Day 350: Sunday, Pure Sun

On Sunday I like to keep the day free for myself to charge my batteries for the week ahead. Sean and I spent the morning in the kitchen, he is an expert level sous chef so he prepped all the food ingredients. We made roast vegetables, crunchy roast chickpeas, rice, a lentil curry w/ sweet potato, falafels, and my fav spicy Mediterranean-inspired rainbow salad. ? I love a weekend delivery and I was happy to get this beautiful art-inspired package from Pure Sunfarms in BC. They sent a few items from their new collection of apparel, accessories, objects & art inspired by their love of plants & modern life. I love the package design and art by Brooklyn-based artist Laura Garcia Serventi. I’m gonna frame the print! “I draw inspiration from the natural world, both flora and fauna, as well as vintage botanical illustration and vintage books of science. I also look back at art history a lot. But botanical gardens are my favourite.” LAURA SEVENTI I’d love one of their ‘SUNSHINE’ shirts (obvs) and also their decorative ashtrays that look like a sun, see below! My gift included natural Palo Santo from Woodlot and their yellow Grower’s hand soap that smells AMAZING, it has lemongrass, turmeric, Balsam Fir, and bergamot. Sean is a big fan of Pure Sunfarms cannabis products and everything in their Marketplace is so artfully designed. I stan a weed brand that makes great, artful products. ? “Nature has always been our greatest source of inspiration when it comes to both ingredients and scent. Our priority is to make products that are clean burning and made with simple, organic ingredients, but we’re also a scent company at heart, and we want our scent catalog to serve as a connection to the earth.” SONIA CHHINJI, WOODLOT I…

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Day 341: Fresh & Happy

Woke up feeling fresh & happy it was Friday! Sean left for the cottage after dropping Em to school, she’s with her mum for the next week and I’m home alone. ? I had such a great workday today. In my afternoon meeting, we were chatting about branded products and it was a great opportunity to show some I’ve made over the years. I pulled out the stickers, note cards, and of course, the pillows I had made years ago. We all had a good laugh! Sending you good vibes today for a nice restful weekend. Get outside, feel the sun on your face, call a friend, support a local restaurant. Do something, do nothing, do whatever makes you happy!

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Day 315: Take Care of Yourself

Spent most of the day at home, as usual. I received a box of Boscia beauty products from my friends at Blend PR and tbh it was perfect timing. I really love the Luminizing Black Charcoal Mask and using the Cactus Water Moisturizer at night to coat my skin while I sleep. I’ll try the other items this week. Planning a post with some of my fav skincare products, I’ve been taking really good care of my skin lately. Been feeling like I really need to charge my batteries. This lockdown is much harder than the first round back in March. There are 5 weeks until March 1st and we’re approaching one year of this pandemic. HANG IN THERE GUYS, THE DAYS ARE GETTING LONGER! TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!

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Day 309: Create Better Days

Took a casual day for myself to watch Tiny Pretty Things on Netflix, do my nails, put a mask in my hair, and relax. I am determined to be more productive this week after feeling off my game the last 2 weeks. I want to focus on the work I’m doing and accomplish my goals. It’s easy to be distracted by social media and everything going on in the world but we ALL have the power to focus. This sweater is one of my favs, it says ‘Create Better Days‘ on the back. I posted about it a while ago where I featured some of my fav CBD products. I ordered it from Sugarhigh Lovestoned and it was too small at the time but it fits perfectly now. Sending love through the internet from my keyboard to your screen. If you need a cheer up, call a friend, a parent, or someone you love. We need to stick together and connect right now more than ever.

