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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.

Tags: girlfriends, parties, spring fun
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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.

Tags: beauty, celebrate, creative, exercise, fashion, fitness, make-up, massage, mom, Mother's Day, photos, recipes, scrapbook, Style, styling, urban yoga spa, yoga
Posted in Connect, Moms | No Comments »

CRAVE up your St. Patrick’s Day

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

St. Patrick’s Day is tomorrow and whether you are of Irish heritage or not, it is a great excuse to dress up in green, drink Guinness and eat corned beef and cabbage. In case the traditional Irish feast isn’t your thing we have come up with a few cool ways that you can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with your girlfriends. So grab your green, your “Kiss Me I’m Irish” sticker and a few gal pals and celebrate with us! Erin Go Bragh!

Coordinate a cocktail party with you gal pals using this fabulous party guide from Girlfriend Celebrations. Get cocktail creative with green drinks that aren’t beer. Pair these with fabulous green snacks and appetizers. Finish off the Irish ambiance by playing Celtic music in the background. As a fun party activity everyone can plant individual clovers and each guest can take home a pot to remind them of their fabulous friends.

Not into food and games? Coordinate a gift exchange with girlfriends and require that everyone purchase something that is authentically Irish. Set a spending limit so everyone gets something fun.

This year the holiday is celebrated on a Wednesday so if you aren’t in to going out and partying hard consider spending a night in watching movies. Use food coloring to dye your popcorn green and pop in a Irish “chick-flick” like PS I Love You, Tristan and Isolde , or Leap Year. All St. Patrick’s Day rules still apply so make sure your PJ’s are green!

If you want to go all out and spend the night on the town check out this fabulous St. Patrick’s Day event guide and find out what fun St. Patty’s festivities are happening in your area.

We wish you the “luck o’ the Irish” this year as you celebrate with friends. And no matter where or how you celebrate remember the old Irish adage “Before you call for one for the road be sure you know the road.” Slàinte

Tags: beer, drinking, girlfriends, green, party, St. Patrick's Day
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The Best Movies to Watch with Your Girlfriends

Monday, March 1st, 2010

What would we do without our girlfriends? They keep us sane when things get crazy, offer a shoulder to cry on when things get tough, encourage us to buy those shoes we just can’t live without, pig out on junk food with us after a bad breakup, and always, always make us laugh. One of our favorite things to do with our best gal pals is to pile onto the couch with plenty of buttered popcorn and indulge in a chick-flick movie-fest. Check out our picks for the movies to watch with your best girlfriends and start planning your next girl’s night in!

Beaches
Grab your tissues for this one. Its a tear-jerker but its also the story of a friendship that lasts a lifetime – CC and Hilary were totally BFF.

Thelma and Louise
Two best friends on a wild adventure, together until the end, and Brad Pitt? Sign us up!

Steel Magnolias
This one is another sob-story, but we love the story of this group of women who are there for each other through all of life’s ups and downs.

Bridget Jones’ Diary
Because Bridget’s kooky antics make us laugh every time and remind us everyone does silly things from time to time.

Fried Green Tomatoes
A testament to the strength of a woman and what she’ll do for her friends.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Because we all love Audrey Hepburn and we all have a little bit of Miss Holly Golightly in us.

Grease
A true guilty pleasure that we love to sing along to with our girls – a definite pick-me-up.

Sixteen Candles
Because we swoon over Jake Ryan and every girl’s high-school fantasy come true, every time we see it.

Dirty Dancing
Another guilty pleasure and classic that we know by heart and can watch with our girlfriends, time and time again.

Mean Girls
It may not be might not be your typical girl-power, female bonding kind of movie, but we all learn a lesson in the end – to support the women in our lives. Plus, its hilarious.

We could go on and on, but we’ll stop here and let you start planning which flicks to view at your next girl’s night. Hooray for girlfriends!

Tags: chick, flicks, girlfriends, laugh, movies, tear-jerker, tissue
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Buzz Party Fun!

Friday, February 12th, 2010

From Stillwater to Excelsior and Seward to Linden Hills, women from every neighborhood in the Twin Cities came through the snow to enjoy one another’s company and connect with fabulous women who own their own businesses at Lululemon’s Minneapolis Showroom in South Minneapolis. Rockin’ bakers Sheela and Emily from Cake Eater Bakery offered scrumptious goodies such as strawberry balsamic cupcakes, darling mini cupcakes filled with lemon custard and raspberry brownies. Kathleen of Just Truffles fame was keeping the crowd in stitches and good health with her award winning truffles made from pure chocolate–no sugar added to make it a truly healthy treat!

