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Archive for May, 2010

Places We CRAVE For a Mani-Pedi

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

It’s that time of the year again! Yes, the time when flip-flops, sandals and espadrilles come out from winter storage for the sunny spring and summer months, and your toes and fingers emerge from cozy boot and glove hibernation. Add a splash of fun color and give your fingers and tootsies a little TLC with a fresh manicure and pedicure from these places we CRAVE, so you can put your best foot (and hand) forward!

Lily of the Valley
Manicures and pedicures at Lily of the Valley are all about rejuvenation. Owner, Lily Setiawati, created a tranquil atmosphere for pampering. Whether you have an overview of the trendy College Street or overlooking their front garden, the place is totally Zen. We always walk out feeling refreshed and beautified after a Spa Manicure. Check out their hand and foot treatments here.

The Ten Spot
Owner, Kristen Gale took a different approach to mani-pedis with The Ten Spot. They pride themselves as the “ultimate anti-spa experience,” instead of relaxation they aim to provide a funky and fun experience for all who enter, which we think is a totally fantastic and CRAVE-worthy concept! We love the outgoing staff and don’t feel embarrassed giggling when the bottoms of our tootsies are being buffed. Check out their nail bar menu here.

Fabulous Manicure Bar
Jennifer Eisen’s Fabulous Manicure Bar lives up to its name, FABULOUS! There are no acrylics here, just beautiful natural nail services in an ultra chic setting. We love sinking into their cushy armchairs, having a cup of tea, while enjoying the pampering session. On Thursday nights, you can find us here for Pedicure & Martini Night. Check it out here!

Our CRAVE Beauty Secrets Revealed

Monday, May 10th, 2010

As fabulous as every CRAVE woman is, we all could benefit from a session of beauty secret-swapping. Long days and long nights hopping from place to amazing place can take its toll on even the most impeccably gorgeous glower. To gain insight on how the girl-about-town stays looking her best, we’ve asked our resident staff at CRAVE what types of tricks were up their sleeves. And unlike other kinds of secrets, we don’t feel guilty for sharing these at all!

Hair

  • Try fabric softener for a great leave-in conditioner. Dilute a 1/2 cup with 1 cup of water and for softer, fresher locks.
  • For between shampoos: degrease oily hair with witch hazel. Apply to your roots with a cotton ball.
  • When hair starts looking dull from too many products, use translucent face powder on the roots and brush through to give hair a subtle shine.

Skin

  • To lighten age spots and sun-damaged skin, mix the juice of 1 lemon, 1 lime, 2 tablespoons of honey, and 2 ounces of plain yogurt. Gently massage into each spot weekly for noticeable results.
  • For a great body exfoliant, scrub with dried coffee grounds. The caffeine in coffee also helps to stimulate the growth of new skin cells.
  • Keep cucumbers for your salads and use raw potato slices to remove dark under-eye circles.

Makeup

  • For lips that pop, dab a little bit of red or orange color in the center to make them appear fuller.
  • To give your lashes an extra lift, warm an eyelash curler with a blow dryer before using. Lashes will stay curled for longer and this trick doesn’t even require mascara!
  • When applying blush or bronzer, you should first know where to apply your glow. Bend over for 30 seconds, then slowly stand up. Where your cheeks are flushed is where you are meant to blush. Apply your blush there for a naturally rosy look.

* please take caution, CRAVE does not guarantee results

CRAVE Book Featured on the Small Screen

Friday, May 7th, 2010

Click on picture to view video

Just in time for Mother’s Day, our CRAVE guides were featured on Twin Cities Live as the perfect gift for stylish moms everywhere! Watch the clip here and see our lovely books take center-stage!

Interview with Katherine B. Topolniski of KBT Photography

Friday, May 7th, 2010

Katherine B. Topolniski of KBT Photography (kbtphotography.ca) combines her passion for photojournalism and artistic nature to create unique documentary-style photography. From weddings to maternity, family portraits to musicians and business professionals, Katherine captures it all! She was also a featured photographer who shot some of the amazing photos in our newly launched Toronto CRAVE book!

What are your most popular products or services?
Wedding Photojournalism packages for 10 hours or more, uniquely personal family portrait sessions, and my designer coffee table books.

People may be surprised to know…
I started practicing photography at 9 years old. I developed black and white film and made prints in the darkroom.

What or who inspired you to start your business?
I’ve always been driven to be a photographer and constantly work towards a future of working as a photographer full-time.

Who is your role model or mentor?
My father, who taught me the foundations of photography; Henri-Cartier Bresson and Chien-Chi Chang inspire me creatively and in photographic approach.

What business mistake have you made that you will not repeat?
Attempting to do my own accounting! Also not buying all available website domains with my business name!

How do you spend your free time?
I like being outside, walking, hiking, biking, and exploring the city streets or nature with my camera. Also being social and silly!

What is your indulgence?
I indulge in wine and inspiring conversation at any opportunity. I also love adventure, nature, traveling and camera gear.

What do you CRAVE? In business? In life?
I crave my camera! When I don’t have it with me I see photographs EVERYWHERE!

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.