sister until the mask came off! Did you like the IG post yet?!
This mask is a new design by my friend Anela, the designer behind Considerate Goods (posted about her here). I picked up a few new masks from last time I was in the city and they are SO STYLISH. I even got a special one for holiday and I look forward to sharing it with you! I also got the houndstooth which is super nice.
I know things are hard right now and we wish it could be different but it’s important to see the joy in little things, to get outside each day, and find things to be happy about. Last winter I wrote a series about dealing with winter SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), you can find those suggestions here.
As it gets colder and we have nowhere to go, it’s gonna be hard but WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS.
After a day of rest, I was ready to go out into the world. I woke up early, got dressed, and ventured out for a coffee. I chatted with a friend for an hour before picking up a few groceries. It was so nice and sunny out! Love a good long walk in the sun.
When I got back home I put on (yes, another!) Christmas movie and made falafels, an Israeli-inspired salad, and some delicious orzo in the Instant Pot.
I made plans to go on a photo walk with April and walked down to Queen & Lansdowne. We hung out in the sun, taking photos in the alleys. It was so lovely!
We walked west to the Bellwoods from Parkdale, I picked a bouquet of eucalyptus from Crown Flora and a vegan cookie from The Drake. We sat in the park for a little bit, taking in the sun, before heading back home.
It’s so nice to be back in the city, walking the streets, and having distance hangs with friends. Gotta appreciate all the little things!
Today was a much needed day to just be with my thoughts, my bed, my snacks, and holiday movies. I took a much-needed ‘do nothing’ day to relax and recharge. I can’t even remember the last time I had SUCH a lazy day.
It was so nice. I made coffee & tucked myself into the couch for a holiday movie in the morning. Then I took a nap. In the late afternoon, I ordered McDonald’s on UberEats and ate it in IN MY BED. No shame! Selfcare!
It is more than ok to take a day or an afternoon to just BE. To do nothing. Actually, I highly recommend it. Take a personal day when you need it, it will revive your soul.
If you are looking for a little mini escape, play this song with headphones on and let your mind wander. It’s one of my favs.
New boots from L’Intervalle in Montreal arrived and I love them. Popped over to safely visit Michelle before she moved out of her apartment.
It was so nice out today, felt like spring at 7 degrees in the sun. In the afternoon Sean and I drove out to Oakville to visit Sean’s parents and pick up the treadmill. Can’t wait to set it up! Sean’s mum also gave me some fabric to work with. THANK YOU!
Looking forward to a few days up in the woods. I feel like my creativity is really popping these days, ready to bloom!
I might have a problem, it’s Instagram ads, they get me all the time! I saw these tracksuits on Instagram and they looked SO CUTE. It took a couple of weeks for them to arrive and, low and behold, they were not as cute as the photos. The top one is hilarious, Sean said it reminded him of a clown suit. I love the colours but the fabric is not great.
The suit below was so big. I might be able to make the pants or top work individually but as a set, I’m swimming. I washed them right away hoping they might shrink but no dice.
It’s totally crazy how well Instagram can sense what things we might like. Over the years, I’ve made some questionable purchases. ? I’m currently waiting on two more jumpsuits I saw from an Instagram ad. After seeing IG ads for local jewelry designer Jenny Bird, I ordered myself sold beautiful gold pieces as an early Christmas present. I also took advantage of L’Intervalle’s 50% off sale and ordered some gorgeous leather boots. They’re on their way from Montreal and should be here Monday! The 50% off sale is still on FYI!
Woke up to a winter wonderland! I reckon we got almost 10cm last night. Had a productive workday then Sean and I went to town around 6pm. Took it easy on the roads and made a date of going to Canadian Tire. Not a lot to do in these parts (or anywhere!) these days.
On the way home, Sean had to clear a tree off the cottage road so we could make it back. Crazy times! I think more snow is coming tonight. Good thing we got a good snow shovel!
I woke up this morning excited for work. I have talked about my love for Monday before. Monday is a day full of opportunity, who knows what emails you’ll get, how a call will change a plan, or who might pop into your day and brighten it up. I’ve worked freelance for years but before that, I’d been in full-time jobs where I dreaded Monday morning. If you think about it, Monday doesn’t suck, you just hate your job.
I baked some cookies during our all-staff meeting today, then dropped some to our lovely neighbour and my favourite postal lady, Judy, at Kilworthy Post Office. I rang Mum and we talked about little gifts we’ve made/are making for people and let me tell you, nothing like a handmade gift.
