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Celebrating Women’s History Month

March 8, 2010 by Melisa | Comments (1)


Did you know that March is Women’s History Month? Women’s History Month can be traced back to 1911 when the first International Women’s Day was celebrated. But it didn’t become a month long celebration until 1987. The popularity of women’s history celebrations continues to spread as more people are becoming aware of the contributions of women and girls. A President’s Commission on the Celebration of Women in History in America recently sponsored hearings in many parts of the country. The Women’s Progress Commission will soon conduct hearings to promote interest in preserving areas that are relevant in American women’s history. Some of the groups promoting this interest are state historical societies, women’s organizations, and groups such as the Girl Scouts of the USA. CRAVE would like to celebrate Women’s History month by selecting five women who have made a positive impact in the last ten years.

Hillary Clinton
During the last decade, she was First Lady, Senator, serious presidential candidate of a major political party, and Secretary of State, First former First Lady to hold major elective office, January 2001 (Senator from New York); first woman candidate for U.S. president to almost win a nomination from a major political party (declared candidacy January 2007, conceded June 2008) and first former First Lady to serve in the cabinet, in her capacity of U.S. Secretary of State, confirmed January 2009. All of this after her presidential husband cheated on her for the whole world to see. Need I say more?

Oprah Winfrey
Oprah was the first black billionaire, as reported by Forbes in April 2004. Although she is not in politics or changing laws, her power and conviction is known the world over. She has used her power again and again to shed light on good causes on everything from women who are sold into slavery to animal cruelty. Her latest endeavor is getting people to stop talking and texting on the phone while driving. She puts massive amounts of money into charitable causes and her show is now approaching an unbelievable 25 year run. In 2009 she announced that the The Oprah Winfrey Show will end in 2011. It’s hard to find a woman who doesn’t know who she is.

Melinda Gates
Melinda Gates is the co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world. The foundation is “driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family.” The primary aims of the foundation are, globally, to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty, and in America, to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology. The foundation, based in Seattle, Washington, has an endowment of US$35.1 billion as of October 1, 2008. The scale of the foundation and the way it seeks to apply business techniques to giving makes it one of the leaders in the philanthrocapitalism revolution in global philanthropy. In 2007 its founders were ranked as the second most generous philanthropists in America. Bill and Melinda were also named Time magazine’s Persons of the Year in December 2005.

Michelle Obama
Because Michelle is the first African American first lady and the first wife of an African American President, she has an influence and gets attention that prior first ladies may not have received. Michelle represents the loving, working mother who came from difficult circumstances, had the opportunity to attend an Ivy League school, and achieve great things in the causes that she’s taken on as a lawyer, and now, as a first lady. Even her fashion sense is turning heads because she tends to wear little known designers, giving them well-deserved attention, instead of going for the more typical pricier names that everyone would expect. When Michelle decided to grow a vegetable garden outside the White-House, all of a sudden it was all the rage. Right now she is taking on reducing childhood obesity and encouraging children to have a healthy active lifestyle.

Ellen DeGeneres
Though it is easy to argue that Ellen doesn’t have half the achievements under her belt as any of the rest of these women do, her talk show and her name have become so synonymous with positivity and acceptance, it seems that laughter really is the best medicine. Besides being widely adored and accepted as an openly gay woman, Ellen and her talk show have won the daytime Emmy for Best Talk Show and talk show host 4 years in a row and the show averages about 3.0 million viewers per episode, according to daytime television ratings, which makes it one of the highest-viewed daytime shows. The refreshing style of her humor and the unyielding extent of her kindness make her a stand out woman of the last decade.

Information from wikipedia.com.

A New Twist on the Theme Song

February 15, 2010 by Jade | Comments (2)


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!

