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Peek into the CRAVE Closet

February 25, 2010 by Sarah C. | Comments (2)

Our very own Melody Biringer had her closet raided! MyCloset.com, a website dedicated to airing people’s dirty laundry (literally), recently featured the CRAVEcompany founder in its scintillating Celebrity Closets installment. Among the hangers and hampers, a myriad of wardrobe gems were unearthed from all over the world. Woolen leg-warmers from Amsterdam, Ilse Jacobsen rain boots from Seattle, a bold purple dress from Vancouver, BC… how can that much cuteness exist in one closet? Lucky for us, Melody divulged a few of her shopping secrets and we can all check out her fashion favorites for ourselves. Below check out some of her most-cherished boutiques.

Moscow (moscowdesign.nl)
Runstraat 8, 1111 AA, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Horseshoe (horseshoeseattle.com)
5344 Ballard Avenue Northwest Seattle, WA 98107

Lambs Ear (lambsearshoes.com)
3516 Fremont Place No.inesgloves.com Seattle, WA 98103

Ines Gloves (inesgloves.com)
Oudezijds Achterburgwal 132 1012 DV Amsterdam, Netherlands

JC Studio (jcstudio.ca)
46 West 6th Avenue Vancouver, BC V5Y 1K1

sonja | clothes to live in (sonjatacoma.com)
2701 N 21st St, Tacoma, WA 98406

Switch Shoes (switch-shoes.com)
7871 Southwest Capitol Highway, Portland, OR 97219

For a truly in depth look into the world of women-owned boutiques, check out the CRAVEguide for a city near you. These books are brimming with local women you need to know, whether you want to satisfy a craving for your closet, appetite, business, or piece of mind.

CRAVE Buzz Party at Joline Jolink Atelier

February 23, 2010 by Cristina | Comments (1)

Seduced by the wines of Golden Grapes and enchanted by the new spring collection of Joline Jolink the CRAVE entrepreneuresses came in masses to meet each other, meet the CRAVE concept and have fun.

The wines of Golden Grapes from South Africa were a hit for a good reason. Their superb taste accompanied the night, easing the rainy mood and the conversation. Thank you Suzanne Moen for sponsoring the night!

It was a privilege to be in a famous Dutch designer atelier and enjoy her new spring collection: “For women with something to do” – what a great slogan and how in touch with the women present at the party.  We thank you Joline Jolink for your warm welcome in your atelier and for baking your famous tart for us. The participant ladies there also received a goodie bag at the end of the evening with a surprise 25€ off of any purchase till 31 Dec 2010!

We met a lot of successful and gutsy lady entrepreneurs and we connected them with each other. Our ever growing Dutch female community has been enriched with the new ladies present at the CRAVE buzz party and we hope they will also be featured in our CRAVE Guide of Women entrepreneurs you MUST know.

Check out the pictures from the Buzz Party for a closer look!

Put a Spring in Your Step with these Hot Colors

February 22, 2010 by Madeline | Comments (0)


When we think of spring we think of pastels and floral prints, but those just seem a little too passé and boring. What will you be wearing this spring to spice up your wardrobe? Here are some of the color trends that you won’t want to miss out on. Pick up a few bright accessories that are both trendy and timeless.

Turquoise – We’re pretty sure this is on EVERYONE’S hot-list, along with other aqua-colored hues. This vibrant color turns every outfit up a notch, making you just exude that cool confident aura that will make you the center of attention. Splurge on a Jamie Joseph brightly colored stone ring. We love this Sea Blue Chalcedony Ring for a beautiful eye-catcher.

Light Pink – More specifically, champagnes and corals are two “light pinks” that won’t have you gagging on pastel and cotton candy. Champagne is the closest you can get to a nice neutral color while adding a little pop! And for coral, try some of Cara Lyndon’s hairpins, we recommend Coral Wheel . Whether your hair color is light or dark, this feminine flair will turn heads.

