Two Sisters Vineyard, Niagra on the Lake: Local Flights, Wine, & Baby Goats

Monday was just a casual day y’know? I flew to Niagara on the Lake (NOTL) with a small group for lunch & wine tasting at Two Sisters Winery w/ the two sisters. It was such a great experience! Small groups or private adventures are a great way to get people  (media, content creators, friends) familiar with your brand. Thank you, Two Sisters (the actual sisters!) for hosting and Fly GTA for the great flight. Can’t wait to try their Muskoka route soon!  Scroll through the IG post below and read the captions below. I shared 10 great things about the day. This is an expansion of the original IG post. I’m not sure if I’ve done before? It usually goes the other way (WP->IG vs IG->WP). ? A post shared by CASIE |Writer Speaker Director (@casiestewart) on Jul 11, 2018 at 5:24am PDT 1. Arrived at the airport I was a last minute invite so I went right to the office like HELLOOOOO. Thank you Stilez for hooking me up! ? 2. The flight is 10-25mim depending on route and $99. Very beautiful!✈️ 3. Hot pilot alert ??‍✈️ 4. Two sisters took over a peach ? farm 4 years ago. 5. They have a great team who takes care of the vineyard by hand. 6. I love Italian food and lunch was INCREDIBLE. Love the Burrata & polenta. Also HOT SAUCE. 7. What a voice, don’t miss this video or check out my NOTL Story on IG. Impromptu acapella performance from a band visiting from Portugal. ?? 8. Step inside the wine cellar, theres a table for private dining. ? (See IG video) 9. Private tour of the family farm with BABY GOATS ? ? ? 10. They also have a hidden pond on the vineyard with a family of ducks and ducklings + heaps of fish. THE CREW!…

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Speaking at Blue Mountain – Digital is the Direction

If you’re not constantly innovating, you’ll get left behind. Last week I spoke at a conference where I stressed the importance of a ‘digital first strategy when it comes to marketing and expanding your business. On the way to Blue Mountain, I stopped by a corn field to take a couple photos in the corn, a la Children of the Corn. I like to spend some time by myself before I hit the stage so I grabbed lunch at the Italian restaurant in the village. Wore my fav new blazer from Zara. Yes, the same one I was wearing in the video last week. We all know what happened to Blockbuster when they didn’t think ‘digital first’, they essentially died and were overtaken by online movie streaming services like Amazon & Netflix. we’ll always have traditional media but if you want to connect directly with your audience in real time, social media is the future    

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“Dreaming is Free. You can’t be stingy with your dream you have to go big. “

The other day I watched Franca on Netflix. It’s a documentary about Franca Sozzani, former Editor in Chief of Italian Vogue, who died at 66. She was cutting edge and groundbreaking. I won’t spoil it with too much detail but it’s an inspiring film. I wrote this quite down as I watched it and it stuck with me. When I was in high school I printed out a Shakespeare quote, attached it to a magnet and stuck it on the fridge. I still have that magnet on our fridge today: “Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure This quote stuck with me because it’s easy to give up on your dreams, it’s easy to do something everyone has done before, easy to get a regular job, or not step out of your comfort zone. HOWEVER, when you do that, that’s WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS. By fearing to attempt, you lose the good you might win by trying. By not trying, you give up on yourself before you even start.  I’ve always done things my own way. A lot of the time it made it harder, took a bit longer, but it’s given me so much joy. I didn’t go right into a ‘regular’ 9-5 job, get married, have kids, like so many of my old friends but that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted a life less ordinary.  Yesterday was a hard day for me reading the ‘me too’ posts from almost every single female friend in my timeline. I was overwhelmed with anger and sadness, I took a 2hr nap in the afternoon. BUT THAT WILL NOT STOP ME. We are resilient and we can do this. I found my inspiration today and I’m…

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Yes, I am Still At The Cottage