Get Your Hollywood Hair On

January 28, 2010 by Lilla | Comments (2)

Need to jazz up your style? Easiest way is to get a new hair do! We recently stumbled upon a blog called berlinhairbaby.com and Twitter: @BerlinHairBaby. It features tips on celebrity make-up, hair & style.  Berlin Baby shows us the do-it-yourself way to the most iconic and recognizable hair and makeup styles. Here are some of our favorites:

1950’s look

1920’s Waves

Queen Sophie Anne from True Blood

Grecian Goddess

The Stress of Relaxation

January 26, 2010 by Lynn Edwards | Comments (3)

Who doesn’t long for a spa day with the girls? I was recently so excited to meet the gal pals for a “play date” at the spa, only to be reminded how much work it can be to relax!

I got out of the house late and landed in bad traffic. I found myself frustrated, honking and yelling at my fellow commuters “HURRY…I’M LATE TO RELAX!” I dug deep and used the child birth breathing techniques but to no avail, I could feel the stress-o-meter rising. I was tempted to jump into the carpool lane in hopes that if I was stopped the officer would support my desperate desire to chill and provide me a police escort instead of serving up a ticket for double what the massage costs.

When I realized I was going to be WAY late for my appointment, I called the spa and was greeted with a very sweet zen voice on the other end. I explained my predicament and she calmly told me that all my friends were already in session and not to worry, to just “relax, enjoy the drive and we’ll see you shortly!” After circling for parking, I finally came rushing through the spa door. I could literally feel the cloud of angst around me, like Linus with that big cloud of dirt swirling behind him…that was me, only I was infecting this beautiful lobby oasis, with its babbling brook and chimes, with my stress tornado.

The receptionist explained to me that they still had time to give me a short head and neck massage. I’m sure she was looking at me thinking, “Can’t hurt, chick!”

I skipped the relaxation room, foot soak, water with lemon, comfy robes and slippers, and proceeded right to the treatment room. A nice therapist greeted me in the candlelit room with a calming approach. She explained she could help me relax and asked if I had ever had my chakra cleared? I said “clearing the five lanes on the interstate would have been great but I’ll settle for my chakra.”

She starts slow and easy but pretty soon she tells me she’s going to work on my third eye and she starts pulling my hair. At first I thought this is just a more intense head massage than the hair salon but then she moved into a full blown hair pulling session, resembling the ones I used to have with my sister over that killer blue cardigan sweater.

Needless to say, I arrived in the coom-by-ah room only to be greeted by all my friends (looking all relaxed, rejuvenated and cute in their robes) and they busted a gut laughing at my new Debbie Harry 80’s doo. Not only had my chakra been cleared but my hair now looked exactly like a felt….like a maniac.

Don’t get me wrong, I love spas, those therapists are underpaid miracle workers… but relaxation can be such hard work sometimes!

C’mon, Get Happy!

January 11, 2010 by Ashley | Comments (1)


With the arrival of each new year, we once again have a chance to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. What is it that you want this year? So many of us seem to be constantly searching for happiness in our lives – we want to be happy in our job, our family life, our friendships – we are continually striving to reach the point in our lives where we are finally happy – with all of it. Maybe this is the year – to finally discover what it is that makes you happy, find out what brings you joy, and go after it.
 
Writer, wife, and mother of two, Gretchen Rubin, recently took her own journey to happiness and wrote about it all in her new book, “The Happiness Project”. Full of practical advice, humor and charm, her memoir chronicles the year that she spent learning to be happy by test-driving different studies, theories and lessons. She consulted poets, novelists, philosophers, scientists and psychologists. She drew from history, analysis, real-life experience, research and pop-culture. From Oprah to Thoreau, she used it all to gain insight into this feeling we call happiness.
 
What she found was that you can be happier simply by taking small, concrete steps in your daily life. The Happiness Project is an approach to changing your life.
 
Step One: Identify what makes you happy. Spend time to really discover what things in life bring you joy.
 
Step Two: Make resolutions. Just like New Year’s, put together a plan and concrete actions that you can take, that will bring you to the happiness you are searching for.
 
Step Three: Now this is where, as Rubin says, “it gets interesting”. You have to keep those resolutions.
 
Since her book arrived on shelves, groups all over the country have started their own Happiness Projects – not to mention the hundreds of blogs that have popped up of people sharing their journeys towards lives filled with more joy. So, why not start your own Happiness Project in 2010? A few tips from the woman herself to get you started:
 
Be You.
Let It Go.
Do it Now.
Enjoy the Process.
Lighten Up.
Act the way you want to feel.
 