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Day 299: Bathroom Renovation Update

At the start of 2020, I signed a partnership with American Standard to assist in our upcoming bathroom renovation. We’d been talking about doing this for ages so when this opportunity came up, I was so excited to get started. We ordered two new sinks, two toilets, and assorted matte black fixtures for both bathrooms. The first shipment arrived in February 2020. I was planning to document the process and share updates as we did most of the work ourselves. Well, well well, along came the pandemic, which threw us and everyone for a loop. Everything shut down, a lot of my work was canceled, and we made a decision to ‘wait it out’ at the cottage. The American Standard boxes sat unopened in our living room for months. In August, we came home for a couple of weeks and hired our friend Lindsay to help get things moving on the downstairs bathroom. Lindsay normally works in set design for film and is an incredibly skilled carpenter, builder, and all-around handy-woman. Since film production was at a standstill, she was looking to work, and we were happy to have a woman doing the job. ?? We tore out the old sink, toilet, and fixtures, then painted the bathroom in Benjamin Moore OC-65, Chantilly Lace (the perfect white!). Lindsay built a new cabinet out of wood and installed it. I am so happy with how it’s coming along! The matte black faucet from American Standard looks SO GOOD with the new Boxe Semi-Countertop Sink. It’s not finished but I’ve been meaning to share the recent update! Our fancy new toilet cleans 2x better than conventional toilets and the flushes are quiet. I’ve dreamed about this! Next, we’re finishing up the tile, accessories, and adding shelving made with reclaimed wood from the…

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Day 291: Wild Woman, Onesie, Winter Wear

I’ve had this suit from The Drake General Store for ages and finally decided to wear it. ? A onesie makes great winter wear, cute, cozy, and warm. FYI The Drake has a great habanero hot sauce you can order online or with your takeout order. Highly recommend! I like to add it to pasta, stir-fry, or just about anything deep-fried. In other news, my latest round of scrunchies are white organza! The fabric is from a sheer curtain I ordered on Amazon ages ago but was the wrong size. This one turned out so good, she pretty! I can’t wait to gift a few of these to friends as a surprise by mail. I’m quite behind on sending out anything Christmas-related (as planned) but maybe Valentine’s Day is a better time to send love anyway. ? This was the moon last night over the cottage, the last full moon of 2020. I stared at its beauty, then closed my eyes, and took a few deep breaths. Before going inside, I made six wishes and gave a howl like the wild woman I am, as a way to say: ‘BYE 2020 I AM READY FOR NEW!’

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Day 270: Spice Up Your Zoom w/ Snap Camera

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.

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Day 192: Follow the Sunshine

Did a 30 min guided run today with the Nike Running Club app. Pretty sure my legs will be sore! I love this app so much, the guided runs connect with Apple Music and the playlist today was so good. I’m not going to make my 70Km Monthly challenge but I’m happy to be back into my groove of at least doing 1km/day. There’s always next month! Spent most of the day working at home on a couple different projects. It feels SO GOOD to be back working. I loved the creative-COVID break but I also really enjoy being part of a team and contributing to something bigger than me. Went for a bike ride to meet Michelle after work and it was so nice out. Stopped at a bar on Dundas west and grabbed one of these cutie-cute little strawberry vodka sodas from Ace Hill. Love supporting local!

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Day 182: When in Doubt, Go Out

Go outside, beneath the trees, listen for wind dancing in the leaves. Look at the sky, breathe in the air. Throw your hands up, like you just don’t care. ✌️ Hoodie: Superette Shop – Sherbet Glasses RayBan Studio: Mother Nature

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Day 169: Cute New Masks from Considerate Goods!

This past weekend I met up with Anela who reached out to me over IG. We met pre-pandemic at a bar in my neighbourhood, late one night. She said she’d remembered my outfit and had been following m on IG since! ? Over the past few months, she started sewing masks and has a background in fashion & design. Her new company Considerate Goods is based right here in the Junction and she makes super stylish masks. We sat down (outside & distanced) for a coffee chat and she gave me a few of her new designs. These masks are so CUTE, breathable, and fit well. In an effort to be more sustainable and have less waste, she’s been making scrunchies to use up as many scraps as possible. I love this idea! My new scrunchie matches 3 of my masks, perfect for upping my mask game. The Considerate Good website just launched and you can check out all the designs at considerategoods.com. If you’re making a purchase, use code CASIE15% for a discount! I absolutely love supporting local & new friends. Thank you Anela and congrats on your new venture!

