CRAVE CRUSH the urban girl's blog to all that you CRAVE

Sprucing Up Your Space

August 25, 2010 by Melanie | Comments (0)

Take a look around my home and you will see that I am in need of some design help. The nuts and bolts are there, but it could be more polished. We all CRAVE a home that is esthetically pleasing and a true reflection of ourselves.

Sarah Davis from Susan Fredman Design Group offered up the following easy updates that can make a big difference to home or office:

• Her favorite thing to do is find old scraps of really cool fabrics and frame them as art – it gives a really great pop of texture and color. You might find a vintage dress that doesn’t fit or fabric from a  furniture gallery’s sample bin that  you love enough to put it on the wall.
• Adding unique and unexpected throw pillows to the sofa or bedroom is a very fun way to change the look of a space. Sarah likes to find completely non-matching patterns, sizes and textures. The more the merrier; you can have a chest or basket next to the sofa if you need to store them.
• Accessorizing tabletops and walls is the best way to make any room feel special and designed. Whether you can find interesting items from you Grandma’s attic, a thrift shop, or a local supersaver store (Target), incorporate varying sizes, weights, colors and textures.

Life never tasted so sweet

August 24, 2010 by Michele K. | Comments (0)

Recently we were sent a sweet, delectable gift from our dear friends at Jennie and Vera’s Cookies. “Try our cookies,” they said. “Let us know what you think,” they echoed.

Wow. That is all we can say; our mouths are full of delicious treats!Right now, it’s a toss-up between the Chocolate Spice cookie and the Coconut Walnut squares… but we’re feeling pretty good about saying all the cookies are amazing! We are a tough crowd, with two self-described chocoholics and a couple of ‘cookie extraordinares’ among us it takes a pretty sweet treat to impress us. Thank you, Jennie and Vera for your generous gift and enthusiastic talent. These cookies are all winners!

CRAVE Chicago felt so inclined to write this post because we are feeling incredibly inspired by this mother-daughter team. Their energy, brilliant baking capabilities and passion for the business is what makes Jennie and Vera’s a masterpiece… and what will keep them at the top.

Suffering from Skin Damage this Summer? Fight it with these Foods!

August 16, 2010 by Jenny P. | Comments (0)

We all want beautiful skin, especially during the “skin showing” months of summer. So how do we get it without spending a fortune at the Clinique counter? By eating antioxidant rich foods, that’s how. Your skin, just like every other organ in your body, needs antioxidant laden foods to keep it healthy and toxin free. Here are some of the most important foods to eat for beautiful skin. Try to get these delicious foods into your diet as often as possible and I promise you will love the results.

Foods for beautiful skin:

Sunflower seeds, Swiss chard, and almonds- What do they all have in common? Vitamin E! Vitamin E works to protect skin from ultra violet rays and rejuvenate the cells. Sauté swiss chard with garlic and olive oil and top with a mix of toasted almonds and sunflower seeds. Vitamin E never tasted so good!

Cauliflower, walnuts, and cabbage- Did you think wild salmon was the only place to get Omega 3 fatty acids? Well get excited because they are in vegetables too! Omega 3’s are essential in creating beautiful skin for they help maintain cell membranes. It is these membranes that act as barriers for the body, letting water and nutrients in, and keeping toxins out. Make an easy cabbage slaw topped with walnuts then steam cauliflower and serve with a lemon tahini sauce (also packed with Vitamin C). After these two dishes, your skin will be good to go!

Carrots, Kale, and Apricots- Not only are these foods quick and easy to get your hands on, they also serve up a giant does of Vitamin A (aka Beta Carotene). Vitamin A is involved in the repair and growth of body tissues, which is particularly beneficial when dealing with sun damaged skin. Stir-fry carrots and kale with garlic, ginger, and soy sauce for a great side dish. For the apricots, try throwing them on the grill for a great summer dessert!

Bell peppers, broccoli, and strawberries- Loaded with more vitamin C than an orange, these foods work to create collagen in the skin and protect your lovely epidermis from oxidative stress. Best ways to eat them? Grill the peppers and broccoli or eat them raw with hummus. As for strawberries, just pop them in your mouth (or put them in a crisp).

Shitake mushrooms, cod and shrimp- Mushrooms (both shittake and crimini), cod, and shrimp are chock full of selenium, a potent nutrient that promotes skin elasticity and quality. Broil cod with a fresh tomatoes and basil. For the shrimp and mushrooms, toss them into an easy Thai curry. So good!

*This post was written by Jamie Dougherty for the Please feel free to contact Jamie with questions or to share your health, wellness and foodie stories. Email: jamiegd@jamieliving.com Facebook: JAMIE LIVING Twitter:JAMIE LIVING

Great Shops for Back to School!

August 4, 2010 by Jenny P. | Comments (0)

The season for back-to-school shopping is here! It’s the time for gathering new pencils, erasers and most importantly new clothes for your ever-growing kiddies. Here in Chicago we’ve found some great, unique shops and boutiques that will have your kids entering this school year with complete confidence.

Peek-A-Boutique
When looking for a unique new wardrobe for your children, Peek-A-Boutique has exactly what you need! Each item is hand selected by owner Stacy Weitzman, many of which are made by local artists. This kid gear will have your little ones entering their first years of school looking their best!

