Beat Winter SAD: Take A Vacation

Last winter was really hard, we had one of the coldest seasons in ages, there was ice everywhere, and my arm was messed up. I spent most of the winter inside our house going Marie Kondo through every cupboard and drawer. This winter, I’m determined to find joy in simple things and actively make an effort to warm myself up and beat winter SAD. I wrote a few posts with ways I’m trying to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder with the hope it will help make our days a bit brighter. Some take a little more money/planning but others you can do at home right now. I’ll update this post with a link to each so you can scroll once they’re live. Vacation The easiest way to boost your mood in winter? Take a vacation. I know this isn’t an option for everyone with work/family/finances but if you can do it, it’s so nice. This year, I took a 7-day all-inclusive trip to Cuba with a friend. We have been talking about doing a low-key beach getaway at the start of January for 2+ years and finally did it! Cuba was a good option because we were not going for luxury, our conditions for the trip were affordable, beach, sun. The beach was beautiful and the sun was hot. The food wasn’t luxe but we managed to eat simple, the main things I ate were bread, rice, fruit, pasta, and eggs. I read an entire book, took heaps of photos, and finished the week well-rested and refreshed. We went to bed early (and sober) most nights. I stuck to Amy’s 1K a day challenge and did some type of activity each day (long walk, dance, NTC). It was just what I needed and a perfect reset to start the year. I…

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2020: It’s My 15th Blog Anniversary

OMG! It’s been 15 years! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! Do you have a blog memory, a fav tweet, something you won’t forget? I’d like to thank you for reading, now it’s your turn to share!

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Toronto International Film Festival 2019!

I’m not sure what else to say right now other than, I’M SO EXCITED! Today is media day for TIFF, the day before the festival officially opens. This is my 10th year as a media (blogger) type person and each year I cover events, entertainment, lounges, and of course, film. So far this year I’ve seen pre-screeners of two Canadian films, Black Conflux, and White Lie. (I’ll share a movie reviews post early next week.) Last night I attended an event for Warner Bros ‘TheGoldfinch’ This is my attempts at painting a colourful ‘goldfinch’ at the event last night w/ The Crazy Plate Lady. Check out her amazing work here, she’s INCREDIBLE. Yesterday I started my day with a fresh manicure then picked up a sweet red Volvo S60 so I can drive around to everything which is INCREDIBLY CONVENIENT. Today tho, today is one of the most wonderful days of the YEAR. I’ve got a full day of visiting TIFF gifting suites to experience a range of products and services including a facial, botox, makeup, a blowout, and more. What is a Gifting Lounge? A gifting suite (or lounge) is a popup location, often during an award show of film festival, where companies give products to celebrities in exchange for the famous person takes a photo with the product, wears the gift on a red carpet, or while standing in front of a step & repreat wall displaying company logos. One quick google search for ‘celebrity gifting TIFF‘ will bring up a slew of articles about the business of TIFF gifting. As a media, I get to go behind the red carpet to see and experience some of the stuff celebrities do. Media receive heaps of things but I will tell you right now, the celebrity bags are jam-packed with high-end designer items and…

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Sassoon Style: A Breakdown on Colour Technique

It’s been years since I’ve had my hair long as it is right now. I can’t remember the last time I was able to put my hair up in a pony, do french braids, or pop in extensions. I love it! It’s so fun to be able to play around with barrettes and accessories to change my look. At the start of summer, I stopped into Sassoon Toronto to brighten up my blonde and trim my little bob. LET’S COLOUR In this post, I’m breaking down some of the different colour options you can get at Sassoon and what they mean. I use to do all-over colour (blonde) but in effort to grow my hair longer and healthier, I’ve switched to highlights. They’re BALAYAGE This popular technique is pretty low maintenance if you’re looking for a look that doesn’t need a lot of upkeep. At Sassoon, they mix freehand painting with foiled highlights meaning you can have a natural sun-kissed look or something more dramatic. Commitment: 2-3 Months Great For: Creating soft, sun-kissed hair that is natural-looking, wearable, versatile View this post on Instagram A post shared by SASSOON TORONTO (@sassoontoronto) on Jul 6, 2019 at 4:33am PDT TWO TONE I love this look and it is VERY Sassoon. This technique uses darker tones underneath laters of lighter colors to create depth and tone. It’s a bit more of a commitment than balayage but so stylish! It really accentuates a haircut like this one I had a couple of years ago. Commitment: 6-8 Weeks Great For: Adding depth and tone to an amazing cut FACE FRAMING Face frames blend into your natural colour accentuating your face and can be a variety of colours. This helps to illuminate your look and brighten your face without a big commitment. Commitment: 2-3 Months…

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Take Time For Yourself.

