Raining. Long weekend. Quarantine. Guess this weather makes it easier to stay at home!? ? This weekend I’m gonna do another round of tie-dye, finally got some colours. #Whatever shirt is from the gang at HideSeek, and these pants were V1 of my bleach dye. I tried to dye over another piece in The Recess Collection and ended up creating…a blank canvas! Whoops! ? I always did like things one of a kind! ??‍? I was so happy to find this jumpsuit in my closet. I ordered it last summer but it was too small. Thankfully my hard work has paid off and it fits perfectly now. I am not going to tie-dye this one! ? We picked up this beautiful big kale the garden centre last weekend and SHE IS THRIVING. Hoping to spend some time in the garden this weekend getting it ready for summer. Hope you are doing ok. Reach out to me anytime. I’m around, in the woods, hoping for sunshine, and filling carts w/ things I probably won’t buy. Something that has really been lifting me up is @Ryan Heffington’s Sweatfest dance class, it’s on Saturday at 3pm EST via IG Live. If you need a BOOST check out yesterday’s class on his IGTV. I’ve been having dance parties w/ Jen_kirsch & Jo on Houseparty and doing the class together. It fills me with so much love and light I just about float right off the ground. ☁️☁️☁️☀️????? Please, if you are going out this weekend, stay safe. Miss you. ?

Right now, more than ever we need to support our friends! We are all in this together and we will get through it by being there for each other, at a distance! Social media is an amazing tool to share the things you love, you like, and support others. This tweet has been pinned to the top of my Twitter profile for over a year! Last night I joined in a pop-culture trivia game on Facebook hosted by my friend Alex. Follow her on IG @lexniko, I love the content she creates and she’s funny AF. Today my friend Mariah sent me a message about her latest project, a film called Pamela & Ivy. I know I don’t do movies reviews often but today her message came just as I was about to have lunch. So, I watched it and put a few notes into a post here. You can also watch the full 16-minute film in the post or on YouTube. Mariah and I had been internet friends for a little while and last year we met for a coffee date. It was so since to meet face-to-face! I am inspired by her work and how much she has accomplished at a young age. She founded GTE Productions at 21 and is an award-winning actress & filmmaker. Her talent is out of this world! After lunch, I went to the post office to ship a wee package of a card & friendship bracelet + an item from Knixwear. I am so impressed with their customer service! A couple of weeks ago I placed an order from the warehouse sale and when the package arrived, the order wasn’t correct. That same afternoon I was refunded for the missing items and they asked that the wrong size item I received was…

Mums, step-moms, grandmas, sisters, pet mums, plant mums, sister and friends who are there for us with mum love, today is for you. Had a nice chat with my mum and then went to a garden centre. We Facetimed Sean’s mum and had her pick out a big beautiful hanging plant to go at the cottage front door. In the evening, I did a self-care spa including a foot mask, face mask, and watched Dead to Me in bed while drinking rosé. It was nice! Good show. Sending special love to my mum who had been a source of strength and inspiration every day of my life. I love you so much! She always has good advice, a creative idea, or the right thing to say when I need it.

Today was very active! The sun makes me want to get outside, I really hope the temperature warms up soon. Ran 2k in the morning and then walked for 8k in the late afternoon. I was listening to my latest book on Audible, Witch by Lisa Lister. I feel so calm in nature, sun on the face, wind in the trees, listening to the sound of the woods. Even saw a couple flowers blooming! My friend Cheryl sent me a beautiful Gratitude Journal from her company Please Notes. I’m going to do my first entry the day after my birthday. I love keeping my online diary of daily activities but this type of journal is great for personal reflection. Thank you Cheryl! Check out her other journals, notes, decals, and items to keep you inspired here.

