Behind the Red Carpet is Now on Amazon & iTunes!

Around this time last year we premiered the film Behind the Red Carpet at The Spoke Club in Toronto just in time for TIFF. It was so exciting! The film documents what goes ‘behind the red carpet’ of the Toronto International Film Festival. (It was filmed at TIFF in 2013). Earlier this year Behind the Red Carpet premiered’s on CBCs documentary channel. I’m happy to share that it’s now available on Amazon and Vimeo on Demand! Here’s a video of me & Chris Jancelewicz talking about the film with Natasha from NKPR on Rogers Your World This Week in February. About the Film: Behind The Red Carpet (60 & 90 min documentary) directed by Michelle Daides.  The film is produced by Michelle Daides and Tom Strnad and stars PR Maven Natasha Koifman, Celebrity Photographer George Pimentel, Lifestyle Blogger Casie Stewart, Venue Operator Pierre Jutras of The Spoke Club and Lead Entertainment Editor of Huffington Post Canada and Moviefone Chris Jancelewicz. CBC’s documentary Channel aired the Canadian Television Premiere in February 2015.

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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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Get a Haircut and Get a Real Job.

I’ve been growing my hair long(er) for the last couple months and I’m ready to cut it. I’ve had it! Was looking through old photos from a Google Search and came across this one from LA. We went to Disneyland and spent some time in California a couple summers ago, it was the best. Love this American Apparel Dress, miss those yellow glasses. Spent the morning analyzing Facebook analytics for a client campaign then helping another client set up her first WordPress. I love doing both! It’s not a ‘real job’ like the olden days but I’m pretty happy that it IS A REAL JOB in 2015. I love THE INTERNET so much. Can’t believe 10 years after starting this blog, I’m here and made a career of it. Who KNOWS what kind of jobs there will be 10 years from now. If you are reading this and in school, GET ALL THE SCHOOL YOU CAN so you’re ready to take on the world with great skills. I know I said this already but I’m SO stoked for the weekend and getting back up to the cottage. We’re gonna stay for A WHILE. I’m doing a makeover to my blog AND getting a new computer. I can barely contain my excitement. HUZZAHHHHHH! <3 CASIE

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The Perfect Cottage Weekend #SummerCovered

If you’re new here or you’ve been around the blog for a while, you’ll be well aware just how much I love to cottage. I like spending weekends in Muskoka, on the dock, on the boat, tanning, floating, or cooking up a big feast for our guests. I’ve partnered with Shoppers Drug Mart to share a few of my cottage weekend essentials. One of the neat things about this post, my next post about The Perfect Summer Road Trip and working with Shoppers Drug Mart is, I’m truly an expert in their products. I used to work at Shoppers in my hometown! I spent the better part of evenings and weekends behind the cosmetics counter during college. Ok, now onto a few items to make.. THE PERFECT COTTAGE WEEKEND: President’s Choice S’mores Bites: No cottage weekend is complete without S’mores. Neutrogena Ultra-Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen Lotion SPF 45 – This is a great sunscreen. Dove Revive Dry Spray Antiperspirant: Quick spray after SPF/bug spray and you’re ready to roll. Off! Deep Woods Dry Insect Repellant – Cottage ESSENTIAL. Life Brand Allergy Caplets – Being in the woods can be a wonderful thing, unless you get allergies. St. Ives Naturally Soothing Oatmeal & Shea Butter Body Lotion:  Swim and sun can dry out our skin. A long day in the sun can be really draining, it’s hard work being cottage fabulous! It’s really important to make sure you stay hydrated, drink lots of water, and ALWAYS wear sunscreen. Even if it’s not sunny! I like this Neutrogena product because it’s dry and not greasy. I keep this Dove antiperspirant in the shared bathroom because aside from smelling nice, the spray means any of our guests can have a little spritz should they need it. Wink, wink. I recommend wearing this bug spray with deet in the daytime, not just at night.…

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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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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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TELUS Day of Giving + Make-A-Wish, Rope for Hope

I took part in a Telus Day of Giving Event with #TeamTelus crew for Make-A-Wish® Rope for Hope. We rappelled down Toronto City Hall!   I’ve done some rock climbing and adventure things like The Edgewalk, zipline, and sky diving but this was FULL ON. AND DOWNTOWN TORONTO! All money raised by Make-A-Wish® Rope for Hope rappellers goes to granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.   It was really fun. I’m not really one for team sports but I love adventure things like this! It was a litte scary going over the edge but once I started going down it was easy. It took about 10min to go down the entire building. To learn more about Telus Day of Giving and other charitable initiatives through the company, click here or on these cute little animals. HUZZAHHHHHHHHHHH! <3 CASIE  