Music was pumping while wine and Hibiscus Iced Tea was pouring as the energy of the crowd kept women confident in the strength of their sisters of Minneapolis/St. Paul to weather the recession as well as the blizzard! How true it is that we are all strong women with even bigger hearts when it comes to showing our support for other women.

CRAVE gals were there to flip through the CRAVE city guides from Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and Chicago and to hear about all the women who will be featured in the Minneapolis/St. Paul guide. Everyone was making sure Kathy Hanson, the curator of all things CRAVE in the Twin Cities, knew about their favorite women and their incomparable shops. It was an amazing show of Girl Power to see Stacie Clark, co-hostess with Kathy, be introduced to so many women who wanted to meet her in person after hearing about her athletic training business through CRAVE.

Darling Krista of Sweets Bakeshop had the most sophisticated display of Valentine’s Day sweets packages to order, along with samples of her fabulous French macaroons and mini cupcakes–my favorite was the cornmeal with whipped honey frosting. Those macaroon simply melt in your mouth!

Sairey Gaines of irely was hosting a chatterbox of fun with all the women who stopped by to see why her panties are patented! Jenni of LunaLux displayed a fun selection of her witty cards. Little packages of cookies and lotion from Petunia’s were available for sampling.

Thanks to bubbly Becky of Stormsisters Spatique, every women could leave with fizzly bath bombs and body goodies for themselves or a girlfriend, daughter, sister or mother. Becky’s table had women gathered around to see why they must shop her store tucked away on the hill in St. Paul!

It was an evening filled with laughter, joy and vibrant support for women who have followed their hearts to open businesses that speak to their passion of fashion, fitness, food, photography or their desire to simply make the world a more beautiful place.

* photo credit- Stacy Dunlap and Jessica Barker

Tags: bakery, buzz party, crave book, cupcakes, fashion, girlfriends, Minneapolis, shop local, Style, Valentine's Day, woman-owned
Posted in Connect, Events, Sip / Savor, Style | 2 Comments »

11 Ways To Be Single on Valentine’s Day

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

Single, taken, or “it’s complicated”… regardless of your relationship status, Valentine’s Day can frankly be very obnoxious. If you’re with someone, you’re pressured to partake in extravagant displays of lovey-dovey cuteitude against your will. If you’re single, it’s even worse. You’re brutally reminded that those millions of cheesy greeting cards with kissing puppies on the front simply aren’t meant for you. Of course Valentine’s Day isn’t all bad, but it can be tough to go solo on a day when the rest of the world seems madly in love. In an effort to give single gals out there some solace, here’s a smattering of ideas from women (and two men) on what to do on February 14th if you’re single.

Get all your single girlfriends together for a fun-filled night of vino and good music… that’s what I’d do. Oh and shopping too (hell make an entire day of it)! -Phaedra, Taken, Los Angles [A Very CRAVE V-Day]

Two words: Southern. Comfort. Now you have advice from lady AND gentleman – Corbin, Taken, Washington DC [Best "Drink Your Sorrows Away" V-Day]

Celebrate the Chinese New Year! -Jocelyn, Single, Woodinvile [Best V-Day Replacement Holiday]

I heard the trick is to not make Valentine’s Day about loving a person you are in a relationship with, but to make it about loving all the people you love. If it isn’t about one person than it can be less disappointing when you spread out the love! – Courtney, Single, Santa Clara [Sweetest V-Day Idea]

Remember that it’s easier to be single on Valentine’s Day than stuck in a relationship that’s going nowhere fast. -Mike, Divorced, London [Best V-Day Reality Check]

This might be an LA only thing…but going to Disneyland with friends is awesome, as is going to Amoeba Records by yourself. – Natasha, Single, Los Angeles [Most LA V-Day]

Offer to babysit for your friends with kids! -Deborah, Taken, Woodinville [Most Charitable V-Day Idea]

I loved my single Valentines the best! Having a dinner party (with yummy cocktails) is fun with your single friends, or taking a little trip somewhere- the ocean, a cabin, a movie- with a few friends is wonderful! Just celebrating the people you love is what it’s all about! – Carly, Taken, Camano Island [Best Girlfriends V-Day]

