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

Event Planning Blogs We CRAVE

March 31, 2010 by Melisa M. | Comments (0)


With spring in the air, wedding plans are to0, as well as all kinds of events. If you’re looking for someone to help you plan it all out, or just get some clever ideas, we’ve provided some event planning blogs that we CRAVE.  

Silverberry Occasions
http://www.silverberryoccasions.blogspot.com/
Silverberry Occasions Event Planning & Design Inc. is a full-scale special event planning and design company serving Toronto and the GTA, owned by Founders and Event Planners Karen Chiavatti and Jessica Wainberg. Not only do Karen & Jessica come from both Event Planning and Wedding Industry backgrounds, but they also bring extensive business experience, endless creativity and most importantly PASSION to every event that they plan. It is this dedication and passion that shines through making your event truly unique and memorable. It is also this passion that shines through in their blog. They provide endless information and beautiful pictures to help aid in every aspect of the planning phase.

Panache Life
http://panachelife.blogspot.com/search?q=panache+life
Panache Life Inc. brings you innovative ways of living, connecting and entertaining with Panache Lifestyle Events,  Event Management,  Panache Boot Camp Classes, Ladies Self Empowerment Workshops,  Girls Night Out or In Escapes. Panache Life hits on a wider variety of topics than strictly event planning. It is more of a lifestyle blog with a certain energy and passion for living a happy life that is insightful and enjoyable. It also provides information on inspirational and relaxing events for women to attend.

Gatherings Event Planning
http://gatheringseventplanning.blogspot.com/   
Gatherings Event Planning and Fundraising is a full service event planning company located in Toronto, Ontario. They can finesse the ideas you bring to them, or take control of the planning from brainstorming to completion. You call the shots, they make things happen.  Their blog covers all sorts of aspects of business, wellness and beyond, all with a positive message.

Add More ~ing To Your Life

March 29, 2010 by Sarah Clise | Comments (0)


In her debut book, Add More ~ing To Your Life, motivational speaker and life coach Gabrielle Bernstein takes readers on a fun and fulfilling journey to happiness in 30 days. She promotes writing, meditation, and movement as ways to combat ego and release romantic illusions. For every goal in her book, she lays out an Equation with multiple steps packed with reflection and perspective. Some of her unique blues-blasting concepts include compiling a Compassion List, creating a Personal-Shift Statement, and ceasing to Future Trip. By the end of the book she’s created an arsenal of happiness-promoting exercises to conquer negative thinking and create personal change. Read on to learn more about this gifted guru and what she craves.

What is your motto, slogan, or theme song?
Expect Miracles

What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
The best advice I was ever given was from my mother when she told me that meditation would guide me to serenity.

In a past life you were…
A preacher in South America.

How do you get ready to write?
I clean my desk. Then I meditate. Following my meditation I write an outline. I’m a mess without an outline. I turn off my phone and I unplug the Internet. Then I start writing.

What’s a place that inspires you and why?
 The place where I’m most inspired is in Abadiania Brazil. I travel to Abadiania, the home of psychic surgeon and spiritual healer John of God. When I am in Brazil with John of God and his team of mediums I feel my strongest sense of inspiration.

What makes you feel most CRAVE – able?
 My authenticity. What you see is what you get.

What’s a cause you are passionate about and why?
 I feel deeply connected to helping people overcome addiction and more specifically the issue of teenage suicide due to prescription drugs. I am a recovering drug addict and I am very transparent about my sobriety in order to help others recover. I plan to write a book on overcoming addiction in all areas of life.

What makes you laugh so hard you cry?
So many things. I don’t know where to begin…

In 10 years you want to be…
In 10 years I plan to be known as the messenger for happiness for the next generation. I will have a television show and several published books. I will be a mother and dwell in New York City and in a warm weather climate.

Describe yourself in 5 words.
I am spirited, loquacious, alive, connected, love

* This publication was sent to the CRAVEcompany for review

Places To Pamper Your Pooch

March 24, 2010 by Melisa M. | Comments (0)


If you really care about your pet and want to find a special place in Toronto to show them the love that you feel for them, there are a lot of wonderful options that aren’t massive chain stores, supplying any food, products or services that will sell. These specialty shops were started out of love for animals and the people who love them.

