Travel | Got Wanderlust? Take That Trip!

As winter starts to creep up on us I find myself looking back through old blog posts of my travels. I’m keen to book a trip for Sean and I for a little R&R under the sun early 2016. I’m thinking Dominican Republic, Cuba, or Costa Rica. I’m dying to feel sand on my skin and salt water in my hair! ?? Over the last few years I’ve been to Thailand, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and LA during the winter. I absolutely LOVE to travel but preparation is key if you want to have a good time for example, a travel shoe bag is a must for me and I don’t travel without them. Also, if you don’t manage your money right, it can be expensive. Up until a few years ago I didn’t even have a credit card because I was still paying off my student debt from school. This doesn’t mean to say that just because you’re at university, you can’t have a credit card; those studying away from their home country can still get a credit card for International Students. Having a card with travel rewards was really important to me now. I want to get something back from all the purchases I make on my trips. I’m also really interested in qantas credit cards which are another travel-based provider, as they offer rewards for frequent flyers which is certainly what I am! I would rather take a great trip in the winter to boost my inspiration and pay it off my credit card, than not go at all and let the winter blues get me down. You never know what’s going to happen, YOLO! I’ve partnered with a Capital One Canada one to tell you about their new and improved line of Capital One Aspire Travel MasterCards.…

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This is My Life | Sirius XM, NKPR, Greta Constantine, ALO Restaurant, H&M Studio

This week was a busy one! I was looking through photos and decided it would be a good idea to take a look back. Monday I was back on Sirius XM co-hosting the Todd Shapiro Show. It was super fun. Listen to it here.   I’m working on a big project at 1188 and we had a meeting over foot massages. SMARTEST IDEA. There’s a little spot at Queen/Portland, $25 for 30min. Not prices like Thailand but the massage was just as good! Work work.  Tuesday was the NKPR pre-TIFF media event at Natasha’s house. Tahnee was there! It was great to see all the fashion/media peeps after a long relaxing summer. The crazy is about to begin! Can’t wait for TIFF. Recognize these bachelors? Tim (L) and I shot a TV show earlier this year with NKPR. Todd isn’t a bachelor anymore tho. Brad (R) is on TV in Canada and a former Bachelor for those of you not from here.   The NKPR IT Lounge has been going on for 10 years. It’s a VIP gifting suite and portrait studio. Caitlin Cronenberg is shooting it for W Magazine again this year. I’ll be popping by on Sept. 9th. Wednesday night Greta Constantine hosted La Piscine. A glamorous night held at 77 Admiral Road, a three story brick mansion with beautiful backyard and pool. See more photos of peeps at the party on shedoesthecity.com.   Recognize this babe? Abe Hotaki was there stomping grapes in his underwear. He was at our cottage this summer for the Archibald Men magazine shoot.  Next week I’m attending a top secret party hosted by Rickey, if you don’t know Rickey, you will soon. #ChezRickey is sure to be an amazing night.  The tips I ordered for my new Jeffrey Campbell boots arrived. I…

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World Elephant Day – Throwback to Visiting Maesa Elephant Camp

In honour of World Elephant Day, here’s a throwback visiting an elephant sanctuary in Chaing Mai,  Thailand.  ปางช้างแม่สา aka Maesa Elephant Camp is like a retirement camp for elephants that aren’t able to go back into the wild after they’ve worked. There are over 75 elephants and they do activities like soccer, basketball, and painting. I was so impressed with their painting skills!