Yellow – In every shade and size. Add a dash here or there or a big bright bag to have everyone around you smiling. Evoking sunshine and happiness, everyone could stand to integrate this cheerful color into their wardrobe or even their home. Try a bright throw pillow to add to your living room, we like the yellow Gloria pillow from Henry Road. The great thing about throw pillows is, when spring is over, you can just throw them back into the closet until spring comes again!

Juxtaposition: Astrology for people and companies

February 19, 2010 by Cristina | Comments (1)

Faye Cossar, the owner of Juxtaposition, was born and raised in New Zealand. After she finished her studies in England, she came to Amsterdam and she is living and working as an astrologer, business consultant and lecturer.

Faye makes horoscopes for individuals, bridges young astrologers to practice in her Amsterdam School of Astrology and is hired for workshops and lectures. Juxtaposition is a company that uses an old instrument with a new twist to give new insights in business. By combining the body of ancient esoteric wisdom together with the body of new business knowledge, interesting results can be achieved. It’s amazing to hear Faye talk about ‘macro’ society developments and how this can be studied and explained through astrology. All planets and signs have specific structures and characteristics, showing short and larger cycles and all kinds of different energy.

You can make horoscopes for people, companies but also for countries! In the area of her business consultancy Faye is advising on PR, timing, teams, culture but it could also be an advise on what colours or shapes would fit your company. After my two hour talk with this passionate woman, I can see so clearly how her added value on business matters. Because of her versatile studies, experience and background, Faye can look at your business and advise on situations from different angles. In our economy where companies need to start being human, join the conversation, work with the ‘sharing and caring’ principles and brands have ‘fans’ rather than consumers, it’s time for a different kind of consultant!

CRAVE Amsterdam was ‘born’ on the 4th of november 2009. The day our team shook hands and joined forces. Faye has made a horoscope for our concept. CRAVE Amsterdam has the sun in Scorpio. That means passion!  The ruling of Mars in our horoscope also shows ‘communication’ and of course: networking.  Faye was pointing out our strenghts but she could also put her finger on things and situations that we had struggled with. It’s nice to see and know about the relations and energy the different signs have and what it’s like to work with different signs. It has nothing to do with wrong or right. It has everything to do with understanding a bit more what people (or companies) are moved by, what drives us or what stops us. Dear Faye, thank you so much for your insight: Astrology rocks!

Text by: Isrid van Geuns

The Antiques Diva Exclusive European Shopping Tours

February 17, 2010 by Cristina | Comments (0)

How would you like to own your personal luxurious piece of garment  and pay only a small sum for it ? Or  buy a great piece of furniture from Victorian times that will complete your living room with great style ?
Or just spend a fabulous afternoon in Amsterdam, “diva – touring” with your girlfriend and enjoy a nice champaign afterwards? She takes you antique shopping in hidden gardens, alongside countless canals and in quaint, gabled-roof houses.  The Diva opens doors to secret stores open only by appointment & she even takes you inside a private residence where you shop daringly for delicious antiques in a Grand Dames living room!

Toma Haines is one fabulous lady who is guaranteed to make you laugh while shopping for the best antique piece you can find! She has connections with the best Antique Dealers across Amsterdam, Den Hague, Antwerp, Berlin and of course Paris. She designs her life by her motto: “People should walk into your home and know who you are, where you have been, what you feel and what moves you.” Turning her hobby into a career, Toma started her own business - The Antiques Diva™ Exclusive European Shopping Tours.  Taking a clue from Napoleon, she crowned herself, coming up with quite possibly the coolest job title in the world – Chief Executive Diva.   She works with 3 international guides offering 1-day and multi-day “antiques, vintage, home decor and lifestyle shopping tours” in 5 languages and 4 countries – The Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany.

The Antiques Diva Tours is taking Europe by storm, showing clients favorite European cities, hitting the best antique shops, flea markets, vintage boutiques, lifestyle and home decor stores.  And they’re doing it «Diva Style» with a shopping sack in one hand and a champagne glass in the other!  Diva Tours takes cultural cruising to a new level, letting the destinations reveal themselves through retail.