Big Dog Bakery
See website for retailers
647.224.5299
www.bigdogbakery.com
Unlike many commercial dog treats, Big Dog Bakery gourmet dog treats contain only local Canadian, premium, human grade ingredients. They do not use fillers, refined sugars, added salt, artificial flavours or preservatives. Formulated just for dogs – with palatability, digestibility, safety and nutrition first in mind. Dog owners, walkers and trainers can rest assured they are choosing a much better alternative to inconsistent, unhealthy dog food products still on the market today. You give your dog a treat as a reward for good behaviour, part of training exercises, or a little snack to tie them over until dinner… But to sum up the dog treats in one word – one emotion – and it is the biggest one we feel for all dogs – it is…. LOVE! Dogs are more than ever important members of the family. They deserve the same high standards of health, taste and quality as you do.

Bark & Fitz
2570 Yonge St. Toronto (see website for many other locations)
416.483.4431
www.barkandfitz.com
Bark & Fitz is a dog inspired reatail health food store for you and your dog. They aim to provide all natural and holistic food and treats for dogs to live longer, healthier, more active lives. A family business founded in Oakville, Ontario – one of the hippest places in the world – the first Bark & Fitz store not only features the healthiest dog foods but arguably the highest quality, most stylish, and largest selection of dog treats, toys, gear and gifts ever before seen in a retail store. Authentic to its roots, Bark & Fitz continues to focus on the health and well being of your canine (and feline) companions with the constant addition of industry leading foods, products, and accessories for your dog.

myPetBoutique
416.368.6896
http://www.mypetboutique.com/
Finding it difficult to find quality products that were both unique and fun, owner  Judith Pagnier decided to open myPetBoutique.com. myPetBoutique was launched Fall 2001. She wanted to have a store where people could shop for the furry loved one in their life; a place where they could find products to pamper their pet, such as gourmet treats and decadent gift packages. She also wanted to showcase products for the home that were well designed and expressed the love we feel for our pets. myPetBoutique is a perpetual project in motion dedicated to everyone who loves their pet. A great place to find a gift for a pet or a pet lover.

Fashion Sense is a Relative Term

March 24, 2010 by Lynn Edwards | Comments (0)


In honor of the recent Fashion Week hoopla, I thought I’d share my fashion “sense” and I use that term quite loosely. For those of you that have read the CRAVE Crack Up blogs, you’ve quickly come to learn I am “challenged” in many areas of my life that include domestically, home interiorally, culinarily, and more. Fashion is no exception….I have narrowly escaped being featured in the black-boxed face photo in many a fashion magazine.

Every Spring I am inspired to clean out the closet, buy some colorful shoes and skip around looking cute. I pledge to wear a pretty floral print dress just because they look so dang fun on the TV ads but then realize I would actually have to shave my legs.

I adore all the fabulous sunglasses but find myself still sporting the $3.99 pair I bought at the Ritzville AM/PM after a long night. I vowed to never buy expensive eyewear because I was sure I’d lose or break them…these signature shades I picked up near the corn dogs have lasted me five years, naturally!

Each April I travel to Las Vegas for some much needed girl fun. One year I committed myself to having the right “Vegas” shoes, so I splurged. I found just the right pair of smoking hot black strappy pumps. When I got there, I made it from my room to the elevator in the hotel before I had to return to the room for my flip flops. They looked super cute in the pre-func party pics though.

A southern friend once sent me a Spring purse set. By “set” I mean that it looked like one of those Christmas dolls that you open and find 15 more mini-Christmas dolls inside, only this had a matching wallet, sunglass case, etc., it had a million pieces. I had no idea what to do with all of them but they sure were cute. Don’t be surprised that I don’t have a purse “set”…I just recently realized you should have more than one bag for different seasons.

Speaking of seasons, when I lived in the south I was outcast due to my major faux pas of wearing white heels before Easter. Silly me, it had been 80 degrees since New Year’s Eve so I figured white shoes with my cute floral skirt would work. The fashion police literally showed up and locked me in a dressing room at Dillard’s until Easter for that high crime.