Randoons Wearables and Whatnots
Randoons is a hip clothing, accessory, and gift boutique bringing city style to the ‘burbs. A couture cafĂ©, inspired by all things sweet and funky. Offering contemporary jeans and unique t-shirts, its a place where kids will find something to fit their own personal style.

Stellar26
For your older kids going back to school, this clothing boutique is perfect for everything they need. Combining with designers like Quiksilver, Free People, O’Neill, and Element; these styles are cool and fun with a splash of urban edge, Stellar26 is a simple, cool, laid back place to shop; perfect for your kids checklist for back-to-school clothes.

Girls Retweet

August 3, 2010 by Lynn Edwards | Comments (0)

In this crazy wired-world, we all need to get away, unplug, recharge but man it’s tough to make that happen! Good thing we have those friends that make us make it a priority, they do all the planning and we just have to show up (easier said than done). Getting ready to get away is so much work, but when you get there
it’s way worth it!

I was lucky enough to be invited to a girls’ retweet recently and the goal was to get away and spend some focused time on projects that were never getting done for one reason or 50 other reasons. We went to a beach house and upon arrival realized our fancy phones didn’t have service. After a collective high-pitched horror scream heard around the world, we settled into the idea of enjoying the next 4 days being off the grid, getting things done (we had wi-fi at least whew) and connecting the old-fashioned way.

It was a rough detox, complete with shakes, the DT’s and blank stares at our phones just freaking over what was going on in the wired-world without us
OMG what WOULD we be missing?!

We quickly filled that void with chocolate, red wine and walks on the beach. We found our shoulders sinking back down from our ears (with the help of the massage therapist we brought with us) and the swelling in our thumbs going down. We were so happy to let our 10,000 words a day flow as opposed to being corralled to 140 characters in a text or tweet.

Of course the walks on the beach were still captured on our fancy phones for posting later to prove how much fun we had. It made me think of that age old questions, “If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it does it make a noise?” I wondered, “If we walk on the beach and have fun, but don’t take a pic and post it to Facebook did we actually have fun?”

Disconnecting was a challenge, we have all become so dependent on that mobile phone crack. But what a fabulous experience
we slept in, we created amazing things (yes on our laptops), we sat by a fire pit and told stories and made s’mores. We belly laughed, we talked about boys (some 4 yrs. old and some 40), we breathed in the fresh salt air and we ate
holy cow we ate and it was great! And not a #4 from the drive-thru window but homemade grandma recipes of chicken verde and snack bars
like the good old days!

Let’s be clear
I have a foot firmly planted in both camps. I love me some texting but I also love making memories in person (a dying art). I love the tools that allow you to be connected 24/7, heck Facebook allows me to attend my high school reunion, daily, without having to buy a cocktail dress or loss 20 lbs. But I worry that my kids couldn’t keep track of their shoes from day to day but they haven’t misplaced their phones in five years. Are they so wired and dependent that they won’t know how to play capture the flag without that tech appendage?

I challenge all of you to go rogue
try it, disconnect and in that space you may realize how great it is to really connect, maybe even at a fabulous girls retweet!

Bloggers To Watch Out For: Fashionistas

August 2, 2010 by Jenny P. | Comments (1)

From runway show recaps to laid-back street looks, the world of fashion blogging is a vibrant virtual scene. It’s not necessarily about the newest, hottest, or spendiest trend — it’s about the textiles, color palettes and silhouettes that make us feel gorgeous.

For a jolt of wardrobe inspiration to pull you through the dog days of summer, bookmark Jazzi McGilbert, Sally McGraw and “Miss” James Kicinski. While their personal styles may diverge, their message is the same: get dressed, and get going!

Jazzi McGilbert of JazziMcG.com

Thrift store scenester? Or haute couture hound? Jazzi McGilbert (aka Jazzi McG) confidently struts straight down the center of the spectrum. Her blog traipses through the world of high fashion, throws the spotlight on intimate “intern confessionals” and shares a few DIY treasures (Alexander Wang sock garters, anyone?). As Jazzi puts it, her mission is to “let everyone know that the fashion industry can be tackled without a trust fund”. Can I get an amen, sister?

Sally McGraw of Already Pretty
Can one personal stylist change the way women view their bodies, and themselves? Sally McGraw thinks so. The lovely McGraw elevates her passion for chic clothing with an outspoken commitment to body acceptance. Blog posts like “What IS Flattering?” provide commonsense insights into topics that have frustrated shoppers since the dawn of time. And her weekly contests and giveaways — which range from cotton scarves to summer frocks to hefty gift cards — are not to be missed.

“Miss” James Kicinski of Bleubird Vintage
Chic baby mama. Vinyl record collector. Frilly knicker designer. Miss James is a retro inspiration — and a drop-dead gorgeous one, at that. In addition to writing about her latest Etsy obsessions and selling dreamy vintage-inspired collections through her online shop, James also blogs over at N.E.E.T. magazine. Best of luck as she stylishly feathers the nest for her new baby (due in July). What a busy little bird!

*This post was written by Alexandra Franzen for the CRAVE company:

ALEXANDRA FRANZEN is a writer + editor + organization freak. She designs rockstar resumes, leads personal branding jam sessions, writes marketing copy and teaches wallflowers how to hustle like a gangsta’. You can find her blogging up a storm at Unicorns for Socialism and tweeting away @alex_franzen.