How would you describe your business in exactly three adjectives?
Vibrant.  Youthful.  Timeless.

What are your most popular products or services?
Mid-tour brainstorming sessions sharing uses for unique finds, offering alternatives, do-it-yourself and repurposing suggestions for living with antiques!

People may be surprised to know…
I love modern abstract art.  The juxtaposition of intense color combined with patina of aged pieces is poetry in 3D.

What or who inspired you to start your business?
My readers: before my business was born, I started writing a blog (www.antiquesdiva.blogspot.com) and from it, readers demanded tours.

Who is your role model or mentor?
In Paris I lived near Yves St Laurent and window-peeked into his apartment, studying masterly combined styles and periods.

How do you spend your free time?
Antique shopping!  I’m fortunate that my favorite pastime and business happen to involve me doing the same thing!

What is your indulgence?
Champagne on a Tuesday afternoon for no reason at all.

Where is your favorite place to go with your girlfriends?
Paris for Girlfriend Getaways! We shop, we antique, we wine and dine and take tea at the Ritz.

Mention CRAVE while booking her reservation and get 10% off!! Reservations by email: toma@antiquesdiva.com

A New Twist on the Theme Song

February 15, 2010 by Jade | Comments (0)


A Theme Song. Normally when you think of a theme song you think of the first 30 seconds of a TV Show or news broadcast. That annoying thirty second melody that plays over and over in our heads days after we have watched the show. But this week we take a new look at the theme song. We asked around on Twitter and Facebook and came up with a fabulous list of songs people consider their “theme songs” for life.

These are songs that lifts you up and makes you feel good. Songs that starts a fire and keeps you going. Songs that you dance around in your bedroom listening to while you sing into your hair brush. These are the songs that define us. Everyone has one hidden some where inside of them. It might be your phone ring or the song that plays in your headphones while you work out or before a big meeting – whenever you use it and however it makes you feel we thank you all for sharing your themes.

Here is a complete list of the suggested theme songs:

For your listening pleasure go to the complete playlist on the blip.fm page titled CRAVEThemeSongs.

And next time you need a pick me up or inspiration, crank up one of these tunes and sing out – you might be surprised just how good it makes you feel!

Recap: CRAVE Amsterdam Buzz Party

February 13, 2010 by Cristina | Comments (0)

Through blistering wind and snow flurries, the wonderful women of Amsterdam came out in droves to see what this CRAVE thing was all about!

Held at Friday Next by Athalie Stegeman, our brave CRAVE ambassador, the Buzz Party was a celebration of the some of the finest entreprenesses in the city, accompanied by delicious fresh prosecco, compliments of Friday Next and sweet treats home baked by our very own CRAVE girl Cristina Stoian.

Friday Next is a refreshing concept store for interior design and lifestyle, combining retail with professional services with the sales of accessories, coffee & lunch. A unique mix of furniture, fashion and food. A much appreciated experience by other CRAVE members who were present at the party.

Designing and manufacturing business women met to share ideas on business growth through cooperation, on visibility and expanding their sales-points. Communications, online media expertise and personally guided shopping touring led to new content, co-creation and possible CRAVE set up for Rotterdam & The Hague area.

We’ve met:

Turid Nilsen from Savonnerie

Toni Borsattino from The Coaching Coalition

Deirdre Budd from Dream-Angus

Daniella Rubinovitz from Atelier Werkplaats Molenpad

Faye Cossar from Juxtaposition

Toma Haines from The Antiques Diva

Melanie Hill from Aupairanywhere

Marijke Krabbenbos from Ideacompany

Monique Rubin from Examiner.com

Paulien de Vries and Esther Blaffert from Friday Next

Sandra Pilkes from Out at Home

Darla van de Riet from RietConsulting

Carina van der Kloet from Carina Personal Styling

Hilda Riesebos from Vilt & Wonen

Melanie van Kooten-Morton from Writeminds

Jeanette Westerveld from Stout

Zelda Hall from Zelda Hall M.A.

