Lavender Blu: Very Demure, Very Mindful

In a mattter of days this phrase has taken over the internet. Brat Summer is over, we’ve moved on to Demure Girl Summer. It seemed like the perfect title for a post where I visit a Lavender Farm in the country. On my recent day trip to Durham Region, we stopped at Lavender Blu Farm, a small eco-family farm that’s been making artisanal lavender products since 2007. This quaint farm is located in Seagrave, Ontario, along the Sideroads of Scugog. Their mission is all about cultivating calm, something I can totally vibe with. The farm offers a variety of events throughout the summer including yoga, painting, and lavender picking. It can also be booked as a wedding or event venue. I would love to do yoga there! I loved learning about places to visit in the Durham Region, I had no idea there were so many farms an hour away from Toronto. The area is full of great places to check out including markets, pubs, museums, and galleries, see a full list at sideroadsofscugog.ca. The studio has lavender hanging from the ceiling and features over 80 lavender-inspired products. You will feel calm the moment you walk through the doors. The whole atmosphere of the farm is relaxing. Here’s to living a calm life! P.S. If the title of this post makes absolutely no sense to you, read this and watch this. It’s a TikTok thing and it’s taking over!

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Take a Visit to The Sunflower Farm!

This week I visited The Sunflower Farm on the edge of Lake Simcoe along the backroads of Brock, Ontario. If you’ve been looking for a great summer adventure with family or friends, get to Durham ASAP. The sunflowers are only in bloom for 2 weeks! Durham Region is about an hour from Toronto and is made up of eight cities and towns; Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Clarington, Uxbridge, Scugog, and Brock. On my adventure with the Toronto Blogger Collective and Durham Tourism, we visited four of their scenic rural routes, A Country Path, the Leaksdale Loop, Backroad of Brock, and the Sideroads of Scugog. I will share more about each route in my upcoming posts! I truly loved visiting The Sunflower Farm! We got to meet Ursala, the farmer of this multigenerational family farm and she introduced us to the animals including the cutest little goat named Feta. The farm has thousands of sunflowers, a sunflower-shaped trail, and plenty of great spots for taking photos. You can also purchase merch or sunflowers to bring home. Planning Your Visit to The Sunflower Farm Something that made the day really special was travelling around the area with Town Trolley Tours. Our hosts, Michael and Pauline, took us to each stop in their replica “San Francisco Trolley”, sharing stories about their lives, the region, and playing tunes on request. We even had a sing-along to The Tragically Hip! You can rent the trolley for events, weddings, and more, details here. If you’re looking for a great activity to get in before the end of summer, I highly recommend taking a trip to The Sunflower Farm and North Durham. There’s lots to do in the area! Check out durham.ca to see their curated collections of farms, markets, breweries, wineries, historical sites, and attractions. You’re…

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Red Hot Chili Peppers at Bud Stage

Last week I went to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Bud Stage and we had VIP tickets! My friend Luis Mendoza from LA is on tour with the band and hooked us up with great seats + lounge access before the show. This was my first time at Bud Stage this summer. Before the show, it was POURING down with rain, so much that Lakeshore Blvd was completely flooded. Lorilynn and I took an Uber and by the time we met Sarah at the venue, the sun was out and it turned into a beautiful hot summer evening. The show was awesome and we sang/danced right until the end. Luis and I have been friends since the early days of Twitter. We met on the platform and finally in person at SXSW in 2012. Since then, we have hung out in LA and every time he’s in Toronto on tour with a band. THANK YOU FOR THE TIX MY FRIEND!!!! Hope to catch a few more concerts there before the temps cool down in the fall!

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Now We’re Soaking Up The Sun

Can you believe it? It’s already mid-June! This year is flying by! It feels like we were setting our New Year’s resolutions just yesterday, and now we’re soaking up the sun, savouring long days, and making the most of every beautiful moment. Summer is in full swing, and I couldn’t be happier. There’s something magical about this time of year that brings out the best in all of us. My favorite thing to do is simply be outside. Whether it’s a long afternoon walk or an impromptu picnic with friends, being outdoors is my absolute favorite. There’s nothing like the feeling of the sun on your skin and a gentle breeze to remind you of the simple joys in life. Have been doing a lot of 5K+ walks lately. I love exploring new neighborhoods and rediscovering familiar ones. There’s always something new to see and appreciate! Walking is a great way to clear my mind and get some exercise. Parks are another perfect spot for summer, I like to bring a blanket, snacks, hydration, and lounge in the sun. Summer is all about creating memories with people you love. As we dive into the heart of 2024, let’s make the most of every sunny day and warm night. Embrace the spontaneity, cherish the laughter, and soak in all the summer goodness. Here’s to an amazing June and an even better summer!