But I’m starting to get cabin fever. I’m ready to come home. It’s been about two weeks up here and mostly just Sean and I here together. I’m so looking forward to friends, events, a conference, and my good blue shampoo. (If you are blonde, you’ll understand! My hair is yellow!) I also really need a manicure. Today I screamed at a chipmunk that startled me, like a total crazy woman. I want a Starbucks. I got a couple new bug bites taking out the garbage this morning (it comes on Mondays) and I just about lost my shit. Enough damn bugs! The views are beautiful but everyone has a breaking point. Sean and I cooked a great surf & turf BBQ last night w/ aglio olio (Italian pasta). Then we had a dip in the hot tub and watched a beautiful sunset. But I’m still ready to come home. Tomorrow Lauren and I are attending an entrepreneurship conference that includes an aerial yoga class. So fun! I’ve got a media preview at the Spoke Club after then a Sweat yoga class. I miss yoga. I’m not as good as I would like to be at self-starting a practice on my own up here. I do at home! I don’t know what it is about the cottage that makes me so lazy and eat all the snacks, I guess that’s what they call ‘relaxing’. I sent an RSVP for a TIFF event this morning and I am really getting excited about it. I’ve been doing TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) for about 10 years now and it’s fun. The city is so alive! The first couple days are the best and I love media day before the official opening. I’m going away to adult summer camp (Two Islands) on the…

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West Queen West Has a Metro Now!

Heaps of prepared food. Lots of fresh juice. Massive gluten free section. Huge bread assortment including pretzel croissants (??) and Italian bread with real Italian ingredients (might be made by a real nonna?). Huge meat selection that will do custom cuts and a cool female butcher. Fresh sustainable seafood. So much yogurt. Exotic snacks. Self-checkout. Starbucks and collective art space on the lower floor. I also rode my bike there. A new grocery store in the hood is pretty exciting. Before I lived in the West End, I was at Cityplace when the new grocery store opened up. [I actually even set up a Twitter account based on the store which I then shut down]. Everyone was so excited and that might seem a little dorky but when a new food store opens in your neighbourhood with all your fav things and fresh prepped food, your life is instantly better. So, I  biked over to the new MetroWest Queen West for a tour on opening weekend (10mins bike from home!). This location puts a focus on local and community with organic chicken from Yorkshire Valley Farms in Etobicoke, pastries from Dufflet in Toronto, and Portuguese products from Borges Foods Ltd. in Mississauga. Thanks Metro, for inviting me to the opening and the pedicab ride! Make sure to stop by and order a ready-made pizza, pick up some beer for the weekend, and grab yourself a fresh juice. For info about Metro in-store events and other happenings, follow them on Facebook at Metro Ontario.

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2017 Tech Trends from from @WeAreWearables & #CES2017

Last week I was on a panel at We Are Wearbles TO Meetup. Five journalists took the stage on a panel to talk tech trends from CES 2017 earlier this month. I was at the conference in Vegas and there was definitely lots to see.  If you’ve not been to CES, IT IS HUGE.  Imagine Toronto’s MTCC x 10 with other demo areas set up in massive hotels (ex. Aria). During the panel we talked about trends and products we saw on the CES floor. Mostly sensors, wearables, VR/AR, fashion, hearables, & smartwatches. A really cool sensor I saw at CES was the Corning ‘Glassie’  a smart mirror class that has a camera in it and can take your photo. Perfect for those OOTS amirite?! Next evolution of the selfie is GLASSIE. @Corning Glass just took a video selfie of me and it was so cool. NEED FOR HOME ASAP. #CES2017 pic.twitter.com/RoBw8ueAMn — CASiE STEWART (@casiestewart) January 5, 2017 I learned about the Nex Band that has 5 customizable buttons unlike any other smart watch wearable. The Nex band is ‘a smart band that lets you create custom hacks in seconds, with no coding required!”. Very cool, like to try one of these out.  [?? waves hiiiiii!] Lowdown Focus is the latest from Interaxion, makers of the Muse Headband. I wrote about using the Muse here. The glasses are packed with sensors including EEG, EOG and EMG technology, they also have a 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyro, 3-axis magnetometer, UV sensor (UVA and UVB), temperature gauge and a pressure sensor. Pretty incredible considering they look like a totally normal pair of glasses. The Lowdown Focus is the brain-child of Safilo, the Italian eyewear giant that produces sunglasses, sports eyewear, and helmets under its five house brands, including Smith Optics and 22 licensed brands like Dior and…

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Winners & Marshalls FW 2016

Last week I went to the Fall Winter preview for Winners & Marshalls in Canada. Winners holds a special place in my heart because ever since one opened in Cambridge, ON (my hometown) mum and I always made a date of going to check out the merch. Right before Labour Day weekend and also late January are the best times to get the Winners clearance deals. I can’t tell you how many times I found a real bargain, something most people would pick over, consider too wild, or weird, then come next season it was totally the rage. Follow Talia at @talia_stylist!