I loved sewing this weekend and I can’t wait to make more things. It’s taken some time to get familiar with my machine but I’m getting it. Each of my one-of-a-kind scrunchies has its own imperfections, making it unique. It gave me so much joy to make and style each one. A few people have asked how to get them, I’m thinking about making a shop and donating some of the proceeds. Tbh, kinda wanna keep and wear them all but I have enough scraps/ones that turned out bad ( ?) to have a piece of each floofy scrunch.
Doing things that don’t involve a phone or computer will inspire you in ways you don’t even know. I highly recommend it.
The agency I’ve been working with for the last few months is called FUNDAY. I love the people, the work, the hours, and it generally makes me happy to be on the team. If you are interested to learn more, check out funday.agency.
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!
Today I had virtual lighting consultation with Luminaire Authentik. The meeting was set up by my friend & PR maven Kate Makinson, to create a custom light for my space. Started in 2015 by Maude Rondeau, Luminaire Authentik has become known for its Scandinavian aesthetic, made-in-Canada craftsmanship, and limitless customization options. I fell in love with their designs and started to visualize new lighting in our home using their 3D Creation Tool.
Love this style!
This colour!
Instead of physically going to their location in Leslieville, I opted to have an online consultation with Alana who was in the showroom. She was so helpful! Over Zoom, I took her on a tour of my space and shared what I was thinking. I fell in love with a large hanging light that’s white on the inside, with a large bulb, and BRIGHT yellow on the outside.
It’s going to hang so nice and be a focal point of the room. It takes a couple of weeks to make and will arrive at my door in early January. I’ve never had a custom light and after spending the last year transforming my space, it’s going to be a bright, beautiful, final touch.
This is the old light that is being replaced. Goodbye! ?
Here’s a preview of my new light using the Luminaire Authentik 3D Creator tool. I can’t WAIT!
Visit luminaireauthentik.com to browse their beautiful designs and play with the 3D Tool. They have so many customizable options depending on what you’re looking for. The Toronto showroom is located in Leslieville but you can also do an online consultation like me.
If you have any questions, LMK! I will share an update once it arrives and I set it up. Excited to bring this custom, Canadian-made sunshine to my room.
Well hello there! Spent the whole day inside, did not run today. Curled my hair with vintage hot rollers and I looked like a cherub. Decided to pop on a nice yellow jumper to brighten the day.
Tomorrow I’m meeting Talia in the morning for a socially distanced coffee date. I really miss seeing friends!
Usually, at this time of the year, I would be getting ready for a week away in New Orleans with some of my best friends. Seeing Facebook memories pop up makes me really miss travel. Seven years ago during this time, I was in Thailand with Contiki and 20 YouTubers. Such a great trip.
Today I was dreaming about going on vacation and the first place I would go back to is Costa Rica. If I was going to move to a tropical climate, I would love to live in CR.
In other news, remember how I mentioned wanting a treadmill? Well, ladies & gentlemen, the magic of the universe has shined its light in my direction! Sean’s dad emailed him to say they have one in their garage. AHHH! I am so thankful! It’s amazing how you can manifest great things in your life if you put positive messages out there.
Keith, if you are reading this I am sending you my love!!
My marketing professor in college used to say this to us. Each day we had her class, she expected us all to dress like we were going to work. I have always loved a good outfit and dressing nice for school was something I took pride in.
Even though I’m not going anywhere or seeing anyone, I like to dress up on Monday to start the week feeling good. Today I did my hair, put on makeup, and a dress. Each time I popped downstairs my dress fluttered around like I was flying. A simple pleasure. I felt great all day and had a wonderful burst of creativity in the afternoon before my last meeting.
I don’t dress up every day but in my experience, putting on a great outfit is usually a great way to make yourself feel better. By Friday, I’m usually in a cozy outfit with messy hair and no makeup, but it’s the end of the week. ?
I finally looked up the quote! Turns out, the full text is “no matter how you feel, get up, dress up, show up, and never give up.” It’s by NYT best-selling author Regina Brett and I am now following her on Twitter.
I’m glad I spent some time outside on Friday because we got snow today! Yesterday I spent almost the entire day in my room watching shows, napping, and reading. We all need a day of rest sometimes.
We’re heading back to the city shortly and spending the week there as Emily has school. I’m really looking forward to being back at the house. I’ve been in the woods for 3-weeks, except for 2 short 24-hour trips to the city and back.
All of my plants have been fertilized and boxed up for the trip back home. They’ve all done so well during the pandemic and I’ve really enjoyed having them at the cottage. I hope they’re happy too! I’m sure they will enjoy the warmth of our house for the winter. My room is going to be a jungle and I can’t wait.
Sean went to the city after sunrise for a meeting. I spent the morning working until lunchtime. It was so lovely outside I decided to put on my gloves and get to work. 13 degrees in November, I’ll take it! I’m sure we’ll have snow in no time, so I wanted to make the most of the warm air.