Sounds like a good plan to us. This book and life-philosophy will definitely make you smile and think. Get to it ladies! Find out what makes YOU happy in 2010.

At Home Spa Party With Your Girlfriends

December 22, 2009 by Nicole S. | Comments (0)

homespa

The winter holiday season is a time to be joyful and thankful. However, every year it seems we spend the majority of our time running around trying to buy the perfect gift and appear at every event.  All of us CRAVE girls can get frazzled by the stress (not to mention the havoc the cold air is playing on our skin) and forget what is most important- spending time with the people we love! So go ahead and trade in those boots for cozy slippers, call your best girlfriends and treat yourselves to something we all CRAVE- a DIY at home spa day of pampering and relaxation.

Mani/Pedi
Sure we can all paint our own nails- but it’s so much less fun! Take turns doing each other’s nails, but let the manicurist choose a color you never would. Are you a classic red? Switch it up with bold orange or purple for fun. A flirty pink? Step out of character and don some fierce jet black nails. And don’t forget to treat your pals to a hand massage and a salon-style gab fest.

Facial Steam
Before you get ready to moisturize and clarify, treat your dry skin to an easy and relaxing steam treatment. Simply boil some water and then pour into a large bowl with circumference at least at big as your face. Throw in an herbal tea bag, and wait a few moments for water to slightly cool. Grab a towel to place on top of your head to trap in the steam, and lean with your face at least 6 inches from the water. Now breathe deep, relax, and repeat. Rest like this for at least five minutes to open up your pores.

Home-made Face Mask
This is a fun one to really play around with whatever you have stocked in your kitchen and pantry. There are hundreds of ways that you can prepare an at home facial from kitchen edibles. You can check online for different suggestions- but great go-to ingredients include honey, bananas, brown sugar, strawberries, avocados, yogurt, lemon juice and oatmeal! Special tip- if you have normal to oily skin, use an egg white. For dry skin, use the yolk.

Home-made Hair Treatment
Believe it or not, you can easily use all the same ingredient you just put on your face to double as a miracle hair moisturizer! Some of the best super products for your tresses are: honey, egg, yogurt, olive or almond oil, banana, and full fat milk. Want to get ultra shiny locks? Mix orange juice and honey.  A great post-shampoo rinse for redheads and brunettes is apple cider vinegar, blondes stick with lemon juice.

Massage
There is no better feeling than the lightness you experience after a great massage. While you and your girlfriends can attempt to get out each other’s knots- for an extra indulgence you can hire a professional to come in to give mini-massages to everyone.  The rest of the gang can sip tea and catch up on your favorite Sex and the City episodes while you wait your turn!

Spend the Holidays with Your Girlfriends

December 7, 2009 by Gina | Comments (0)

The brisk air is upon us, lit trees line the streets, and the feeling of giving is all around us. Oh, and did we mention the traffic, packed malls, and hectic shopping scene? This season, spend time with friends and family without any worries. Our advice: stay away from the malls and head out for some quality holiday time with your girlfriends. Here are some activities and ideas you can try this season for some holiday cheer.

Ice Skating
Most cities and towns open an outdoor ice skating rink surrounded by lights and holiday music. This is a great idea to do something active outside. You can usually rent skates at these locations, so don’t worry about bringing your own.

Tree Lightings
Check your community newspaper or online to find out when their tree lighting ceremony is. There are usually refreshments available, and of course, some great lights and holiday cheer!

Holiday Cocktails
Some restaurants during the holidays will have one or more special holiday drinks. Grab your girlfriends for a night on the town!

Holiday Shows
Whether it’s the classic Nutcracker or White Christmas, check to see what’s playing in your area and head to the theater. Make a night of it by going out for dinner first. Maybe the Rockettes are in your town—don’t miss that show!