This day was the first time I saw any friends IRL in months. I was so nice to visit at a safe distance to laugh, smile, and be together. It was hard to be so close and not hug each other. I love hugs. Had a nice shower and out on a dress before heading out on a drive around the city. It was a beautiful day, I had tunes on and the sunroof open. Michelle’s birthday is the day after mine (May 9th) and for the last couple of years, we’ve celebrated together. We will celebrate again once this is all over! I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU! Before heading back to the cottage we stopped by Jen’s place to safely say hi to her and her dad. She drew a birthday message on the driveway for me. I was so excited, laughing, and jumping up and down. I can’t wait to hang out again. Some of my BFFs started receiving their packages and it’s a way for us to stay connected. We’re all rocking friendship bracelets I made last week. I sent each package with a little handmade card filled with good vibes. I can’t wait to be together again. Tomorrow I’m gonna decorate for my birthday and make my own cake. I think we might do a Zoom party on Friday. Sending good vibes. Love you xo

Wow does it ever feel great to get dressed in an outfit, do my hair and wear makeup! I’m not sure the last day I did this! I figured since I was leaving the house I’d pull myself together. Went to the post office today and have made friends w/ Judy, our local essential worker postage lady. Each visit I’ve been bringing her a little surprise as a thank you for receiving my packages and working during this time. I am SO EXCITED to run in my new shoes, they’re beautiful and feel amazing. Will have to wait till it dries up a bit outside, it’s been pretty rainy. I know it’s annoying but this is my fav meme of the YEAR! May is my FAV month, my birthday and it’s when the weather *usually* starts to warm up., may I am here for you and all your Taurus glory! One week until the day it’s all about meeeeee! LOL!

I spent the day mostly on the couch watching Outer Banks. It’s not a great show but I’m heavily invested now and want to complete my task. Ate some leftovers. Made some cards & bracelets to send to friends. It’s totally ok to not feel like doing anything or to lack motivation during this time. If you survived another day, that in itself is an accomplishment. We are in the middle of a global pandemic and it’s hard to deal with. Tomorrow is a new day.

Personally, today was a good day. Ran 4k in the morning and took Sean’s route down the road and though Balfour Woods. It felt great to be out in nature and I made it back just before the rain. For lunch, I made tortilla soup with leftovers and then tried a recipe for sweet potato gnocchi. It was my first time and they turned out pretty good! Watched Netflix at night and made bracelets to send to friends in the mail. Parenting wise, today was a very challenging day.

Was not feeling great today. Felt sluggish and unmotivated. Did not exercise. Started a new book, read outside in the sun. Hung some new plants in the kitchen window. Had a dip in the hot tub. My arm has been very sore. Have been applying CBD cream and heating pad all day. Made a nice lentil coconut curry for dinner with rice. Took an afternoon nap and then went to bed at 8 pm. Tomorrow is a new day. Still have about 10k to conquer on my monthly NTC Challenge so hoping to get up early and go outside like I used to. I think my body and mind are exhausted. It’s ok to rest. This whole experience is tiring. Read a great article on Medium, see below.

I finally made bread! I didn’t take a photo because tbh, it wasn’t that pretty. I’ll try again but I turned out pretty flat, a flatbread. ?It tasted great right out of the oven with some butter. Today was a lazy day and I did next to nothing other than baking bread and eating it. Took a 24 -hour break from Instagram to laze around and recharge my batteries. Found this book from my childhood and am rediscovering my love for bracelet making. We’ll see how I get on with this, would be nice to send these to friends in the mail.

Wow, 40 days! Thankful I’ve kept a diary because all the days would have mixed into weeks by now. It’s taken about forty days to figure out what balance looks like right now. It’s been a bit challenging to adjust to this new way of life but I think we’re getting the hang of it. Below I’ve linked to a few of my favourite posts since the start of isolation. We ordered takeout for the first time in 40 days today and it was so good! Muskoka Beer Spa offers pizza, beer, and a few other local pre-made items for pickup at the brewery in Bala. Aside from pre-made pizza from Pie Muskoka we got butter tarts and meat pies. When we were driving back we say the most beautiful fox. I think we interrupted him having a little snack. Looked right at me! Yesterday by 10am I’d written a blog post, done some client work, and ran 2.6K. Some days are productive others not so much. I did 3.85K today and I’m on track to complete my goal of 55k by the end of the month. I can’t believe how much I look forward to running. Order new shoes today because I’ve worn mine out! Looking Back, 40 Days of Isolation