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Speaking | United Nations IWD 2016 & Planet 50-50

This past weekend I was joined by mum and my sister for an event with the United Nations Association of Canada where I spoke on a panel for IWD 2016. Although International Women’s Day was on March 8th, we celebrated the economic, political, cultural, and social achievements of women in an afternoon at the Fairmont Royal York. Visiting the Royal York was always so iconic growing up and to be speaking there as a grown up felt pretty neat. Having my family there made it even more special. The first question I answered from the stage was about inspiration and I proudly shared things mum taught me and a quote from her. [symple_testimonial by=”” fade_in=”false”]Just because you don’t have money, doesn’t mean you can’t compete, you just have to be more creative. – Judith Stewart, my mum[/symple_testimonial]

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This is My Life | Sirius XM, NKPR, Greta Constantine, ALO Restaurant, H&M Studio

This week was a busy one! I was looking through photos and decided it would be a good idea to take a look back. Monday I was back on Sirius XM co-hosting the Todd Shapiro Show. It was super fun. Listen to it here.   I’m working on a big project at 1188 and we had a meeting over foot massages. SMARTEST IDEA. There’s a little spot at Queen/Portland, $25 for 30min. Not prices like Thailand but the massage was just as good! Work work.  Tuesday was the NKPR pre-TIFF media event at Natasha’s house. Tahnee was there! It was great to see all the fashion/media peeps after a long relaxing summer. The crazy is about to begin! Can’t wait for TIFF. Recognize these bachelors? Tim (L) and I shot a TV show earlier this year with NKPR. Todd isn’t a bachelor anymore tho. Brad (R) is on TV in Canada and a former Bachelor for those of you not from here.   The NKPR IT Lounge has been going on for 10 years. It’s a VIP gifting suite and portrait studio. Caitlin Cronenberg is shooting it for W Magazine again this year. I’ll be popping by on Sept. 9th. Wednesday night Greta Constantine hosted La Piscine. A glamorous night held at 77 Admiral Road, a three story brick mansion with beautiful backyard and pool. See more photos of peeps at the party on shedoesthecity.com.   Recognize this babe? Abe Hotaki was there stomping grapes in his underwear. He was at our cottage this summer for the Archibald Men magazine shoot.  Next week I’m attending a top secret party hosted by Rickey, if you don’t know Rickey, you will soon. #ChezRickey is sure to be an amazing night.  The tips I ordered for my new Jeffrey Campbell boots arrived. I…

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#Travel: A Weekend in Boston w/ My Loves

On Friday afternoon Sean and I hopped on a little plane at Toronto Island and flew Porter across the pond to Boston. I absolutely LOVE flying Porter. We arrived at the (worlds shortest commercial) ferry at 2:10pm, landed on the island at 2:15pm, and at 2:40 we had checked in at the gate and through security. There was even time for a sandwich and a drink & snack. Pop, juice, water, coffee, tea, cookies, almonds are all free in the lounge. WIFI too! The flight was a breeze and in just under an hour and a half we landed at Boston Logan. It was my first time using the automated US Customs and it was a total breeze. We had a chuckle that I took a glamour shot. Like, check out that photo? All my selfie taking is really paying off. I can’t wait till I go for my next Passport photo. We stopped at The Bell in Hand as usual. I’ve been going there with Bob since my first Boston trip about five years ago. It’s the oldest pub in America and our friend Meri works there. Some Heineken babes were dishing out free beers which was a nice start to the weekend! Our next stop was Nico’s Restaurant in Boston’s North End, Little Italy. I absolutely LOVE Italian food and our dinner here was FANTASTIC. I packed up the leftovers and snacked on them later.  A bunch of celebs have dined there and I was most interested to see The Rock had been there since that photo of him from the 90’s has been flying around this week. I spent Saturday by the pool from morning till night. It was SUCH a beautiful day. And with a pool like this, hwo could I go wrong? A bunch of friends joined us later in the…