Holiday Party
Throw a holiday party for a group of your girlfriends. Make cookies, egg nog, and holiday-inspired cocktails. Get the ingredients to make gingerbread houses and you can all make your own. Play Secret Santa or a Yankee Swap. A Secret Santa is when you put all your girlfriend’s names in a hat and you each pick a name. The name you get is the person you buy a gift for. Then at the party you exchange gifts. A Yankee Swap is when everyone buys a gift and brings it to the party. Then you put numbers 1-10 (or however many people you have) in a hat. Each person picks a number. Number 1 picks a gift first from the pile of gifts and opens it. Number 2 picks a gift from the pile and opens it, then has the opportunity to keep the gift or take Number 1’s gift. This goes on until you get back to Number 1 who then gets to pick from everyone’s already opened gifts.

Decorated Houses
Have a low-key night with your girlfriends. Take a warm drive around your neighborhood (cocoa in hand!) to see who has decorated their houses in lights. Some people go all out with so many lights you wonder what their electric bill is!

Holiday Shopping
Everyone has some shopping to do during the holidays, whether you’re treating yourself or giving to others. Avoid the malls, with their long lines and crazy traffic, and instead visit locally-owned shops this year. Some local boutiques have such unique gift ideas, including great clothes and accessories. Grab your girlfriends, map a route, and explore some local shops! Grab a CRAVE book to guide you along!

We hope these ideas inspire you to go out and enjoy this time of year with your best friends! If you and your girlfriends have any other holiday traditions, let us know by commenting below.

Happy Holidays!

Give Back to Our Community of Women: Volunteer Nationally or Locally

November 23, 2009 by Gina | Comments (3)

volunteer

The holiday season is right around the corner. What better time of the year than now to show the community of women in our world that you care. There are several organizations, global, national, local, that help women. Volunteering this holiday season will leave you with a warm feeling in your heart and the hearts of those you help. Below is a list of national organizations that you can donate your time to and help those in need.

The National Breast Cancer Foundation’s mission is to save lives by increasing awareness of breast cancer through education and by providing mammograms for those in need. You can help by giving individual breast cancer donations, corporate sponsorships, fundraising for breast cancer, or volunteering for breast cancer. Every effort counts! To become a volunteer for The National Breast Cancer Foundation you can go to their website and fill out a form and they will contact you with volunteer activities in your area. You can also go right online and make a donation. Every little bit helps. (nationalbreastcancer.org)

Global Giving Foundation (globalgiving.com) is a organization and great online tool to use where you can find a cause to volunteer or donate to. You can find a cause or country to support then make donation and then receive updates on how your donation has effected the lives of others. It’s as easy as going to their website, clicking on the Find A Project button, choose a country or a theme (for example: women and girls). From there the site will give you different causes you can donate to. One example is “A Sanctuary for Empowering Refugee Girls” in Kenya. The Children’s Empowerment Project is a safe space where adolescent girls regain their physical and mental health, create a network of peer support and achieve skills which lead to self-sufficiency. This one cause lists denominations which you can donate and what that amount of money will give these girls, such as

$50 -Provides weekly bus fare for 5 girls to attend job-training classes for 3 months

$75 - Provides 3 girls with school supplies for one year, including books, notebooks, handouts and pens

$100 - Pays for one girl’s medical care assistance for one year

And so on. Global Giving allows you to decide what cause you are passionate about and want to help.

Another National Organization you could volunteer with is RAINN: Rape Abuse and Incest National Network. RAINN’s Mission: RAINN is the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization.  RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1.800.656.HOPE and the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline at rainn.org, and publicizes the hotline’s free, confidential services; educates the public about sexual assault; and leads national efforts to prevent sexual assault, improve services to victims and ensure that rapists are brought to justice. There are many ways you can volunteer for RAINN such as staff a hotline, volunteer at your local rape crisis center, raise money to support programs, and raise awareness through public education efforts like RAINN Day. You can find out more information about these specific volunteer activities on RAINN’s website. One particular event that we found a great way to volunteer is a RAINN Day. RAINN Day is RAINN’s annual campaign to stop sexual assault on college campuses. You can register online to be an organization on your campus for a RAINN Day event. The RAINN website also offers materials you can use for your event and to pass out on campus. This is a great way to educate your college campus or community on how to stay safe. (www.rainn.org)