Nienke Mieke from Meeks Pictures

Irena Marmelstein from Visagist


Please become a fan of our CRAVE Amsterdam Fan Page to see more pictures of the event!

Valentine’s Day – Pink Themed Recipes

February 12, 2010 by Madeline | Comments (0)

There are so many pros to going out to dinner on Valentine’s Day and we can think of a lot of cons to staying in and cooking. But with the following recipes, staying in and making a home-cooked meal with your sweetheart might just look like the best idea ever!

Rack of Lamb with Herb and Olive Crust
For a pink themed menu, let’s start with a delicious lamb recipe. It comes from Caroline in Chicago’s blog (hwhippedtheblog.com). Our mouths are watering already!

1/3 cup coarsely chopped olives – kalamata, picholine or Manzanilla
1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley
1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh thyme
2 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 racks of lamb (7-8 ribs each, trimmed or frenched)
salt and pepper
3/6 cups breadcrumbs

Heat the oven to 220 degrees. Combine olives, parsley, thyme, garlic and red pepper in a food processor or mortar. Make a rough paste. Stir in mayo. Set aside. Trim lamb so only a thin layer of fat remains. Heat a heavy skillet (NOT a nonstick) over high heat. Season racks with salt and pepper. Set in skillet fat side down and cook for about 2 minutes. Spread breadcrumbs on a plate. Coat the surface of the lamb with the olive paste then dip in the crumbs to coat. Put bone side down in a roasting pan. Cover the bone tips with foil so they don’t burn. Roast until instant read thermometer is 48-51 degrees for rare or 54-57 for medium. It will cook another 5 degrees when out of the oven. Let the lamb rest for 5 minutes. Cut apart between the bones and serve.

Strawberry Cupcakes
Amy Sherman, a San Francisco-based author, writer, and developer of all things food, shares an amazing strawberry cupcake recipe on her blog (cookingwithamy.blogspot.com). Cupcakes and strawberries are the key to any beau’s heart.

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 large egg
6 ounces Dannon® All Natural Vanilla Lowfat Yogurt (or any other fruit flavor of yogurt)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, diced

Frosting:
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 fresh strawberries, about 2 Tbsp. mashed

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. With an electric hand mixer, beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg, Dannon® All Natural Vanilla Lowfat Yogurt and vanilla, blending until smooth.
2. Measure the dry ingredients into the bowl and blend, then fold in the strawberries.
3. Divide the mixture equally between the 12 paper-lined cupcake cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
4. Beat together butter, powdered sugar, and mashed strawberry in medium-size bowl until creamy and smooth. Chill frosting for 15 minutes or until thick. Frost cupcakes with a spatula. Keep cupcakes in the refrigerator loosely covered.
Yield: 12 servings

French Kiss
To accompany your beloved meal (cupcakes are a meal, right?), the Wedding Paper Divas have some suggestions for romantically festive drinks (blog.weddingpaperdivas.com). May we recommend the French Kiss? It’s just the perfect shade of pink to match you cupcakes…we mean cheeks!

20 g Chambord

20 g Peach Schnapps

20 g Vodka
Splash orange juice, pineapple juice, cranberry juice
Serve straight up in a martini glass

Team Netherlands: Women to Watch

February 10, 2010 by Cristina | Comments (0)

Here at CRAVE we like to tell you about strong smart women doing remarkable things and athletes are no exception. Now that February is finally here, we thought we’d fill you in on some of the local women to lookout for who have earned their way to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, beginning Friday, February 12.