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Vintage Ink Wine + Contest + Tattoo Tales

Ever wondered about someone’s tattoos but never asked? To be honest, I don’t really like explaining them to people I don’t know. It’s personal, I’m usually asked in a crowded place, and it takes a while because I have heaps. Some have number significance, dates, travel, family, and there’s a couple I got for fun. Pizza anyone? I’ve partnered with Vintage Ink Wines to share my tattoo stories and introduce a contest for a new wine label design based on tattoos submitted by people like us. The tatted! Tattoo Tales: Stories Behind My Tattoos I got my first tattoo in Australia, the southern cross constellation between my shoulderblades. It was about 4pm and we were driving from from Bronte to Bondi beach with no plans so, my friend Cameron and I decided randomly to get tattooed. We both didn’t have any until that day! My next tattoo was 2 lines on my right hand ring finger, one blue one orange. The idea is derived from a personality test called True Colours. It used to be used in workplaces to break people into groups and pair them together based on personality for group cohesiveness. It was prevalent in my studies and I learned that in order to be my most successful self, a 50/50 mix between my true colours was ideal.  Orange – outgoing, vibrant, strong vs. Blue, analytical, organized, list maker. I still find this tattoo a helpful reminder.  Note, tattoos on the hands fade faster than any others. I’ve had it redone about 3 times in 10 years. I got this owl about 2 years ago. It’s on my right arm, like most of mine because I drew them all on with marker first. I’m left handed. I found this design in a Google search and customized it to change the watch face…

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My Blog is 10 Years Old Today.

My how  time flies. I’m happy to celebrate ten years of  CASIE STEWART : THIS IS MY LIFE  blog. Since 2005, I’ve been documenting my global adventures in fashion, travel, and technology.  I’ve been to Thailand, England, Costa Rica, LA, New York, and more. When I look back it hardly seems real. Thank GOD I’ve got it documented so I can relive all those exciting moments. Thank you for coming along with me.  Thinking I’ll do a post with some of my fav moments later this week. Over the past few weeks I’ve been working on casiestewart.biz,  a brand new hub of work and media accomplishments.  I’m really excited for this year and what the next 10 years will be like. If the last five are any indication of awesomeness, I imagine my 20 year blog post will be from the MOON. Hop on over to CASIE STEWART : THIS IS MY WORK  and take a peek at casiestewart.biz. Thank you again for following along and being part of my life. I’m truly filled with joy when I think about all the relationships I’ve built the last ten years. With love, <3 CASIE  

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Travel Tuesday: Vacations Aren’t Just for Soaking Up Sun!

Dreaming of an experiential vacation – wine tasting in Italy, yoga in India, surfing in Costa Rica, visiting Lower Shotover New Zealand to go Bungee Jumping? People often think of vacations as a jaunt away to soak up the sun but one way to REALLY enrich your life is a vacation where you learn something or take on a new experience. An RV vacation is a very popular choice for many people who want to go and see new sights and cultures from the comfort of their own vehicle. Those that do embark on such a vacation will want to make sure they have quality equipment, like Lifeline rv batteries, on board before doing so. A couple years ago I went on a solo surf + yoga vacation to Costa Rica, it was so much fun. Visiting this country was on my bucket list and I had always wanted to tick it off. With this being said, if it wasn’t for a friend of mine recommending I checked out a site like https://små-lån.com (as she knew I was struggling financially), I don’t think this trip would have been possible, but I am glad that I was able to make this happen. While I was there, I learnt how to do aerial silks and perfected my wave riding skills in the ocean. This was the little cabin I stayed at in the jungle at Anamaya Resort. In 2013, I ventured to Thailand and took a cooking class in one of my fav cuisines. I came home with new skills and a bright outlook on a different culture. I recently chatted with TD Canada Trust about how to make an experiential vacation a reality. These types of vacations are often seen as more costly and harder to plan. BUT, if you knuckle…

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Video Feature: Portraits by IB w/ @IbraheemYoussef

