#OfftotheRaces: The Queen’s Plate 2015 at Woodbine Racetrack

Last weekend I took Carla to Woodbine Racetrack for her very first Queen’s Plate. In case you missed my post about it last week, the Queen’s Plate is the oldest continuously run race in North America and Canada‘s oldest thoroughbred horse race, having been founded in 1860. (Wiki). We attended the Hats & Horseshoes party and dressed according to the ReThink at the Races theme in black and white. My dress is an oldie from JacFlash that has a cape and I absolutely love it. It’s that LBD I can always count on when I need to throw on a dress and feel fabulous.  (LBD = Little  Black Dress)   Picked up my hat at Winners while in Ottawa with Mum last week. Bag is Betsy Johnson, shoes Nasty Gal – Shoe Cult, necklace is vintage silver from Tiffany’s (Sean got me me a couple years ago). Glasses are from Polette Eyewear in France. These mirror men were awesome. It was the perfect day to be outside in the sunshine.  Felt like I was wearing a disguise hiding under my huge hat and glasses. It was great! Thought this was a funny moment. Once we arrived and did a tour we took a break to tweet about it. We did ACTUALLY talk to each other.     Caught up with Vanessa and the KP Squad. I decided to take my chances and bet on a whole bunch or horses for the Queen’s Plate. Unfortunately, I didn’t pick the RIGHT ONE. I’m learning to bet as I go here. The winner was Shaman Ghost by one and one-quarter lengths. I’ll be at all the big races for the rest of the season through a partnership with Woodbine Racetrack. Hope I pick a big winner at least ONCE. I did win $10 which is better than nothing. 🙂   Carla and…

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TD Canada + MusiCounts + Serena Ryder in Ottawa

Last weekend mum and I went on a trip to Ottawa. I was invited by TD Canada & TD Music to bring a guest to see Serena Ryder and attend a special ceremony where TD Cafe & MusicCounts made a music announcement. It has been a loooooong time since mum and I went on a plane together (NZ in the 90’s) so we made the most of every moment and it was so much fun. We flew Porter Airlines which involves taking the worlds shortest commercial ferry to the island. It’s a wonderful flying experience! MusiCounts is Canada’s music education charity associated with The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) to help keep music alive in schools across Canada. TD Canada has been working with MusicCounts since 2012. They support Community based organizations, schools, and picka  MuciCounts teacher of the year. This year’s winner was Steve Sainas from BC and he received the award at the JUNOS. TD Canada has worked with some great Canadian artists through MusiCounts including Arkells, Kevin Drew, and Tegan & Sarah. They’re excited to add Serena Ryder to the mix.  WThey also work w/ the JUNOS team to partner with artists. TD Canada is committed to music as an organization with a genuine interest in music and communities. They’re not just a cheque signing bank, they actually follow through and make communities better. Serena made a $25K donation to Musicounts.ca! These kids were SO EXCITED to hear the donation news, receive violins, and to find out they were performing on stage WITH Serena Ryder herself. It was a magical moment.  A photo posted by Gracie Carroll (@graciecarroll) on Jul 3, 2015 at 2:39pm PDT The concert was at TD Place in the new Lansdowne Centre and was opened by The Strumbellas. They were amazing. The 6 piece band rocked…

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Monday, Make It Great!

Had a wonderful weekend! Mum and I really enjoyed Ottawa and seeing Serena Ryder, photos and stories about that tomorrow. Queen’s Plate yesterday was really fun too.  Today I went to Vaughan Mills to do some shopping for an upcoming project. I’d not been to the mall there before and HOLY MOLY there are so many stores and great deals.      In between doing work today I also got a new mani. 💅🏼   Saw this sweet Camaro.     Absolutely loving this warm weather. We’ve planned some dedicated time up at the cottage this month and I CAN’T WAIT.   Hoping your week is off to a great start! 💛 CASIE  

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Heading to Our Nations Capital, Ottawa!