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Day 147: Ok One Moment, Over It The Next

I was dead tired today and spent the whole day watching Netflix on the couch. I also ate all the snacks I could find. I needed rest. I’ve had a bit of a sore tooth that acts up every now and then. I know I should get it fixed. Maybe I will next time we’re back in the city. I’ve been watching Good Girls S3, it’s ok. We also started The World’s Most Wanted but tbh it made us both fall asleep. I haven’t run in a few days and I feel like a slug. Hopefully this week I find my mojo and get back to it. These times are so weird. I love this post from @internetstacy, it’s ok to not feel ok all the time. We’re all just trying to get through this, hang in there.

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Day 129: Book Recommendations – Summer 2020

I’ve been reading a lot over the last few months. Since I haven’t been working as much I’ve tried to make the most of this time with workouts, clean eating, creative projects, and books. I’m registered as a Professional Reader on NetGalley, a media review site for writers to receive advance copies from publishers around the world. I mostly stick to the same types of books including suspense/thriller, or female focussed adult fiction. I finally got around to putting a few book recommendations a list, see my favs below! Here’s a list of a couple of books I’ve enjoyed over the last two months. They’re all linked on Amazon and listed on my Amazon Book List here. Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner This was a great book, perfect summer 2020 read! The characters were interesting and I loved the element of drama, talk about influencers, and how the author described the locations there were. It was easy to follow and I couldn’t put it down! You can find this book at your fav bookstore or on Amazon here. The Best of Friends by Lucinda Berry Highly recommend! I can’t imagine going through the tragedy that these families face and then all the other secrets, lies, and things they deal with on top of that. I was hooked from the first page and read this book every chance I had to finish in a couple of days. This book is out mid-August, 2020 and is available for pre-order. Spring Girls by Karen Katchur I didn’t realize this book was part of a series but it is definitely good as a stand-alone read. It follows a detective and the murder of three girls in the spring. As they try to finds the Spring Strangler they talk to one of the survivors and…

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Get Hitched at Love Shack Toronto! ???

Have you heard about Love Shack? It’s the coolest, cutest, and smallest wedding venue in Toronto located at Stackt market. My friend Nataleigh has been working on this idea for a little while and I’m so glad to see it come to life! If I was getting married, this is 100% something I’d be into. For the record, Sean and I have been together for 8 years but don’t at this time have plans to get ‘hitched! ? I’ve never been one to dream about my wedding but the idea of a quick & cute ceremony sounds ideal. Then you can have a party with the whole gang later (after COVID!). What is Love Shack Toronto? Love Shack TO is a pop-up wedding in a shipping container, the grooviest place to say ‘I do’. They call it ‘no fuss, all disco‘!  Everything you need is there including decorations, officiant, photographer, florist and even the rings! All you need to do is book a date & time, tell your friends, and show up w/ your one true love. They offer three package options and are open Wednesday – Sunday until August 13th, 2020. Bookings and inquiries can be sent to [email protected] or booked online at loveshacktoronto.ca . 

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Day 99: Covid But Make It Fashion

Today I spent the morning working at home. We had a test run of the speaker software for the FreshBooks conference on Wednesday. I had a package at the postie so put on something cute and biked over in the afternoon. My mask is brought to you by Evan Biddell, I ordered a 4-pack of animal print masks from him last month. On my way home, I stopped by Nadia’s place to go for a little walk with her and her pup. It’s nice to be home and see friends at a distance. I ended up biking through Liberty Village, Parkdale, and then home. I wasn’t planning to join Vinyl Night w/ the gang from the Communist Daughter bar on Zoom but I popped in for a bit and had a great time. I miss hanging out at bars with friends and talking loudly.

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