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Archive for May, 2010

Celebrating women and mothers with Fleurish!

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

I cherish my mother and sister. They are the ones I turn to first with any important or exciting news–the ones who rejoice or cry with me and lend their ears and support to all my endeavors. Each year as Mother’s Day comes around I always wonder how I can honor my mother in a way that lets her know how wonderful she truly is. I want to get her something unique, something that she wouldn’t buy herself. This year I was thrilled to learn that Fleurish, a custom gift basket and stationary store in Wayzata is hosting an event this Thursday through Saturday to celebrate the special women and mothers in our lives.

Fleurish carries a wonderful selection of baby items, gourmet foods, bath products, purses, tote bags, stationary, invitations and thank you cards–many of which are locally made or sourced. They even do monograms! Create a custom-made gift basket filled with all your mom’s favorite things, add in some new items to try and you know you’ll be giving her a gift she’ll remember forever. What better way to show your love and appreciation to the most special woman in your life? While you’re there, pick up items for all the showers, weddings and graduations coming up this Spring and Summer. Fleurish carries the best shower gifts and beautiful cards! Even more exciting, there will be a special gift of chocolate bark with a purchase of $50 or more.

Fleurish is offering a very special deal. During this sale you can pre-order a Minneapolis/St. Paul CRAVE book for $19.95! If you pre-order, you will be sure to have one in hand as soon as they are available.

To go:

Open Thursday and Friday from 10-5, and Saturday from 10-2.

www.fleurishllp.com

240 Minnetonka Ave South

Wayzata, MN 55391

952-476-2296

5 Myths About Stillwater We Simply Must Crack!

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

Come on over to Stillwater and visit some of the most fashion-forward, innovative and savvy businesses in all of the Twin Cities. There are so many fabulous women owned businesses in downtown Stillwater you can make a full day or weekend out of your visit. It’s a perfect getaway for Mother’s Day, Memorial Day weekend, or just a sunny spring Saturday!

I am here to debunk any and all myths about Stillwater AND give you the hottest tips on where to go when you visit! (I will write more about the shops in my next Stillwater blog—this is to just get you there!)

1. “It’s all antiques”
From one end of Main Street to the other, Stillwater boasts shops filled with the latest fashion (Collaborations 129 1/2 Main St S, and Stella), fitness/yoga (Studio Cates), a trend-setting salon (Monde), gourmet restaurants (Savories), sophisticated home decor (Alfresco, Interior Motive, and Maison Galleria), an adorable yarn shop (Darn Knit Anyway) a charming kids store (Red Rover Kids), not to mention the perfect stop for coffee and a scone (Supreme Bean Expresso Cafe – 402 Main St N).  And that’s just Main Street!

2. “There’s no parking”
Rubbish! I have been to Stillwater three times just since December, and every time I find plenty of on-street parking! If you are planning a visit, call any of the local shop owners and they will happily suggest the closest FREE parking lot!

3. “Traffic problems”
I zoomed right into Stillwater without incident nor traffic every time. But here is an inside scoop: Follow signs on Hwy 36 and Take Cty Rd. 15/Manning to Cty Rd 12/Myrtle and zip on down—lickety split!

4. “It’s full of tourists!”
Are you a tourist if you live in Excelsior and shop on Grand? No! It’s metro shoppers who know Stillwater is THE place to shop for fabulous finds! My good friend and fashion maven (and her husband!) drive into Stillwater from Minneapolis once every 6 weeks just to get their hair cut! They make an event of it by grabbing a bite to eat and doing a bit of shopping too. Would they do that for the past 8 years if it wasn’t a fun way to spend an evening?

5. “It’s expensive!”
NO WAY! I bought a fantastic designer dress at Collaborations that was under $50! Fashion forward design, fabulous fit, wool/cashmere, no tailoring necessary. Simply perfect. Looks like I bought it in the Oval Room but I supported a local designer AND shop owner! Many of these shop owners travel around the country to buy lines that big box stores do not carry. As you shop the marvelous stores in Stillwater, remember that your purchases send money back into the community. 76 cents for every dollar spent goes back into the community when you shop local versus 46 cents when you shop big department stores and ZERO when you shop online!