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The Zombies Guide to Surviving Among the Living: How to Blend in at Dinner Parties 

Over the past couple weeks I’ve shared a few tips for surviving among the living them you’re a zombie in partnership with shomi Canada to promote the new show iZombie. This week for chapter 3 of The Zombies Guide to Surviving Among the Living, we look at easy ways to blend in at dinner parties. Always make sure you’ve got your phone close by, if we learned anything from the first two chapters it’s that humans are totally addicted to texting and are never without a mobile device. Don’t even think about taking a bite before snapping a photo of your food. You’ll notice this human behaviour is very common at any public eating facility. It’s a trend that’s totally taken over human eating rituals. Once you’re managed to get past the small talk and are seated at the table, snap a selfie. Then snap another after your first bite. Share how great our food it with the world on your fav social network. Avoid making eye contact and if you’re feeling bored, pick up your phone and text like you’ve got something really important happening. Even if it’s just jargon. Humans will assume you’re engaged in an intense text conversation. These tips will help any zombie trying to make it in a human world. This is my last post about The Zombies Guide but I’m passing the torch to Will Wong and Daniel (Do The Daniel) for the next  chapters. Check out the trailer for iZombie here and get yourself a free 30-day trial here. Follow along on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtags #shomi #TheZombiesGuide. CASIE

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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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The Zombies Guide to Surviving Among the Living: Communicating Like a Human

Last week I introduced you to The Zombies Guide to Surviving Among Living as part of my partnership with shomi, and my love for all things zombie. This week, we’re onto Chapter 2 of the guide, communicating like a human. If there’s anything I know REALLLLLY well it’s communicating like a modern millennial. Here’s a couple tips (and GIFs) on just that!   If you’re a zombie girl (boy) living in a human world, you want to hide all chances of someone recognizing your cravings for brains or zombie-like drone in your voice. They key here, always text. Don’t pick up that phone! When texting, avoid all zombie related conversations like eating brains, your fav blood type, inability to tan, or again your craving for brains. Make sure you use short forms like OMG, IRL, TBT, OMW, WTF, and FTW. Also, try to use as FEW words as possible, one word answers are great! Typing ‘kk’ to a response is sure way to show friend that you’re a true human (you might even annoy them like their other BFFS). If someone tries to spark up a conversation, reach for your phone and pretend it’s an important call “I’ve gotta take this’. Then walk away. You’ll be able to avoid small talk without seeming (too) rude. Humans can be kinda touchy-feely, so another tip to communicating is to give in, and hug it out.  It’s gonna be weird, but after a while you might begin to like it. I hope you’ve enjoyed this post on communicating when you’re a zombie jus’ tryna live amongst the humans. Check out the trailer for iZombie here and get yourself a free 30-day trial here. Next week we’re onto Chapter 3: Eating and Drinking. Follow along on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtags #shomi #TheZombiesGuide. CASIE

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Don’t Hate, Appreciate! Selfie Queen, New Tricks, New Treats

Omg heyyyyy! It’s FRIDAYYYYY or FRIYAY as kids call it these days. Woke up to find out my blog was BROKEN. Urgh. Always a scare. I imagine it’s like your child being unable to function. My blog is my baby and when it’s got a cold 403 error and not operating, my heart sinks and I panic. It’s ok tho, fixed now bc you are reading THIS! Went to dinner at the Trump Hotel last night because I am I fancy lady for a press event with LG Canada. I was given a brand new, unlocked (from Korea) LG G4 to test drive. I love new gadgets so much. My fav things about this phone so far is the selfie camera.  It’s got that beauty feature to perfect your skin (no editing required), there’s a front facing flash, and you can signal with your hand to take a selfie. Earlier tonight, things got a bit weird, but awesome w/ @LGCanada and it was fun. #LGG4 pic.twitter.com/SffJ6YAo5r — CASiE STEWART ? (@casiestewart) May 22, 2015 The PR team was like ‘Casie you’ll love these selfie features’ as then handed over the phone. Then, in the middle of the product demo I got called a ‘Selfie Queen’ in front of everyone. I don’t mind. I’d proud of my selfie skills. I have been taking photos of myself before they even had a name.  You’ll get about 12,300 results if you google my name and ‘selfie’. That takes real dedication! This is an oldie from 2008 when I lived in the East end at Broadview & Danforth. I was an IT recruiter in the financial district back then, seems like a 100 years ago now. After I passed by the new Yo Sox store to see Ryan and the gang. The once pop-up is now…