You might say I am a “function over form” kind of gal. I am all about comfort and all my jeans have to do is at least accommodate my cell phone and lip gloss.

I do love coats, it’s a strange addiction but I must have a hundred in my closet. Ok, 50% are fleece, but I do dig the outer layer action. Funny thing is I am always so warm, I rarely wear them, not just because most of them would look ridiculous with my floral dress but also because I don’t want to be bothered with carrying one around. I would probably leave it in some coat check somewhere and lose it….like my $3.99 expensive eyewear.

Here’s to putting on a pretty floral dress and skipping around looking cute this Spring!

Do It Yourself Design Inspirations We CRAVE

March 22, 2010 by Lilla | Comments (0)


Spring is finally just around the corner. We are gearing up to do all our regular spring cleaning tasks – flip mattresses, wash curtains, and finally organize our junk drawers. One of the highlights of spring is rebirth and getting a new lease on life . Well, how about doing the same for your home or an old piece of furniture? Small changes are sure to make a large difference in any home! We love to turn to designspongeonline.com for inspiration and really love the before & after posts. Check out some of our favorite makeovers:

Do you have any home DIYs plans for spring?

The Blogs We CRAVE

March 17, 2010 by Melisa M. | Comments (1)


When it comes to women doing great things, we here at CRAVE love to spread the word about women doing unique things. A great way to discover extraordinary women is through their blogs.  Dive into bold minds and discover how these positive voices share what they love or believe in. These are just a few blogs that we swear by and know you will enjoy to.

HeyDoYou
http://www.heydoyou.com/
A busy colorful blog chock full of everything fashion, food and lifestyle. Yvonne is the beauty and trends writer, Bella is the food and love writer and Shay is the events and style writer. Follow them on their own adventures as they trek all over Toronto as well as Los Angeles attending wild events and reporting on fun trends. This blog will keep you constantly discovering things to CRAVE and people to talk about. If you’re into forward fashion, good food of pop culture, this blog is a feast for the eyes.

Healthy Girl
http://www.healthygirl.ca/
Healthy Girl promotes healthy & wealthy entrepreneurship. Its mandate is to bridge the gap between building wealth as an entrepreneur and maintaining personal health & wellness. Healthy Girl is passionate about health, entrepreneurship and wealth-building. Its reason for being is to share and educate on the ideas, events and tools that its writers believe to be critical to one’s success as a healthy & wealthy entrepreneur! It includes countless authors sharing their ideas on everything from healthy diet to exercise to becoming a strong business-woman. 

Dr. Stephanie
http://blog.drstephanie.ca/
Dr. Stephanie is a big-hearted, energetic, and passionate healer. With a background in neuroscience and psychology, Dr. Stephanie specializes in whole body wellness, including chiropractic, cosmetic and traditional acupuncture, orthotic therapy and fitness. She also has a long standing love for cooking and languages. Her breadth of knowledge is apparent in the diversity of subject matter in her blog and her insight is the kind that will constantly keep you discovering things you didn’t know about keeping yourself healthy inside and out.

CRAVE up your St. Patrick’s Day

March 16, 2010 by Jade S. | Comments (0)


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.” SlĂ inte

Find Inner Peace in Toronto

March 11, 2010 by Melisa M. | Comments (0)


We all have moments… days…weeks… where we get so stressed out we can’t wind down again. Here at CRAVE we are firm believers that every woman needs a place they can go and completely relax and get away from the stresses of everyday life. That is why we’ve compiled this list of great places in Toronto to find a little inner peace.

Body Blitz Spa
471 adelaide st. west
(416) 364-0400
http://www.bodyblitzspa.com/

Immerse yourself in body blitz ! Health by water, a spa that puts a modern twist on ancient restorative water practices. Situated in an 11,000 sq. ft. warehouse space in the heart of Toronto, body blitz boasts a 38 ft. Dead sea salt pool, hot green tea pool, cold plunging pool, aromatherapy steam, infrared sauna, and 20 treatment rooms. Relax in our therapeutic waters, detoxify in our steam and sauna or replenish in our mud, scrub, body or massage treatments. They make it easy – no waiting, no tipping, book in advance or call for same day booking, access the waters only or include them in your treatment, become a member or purchase a waters card. Body blitz ~ health by water, because living well is a necessity.