Tine Veenstra is participating in Two-woman Bobsleigh together with Esme Kamphuis. Tine competed in the heptathlon in athletics, finishing fourth at the 2002 World Junior Championships in Kingston, Jamaica. An injury forced her to retire from the athletics and now is continuing her career as a bobsleigh olympic competitor. Twit her!
Esme Kamphuis is the other Bobsleigh participant. She is a Dutch bobsledder who has competed since 2004. Her best Bobsleigh World Cup finish was 12th in the two-woman event at Königssee in February 2008. Kamphuis also finished tenth in the two-woman event at the 2008 FIBT World Championships in Altenberg. She’s on twitter too!

Not surprising, speed skating is very well represented in the olympics by the Dutch sportswomen.

Margot Boer is a Dutch speed skater. She is specialised in riding the 500 m, 1000 m and 1500 m. After spending a few years at local teams in the Zuid-Holland area Margot Boer was seen as one of the Netherlands main future talents and was offered a contract at the KNSB Youth Development Team for the 2006-07 speed skating season. In the years before she already participated in several World Cup meetings. Her first success in her new team was winning a gold medal on the 500 m at the 2007 KNSB Dutch Single Distance Championships. You can follow her updates on Twitter.

Annette Gerritsen specialises in riding the 500 m and 1000 m. She is the current Dutch Junior record holder in the 500 m (38.57) and her personal best (1.16.14) used to be the World Junior record. She also holds the World Junior record with her Dutch team mates in the team pursuit (3.12.37). Wish her luck on twitter!

Renate Groenewold (3000 meter) is a Dutch long track speed skater and road bicycle racer. Groenewold has won several Dutch Championships. In 1999, 2002 and 2003 she won the Dutch allround championship. On the European Allround Championships she has won various medals. In 2005 she won the silver medal which was her best result at the European Allround Championships. In 2001 she also came in third in the overall ranking on the World Allround Championships, which she won in 2004. She won the silver medal on the 3000 m in 2002 at the Olympic Wintergames. Renate joined twitter not too long ago. Encourage her to twit!

Thijsje Oenema (500 meter) is a Dutch speedskater in “short-track sprinter”. Oenema skates for the VPZ-skating team and is a member for skating club S.T.D. Sint Nicolaasga. Her breaktrough was during the 2009 KNSB Dutch Single Distance Championships, winning the bronze medal at the 500m. With this 3rd place she qualified for the first time for the World Cups. Oenema also showed that season that she is also very strong at the 100m. In 2006 and 2007 she was already the dutch champion at this distance. In the same season she took the tittle at the dutch championships supersprint managing to qualify for the Olympics in Vancouver. Of course, she has a twitter account.

Laurine van Riessen had a brake through in the 2006/2007 season with fourth place in the Sprint and NK half spot on the Junior Innsbruck, even while she was a 1000 meter world record holder for juniors. At the beginning of the 2008/09 season, she went to the NK distance of qualifying for the 2009 World 500 meter races at the fifth place. On December 7, 2008 she won in Changchun (China) in the 1000 meter (with a new track record of 1.17,25) win its first-WB . In the final standings ended in the 1500 meter van Riessen third. Van Riessen has managed to qualify for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, what they will do at three distances: the 500 meter, the 1000 meters and 1500 meters.

Diane Valkenburg is a speed skater who is specialised in middle distances. She represented her country at the 2007 Winter Universiade held in Turin where she won the gold medal at the team pursuit. On November 1st, 2008, she won the fifth spot on the 3000 meter during the 2009 NK Distances World Cup.

Jorien Voorhuis is a Dutch skater for the team VPZ. Her favorite distances are the 1500 and 3000 meters. Her international breakthrough was in 2003 for the World Junior Championships in Kushiro (Japan). She won 2nd place in the 1500 meter. The following year she was 8th. At the NK-round in 2006 in Utrecht, she won the bronze medal. From there on she had a number of victories including Gold medal in Assen (2005) and Groeningen(2006) and of course managing to qualify for this year’s Winter Olympic Games.