Don’t forget to meander around Stillwater and find more great shops tucked away: Camrose Hill Flowers is a must stop, simply to check out their incredibly charming space—it feels like you’re in a 100-year-old English mansion! Bring home fresh flowers grown on a local farm, too.

Down the road a bit is THE BEST stop for all your summer picnic goodies. Heather at Bread Art makes everything herself from artisan breads to cookies, pies to pastries. They look and taste so yummy that you’ll want to throw a backyard party! Scratch baking never tasted so good!

If that is not enough incentive, right next door is La Cocinita Restaurante where Angelina boasts award winning salsa and scrumptious homemade Mexican dishes that must be accompanied by her delicious margaritas! We came for lunch and were tempted to just stay through dinner because the hospitality and the food was so warm and welcoming.

So come visit Stillwater in the next few weeks. You will be so happy you did! We promise!

It’s Fiesta Time!

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010


Cinco de Mayo is a fun day dedicated to spicy foods, barbequing in the fresh spring weather, and sipping a cocktail while relaxing to upbeat Latin music. Partake in or create Cinco de Mayo activities you CRAVE this year. Gather your girlfriends and samba your way into spring!
If you are in the mood to stay in and avoid Cinco de Mayo craziness, a perfect way to loosen up and still enjoy this festive holiday is to stay in and host your own fiesta! Do your girls CRAVE spicy and authentic Mexican food? Invite everyone over to cook their favorite dish and swap recipes. Meanwhile, sip on fresh home-made margaritas while watching your favorite Selma Hayek films. For a fun activity kids of any age can enjoy, pick up a piñata and see who can collect the most candy.

Getting dolled up and putting on your most festive dress and heels may be the way you want to honor this colorful holiday. Put on that new red lipstick you’ve been dying to use, gather all the girls and jump into a salsa class. Learning this spicy dance together will not only be fun, but you might discover a new favorite way to work out! After the lesson, go to that Mexican restaurant that you can’t get enough of and dance the night away to the live mariachi band.

Whether it be going out to hot spots or mellowing out at home, celebrate however makes you happiest. As you prepare for the night’s festivities, try this enticing, spicy cocktail to liven up your night. Not for the timid taste buds!
SMITTEN

Makes 1 cocktail
1/3 cup fresh ripe watermelon, cut in 1-inch cubes

2 oz Sauza Hornitos Plata Tequila

3/4 oz Monin Organic Agave Syrup

3/4 oz fresh lime juice

2 dashes Tapatio hot sauce
Garnish: half-rim, single “scallop” of kosher salt

Muddle/press watermelon in pint glass with a muddler, being sure to press the melon well to release juices. Measure in tequila, agave syrup and lime juice. Shake in hot sauce—do not over-do it! Fill glass with ice. Cap and shake vigoroulsy. Strain into a martini glass with a partial salt rim.

Find more creative concoctions from Chef Kathy Casey here.

How Many Hats Do We Wear?

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

As women we wear a lot of different hats in our life. Some hats we wear for fun, others out of necessity and many just because they are super cute!

My love of hats started at my first tea party; it was of course a sparkly tiara and had a matching bright pink boa. Who does not feel special in a tiara? Add a wand and you can change the world with one swoop.

My next impressionable hat was an Easter Bonnet that was the most beautiful concoction of silk flowers and ribbon. My sister had one that matched; we were the cutest things in the field looking for eggs.

Not to be overlooked is the kid party hat, just add a pointy paper cone with a painful rubber band strap and it’s an “occasion”. If you can endure the strap long enough it’s worth it because cake will usually appear.

The fashion hat can stop traffic. Woman who wear these are so bold and cool. They are also the only accessory that always fits and never makes you look fat.

On a bad hair day, hats have been my saving grace. Thank goodness I’m the mom of boys, had I had a girly girl that was fussing over her hair I would have said, “Put a baseball hat on and let’s go already!”

As women we all wear many hats, even if there’s nothing on our head. We are daughters, sisters, friends, wives, mothers, and grandmothers.