Friday morning Mum and I are heading to Ottawa and it’s her first time flying Porter Airlines. I’m so excited to be travelling with her! Last time mum and I went on a trip together I was in middle school. We don’t often get to hang much, especially not in the summer is mum is usually at the boat and we spend heaps of time at the cottage. We’ll be seeing Serena Ryder, with special guests The Strumbellas at TD Place Stadium to celebrate Canada Day weekend. Earlier in the day, TD Bank and MusiCounts will be be announcing the 2015 MusiCounts grant recipients and have a special surprise planned for a local Ottawa recipient.  I’ll be doing a short interview w/ TD Canada about TD MusicCounts and sharing it with you next week. Oh hey @serenaryder! See you on July 3rd! #tdmusic #lansdowne #tdplace A photo posted by TD Place (@tdplace) on Jun 18, 2015 at 1:09pm PDT Feeling excited to take mum on a press trip and hang out at the hotel together. We don’t leave until 4pm the following day so hoping to take a walk on Parliament Hill. I’ve never been to Ottawa around Canada Day. Last time I was in Ottawa was March 2012 for Ottawa Fashion Week and it was very snowy. Looking forward to some fun times w/ mum and lots of laughs! 💛 CASIE

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Up Up & Away! 

Today Sean and I travelled to Calgary. ✈️🇨🇦👍🏼  It’s been two years since I was in this fine city and I’m happy to be back.    This week we’ve got a fun itinerary of arts & culture activities in Calgary. We’re shooting them all with Tourism Calgary and the video will be on their website once finished.     Got a nice new mani and passport yesterday. We have 10 year passports in Canada now but I only renewed mine for 5 years so I can get a new photo! I know mum will have a chuckle reading this. 😉    One of my fav travel accessories, cosmetics bag by Ted Baker.     Why does this July cover say Bruce?? Been loving this little shoes sent to me by Toms. The Huarache sandal is made in Mexico and comes in dove (off white) leather and black. They’re really comfortable. Pretty sure I had a similar pair as a kid.    I love traveling together. 💛  We’re staying at Hotel Arts, a boutique hotel downtown Calgary. I stayed here about 2 years ago and since, they’ve put $7 million into renovations. We’ve got a beautiful suite with kitchen, balcony, living room, and 2 closets so we can have one each.       Looking forward to a few days of fun activities. Follow me on Twitter @casiestewart for all the fun!  💛🇨🇦✈️ ✌🏼️😎 CASIE

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Off to the Races! Woodbine Oaks at Woodbine Racetrack

This weekend I went to Woodbine Racetrack for Woodbine Oaks, the first leg in Canada’s Triple Tiara of Racing, the prep race for The Queen’s Plate. I’ve been to the Queen’s Plate a few times and this summer I’m excited to partner with Woodbine Racetrack for the ENTIRE race season. I’ll be attending major races from from now till November. Better get some new hats! Since I’ll be at the races a fair bit, I decided to get a lesson in exactly HOW to bet and the fine details about horse racing. Some people pick based on names and numbers, which is ok (and what I had done previously). In my session learned about the odds, how they change, and Win-Place-Show. Picking a horse to win with 20-1 odds can really work in your favor! Grandad would be proud. Wish me luck! #OfftotheRaces pic.twitter.com/k2b5djXFpR — CASIE STEWART (@casiestewart) June 14, 2015 Both my mum’s dad and dad’s dad were really into horse racing, so it’s natural I like it too. When I lived in Australia, going to the horse racing was a HUGE thing. One of my fondest memories was going for a surf at Bronte in Sydney’s north beaches then rushing home to get ready for race day. Threw a friends dress on with my ocean tossed beach hair, grabbed a hat, and I was off to the races.  We had such a fun day. Paris Hilton was there too. This weekend I bet on a couple races and even won a few $$ back. It’s so exciting when the race starts and you see your horse leading the pack. Everyone is standing up and yelling, it’s exhilarating! The next big event is the Queen’s Plate on July 5th. It’s HUGE and one of the most stylish events of the summer. Last year, Sean and I raced home from…

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Today is #BestFriendsDay! Tell Your BFF You <3 Them!

Whether you’ve been reading here for years or you’re new to the space, you’ll know my blog a positive place on the Internet. If you’re ever having a bad day, you can always pop over in and see bright colours, and something to put a smile on your face. Usually me, shining back at you from across the Internet. 🙋💛 I was recently contacted from 3M to help spread the word about Best Friends Day, June 8th. As a long time lover of Post-It Notes (yes, they’re all over my home office, work desk, books, purse) and firm believer in spreading love, I was IN. It’s the perfect time to tell your BFF how much they mean to you. Late last year 3M joined forces with students across North America for Positive Post-It Day, encouraging people to grab a note, write something nice, and share it around campus. This movement on October 9th sparked a whole bunch of events where people were sharing positivity on Post-Its to friends and strangers. Today is Best Friends Day and I’m encouraging YOU to share a note with a BFF you care about. It could be a BFF, sister, brother, GF, BF, mum, dad, or anyone you wanna remind of their awesomeness. I didn’t have a lot of BFFs growing up but over the last few years I’ve developed a few relationships with BFFs who are now like sisters to me. A couple of my positive Post-It BFF Day notes below! Spread the love for Best Friends Day by writing a note to someone on a Post-It. If they’re close by, sick it somewhere they’ll find it, or snap a photo and tag them and @PostitCanada on Twitter or Instagram it with the hashtag #BestFriendsDay. Looking forward to seeing your messages! There’s already heaps of tweets today. 😎✌🎈 Today is #BestFriendsDay and the perfect opp to tell your BFFs how much you 💖them.…

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Made in Canada: Bathing Belle Swimwear – CUTENESS ALERT!