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The Weekend was Made for Lovers

  Had a lovely sunday afternoon w/ Sean. Went to the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Had a nice lunch at the Dog & Bear on Queen. This is the “stop taking my photo” face. Ha, anyone who has dated a blogger just has to deal with certain things like taking their photo, having their photo taken, or holding their stuff. Love you for it though! The tacos at Dog & Bear are sooooo good. The whole menu is splendid TBH. Walked Otis, the much loved Italian Greyhound at the 1188 Studio. Sometimes I think a puppy would be ok to have but then I walk someone else’s dog and it dog slobbers on me, gets hair on my outfit, or goes to the bathroom on the floor and I take it all back. No dog for me. Deff no cats either!   Next weekend we head up North for 5 days of snow hills, spas, and our very own two bedroom suite at Blue Mountain. It’s a winter min-break just like Bridget and Marc Darcy! Except snowboarding and none of the other people lol. Can’t wait! The Weekend was Made for Lovers, <3 CASIE   amoxicillin without prescription amoxil without prescription ampicillin without prescription

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Step Out of Your Comfort Zone, Find Magic

Been loving my walk to work the last week. It’s great to be in a creative office surrounded by art and internet.  Our building is about 10 minutes from my door, major score! Greeted by this sign when I walk in. There’a all kinds of creative, vintagey things around here. Will give you a tour one of these days. I did not wear the right shoes for snow! Doh. Shoudl really know better. Yesterday I took my mentee to the AGO for his first visit and to see the Guggenheim exhibit. We walked around and talked about her future eventually coming up with a plan and some actionable items. Vanessa Grillone won the HTC One contest earlier this year and part of the prize was mentorship from me. See her post about winning here and a guest post on my blog here. I absolutely love the AGo and have been a member for a few years. It’s an amazing place to go and get inspired. Many times I’ve just walked through for 15 minutes and stopped to visit a few favourites. I never miss Andy Warhol or walking through Gallery Italia (above). Saw this art on my way to work today. Made this before I left the house 🙂 One of the things I chatted Vanessa about yesterday was stepping out of your comfort zone. That’s where the magic happens guys. This is an excellent time of year to reflect on the year passed and think about where you want to be this time next year. I don’t even know where my comfort zone is anymore I step out and do the unexpected so often! Don’t be afraid to try something new, you’ll most likely be surprised at the opportunity it creates! Have an awesome day! <3 CASIE (I drew…

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Caitlin Cronenberg Portrait Studio at NKPR’s #ITLounge

During TIFF I was a busy little bee. one of my stops was The IT Lounge, hosted by Toronto- and New York-based public relations agency NKPR. In an exclusive collaboration with fashion magazine W, Caitlin Cronenberg took the helm of the portrait studio, snapping photographs of some of the most highly anticipated celebs. The theme was Modern Vintage (which I LOVED) featuring elements of heritage and classic. Décor included antique furniture and trompe d’oeil sets, with the concept for her Portrait Studio based on Casa Susanna. There were also a ton of great brands present in the lounge including Avon, Tweezerman and Roots Canada, Cold Stone Creamery and Italian heritage brand Barilla. Natasha & NKPR, thank you SO MUCH for all the goodies. Avon was lovely and sent me a bunch of lipsticks and the Tweezerman set are the best I’ve ever had. Check out all the portraits from the NKPR portrait studio at  itlounge.nkpr.net and see the work of Caitlin Cronenberg on her website.  Happy Friday! <3 CASIE   Buy Flomax Buy Abilify Buy Aciphex

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Media Dinner at Church Aperitivo Bar

I wasn’t sure what Italiam sashimi was but I love Italian food so I was in. The meal at Church was excellent and I tried a few things I’d never had before.  My notes are not nearly as neat near the end as I’m sure I drank a bottle of wine to myself. Italian sashimi is cut thinner than traditional sashimi and comes served with toppings. I appreciated this because although I enjoy eating raw fish, sometimes it’s cut too thick at Japanese places and I struggle to get it down my throat then spit it out in a napkin. I know that’s gross but it’s true ok! I can’t be alone here? I felt pretty great because they had a section ready and a personalized menu. Thanks guys!

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