We wear the hat of a chef, chauffeur, maid, captain, ringleader, hostess, coach, bank teller, Sherlock Holmes, construction foreman, nurse, and many more! We slide these on and off with the greatest of ease and often times wear one on top of another. We are highly skilled fusionists that run behind the runway show curtain and take off the major league manager ball cap and replace it with our tiara just in time for the company dinner party.

When I lived in the South, I was schooled in the art of the “hat” at afternoon tea parties. Those ladies take their hats very seriously and some were large enough to provide shade to a small family, but man those ladies knew how to wear them with spunk.

Whenever I see a woman with an amazing hat on, I always stare a little longer and admire her grace and composure. I think, “That lady is so cool, I should wear more hats!” Then I remind myself that I had a beret on this morning when I was making crepes…well, not really but I should have.

Women are amazing and so are hats. Next time you’re in a party store slip on a sparkly tiara and remember what that feels like to be the princess, buy a cute straw hat for the beach and own that bikini, and remember we are the masters of many hats and are all a bunch of mad-hatters.

Bond with these Activites on Mother’s Day

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

It’s that time of year – it’s all about mom. You know as well as we do – with a hectic lifestyle, sometimes traditional alternatives have to do the trick (isn’t it the thought that counts?). But with all that mom has done for you, we’re guessing you probably CRAVE some creative mother/daughter bonding activities this Mother’s Day. So take a break from the craziness of the day to bond with the number one woman in your life. Whether you’re a “like- mother-like-daughter duo” or have completely different tastes, you’re sure to find a fabulous way to celebrate your mom in style with our irresistible options! Get ready to make some memories!

Rediscover Family Recipes
What better way to celebrate the women in your family than with a day dedicated to the culinary queens that have graced your family over the years? We all have recipes stashed away in a drawer in the kitchen that we always talk about with family members during holiday time. How many times have you reminisced about Grandma Marie’s outrageous chicken Marsala or Aunt Susan’s legendary lemon meringue? It’s time to pull out those recipes and cook them up with mom! Be sure to recopy those recipes that are written on paper that is little worse for wear, organize them and swap memories as you savor your hard work. So, if CRAVE something spicy or sweet and want to share special memories of the wonderful women that have paved your way, get cooking with mom. Who knows, you might even make some mother-daughter recipes of your own!

Other ideas for the the crafty mother-daughter duo:

- Organize family photos in scrapbooks or photo albums.
- Transfer old family tapes to DVD.
- Take an art class together.

Mother-Daughter Massage
What better way to say goodbye to stress and pamper the number one woman in your life than with a mother-daughter massage and spa treatment? Sometimes, the unspoken shared moments in life mean the most. With a little time to meditate, make muscles melt and mend your bodies, you and mom will be bonding in no time. Take some time together to choose your lineup of indulgences for the day. Whether you and mom CRAVE some hot stone therapy, aromatherapy or holistic skin care, your Mother’s Day Spa date is sure to be one to remember!

Other options for mothers and daughters looking to chill:

- Take a yoga class together.
- Safely score some rays of sunshine at the beach.
- Pack a picnic lunch and your suits. Find the perfect place to swim, enjoy the water and indulge in some homemade picnic classics!

Generational Clothing Swap:
Admit it – you have always wanted to raid mom’s closet (maybe you already have!) for some of those classy vintage outfits she has saved over the years. She’s probably had her eye on some of yours! Now is your chance to share style secrets that span a few more decades. Spend the days discussing style and sharing trends that have come in and out of both your lives. You might find some similarities you would never suspect – styles always seem to come back! After you swap chic secrets, you might even want to have a generational fashion show. Whatever decade you and mom each CRAVE when it comes to style, the creative possibilities are endless when you put your heads together in the name of fashion!

Alternatives for moms and daughters with fashion in their blood:

- Get out there for some retail therapy, but here’s the catch – pick outfits for each other. You could be pleasantly surprised, or you might be laughing the entire time you’re in the dressing room!
- Score mother-daughter style makeover consultations.
- Go on a fashionable date – check CRAVE and other local listings for fashion shows and other styling events in your city.

No matter what you CRAVE and how you choose to celebrate mom, enjoy your time together. Happy Mother’s Day from all of us at CRAVE.