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The Zombies Guide to Surviving Among The Living: How to Selfie

As you might know, I’m quite the expert in being a zombie, or at least dressing like one! Well, my skills in zombiesm have paid off! Over the next three weeks I’ve teamed up with shomi to deliver you some tips on how to survive as a zombie amongst a world of humans. The new 13-part one-hour drama, iZombie (from the brains that brought you Veronica Mars) is now available to Canadians, exclusively on shomi. I think you’ll enjoy my take on how to survive among the living with tips from the Zombie Guide. This week we start with Chapter 1, Social Behaviour.   Some notes on the above tips from my professional experience as someone who has taken about 10,000 selfies. In order to appear extra human, take selfie in any public space. Stop, drop, selfie anywhere and everywhere. Especially in the middle of a busy sidewalk, at the mall, just be careful not to selfie while crossing the street. You might die again. Another tip is to add a filter, or even double filter to make yourself look less dead. I personally like, Rise, Lo-Fi, and Valencia in Instagram to add a bit of extra brightness. Here you see happy Zombie girl in the grocery store. Smiling like she’s ALIIIIIIVE. Take a peek at the trailer for iZombie below and get a free 30-day trial here. I’ll be sharing more tips from my experience as a zombie over the next three weeks. Follow along on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtags #shomi #TheZombiesGuide. Stay safe out there and use your BRAIIIIIIIINS! CASIE  

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Listen While You Work: My Chat on The 416 Show – Episode 15

I recently did an interview/chat on the 416 Show w/ Chris Jones. The show is usually mostly tech so we talked about all kinds of things about blogging, social media, and Toronto. Mentioned that Deadmau5 things with Tim Hortons, the Twitter party, GenYTO, how Twitter’s evolved, smoking on patios, and more. I’m listening to it as I type this and I think you’ll really like it. You’ll laugh a little.  If you’re at the office , throw in your headphones and listen while you work. Here’s the shirt I came up with. Buy it here. Show Links Twestival Toronto Facebook page (look who’s the last to post on the wall) Party at Twitter Toronto Casey Neistat Zak King (vine effects guy) Southern Ontario Cottage Country – Muskoka The Wizards of Trinity Belwoods Google search for casie stewart casiestewart.com Casie Stewart: this is my life Casie Stewart: this is my biz DevTO on Twitter The 416 Show on Twitter jonezy on Twitter Subscribe iTunes RSS

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Fill Your Cup and Reward Yourself w/ Coffee ☕️

Ahh, this view. Goes so well with a coffee ☕️ in the morning! I’ll be spending lots of time working from this office the next few months. In other news, Second Cup Coffee Co. has a new rewards programs and I’m giving YOU some rewards right now, scroll down for deets. Have you been to a Second Cup Coffee Co. lately? They went through a rebrand recently and have a new sleek, modern look. The coffee is also great. They’ve recently introduced SecondCup Coffee Co. Rewards, a loyalty program w/ mobile app where you earn points on every dollar spent. See details in the video below. Made in Canada for Canadians, the app also allows members to: Find out when there’s a new promotion, a nearby offer, or a customized offer. Pay for purchases directly from the app. Top up their card balance with easy reload. Track rewards and redeem when desired. Find a Second Cup café with the Café Locator. Pay for purchases and collect points using the Second Cup Coffee Co. Rewards app on the brand new Apple® Watch. I really like how brands are getting on this mobile rewards train. I think we’ll see more and more retailers putting out things like this to give back to customers. I’m all for mobile payments! 🙌🏼 A photo posted by Second Cup (@secondcupcanada) on Mar 31, 2015 at 9:56am PDT To become a member, pick up a card in café or download the FREE Second Cup Coffee Co.™ Rewards app from the App Store or Google Play. GIVEAWAY DETAILS: Win yourself a Second Cup Coffee Co. Prize pack worth over $100. Scroll down for easy entry! For more information about the new rewards program please visit secondcup.com/rewards. a Rafflecopter giveaway

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