Big Stretch Yoga
1560 Bayview Avenue, Suite 303
416.486.4448
http://www.bigstretchyoga.com/

A small, intimate yoga centre that opened its doors in 1999, The Big Stretch is a warm, welcoming space that offers hatha yoga classes to all age groups. With candles and music, and a small group of instructors, classes are tailored to the dynamics of the group attending. Instructors focus on each student and his or her needs, challenges or injuries. The Big Stretch also offers corporate yoga, workshops and yoga retreats. In their classes, you slow down from your hectic schedules, allowing the breath to flow through the postures. Create balance by uniting opposites – effort and grace, stability and fluidity, strength and softness. Rather than just exercising, we can begin to connect the breath with body and mind, directing our attention inward.

Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club
388 Carlaw Av, Unit #108
416-480-2058
http://www.torontonewsgirls.com/

Maybe you aren’t like all the other girls and your idea of inner peace involves releasing a little inner-agression. Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club is the place for you to just leave it all in the ring. The mission of the Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club is to provide a safe and positive space for women and trans people to explore the sport of boxing. The women’s program is tailored to members. Individuals come into the program with their own goals, it may be to get into better shape with no desire to get into the ring or it may be to become the next Laila Ali. We work with members to help them achieve their goals. For all members, the program offers a cardiovascular workout with technique in all areas of boxing- grounding, offense, defense, footwork and strategy. Bring it on.

Celebrating Women’s History Month

March 8, 2010 by Melisa M. | Comments (0)



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.

It’s Time for Girl’s Night Out, CRAVE Style!

March 5, 2010 by Melisa M. | Comments (0)


Looking for a night on the town with the girls? We’ve found you the best places to sip, savor and hang out on a Friday night in Toronto. Cheers!

BerBer: Resto. Bar. Lounge.
49 front street east
416.860.9000
http://www.berberlounge.ca/

The BerBer lounge will take you back to a magical time when the Berbers of North Africa bestowed exquisite gifts of urban living on medieval Europe. You will be surrounded by artisanal hand-made luxuries transported back from the winding alleys of the Moroccan Medinas. The smell of rose water will fill the air and the mystical sights and sounds will take you away to a place of sheer delight. Enjoy their home and indulge in their tantalizing cuisine conjured by 1000 years of cultural clashes and influences stretching across North Africa, Southern Europe and the Middle East. Let the BerBer give you a few hours of laid back luxury, service, and overall good will.  Be prepared for a unique brand of subterranean mayhem!!

House of Commons
bookings@mabelgrey.ca for reservations
http://www.mabelgrey.ca/how-to-book/

The House of Commons is an underground restaurant. It is a hidden intimate affair set around a large harvest table, botany, and other curiosities. They serve up home-grown, home-cooked dinners and Sunday brunches. Chefs from all around the city drop in to showcase their big talent in the House of Commons’ small kitchen. They often organize E&C’s (entrance and champagne) to other bars/lounges/dance clubs on the weekends after their dinners, for late night revelries. They love late night revelries. The house always has room for one more and never runs out of cocktails, cocktails, cocktails. Password Required.

Cocktails by Gâteau
647.989.8585
info@cocktailsbygateau.com
http://www.cocktailsbygateau.com/ 

cocktails by Gâteau is a new breath in the pastry world offering modern and classic hybrid creations featuring France’s old world flavours made with artisanal liquers, North American inspired combination and fresh ingredients sourced locally. Their goal is to capture the essence of today’s cocktail and cupcake culture along with chocolate decadence and beautiful fruits in a mosaic of imaginative desserts. Just in case their selection does not peak your interest or you love exclusivity, contact them for their “leave it up to us” selection that is guaranteed to satisfy your palette. Cupcakes and cocktails, anyone?

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