If I were single on VDAY I’d go to Vegas for sure. But that’s just me… – Ashley, Taken, Los Angeles [Best V-Day for Ladies on the Prowl]

It’s two weeks away…. whose to say you will be single? Also… I hear having a bonfire is great fun… and if things go awry, a fireman comes over to visit – Adrienne, Single, Santa Fe [Hottest V-Day Idea]

Valentine’s Day is just another day…I would go to brunch and buy yourself some flowers. – Jess, Taken, San Diego [Best "Celebrate Yourself" V-Day Idea]

So there you have it. Booze, babysitting, brunch or bonfires – whatever you do, you definitely do not need a beau to enjoy your Valentine’s Day this year. Have fun!

Tags: feb 14th, how to be single, Single, Valentine's Day
Posted in Connect | 1 Comment »

CRAVE Book Buzz Party – Recap and Photos

Monday, December 21st, 2009

launchparty

On a cold winter night during the busiest shopping season, gals from all over this great city came to the Minneapolis/St. Paul CRAVE Book Buzz Party to celebrate the launching of the manifesto of all the best shops, salons and services owned by women in the Twin Cities! Victory owner Kerry Ciardelli hosted the event at her enchanting store on 44th, along with Kathy Hanson, CRAVE Curator. Many of the wonderful, innovative women who will be featured in the book were there. It will hit the streets in May 2010!

There were fabulous mini red-velvet cupcakes from Yum! owner Patti Soskin. Perfect and bite sized they were a hit! Wines were provided by award winning Sinful Wine & Spirits, owned by Laurie Crow and Beaujos, the inviting and cozy wine bar in Edina. Guests were charmed by the welcoming, radiant ambience of the shop and the exuberant crowd!

Laughter filled the air as business owners found new friends in like minded women throughout the evening. Meaningful connections were made during the four hour party- that’s the reason we do Crave events! Conversations bubbled as the ladies were looking through Chicago, Seattle, San Fran, Austin and Portland Crave books. What a gift to be inspired by all the incomparable tastemakers in other cities and know that Minneapolis has just as many talented and wonderful women!

Media and bloggers were there to see what all the fuss was about. They walked into a vivacious atmosphere of sparkling cocktail dresses, thigh high party boots and furs (both faux and vintage!) as well as a bounty of stylish winter coats as only Minnesota fashionistas can wear!

Everyone was delighted to be in the company of such talented entrepreneuresses on such a busy holiday evening. Many of the guests had several parties to go to and were captivated by the Crave project and what it means to the people of Minneapolis/St. Paul. All the local proprietors are so happy to have Crave touting the importance of buying local! Many consumers may not know which businesses are women owned orhow their dollars support their communities when they chose to shop at local businesses. Savvy businesswomen were at the party to support that message.

Gallery owners, yoga instructors, photographers, PR mavens, shopkeepers, designers, printers, and artists were among the many captivating women who came to celebrate the amazing world of women owned businesses in Minneapolis/St. Paul!

photo credit: Lindsay Lewis

Tags: buzz party, crave book, Minneapolis, shop local, woman-owned
Posted in Connect, Events | 1 Comment »

Girl’s Night In: Back to School Blast

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

nightin

It’s time to celebrate fall and the kids’ return to school! Why not get the party started with a time-warp, school themed, girl’s night in?

Party Supps:
Use Netflix for a selection of popular tv shows and films from the decade you attended high school. Create a dinner music playlist comprised of tunes from that era as well. Have your girls email you some choice high school pics and create a simple slide show via iphoto or picasa.com to watch when they arrive.

Dinner:
Order some vintage speckled Melmac cafeteria trays. They are gorgeous, inexpensive and easy to find on sites like Ebay and Etsy. Place a napkin and silverware in the utensil compartment of the lunch tray. Make Adams Apple cocktails by combining a 1/2 shot Vodka, 1/2 shot Galliano and apple juice into a brightly colored plastic, highball sized cup. Place in the ‘drink’ compartment of the tray.

For food, think gourmet cafeteria classics. Make sure to have a vegetable, protein, carb and dessert to place in remaining sections of the tray. Click on the hyper-links to view our recipe recommendations.

What’s your fav way to celebrate fall?

Posted in Connect, Sip / Savor | No Comments »