Elma de Vries is a Dutch marathon speed skater and inline speed skater. De Vries was three years old when she started riding on skates on a small creek near her home, but first became part of a club in artistic gymnastics and athletics before becoming a member at a speed skating club in Noordenveld in 1991. In 1996 she was asked to represent the national youth squad of her regional team and eventually represented the Netherlands at five Junior European Championships.  In two years time as a member of Jong Oranje she appeared on two Junior World Championships. The next two years in the KNSB team she was part of the talent raising squad for starting seniors, while in inline skating she represented the Netherlands in the 2002, 2004 and 2005 European Championships, as well as the 2004 and 2005 World Championships, riding for the Maple Team. Currently she is part of the professional marathon speed skating team DSB.

Ireen Wüst is a Dutch long track allround speed skater. At the age of 19, 2006, Wüst won the gold medal in the Winter Olympic Games 3000-meter event. She is the youngest Dutch Olympic champion in Winter Games history. Wüst debuted at the 2004 KNSB Dutch Single Distance Championships in November 2003, she won the silver medal in the world junior championships in Roseville, Minnesota, USA. With a 3rd place at the 2005 KNSB Dutch Allround Championships she qualified for her first international senior tournamen, the 2005 European Championships in Heerenveen. There she ended 4th and secured herself a sport in the Dutch team for the 2005 World Allround Championships in Moscow, Russia. With a 5th place she made a promising debut at the highest international level. She then became World Junior Champion in Seinäjoki, Finland.

Nicolien Sauerbreij is the Dutch representative in snowboard this year at the Winter Olympycs. Sauerbreij has competed several world cups with more success, achieving several podium positions, including first placings in 2002, 2003, and 2008.

Summertime Publishing – Interview with Jo Parfitt

February 5, 2010 by Cristina | Comments (0)

How would you feel if: you could present your friends, family and potential clients with a copy of your published book? You had a stack of books beside you to sell whenever you gave a workshop or speech? Money appeared in your bank account for books sold online – without you having to lift a finger, pack a Jiffy bag or go to the post office? The media contacted you regularly to ask you to comment on specific issues – because they’d read your book? You could finally cross ‘write a book’ off your To Do list? Are you beginning to feel excited? Let us introduce you Jo Parfitt from Summertime Publishing, your personal writing coach.

Jo Parfitt is the author of 26 non-fiction books, a journalist, editor, writer’s mentor, speaker and teacher. She specialises in helping expatriates and entrepreneurs to plan, write, edit and publish their books. Her programs are inspiring and empowering, are available live and online and focus on books, articles and life story. Her motto is ’sharing what I know to help others to grow’.

How would you describe your business in exactly three adjectives?
Inspiring, informative, empowering

What are your most popular products or services?
Writer’s Mentoring Service from brainwave to bookshelf
Write Your Life Stories program
Career in Your Suitcase, Release the Book Within and Find Your Passion books

People may be surprised to know…
That my first book idea, a cookbook, called French Tarts, was accepted by the first publisher I approached. I was 22, had not been published before could not cook.

What or who inspired you to start your business?
The magazine I had been editing folded. I was at a networking event and when someone asked me what I did the words ‘I help people write books’ fell out of my mouth. It was my instinctive answer.

Who is your role model or mentor?
Robin Pascoe, the Canadian author of six books, who runs www.expatexpert.com and Expatriate Press, from Vancouver, Canada.

What business mistake have you made that you will not repeat?
To try to do everything I could, just because I could. This meant I had no niche, my brand was too disparate and people found it hard to give me referrals.

How do you spend your free time?
Travelling, cooking and sharing food with friends, enjoying nature and art and bellydancing.

What is your indulgence?
A facial once a month from an esthetician who uses YonKa products. Julie Jones of www.essencetherapeutics.nl, you are the best!

Where is your favorite place to go with your girlfriends?
A Connecting Women meeting www.connectingwomen.nl in The Hague for networking but to lunch and a gallery for sheer indulgence

Follow Jo on twitter for free tips about writing.

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