Fitting that the 20th post in this series is being written in 2020. It’s been a while since I wrote one of these. This year started out pretty good, we woke up January 1st at the cottage and six days later I was in Cuba. The month flew by and I saw a lot of friends in February. Little did we know what March would bring and now, April is almost over and the world is a different place. We’re in a global pandemic, the death toll is rising everyday, people are out of work, businesses are collapsing. Yesterday 19 22 people died in a mass shooting in Nova Scotia. It’s a lot to process. I feel tired, sad, grief. I woke up overwhelmed by it all. I’m cold, my arm aches, maybe it’s the weather? I didn’t workout today. All I want to do is lay on the couch, read, or watch a movie that makes me feel warm inside. Around noon, I pulled myself together and put on a nicer sweatsuit for a trip to the post office. It was the first time I’d driven somewhere alone since lockdown. My weighted blanket of anxiety was heavy on my chest as I got in the truck and backed out the driveway. Why did I feel so nervous? I’m an experienced driver, I’ve driven the truck on the these roads heaps. I had a mask and gloves, my tracking numbers. You have to mentally and physically prepare every time you leave the house right now, plan your route, give yourself extra time. It’s hard to adjust to the way things are right now. Some days I’m happy in the isolation bubble, creating, making things, then days like today, it all hits me and I’m filled with anxiety. It’s ok to…

I’m at the stage of isolation where I have now cut and dyed my hair. It’s just temporary but I feel like a change, so why not?! Nothing holding me back from making things and doing stuff at this point. Inspired by Briony (amazing Toronto artist) and Martina Martian (fav artist in Australia), I’ve been drawing on iPad Pro more. Made this line drawing yesterday. Took ages but it’s nice to just sit and create. Click to see the video animation from image to art! View this post on Instagram A post shared by CASIE STEWART ☀️ (@casiestewart) on Apr 19, 2020 at 5:33am PDT I used to love drawing on iPad and when I got my first one a decade ago, my old blog Borderline Artistic was thriving. I was drawing almost daily and posting art I made. Around that time I created the ‘Unnecessary Wheels Collection‘, might start that up again. It’s nice to get back to creating just for fun. Not sure I can stop now! I also bleach dyed a pair of denim and they turned out AMAZING. WHAT WILL I MAKE NEXT?!

After getting heaps of comments and questions about my turmeric dye, I’m writing this post for you! It’s very simple to turn your clothes a beautiful bright yellow. THIS TURNED OUT SO GOOD. It has faded with a couple of washes but it’s still a nice yellow. There are lots of tutorials on Pinterest, I checked a few and went for it. I made a COVID19 board that has a couple DYI videos if you’re looking for more info. I am so happy with the final result. I worked with a white hoodie, a leopard print top, and a vintage tank top that was a washed-out yellow. You Will Need Clothes – Older stuff that has been washed works best. Gloves – Otherwise you will have yellow hands! Turmeric – Find in the spice section at the grocery Big Pot – To boil water Tongs – To transfer the hot fabric Roasting Pan – To rinse/transfer to sink/drying area Sink – To rinse clothes Water How to Dye with Turmeric Step 1: Soak Your Clothes in Hot Water Soaking your clothes before you dye them will loosen up the fibers so the colour can really soak in. I soaked my hoodie in a roasting pot in the shower. I didn’t soak the leopard print or tank top before dying them. Step 2: Boil Water & Add turmeric Grab a huge pot and fill 3/4 with water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling add the turmeric. I eyeballed it and didn’t use a specific amount, kinda like my cooking haha. I started with about 1/4 tablespoon and then added about 2x more. The water will turn a bright amber. Step 3: Add Clothes & Soak Transfer the clothes to the pot and you will start to see the colour right away.…