I’ve been finding just about anything to distract me from doing the things I should be doing today. Last week I went to Vancouver a day before my meetup so I could be ready and rested before spending the week with Telus creators from across Canada. I love what I do but it takes a lot out of you to be present online AND in real life while creating content in real-time. On influencer trips, there’s always a camera around, you’re posting to the internet with the proper hashtags, making sure your outfit is cute, and talking to people face-to-face. It can be pretty taxing! One of my favourite moments last week was walking around downtown Vancouver w/ Cory Lee and stopping by Pink Alley. It was such a beautiful day to be outside surrounded by bright colours, making memories. Would you believe I spent 15+ hours on Instagram last week? I’m due for a digital break but there’s always something exciting to do and I want to share it with you and the world. I know I should disconnect and take time away from screens but then again I have heaps of things to get done and they all involve being ON A SCREEN. Ahhhh! Over the years I’ve learned it’s good to take breaks, to let your mind rest, thoughts wander. Years ago before Instagram, I had 40+ posts month over month. These days I find myself writing a ~10 blog posts a month when I’m in the mood or have a due date. I love documenting my life but don’t put the pressure on myself I used to. Over the years, the mediums have changed and the content is in different places but I think the message is still the same: You’ll never be younger than you…

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Wine Touring in Spain: Get to Know Rueda

In May I went on a press trip to Spain hosted by D.O. Rueda (Denomination of Origin Rueda) wine region and Glo Communications. We drank heaps of wine, explored Spanish cuisine, ate lots of tapas, met great people and explored a few historic sites. It was my first time visiting Spain and I was lucky to travel with a great group including Jen Kirsch, Jess Glover, wine expert Konrad Ejbich, and wine podcaster Matthew Cauz. I loved learning more about wine, touring vineyards, meeting winemakers, and learning how their wines are made. I’m not a wine expert but I definitely know more than when I left and sampled my fair share along the way! We went to 13 wineries and countless restaurants over the course of the week and I’m sure I’ll be sharing stories about the trip for a lifetime. In this post, you’ll find some of my favorite moments including beautiful wineries and unforgettable experiences. On the first night, we met for a great dinner at Lobo 8 in Madrid and tasted wines from the D.O. Rueda that paired with our meal. We stayed at Hotel Ibis Styles, a cute boutique hotel in the heart of Madrid that was walking distance from just about everything. Rueda, located in Castile and Léon, is about 2hr northwest of Madrid and comprised of 72 municipalities in the provinces of Valladolid, Segovia and Avila.  Rueda is the only region that specializes in white wine and is a leader in the commercialization of quality white wines. Segovia On our first full day, we ventured to Segovia, a historical town centered around a Roman aqueduct with 160 massive arches. I absolutely LOVED it there! Right beside the base of the aqueduct is a famous restaurant Meson de Candido where we were served a traditional meal from the area…

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Podcast: #WiththeJoneses – Episode 3 – The OG #Blondetourage

Last week, my bff  Lauren O’Nizzle and I were on the Jones Media Podcast – Keeping Up with the Joneses. It was super fun! If you know Lauren and I or have been on the internet for a long time, you’ll enjoy this. We talk a lot about influencers, brand partnerships, and how social media has changed over the 10 years we’ve been friends. This week on Keeping Up with the Joneses, we have Casie Stewart and Lauren Neil in conversation about starting as OG bloggers, tweet ups, their first paid gigs, how they transitioned into today’s influencer culture and tips for parents on how to engagement their kids in conversations about the internet.  Memory Lane – Stuff Mentioned in Podcast Thanks for tuning in! I’ve opened up comments on this post to feel free to leave one if while listening!