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Cold Punge Crew: Unbounded Sunrise Social

Had the best day! Woke up early and went to Trillium Park at Ontario Place for the Unbounded Sunrise Social event. Watched the sunrise with a meditation, jumped around to music, went in the cold, then in the sauna, and listened to live tunes by the fire. It was perfect. Went to a few of these events last summer, so fun. This year they had a Sunset Social but I couldn’t make it. If you’re looking for an event that doesn’t involve going to a bar or restaurant that will make you feel GREAT after, this is for you. The cold plunge community in the city, especially Unbounded, is so lovely. Positive people with an interest in wellness, having fun, and making the most of each day. View this post on Instagram A post shared by CASIE STEWART (@casiestewart) Benefits of Cold Plunge There’s a bunch of benefits for the mind and body. Please remember, I am not a doctor and you should prob check to see if this is safe before you give it a go. Aside from being great for stress & anxiety, it helps circulation. When you plunge into icy water, your blood vessels constrict, pushing blood toward your core to keep you warm. Then, when you get out, those vessels open up and send fresh, oxygenated blood rushing back to your limbs. This can help reduce inflammation and speed up muscle recovery. If you’ve been hitting or need a little extra recovery, cold plunge. Cold shock releases endorphins, filling you with energy and positivity. It’s pretty crazy! Everyone at this event was smiling. The mental act of pushing through the pain of cold water will make you feel a natural high (for real). A 2-minute dip in cold water can be just the thing to clear…

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Allure Magazine – Hello Flawless!

Today I’m featured on Allure Magazine in an article by Beth Sobol about peoples love for beauty products that are now discontinued. For YEARS my go-to face makeup was ‘Hello Flawless‘ by Benefit Cosmetics. I never left home without it, ever. In the article I called it ‘Photoshop for your face’, it really was THAT GOOD. A couple years ago, I found it at a liquidation pop-up in Muskoka after being discontinued for years. Read my story, and a few from some die-hard beauty product fans on allure.com. Thanks Beth!

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CHFI | When Your Song Comes On

How cool is this! In December, after dancing to Taylor Swift in my audition, I booked a gig with Rogers/CHFI for an upcoming campaign. I had one day on set to film a TV commercial and one day in the Rogers studio for print images. It was so fun! I thought it wasn’t going to be live until later this year but much to my surprise, it is! I got a DM on January 2nd that someone saw me in a CHFI Instagram ad, the next day someone saw the TV commercial, and on Friday I got a text that I was on billboards. What a cool start to the year! 🤗

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Metro – Catch The Excitement!

The Metro Holiday campaign is now LIVE across Ontario. I love that is says ‘Catch the excitement’ on my photo. A few days before we went to the Venice Film Festival in September I was booked on a holiday campaign. It was the first job I booked with my new agent and part of what got me the job was my selfies! Ha. I do have a LOT of practice! I went for a fitting the day before the shoot and when I showed up to set, I was so happy they picked this cute, red, sparkly number. Totally something I would wear!

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Interior Design: My Bespoke Rug

If you’ve been following me on Instagram for a while, you’ll remember last year when I posted about my first venture into textile design. Using a piece of my art made on iPad Pro, I uploaded the image to Weaver & Loom‘s digital platform and the process of creating my first rug began. 🤗 Fast forward to 2023, and I’m heading to Miami with the Weaver & Loom team! The first image below is my design from iPad, the second is a rendering of my 18 x 18 sample, the third is a color strike rendering of my 31 different colours, and the last image is my hand-knotted sample. The day I received my sample I was SO excited I decided to have a photo shoot with it! I was blown away by the construction and how vibrant the colours were. Going through the rug-making process with Weaver & Loom was incredible, as my rug went through production, I received updates from the weavers in Kathmandu, Nepal. Here’s my rug on the loom!

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It’s Fall Y’All!

Why YES I DID stop by a pumpkin patch just in time for a post about the change of seasons! It’s fall y’all! On the 2nd last day of summer, I went to the media preview of a pop-up by GayLea Foods at the Stackt Market. They had coffee, snacks, and a pile of pumpkins for the perfect photo op. Side note, I have still never had a PSL. The change of seasons is always bittersweet, I love layering but it means the hot summer days are few & far between. It won’t be long till I venture over to the storage unit and pull out my array of coats and sweaters. Until then, I’m making the most of light layering, open-toe shoes, short sleeves, and bare legs. I recently shared a fun partnership with Value Village for their #ThriftProud Campaign. I had two pieces of content on my feed and there’s more that will be shared by the brand. I picked up all the items in the content from my local Value Village except for the white shirt above (it was my Dad’s!). POST 1 & POST 2.

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