Ok, this is a special post because I don’t usually post things with kids/for kids but after visiting the High Park Studio of Bathing Belle, I absolutely HAVE to share. I met Danica (the designer of Bathing Belle Swimwear) a couple weeks ago, we had a little hangout and she gave me a tour of her studio. She ALSO measured me for a custom made bathing suit. I’ve always had a hard time finding swimwear that fits, I’m fairly petite but heavy in the breast region. To be honest, finding a bathing suit that fits properly had been more like a nightmare. Last week I popped by the Bathing Belle studio to pick up my new, custom suit and good lord, IT FITS PERFECTLY. I know mum will be happy to read this because she was there during high school when I broke down to tears in the Bikini Village fitting room over nothing fitting right. Danica makes a great selection of women’s swimwear in gorgeous and fun prints, available on one piece, two piece, monokini, and mastectomy.  Excuse the hangers, I really should have taken those off! These are three of my favs. One of the cutest things ever are the matching mum/dad + kids suits. Burger and fries loving family? This one’s for you. Those are little onion rings with the burgers, ahhhh. Little scrunchies to match as well. Cuteness overload. Danica was recently at Dune Studios in NYC to shoot the kids suits with photographer Paul Wright. Art Directed by Ellen with Burnie, hair and makeup by Akiko Owada, kids suits look absolutely adorable. She gifted one of these little kitten suits for Embot (Sean’s daughter) and I can’t wait to see her in it. Is it too much if I get a matching one for the cottage?      Check out Bathing…

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Take Sunshine Wherever You Go! ☀️

Hi hi, yesterday was a great day. Today is jam packed one but it’s doing things I love so it doesn’t really feel like work.  This is a short update for now b/c I am heading to a shoot I’m directing for a client campaign! See Twitter for updates and Snapchat for the BTS! (Behind the Scenes, mum!) Check out this fine group of 1188 + Occupied VR + CFC crew from HotDocs last week. Partied with deadmau5 last night. Thanks Tim Hortons! Got to watch/take part in a magic show.    The food was really good. That’s deadmau5 getting some steak before me. I saw opted for the no-bread option so I did that too.      Here’s wishing you a wonderful day. It’s already SOOOOOO NICE OUT.  Take the sunshine wherever you go! ☀️ 💖 CASIE

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New Shades, Patio Season, Parking, Sunshine, Wine!

Hello, hello, what a beautiful day! Put these flowers in the 1188 office yesterday to brighten up the kitchen area. It’s so nice to be working back downtown, vs last summer when I was up in the Junction. Wore these little adorable Lacoste oxfords and really hoped they didn’t hurt my feet come end of the day. You know how that happens every spring! The old summer shoes come out and your feet get all nasty lol. Picked up these glasses at a garage sale last weekend. I love garage sale season! Mum and I went to one when I was home a couple weeks ago.     Time to so something different with my hair soon. Not cutting it but colour. Have had blonde for months now, I’m ready to spice it up! *Note to future self, don’t get eyelash extensions again, your real lashes are beautiful. This was nice to see on our way to work in the morning finally, mobile payments! Thanks John Tory!  American and International friends, you will be happy to know we no longer have a crazy crack smoking mayor and our new mayor is quite swell. Was walking down Queen Street West and caught these two guys reading the paper in perfect form. Yesterday was SO NICE, the streets were packed. Went to a tasting at the iYellow wine cave w/ Vinho Verde wines from Portugal.      Nice to see Ken Samuel and meet the Wine Ladies. We had a great chat!    Thanks Re:Source Media, Angela Aiello (Executive Producer of CNBC’s “Wine Portfolio”), and the crew at iYellow for a nice evening. The wine was great too! In other news… Can’t wait. Planning to go to the cottage for my birthday weekend (May8th). I’m ready for a getaway! Hope you’re having a great week and enjoying…

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