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Tips to Get Your Car Ready For Spring from OK Tire

It’s almost spring! This post has some handy tips to get your car ready for warmer weather. Read my interview with OK Tire.

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Get a Ticket for #IMakeALiving w/ FreshBooks

Next month, I’m speaking at FreshBooks #IMakeALiving event at the Burroughes. I’ve been following this series since it started and have been a few times. They bring together creatives from different industries to talk about how they make money, challenges, and lessons learned. You will leave feeling motivated and inspired. #imakealiving: creating a genuine brand in the digital world Our panel on March 27th brings together some great people and we’ll be talking about creating a brand in a digital world. Lots to discuss here! Tickets are free, get one here! Topics for the Night Building an online business Creating an online community Projecting your persona Creating authenticity in the digital space Measuring ROI from impressions and reach Finding the right social platform for your business About #IMakeALiving The #imakealiving event is returning to Toronto for the 4th time to bring together a diverse group of creatives, entrepreneurs and small business owners for a lively, candid and often hilarious conversation. Part small business boot camp, part group therapy you’ll leave feeling inspired and motivated. Plus, you’ll get lots of actionable insights to take you and your business to the next level. After the discussion, the event opens up for networking & drinks – a great opportunity for you to meet like-minded folks! If you’re not familiar with FreshBooks cloud accounting, check out freshbooks.com. I’ve been a customer for 5+ and use them to do all my invoicing! Look forward to seeing you! LMK if you get a ticket!

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Review: Roomba i7+ Robot Vacuum

Over the past 45 days, I’ve been testing the Roomba i7+ from iRobot. Overall, awesome vacuum, especially great for bungalows, love the self-cleaning feature. I’ve wanted a Roomba or years and talked about it on Twitter back in 2012. Hello, who wouldn’t’ want a little cleaning robot?! We have quite a few stairs at home, so I decided Roomba would live at the 1188 office. Honestly, it’s been such a hit with everyone, they were all so excited when the big box arrived, it would be interesting to find out what is best robot vacuums to try out. It feels like we have an office pet again! This works for the floors, but for the rest of the Office Cleaning we do still hire a specialist cleaning team, as the Roomba can’t clean walls, fridges, technology, and other office items! I would say the only downfall about the Roomba Robot Vacuum is that it can’t do stairs, yet! It does have Cliff Detect so it won’t fall down or take a tumble should you have some stairs around. Once I got everything set up, it was really quick to download the app and connect the device. The Roomba i7+ is the smartest robot vacuum yet. It has a cleaning dock to empty itself plus an app that lets you control it and see where it’s cleaned. You can see it was super quick to set up. I snapped these screenshots all in the same minute! My favourite part aside from clean office floors is the app (by the way, this is the perfect vacuum for wooden floors). I’m able to see if there’s an issue, what’s been cleaned, or set it to clean at any specific time. Cleaning Two features that make this an amazing machine are 1) Dirt Detect™…

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Head High

 I went out on Friday this past weekend for a hot minute but it was a very special and amazing short time. I popped out to Super Wonder Gallery to see ECHLO. Chloe Charles aka ECHLO was having an album release party & art show and I didn’t want to miss seeing her live. We met in the summer at an event hosted by ZANE and totally hit it off.  Ended up having a great time that warm summer night with patio drinks and our best friends.  After 5 weeks on the CBC’s top songs chart, last week she made it to #1 with the song below (that I love) called Head High. I have no doubt you will love it too. Aside from music she is a super talented artist check out her website at echlomusic.com and follow her dope IG @ECHLOMUSIC. “I tried to be normal, love like the rest, and my demon takes over, and straddles my chest, I can’t breathe” Hey girl congrats! You were amazing! P.S. Discovered this GEM she did for CBC last year while I was on the Google and WHOA. So good. Love the acoustic at the start! Amoxil No Prescription https://micgadget.com/wp-content/languages/new/levitra_professional.html http://noprescriptionrxbuyonline.com/isotretinoin.html

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Smart Tech to Help You Through The Winter

