Melody and her husband Paul made these stylish shirts for an inauguration party, and they’ve gotten interest on Facebook and from CRAVE friend and stylist Darcey Howard. Read her blog post here or find it below:

My friend Melody Biringer is the queen of “makin’ it happen.” She’s the founder of Crave. As in Crave Party, Crave Show, Crave Blog, Crave Book (the urban girls manifesto). She is also married to a very creative photographer, Paul. Together they are pretty darn clever. Well this time they really outdid themselves. There is a bridge in Seattle that leads to one of our oldest, quirkiest neighborhoods; The Ballard Bridge. During the very long presidential campaign someone wallpapered underneath the bridge with the signature Obama poster we’ve come to know, love and recognize. Paul photographed the wall in its various states of degradation and thanks to Melody it found it’s way onto t-shirts just in time for the inauguration. That’s what I call teamwork!

I consider myself one of the lucky few to get two for myself and my husband Kent. Don’t worry though, they are making more. You can have one too if you contact Melody: crave [at] craveparty.com.

On the cusp of Inauguration Day 2009, the buzz around the office has been focused on what first lady Michelle Obama will wear to the balls she attends… something classic, conservative, maybe edgy? One thing is certain, whatever Michelle chooses will be fierce!

Nedra Rhone of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution posted an interesting article today on the brief history of Inaugural ball gowns. Read the original here or highlights below.

Dolley Madison, 1809
We’re not 100 percent sure what the first first lady to host an inaugural ball actually wore 200 years ago, but it probably had an empire waist and puffy sleeves, as did many evening dresses of the
period. She and the prez partied late, and guests had such a blast that a tradition was born.

Mary Lincoln, 1861
Let’s hope Michelle Obama doesn’t take her style cues from this fellow Illinois transplant. Lincoln hoped her lavish clothing would quash Washington society’s doubts about her social graces, but the massive
off-the-shoulder, floral-embroidered gown with three tiers of ruffles at the bodice, along with the flowers in her hair, only made it appear as if she were trying too hard.

Helen Taft, 1909
Helen Taft was the first first lady to present her inaugural gown to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The white silk chiffon gown with a deep v-back featured floral embroidery with
rhinestone and bead trim. It remains on display at the museum as part of the exhibition “First Ladies at the Smithsonian,” which showcases clothing and objects of first ladies past and present.

Jacqueline Kennedy, 1961
Leave it to Kennedy, still considered by many Americans to be our most stylish first lady, to wear an inaugural gown of her own design. The sleeveless ivory sheath in beaded silk chiffon with peau d’ange and a matching cape was made by Bergdorf Goodman.

Rosalynn Carter, 1977
Carter was an original recessionista. Her blue chiffon evening gown and coat trimmed with gold braid by Mary Matise for Jimmae was the same dress she wore six years earlier when her husband became governor of Georgia. Carter received much deserved criticism for wearing a repeat and taught Americans an important fashion lesson: Some outfits just don’t warrant a second look.

Nancy Reagan, 1981
Reagan took a beating for “borrowing” designer fashions, including her James Galanos inaugural gown (price tag: an estimated $10,000). Reagan gets extra style points for wearing the one-shoulder lace and silk satin beaded sheath and becoming the only first lady in the past three decades to bare a shoulder at the ball.

Laura Bush, 2001
Was the president’s wife making a statement as the (first) lady in red? Nancy Reagan was known for her penchant for the power color, but it was Laura Bush who wore a crystal-embroidered lace gown by Texan Michael Faircloth to her husband’s first inauguration.

Embarking on your business without a firm brand strategy in place will cause you so many unnecessary headaches – and a slew of designer, writer and web programmer costs you just don’t need!

Brand is not just a logo or a tagline. Those are just the physical manifestations of your brand. Your brand is actually your core, your essence. It’s the personality of your business and with a cohesive brand strategy, you will be able to make countless business decisions more easily. Decisions like where should I advertise, what should my site look like, what tone should my copy have, how should I set up my store? If your brand is authentic and really represents your business, you will be able to target and attract new customers easily. And the best part? You won’t waste lots of money on marketing that is not consistent with or seen by your target customer.

Many entrepreneurs work backwards and start with marketing tactics – I want to throw an event, I should make a TV ad – without any thought to their brand and their target audience. To make the most precise marketing decisions – and as mentioned, to decide how to layout your store, the look and feel of your website, etc – you need to base everything off a strong brand strategy.

Brand strategy building is not rocket science. It just requires sitting down and thinking through some core business questions. And once you have your brand strategy, you will save money when you work with designers and writers – you will have a more precise idea of what you are trying to communicate, which will require less iterations back and forth.

Learn more about developing your brand and marketing by attending the “Branding Strategies to Boost Your Business” workshop, hosted by two of Seattle’s most dynamic marketing consultants–Whitney Keyes of Whitney Keyes Productions, and Maria Ross of Red Slice. Gain more branding and packaging knowledge from Maria Ross and designer Bridget Gailey, of BG Creative, at our Coffee Chat on Sunday, February 15th.

It’s never to late to sent out thank you cards! Remind your loved ones how much you appreciate their thoughtful gifts, and company with a warm, tangible greeting card (none of this e-card madness).

Some of our favorite unique card suppliers include:

Egg Press
This Portland-based company has been designing and handcrafting gorgeous letterpress greeting cards on antique presses since 1999. Their history of pioneering the resurgence of letterpress printing as an art form has afforded them an incredible fan base whom they adore and couldn’t live without.