Another organization we’ve all heard of is Big Brother Big Sister. What a rewarding volunteer project to be a part of. Becoming a Big Sister is as easy as showing your little sister how to cook, play a game together or just spend quality sisterly time together. The impact is huge on children that need your friendship and guidance. To become a Big Sister you can go onto Big Brother Big Sister’s website and fill out an application form. A representative will then contact you to complete the process. It’s so easy, why not become a Big Sister and make the difference in a young girl’s life today. (www.bbbs.org)

There are many organizations you can find on the web, you just have to take the time to search. There are some websites dedicated to helping you find volunteer activities in your local community. One is 1-800-volunteer.org , where you can type in your city and see what opportunities are out there. Another site to search is idealist.org, where you can find volunteer opportunities near you. You can volunteer any time you want and trust me it can be so rewarding to know who or how many people you’ve helped. So have a Happy Thanksgiving and good luck giving Thanks to your community!

Beyond the Bottle: Hostess Gifts

November 9, 2009 by Jessica | Comments (0)

hostgift

You don’t have to break the bank on an expensive bottle of wine to show appreciation for your hostess.  All you need is a little creativity to come up with a fab gift. Here are just a few ideas to get the juices flowing:

1. Veggie bouquet made up of delicious garden delights. Pick beautiful fresh herbs, greens and veggies from your garden and place them in an old glass pickle or salsa jar.  Jars make a charming vase for your bouquet and are an environmentally sound way to recycle.

2. Custom mani-pedi set.  Put together a kit containing of all your favorite polishes of the moment.  Include manicure tools like tweezers, a large nail clipper, a small nail clipper, small scissors, a folding nail file, a nail cleaner, 2 eva foam white toe separators and an emory board nail file/buffer.

3. Infused Vodka.  (Recipe via about.com) Ingredients: 750ml bottle of premium vodka, 1 sprig of rosemary, 2 sprigs of lavender and infusion jar with tight sealing lid.  Preparation:  Rinse the herbs and place them a clean mason jar or similar jar with a tight sealing lid.  Pour the vodka over the herbs and shake a few times.  Seal the lid tight and store the jar in a cool, dark place for 3-5 days.  Test the flavor of the infusion everyday, beginning on the second day. Once the lavender and rosemary flavor is to taste, strain the herbs from the vodka using a fine strainer or coffee filter.  Wash the jar and return the flavored vodka to it.  Store as you do other vodka.

What is the best hostess gift you have ever received?

Time Saving Solutions: Dry Shampoo

October 5, 2009 by Jessica | Comments (2)

dryshampoo

Who really wants to wash their hair every day? For years I used my mother’s second day hair ‘trick’ of sprinkling baby powder on my crown to absorb excess oil. The technique is fine in a quick pinch but the heavy white residue can leave embarrassing flakes on your clothing and look messy under bright lights.

Thankfully a new generation of dry shampoos exist that enable you to sleep in longer, preserve a blow out or get a mid-day volume lift.

Check out our favs below.

The All Nighter is made with natural plant-based ingredients and natural minerals, gently scented with essence of tangerine (to freshen without being too perfume-y). The All Nighter Styling Powder also contains real silk powder to add manageability to hair, and it imparts a luxurious satiny feel. It’s even available in six shades which is great news for brunettes.

Lulu Organics hair powder is made with white clay, baking soda, USDA Organic corn starch and rice powder, and Oregon Tilth Certified Organic horsetail powder and essential oils. This earth friendly formula is available in four delicious, distinctive scents: Lavender/ Clary Sage, Patchouli/ Amber, Jasmine and Tuberrose.

Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo is based on softening, protective oat extract, cyclodextrins and natural polysaccharides to clean the hair without washing, as often as required. Your hair regains volume and lightness within minutes. It’s a bit pricey and hard to find in stores, but it’s worth it for the scent, and lack of residue this project leaves.

Ever use a dry shampoo, dish about it here?

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