On Friday I met up with artist/designer/photographer Ibraheem Youssef for a portrait session in his Portraits by IB collection. I took him through my internet and creativity fuelled, hyper connected reality.  We did a quick Meerkat livestream at Jimmy’s coffee then popped into graffiti alley, Queen West to capture a video in the sunshine. Portraits by IB on Instagram Meet Casie Stewart @casiestewart. A fashion, travel & technology blogger. She self describes her style as “Bright, vintagy & always changing”. I personally like her passion and willingness to experiment and push boundaries of style! Spotted at Portland and Queen in Toronto, Canada. //// Shades by@Burgerandfriends – Rings & Necklace by @shopforjayu – Blazer vintage – Scarf from #Thailand– Leather jacket from @rudsak – Shoes by@lechateauStyle – Tights by @joefresh  A video posted by Ibraheem Youssef (@portraitsbyib) on Mar 14, 2015 at 2:37pm PDT Saw these two little Doge at Jimmy’s. Much cuteness! It’s so nice outside today, get off the computer and soak up the sunshine! <3 CASIE

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Tech | Buffer Festival Industry Day 2014

About a week ago I attended the first ever Buffer Festival Industry Day. Here’s a quick little snip of some of  my fav moments! It was great listening to top YouTubers talk about their experiences in brand building and projects. I was right up front to admire Harley from Epic Meal Time’s beard. He was my fav on the panel and it was neat to hear how the Epic Meal Time brand has evolved. A couple years ago I was at a Biz Media party and the team from Epic Meal time was there (blog post here w/ photos). They made a bacon volcano and bacon roses to go along with a suite of other epic meat creations. There was a meat photobooth too. I arrived just in time to catch my friend Brad Ford from Contiki chatting about brands, fans, and influence.  This is one of my fav topics and it was cool to hear how the other brands were working with influencers. I can speak first hand about the awesome job Contiki has done in connecting with ambassadors to tell their brand story.  I’m working on a little something new with Contiki but no details just yet…you’ll know soon enough! Take a look at my adventure to Thailand with them last year here. This was an awesome event for anyone looking to beef up their knowledge of how to make it on YouTube. I can only imagine how much the landscape will change by the time Buffer Festival rolls around next year. Something not to be missed! Hope your week is good. I’m off to the OBEY Clothing spring preview then to hang out with Globe Style and Sophie Kinsella, author of the Shopaholics series. Have an awesome day! CASIE

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CottageLife | A Boy And A Girl In A Little Canoe

Back to the grind today after an absolutely wonderful weekend up at the cottage. Sean and I went for a nice long canoe jaunt yesterday in the sunshine. How lucky are we to have this weather!? You can like this photo on Instagram right here. We attempted to go through this tunnel to another lake where our friends cottage is. It was like being inside a beautiful painting. The colours of the leaves are so vibrant and the sky was incredibly blue. We were ill prepared to portage the canoe over this little blunder. Next time I’ll wear better shoes and put my phone in something more secure than a ziplock bag. Did you know you can still use your phone while it’s in a ziplock? The more you know. Learned that trick in Thailand last year. I finally got to float in my donut. The water was pretty cold but I really didn’t care! Went on a crazy fast seadoo. Heaps of fun! MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, MY FAV. This week is gonna be a busy! Tonight my sister and I have a date for the premiere of Gone Girl starring Ben Affleck. I’m hosting a Twitter chat with Hotels.com X Nine West tomorrow then speaking to fashion students at Seneca College. Thursday I fly to Montreal for a couple days exploring culinary awesomeness with Tourism Montreal. It will be the weekend again before we know it! Happy Monday, make sure you soak up some of that sunshine!  <3 CASIE

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TheTech | Business of YouTube: Buffer Festival Industry Day

There is no doubt that video is a powerful platform to connect with your audience. If you are a brand, blogger, or you want to be famous on the Internet, knowing how to work the YouTube machine is to your advantage. The key to this is to build a large follower base and have plenty of views on your videos. Luckily, you can buy these, just make sure you use the best site to buy youtube views otherwise you might fall to victim to one of the many scam sites out there. You might not like the idea of buying views and followers but it has been proven to lead to their authentic counterpart, and many people have chosen this path to the top. There are plenty of alternatives to Youtube you can also use. I had the opportunity to travel to Thailand last year with some of Canada’s top YouTubers and it was a learning experience. There’s a real science to cracking the YouTube code and the more you know, well, the better you’ll be! I’ve partnered w/ the CFC to let you know about Buffer Festival Industry Day on October 16th. The one day event is not a YouTube fan event, but rather a chance to soak up information about the business of YouTube from some of the top YouTubers in the world. YouTube is the 2nd biggest search engine (to Google) and 1 out of EVERY 2 internet users visits YouTube. Innovation is key to relevancy in our ever changing internet world, so if YouTube is on your radar you don’t wanna miss this. About Buffer Festival Industry Day: This one-day conference is for industry professionals looking to optimize YouTube as a content and talent development platform and a marketing and distribution channel. It provides a unique…