I started stacking all the wood that had fallen down from our first attempt a couple of weeks ago. I put away most of the patio furniture for winter, got the shutters on the front of the cottage, and a few of the big ones on the windows facing the lake. I was listening to Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey on Audible and it was great motivation. I really love this book and I’m thinking about getting a hardcover copy of it so I can look back on his notes, poems, and quotes.
Ok, this is kinda crazy. I looked it up on Amazon and found this page. That quote about style on the right is from a daily quote calendar from the ’90s (maybe ’80s?). I know this because we had the same one at our house. Mum still has one of the pages in her fridge today. I know I have a photo of it somewhere but I will ask her to send a photo so I can update this post. I think it’s a sign I should get the hardcopy, who knows what else I’ll find in there.
In life, I like to think small similarities like this are a sign I’m on the right track. Synchronicity. I am certain mum is going to ring me when she reads this because you won’t believe what happened next. The following page I looked up has a poem on it, look at the date. It was written on May 8th, my birthday.
The world we’re living in is full of things to stress us out but it’s little moments like this that give me inspiration. Have faith that everything will be ok.
Look for synchronicity in your life, your day, you might find it in the most unlikely place.
You never know what light will shine on you when you are open to receiving it.
As much as I really don’t enjoy being cold, I love wearing wool, scarves, tights, and turtlenecks in winter. I recently ordered a couple of cashmere-cotton blend turtlenecks from Joe Fresh and they’re great. You can use Sasha’s code SASHA25 to save 25% making them under $20! They can also double as a mask. ? Leopard jacket is also from JF, it’s the ‘Jilly Jacket’ in kids xl. The scrunchie I made about a month ago matches the print perfectly!
Ran a few KMs in the city before heading to the office. Found this sculpture not far from the house, not sure if it’s Drake OVO or something by birdo?!
We arrived back at the cottage just after 7 pm and Sean opened his new Oculus Quest 2. I’m really keen to try some of the VR fitness with this. Last winter I was able to go to the gym and use the treadmill but this year, once it gets icy, I won’t be running outside. Looking for more ways to stay fit without having to go outside. I’ll post a review of Oculus Quest 2 once I’ve tried a few games.
This week I had a shoot in the city and it was so fun! I was at the Influence Agency studio where we shot an episode of their Behind The Gram series, Holiday Edition. I’m excited to share it with you next month!
The shoot was covid-safe (obvs!) and so much fun. As soon as I saw Brigitte we did a happy dance. I miss seeing friends and doing stuff like this. I wore my fav beret from Hayley Elsassaer I got last winter and this super-soft cashmere shirt from mum.
When I got home I started listening to Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey on Audible. It’s so good. I really enjoy listening to audiobooks when I’m running. I love the way he talks, his cadence, accent, inspiration. Highly recommend. This quote is from part one ‘Outlaw Logic’.
“I’d rather lose money having fun than make money being bored.”
The little things like catching the sun in your face. A beautiful tree. Smiling at someone as you drive by. A fresh cup of hot coffee on a cold morning. When you focus on gratitude, even the simplest things can be a source of joy. Do this and I promise it will have a big impact on your entire life.
Woke up to a blanket of snow today. It’s cold but beautiful. I ran through the winter wonderland, seeing my breath as I jogged down the road. The sun was shining and the snow painted glitter all around. It was so nice.
On the way home, there was even more snow and it’s been a long time since we’ve driven in those conditions. Although it took longer to make it back to the city, we kept saying ‘WOW’ as we drove the winding roads through the snow.
I’m excited about my shoot today. Ahh! I’ve been up in the woods so long, being in a studio has me quite excited.
Well, the last 24 hours have been something else! It’s not often that we have a power outage at the cottage but yesterday, there was a massive wind storm in South Western Ontario and it hit us hard. We lost power around 3pm and I was only on 50% phone battery. We charged up devices best we could, made a fire for heat, and pulled out the candles. Sean and I slept in the living room near the fire with doors to the rest of the cottage closed off. It was pretty scary at times, since it was dark around 5pm, we had only candles & flashlights to make it through the night. The wind outside was the fiercest I’ve ever experienced here, with rain, snow, hail, and cold temperatures.
Sean woke up a couple of times in the night to add wood to the fire and by 6 am we were both awake. The power didn’t return until about 3 pm but we managed to still stay connected and avoid any meltdowns (me lol). Monday is the busiest day at my job so I charged my phone in the car so I could make out weekly status update calls. After that, I organized the spice cupboard and did some exercise. I figured since I was trying to conserve my device batteries, I could make good use of my ‘offline’ time.
