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

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.

With running a business, there are so many different connections that need to be made on a daily basis. From heading up an event, to composing a website or blog. We are constantly CRAVEing assistance from professionals that can give us good advice and help us grow. We have scoured Washington D.C. and found some women owned businesses that will do the trick!

Creative Blog Solutions
When it comes to developing a website for your company it can be time consuming and get expensive. Terri Holley, founder of Creative Blog Solutions has established tools to help develop a professional blog that won’t be time consuming or burst your budget. They support small businesses that understand the value of using social technologies to build deeper relationships with their prospects and customers. They have had measurable success for clients in both the for-profit and not-for-profit business sectors. They are truly great for small businesses to become connected to!

BRAVO! Events by Design
When searching for someone to help develop a successful event Nancy Shaffer, who is with BRAVO! Events is here to help! They specialize in creating events that entertain, inform, and delight your guests while helping our achieve your goals. Whether you’re trying to increase your visibility, recognize employees, raise funds, or celebrate a special occasion, BRAVO! takes your event from concept to reality with professionalism, creativity, and style.

Chic Public Relations
A division of Chic Communications, LLC, is a boutique firm focusing on public relations, marketing, special events, and social media outreach. Their expertise deals with fashion, beauty, luxury lifestyle, and corporate image. Morgan and Kristen McLoud, the founders of Chic PR claim that they separate themselves from others in the industry by establishing and formalizing one-on-one relationships with their clients. They CRAVE to provide their clients with successful, tasteful events as well as executing marketing, branding, and social media campaigns.

Ladies! Summer weddings are in full swing, which means gathering the gal pals and having a fabulous bachelorette party to celebrate your friend’s finals days of freedom before they take the plunge. There are many different ideas as to what is included in a bachelorette party, but one thing is always consistent. Lingerie! No lady can have enough, therefore we have scoured D.C. and found a couple of places we CRAVE to get our next set of delicates from.

The Full Cup
This boutique is all about finding the perfect fit and style to flatter your figure. They have beautiful, good-fitting, sexy, and comfortable lingerie that your to-be-married friend will adore.  Also they provide a fabulous offer for your bachelorette party. They provide a girls night service which allows all your gal pals to come together and shop with each other. It’d be a fun twist to your party that would allow your bride to find the perfect fitting lingerie without you having to guess! To see where they’re located and to find out more information click here!

Coup de Foudre
This store is simply lovely! Stocked with european designer brands, they are known for their fit, design, comfort, support and quality; not to mention they’re gorgeous! Their goal is to provide lingerie that is not only beautiful to look at but will be comfortable as well as sexy. In 2006, they were featured as the “Best Shop Award” in North America Intima Magazine, showing that not only do they have fabulous bras but we are CRAVEing their customer service as well! To find out more about them click here.

Dandelion Patch
Now that we have the lingerie covered, we can’t forget that there are other gifts that are classic and your bride might appreciate. We found what you are looking for at Dandelion Patch, known for their beautiful stationary, they also provide fabulous small gifts for your friend. Some include candles, jewelry, and more small house-wear accessories.  They are all sweet, fabulous, and perfect touches to go into your friends new home. To see all that they provide  and where they’re located look here.

We all know at least one someone who is soon to reach a coveted educational milestone – GRADUATION! Whether from 8th grade, 12th grade or college, they’ve worked hard, done their homework and made it to the finish line! While they’re hard at work finding the perfect outfit to wear underneath their cap and gown and figuring out how they’re going to celebrate, our job is much harder…what gift do we give? Sure, cash is always nice, but a thoughtful, personal gift means so much more! From the perfect card, most glorious bouquet of flowers and greatest little something, here are a few ideas  - and where to get them!!

The Dandelion Patch

While Heidi Kallett’s The Dandelion Patch specializes in fine personalized stationary and paper products, they also stock some fantastic graduate-ready gifts. At one of their two convenient locations (one in Vienna and one in Reston) pick up a Green Science Kit – perfect for that soon-to-be high school student who has science on the brain. They’ll love making a robot or learning all about renewable energy hands-on! For older graduates, head to thedandelionpatch.com to check out Godiva chocolates, Vera Bradley handbags or one of a selection of collegiate dishes from a variety of schools are sure to be a hit. And if you’re hosting a graduation party? Pick up a couple of bright blue shell-shaped platters to serve festive foods on!

Karin’s Florist

Everyone enjoys a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. They’re great to receive and make the home beautiful for days and days! At Karin’s Florist in Vienna, brainchild of Maris Angolia, you’ll find the perfect way-to-go bouquet, filled to bursting with colorful buds and, if you’d like, a congratulations balloon! Looking for something that will last even longer? How about a Luscious Green Garden Basket packed with lush green plants that can be repotted and enjoyed for years to come (see this and so much more at karinsflorist.com)! And they’ve got the perfect thing for the foodie in your group – the All Fruit Basket With Candy – a selection of the freshest seasonal fruit and yummy hard candy – can’t go wrong there!

Verbena Paper & Gifts

Verbena Paper & Gifts is Angela Phelps’ magnificent retreat for those with a love of all things paper – someone on your graduation gift list is sure to love handsome (or chic, pretty and feminine) organizational goodies for their new home office. And for that college grad, embarking on a much deserved trip around Europe or South America? What could be better than a beautiful leather bound journal to record their once-in-a-lifetime adventure? While you’re there grab some fancy, unique stationary – perfect for a personalized congratulations note! verbenapaper.com

Bundles of Cookies

Finally, who doesn’t love a good cookie? At Bundle of Cookies in Bethesda you’ll find a vast array of cookies in fun and festive shapes. Who says the word “arrangement” has to just apply to flowers? Choose a graduation-inspired cookie arrangement for that special someone with a sweet tooth.   Or how about the Congrats Star pan cookie – decorated just like a cake…but on a great big COOKIE!! Other fun gift options include delicious s’mores, cute ceramic cookie jars, and mugs filled with yummy hot chocolate mix!! Go to bundlesofcookies.com to see arrangement choices and gifts!

SimplySoles
Summer is here. It’s time to embrace the gorgeous weather. Why not update your wardrobe with some new sandals? Having recently moved to Georgetown, SimplySoles carries top designers such as Tory Burch, Tibi, Frye, Delman, Taryn Rose, Castaner, and Chie Mihara, and is here for all your shoe needs. Though based in DC, SimplySole has a catalog and an on-line store, and ships around the world Kassie Rempel’s passion for shoes led her to open SimplySoles, recognizing that there was a shortage of stylish, chic accessories and shoe stores in the DC area. She has been featured in numerous magazines such as the Amex Trend Book 2009, FW, Shape Magazine, the Washington Post, and People Magazine. Furthermore, Rempel has been named one of the top five emerging entrepreneurs by Entrepreneur magazine, one of the 2008 Women Who Mean Business in the Washington Business Journal, and was shown on the cover of the Fortune Small Business magazine.  She designs her own sassy and luxurious shoe line, lilybee, which she sells exclusively.  Shopping at SimplySoles also helps the community- Rempel is working with a non-profit organization to help women transition from homeless shelters, jail, or drug rehabilitation programs. If you donate shoes to the recycling program, SimplySoles will discount 10% off your purchase.

SimplySoles is located at The Shops at Georgetown Park, 3222 M Street NW across from Anthropologie.
Store Hours: Monday-Saturday 10-8 and Sunday 12-6; Phone: 800-909- 3679 or 202-232-0072; simplysoles.com