Turquoise Creative
Seattle designer Misha Zadeh’s cards feature elegant translucent vellums intricately shaped and layered by hand. Her line also offers colorful greetings letterpress-printed on lavish cardstock. Expect graceful depth, rich texture, and true individuality.

Pancake & Franks
Born and raised in Paradise Valley, Arizona, Southwestern elements are Stacy Pancake’s inspiration, as seen throughout her work. Stacy’s design embodies an urban style, reflective of her current metropolitan lifestyle, yet remains true to her desert roots. Pancake & Franks works to reduce the use of energy and resources. Their approach to the design world is sustainable; they use only 100% post-consumer recycled paper and non-toxic inks for printing.

The recent economic downturn has everyone cutting back on frivolous spending. One of the first (and most difficult) changes we had to make was dramatically reducing our expensive dining-out-then-meeting-girlfriends-for-cocktails habit.

Sitting at home reading the New York Times with my sad bottle of Charles Shaw last week, I came across a goldmine: this article about a frequently updated website dedicated to listing places and events where drinks are on the house (think art openings, liquor promos, happy hours etc).

Myopenbar.com currently features specific places to obtain free drinks in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Honolulu, Miami and San Francisco.
What are your fav places/tips for free drinks in your city?

When I first heard about Twitter about a year ago, I thought, Me? Never. This is ridiculous. Who wants to know what people are eating and when?! I was just getting into Facebook and didn’t need another distraction anyway.

Flash forward to now: I am all over Twitter but still trying to figure it out. I stare blankly at the Twitter home page that asks, “What are you doing?” How personal should I get? What words of wisdom can I give in 140 characters or less?

Then there is the dilemma of who to follow. Is this a numbers game? Is this the new must-have online database?

Tim Ferriss, who has over 13,000 followers, advises to not follow anyone. It is too distracting, and if you follow someone then you feel that you have to follow others so they won’t get their feelings hurt.

Guy Kawasaki says to follow everyone. He has 48,000 followers, and follows 50,000 people himself. I started following Guy three days ago and now I have businessmen all over the world following me! I’m not sure what this is doing for my business, since I mainly market to women. They seem like cool guys; very entrepreneurial and all have thousands of followers.

How can I possibly keep up with all the people I’m following? So many of them tweet 5-10 times a day! If they would only Tweet one time a day, maybe I could.

Where is this leading me?

Are you on Twitter? Click here to follow me!

Playful workshops, interactive big idea sessions, a social capital exchange, and stirring speakers. At the Guiding Lights Weekend, you will raise your game–as a leader, manager, teacher, parent, or coach. And you won’t be doing it alone. You’ll be part of a remarkably diverse community of changemakers. Check out the agenda and the roll call of luminaries, and consider being part of this one-of-a-kind convening.

What: The Guiding Lights Weekend 2009
When: Friday, January 30, 9:00 am through Saturday, January 31, 8:00 pm
Where: Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion, 305 Harrison St
Cost: $225 per person

click here to learn more

Next Door Style made this cool video of the Larry Designs show opening at the Grace Gallery in Vancouver BC. Kris Krug interviews gallery director Rachel Zottenberg and larry. designer Terri Potratz during the show opening last week. Check out the exhibit Wednesday to Saturday from 1-5pm until January 21st.

A guest article from entrepreneurial Fire Starter, Danielle LaPorte.

How do you make your money?
I’m always amazed when I talk to an entrepreneur about what they’re doing. “I’m blogging….I leading a book club….I just went to this conference…” And then at the end of their list they mention the activity that’s actually making them money. It can sometimes be a read flag. If I get a long list of non-revenue making updates, I ask, “so…how’s money?” And whaddya know, the cash isn’t flowing as bountifully as they want it it to be. Your bottom line should be directly linked to your passion. Let me put it another way: if you’re spending most of your time on what you’re passionate about but it’s not making you money – find a way to monetize it. It’s not necessarily easy, but it’s the formula for true success.

How did you find who works for you?
Relationships are everything and I’m interested in how people create and nurture them. There’s the ‘hire young and cheap model.’ There’s the ‘hire the best and pay them more than you pay yourself until you make it big model.’ There’s the ‘hire first for attitude, second for skill model.’ Every entrepreneur has their own HR style and when you find it, you should stick with it. I work with people who are kind and get stuff done quickly. It works every time. And if they laugh at my jokes it’s a bonus for us all.

What else is going on in your life?
People with hobbies and “other” interests tend to innovate and grow more healthily. A richer life makes for a richer business.

Danielle LaPorte’s one-on-one Fire Starter Sessions help entrepreneurs who want to rock the careers. She is the author of the bestseller Style Statement: Live By Your Own Design, and a former think tank exec. Find her at www.whitehottruth.com.

Terri Potratz is the designer behind Vancouver, BC based Larry Designs. Terri launched larry. in 2007 as a side project, after searching for the perfect oversized scarf to wear for Fall. When she came up empty-handed, the only option was to learn how to knit and make one herself! Each larry. scarf is hand-knit by Terri in Vancouver. All of her materials are made in BC–everything from the non-dyed alpaca wool to the buttons. Larry Designs was featured in our latest CRAVE Vancouver book, and we own one of these amazing beauties as well.

We were excited to find an email from Terri in our inbox the other day about her show (going on now!) at the Grace Gallery in Vancouver. The show started January 8 and runs for two weeks. In collaboration with gallery director Rachel Zottenberg, Terri has designed a special piece for the show called ‘the gracey.’

For more information, see this profile piece on Terri and the “larry.” line written by fashion writer Shallom Johnson.