In other news, I got a big beautiful Monstera plant at Walmart yesterday for $34.99! I’ve wanted one for a while so I am pretty happy to watch her grow. There’s some bright new growth and she seems to be pretty healthy. Kinda wish I picked up a second one! Over the next few months, I’d like to add Monstera to my propagating. They had fiddle leaf fig plants too FYI.
Tomorrow we’re back in the city and I have a covid-safe shoot, on camera! It’s been MONTHS since I was in a studio and I can’t wait.
The last Friday the 13th was in March this year, it was the last time I was out in the world pre-pandemic. Woke up early and went to the gym, not knowing it would be my last time there, ever. For lunch, I met some friends at the Drake Commissary we dined inside. On my way home, I picked up a few beers from Henderson Brewery, mask free. The term ‘social distancing’ was all over the news the following day and Canadians were told to stay home. Sean and I watched Contagion and had no idea we’d still be in this global pandemic, 200+ days later.
That week, I’d done a talk at my old high school to the graduating students, had a hair appointment, photoshoot, and wrote about going to the gym.
On Monday, we made a decision to come to the cottage and packed up everything to stay up in the woods for a ‘little while’. It’s crazy to think back to the start of this pandemic and where we are today. Cases are on the rise and the modeling shows we might see 5,000+ cases a day come December. We could go into full lockdown mode again.
I’m glad to have kept this diary, even for my own memory. I’d have no idea how I passed the days if I hadn’t documented what I’ve been doing or how I’m feeling. Who knows how long we’ll be in pandemic times but one day I’ll look back at this and how it changed the world. Maybe I’ll make it into a book!
Sending love form the woods, hang in there, we’ll get through this.
Here’s my first pandemic diary post back in March 2020:
I wasn’t feeling great today. Kept waking up in the night thinking someone was walking through the cottage. Woke up with serious anxiety, went for a run, did a meditation, took a nap. Called mum when after my rest and talked it out. Had a cry, felt a bit better. Mum has a magical way of calming me down, looking at things rationally, and helping me see clearly. A nap always helps too, everything seems more intense when you’re tired.
Today, Toronto announced new ‘red zone’ restrictions as cases keep rising in the GTA. Ontario is now seeing over 1,000 cases/day which is kinda scary. As of Saturday, restaurants can no longer have indoor dining, gyms can’t hold fitness classes, no indoor meeting spaces, and bars have 9pm last call. They’re also encouraged people not to hang out with anyone who doesn’t live in their household. It’s crazy we are living through this right now.
JUST IN: Toronto will move to the red zone of Ontario’s COVID-19 tiered shutdown system and will tighten restrictions even further, forcing indoor gyms and dining to remain closed until at least mid-December.https://t.co/rhyBCtWRXe
Being at the cottage feels like we’re escaping and sometimes I start doing something where I forget what’s going on, then I remember. It’s normal to have anxiety, especially now, I’ve found that exercise and meditation have been really helpful.
A couple of years ago I was gifted a membership to the Calm app and really got into guided meditation. I found that I really missed using the app and purchased a new membership in the summer. I love the sleep stories by Matthew McConaughey or Harry Stiles. I swear I’ve never heard the end of the story, I always fall asleep!Their website is offering a free week if you’d like to give it a try.
If you’re feeling pandemic anxiety, it’s normal, take some deep breaths, go outside for as walk, call a friend, or do something that makes you feel happy.
We have had the absolute best weather for the last couple of days! It’s been around 20 degrees during the day since Saturday. I’m working most of the day but I love sitting outside for coffee and lunch to soak up some vitamin D.
April is here for the week and Sean is back in the city with Emily. So nice to have some quality girl time!
I’ve been pretty good with working out the last week and did 4km today before 8am. Last week I treated myself to new running pants for the first time in months as my old ones were falling down. I also ordered Bala wrist/ankle weights and I love them. I tagged them on IG today and they replied, ha! I really hope this warm weather lasts a while, I am NOT READY for winter snow or slippery surfaces. I love running outside so much, not sure what I’m gonna do this year without the gym or a treadmill.
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
Albert Camus
Gonna soak up as much sun as I can and make the most if each warm-ish day while I can!
Spent the entire afternoon sitting in the sun and it was so lovely! Read my book, did a little workout, perfection. Hard to believe we are having such warm days in November. 2020 is such an interesting year!
We’ve been having the most beautiful sunsets the last few days. I love summer up here but there’s also such a good vibe in autumn.
In other news, I got this great coat at a second-hand shop in New Zealand and it’s been hanging in my room ever since. Decided it was time to bust it out!
Tomorrow I’m meeting April at the Hippie Market and she’s going to spend the week at the cottage with me. I can’t wait!