We all know it’s coming, the dark and cold months of winter where all hibernate a little more and give thanks to the Netflix gods. I’ve been trying to stay on track with being productive when I’m at home and working out and am determined this winter to exercise just as much time as I spend binge-watching. Luckily, we live in a tech world that allows us to have all kinds of smart devices to help our minds and homes running smoothly through the dark seasons. A site like Wired Smart has some great info on practically every type of smart device that can be useful but today I decided to focus more on the tech that will help get you through winter. Scroll down for tech accessories I find help me through colder days. Finess Tracker: FitBit I have been using a Fitbit on and off for the past 5 years. I love the reminders to move every hour and getting those steps in each day. It’s a small thing that keeps me accountable to move. I also love seeing my heart rate, the interval tracking, and getting text messages on my wrist. The weekly reporting is a great way to motivate yourself to be more active. I’m currently using the FitBit Versa and Sean has the FitBit Iconic. I still use my FitBit Alta HR sometimes because it’s slimmer and looks more like a bracelet. Telus also has Apple Watch if that’s more your speed. A Home Assistant: Alexa I love her, I ask her things every day. Mostly ‘what’s the weather’ so I know how many layers to put on and what type of jacket to wear. I love the weekly email from Amazon telling me with ‘What’s New with Alexa?” and all the skills you can…

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The Internet of Things – Protecting Your Smart TV

We just got a new Smart TV and I’m super stoked. Sean and I worked from home the day it arrived and we also ordered tacos which turned into a great game of tv or tacos?! It’s my first time having a *brand new* TV. Our previous model was bought 2nd hand years ago, we’re retiring it to the cottage now.  The Sony 4K Android Smart TV is so clear and it was really easy to set up. It comes with Google Play, Netflix, and internet connectivity making it easy to watch your fav shows, download movies, or watch videos on YouTube. Over the last year, I’ve been making our home smarter with the addition of Hue Lights which I’ve heard a friend managed to build some of his own, wow! He told me he built some with parts he found at Octopart but I digress, a Dyson fan, Alexa, and now an Android Smart TV.  As we start to make our home smarter, we’ve got so many entry points putting us at risk for privacy and hacks. 90 percent of Android TVs are reportedly vulnerable to hacking The solution is to make sure we can browse the internet and watch all our fav shows without having personal data compromised. ESET is a leader in security solutions for home computer & mobile.  They’ve created the world’s first ever security solution for Android Smart TVs, using tech to guard against cybercriminals with their eyes on connected TVs. I quite like their i-Robot style dude below.  There’s a free version available for download as well as a paid version that gives you premium features for a year at $14.99. I went for Premium. If you have a Sony Android TV, the app is already downloaded you just have to pop into the HOME section from the remote and click Accept. Android…

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Getting Higher: Rock Climbing

I’m writing this from the cottage with the lake as my second screen. Last week was a busy one after being away but I love those weeks almost as much because things move fast and it’s motivating.  The other day I went rock climbing with Raymi and some friends at Hub Climbing in Markham. I like rock climbing but it gets harder as you get older haha. My arms were a bit sore this week from wakeboarding and my trainer. I’m chuckling a bit to myself writing this because back in 2001, I was a Sunshine Girl (Toronto Sun) and my bio said I liked ‘baseball, rock climbing, and want to work in marketing‘. At the time I had never gone rock climbing in my life. Safe to say I always knew what I wanted career-wise!  We were invited to check out  Hub Climbing‘s 18,000 sq ft facility with over 200 climbs and bouldering. They’ve got locations in Markham (where we went) and Mississauga where they offer camps, classes, school groups, and yoga. They were very helpful in training us to ‘learn the ropes’, climb safely, and push ourselves to the limits. It’s definitely a fun experience, we had heaps of laughs. Martin from @Studenomics was REALLY good. He scaled the speed wall in under 10 seconds!  Hello, I am a rock climbing bae now.  The thing I like about rock climbing is that you use every muscle in your body including your brain. You have to think strategically about where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. Such is life.  Thank you Rob & Hub Climbing for inviting me to climb at your gym. Looking forward to my next visit!  buy bupropion online Buy strattera online http://buywithoutprescriptiononlinerx.net/fluoxetine.html http://rxbuywithoutprescriptiononline.org/citalopram.html

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