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My Massage at Urban Nirvana Thai in Yorkville

When I was in Thailand last year I got so many massages. Like 20 in 15 days, so many.  I tried a variety of different kinds and prefer a Swedish massage.  After being whipped around during a Thai massage by a little old Thai lady, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get one again. But I did… I was contacted by Urban Nirvana Thai Massage in Yorkville to come try out a Holistic Thai massage. I wasn’t about to say no to the offer and decided to give Thai massage another chance. Dudes, it was amazing. My massage was with Vania and she walked on my back, my feet, and stretched out my shoulders, and hips. I felt so great after. I was welcomed with water and taken into this room where they drew the drapes for my private massage. There was a little basket with a towel and clean set of Thai fisherman pants and a top. Getting a massage can be awkward when you’re not sure what to wear or what NOT to wear so this made me feel very comfortable. I arrived after a long day and when I finally stopped moving and rested on the matt and listened to the calming music by myself, I started to relax. I have a hard time with relaxing sometimes! The team at Urban Nirvana have given me a 20% discount to share with you. You can use it for Holistic Thai Massage (service I had) or group yoga classes in the studio. The location is 895 Yonge Street, just north of the old Masonic Temple where MTV used to be. You can use it to book online or over the phone.  Discount code: CasieS20 I’m hoping to try out the Swedish massage and some yoga soon. Have a wonderful day my friends. Pack a ‘brolly! Namaste…

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Got Wood | New Stuff for the House from Artemano

On Monday night Sean and I took a little trip up to the Toronto Artemano store. It’s located just north of Eglington on Caledonia. With furniture stores in Montreal, Toronto, Quebec and more, they specialize in high quality wood furniture and home décor shipped anywhere in North America. I know Mum would really love this place. After a busy day it was lovely to escape to such a peaceful atmosphere. Janaya welcomes us into the store for a private shopping experience. They’ll be featuring my five fav items from the store in an upcoming post on their blog. There are heaps of magical pieces for yout home made from salvaged wood, boats from Thailand, and massive fallen trees. It’s not for the bargain shoppers, but if you are looking for a beautiful statement piece to join your family, this is the spot.

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Swimming Pool, Sunshine’s Cool, Winter Drools

I was saying yesterday how I’m really looking forward to summer and sunshine and the cottage. I found myself looking through old photos of us last night, hanging out in Muskoka, relaxing with the calm sound of nature and the lake. I’m due for a vacation. Thailand was months ago and although it was a really good time, it was the opposite of relaxing! We were on a tight media schedule and it was rare to have a couple hours alone for naps or lazing on the beach. I just want to feel that sunshine. I want to feel warm. I’ve not taken off my scarf or hat since arriving at the office and there’s a space heater beside me. This is the longest winter in 25 years and we’ve had a record number of ‘cold weather alert’ days. I try my best to stay positive and not let the weather get me down but sheesh, this is the hardest it’s been. I know months down the road I’ll look back at this and think, if you could get through this you can get through anything. It’s snowing again… <3 CASIE

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GoPro: Red Bull Stratos – The Full Story

This is amazing. Jump w/ Felix and get the first hand experience.  So happy I bought a GoPro before Thailand. I really wanna do some cool stuff with it this year. Some great inspiration here!     Overnight Drugs without prescription canadian pharmacy Pharmacy

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