A Dress For My Best Friend's Wedding

Happy Wednesday everyone! And Happy Leap Year! To help celebrate such an auspicious day, say hello to our very own Kristen, who has some tips today on how to pick the perfect dress for all your major events.

Take it away, Kristen!

Hello, my Shabby Apple friends! I told you before that I had a couple of things up my sleeve, and now it is time to deliver. So, here you go!

Have you ever wondered which Shabby Apple dress would work best for that wedding you've been invited to? How about the dress to meet your future mother-in-law? Or perhaps you're looking for something more casual and relaxed, say for a summer vacation?

Whatever your event, I am happy to come up with a few dresses from Shabby Apple that would work best for the occasion, so fire away! In the meantime, since it's on my mind, let's talk about what to wear for a wedding, namely My Best Friend's Wedding.

My best friend is getting married in May, and I cannot wait to attend. Her colors are plum purple, sky blue, and grass green. I don't want to fit in with the bridal party, but I do want to look fabulous!

For that, our navy blue lace dress, I'm Late I'm Late, or Tea Time, the same three-quarter length sleeved lace dress in purple, are obvious choices. I love lace, but I love the half sleeves even more. The cut, especially the flattering cinched waist, means this dress looks great on many different body types.

I could also set myself apart with this unique dusty rose dress. The Aloha dress is also a perfect summer dress that could be worn to all kinds of events, and is easy to dress up or down. I love the high and wide boat neck.

If you want to hop onto a current trend, try our navy blue peplum dress, El Capitan, or our sunny yellow peplum dress, Pineapple Princess. These dresses are especially perfect for those of you who might need a little extra oomph around your hips.

And finally, I love the Paris-inspired dresses of the Oh la la collection. These cotton, ruffled-front dresses come in a variety of colors that are perfect for spring and summer, and you can wear them time and again. These dresses would be especially ideal on a sweltering hot day spent at an outdoor wedding. You can never get enough of a simple, beautiful dress that can breathe with the breeze.

And now, tell me friends. What would you wear to your best friend's wedding?

Remember, if you have a special occasion coming up, and are overwhelmed by all your fabulous Shabby Apple options, send me a little note at kristen{at}shabbyapple{dot}com and I'd love to help you out!

Nuts For Nutella

I don't want to ruin your Friday, but we totally missed World Nutella Day.

At least, I missed it. And if you knew about it and didn't tell me, we are in a fight.

But, our consolation prize is that there is now a whole web site of nutella recipes, perfect for delicious experimentation. We tried this nutella ice cream for a little dinner gathering this evening and it was a big hit.

The recipe:

1 cup nutella

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup whole milk

1 and 1/3 cup heavy cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the nutella and sugar until smooth.

Add the milk.

Beat on low speed until smooth and the sugar is dissolved.

Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla.

Place in your ice cream maker and let it run 20-25 minutes.

Transfer to bowl and freeze overnight.

A few tips.

Definitely use a big, deep bowl because I started off with a sort of shallow, glass bowl and everything sprayed everywhere and made a gigantic mess.

Also, if you don't have any whole milk, don't sweat it. I only had skim milk and it came out just fine.

And, my batch didn't look very frozen at all even after being in the ice cream maker for about half and hour, but after a night in the freezer it was the perfect consistency. Soft enough to scoop right away without defrosting, but a tasty frozen treat, for sure.

Definitely worth a little weekend project, if you're looking for one of those.

Happy Friday!

Confidential Shannon

Today we say hello to Shabby Apple lover, Shannon W., who is here to show us how she wears her Shabby Apple!

The Dress: Confidential (Tinsel Town Line of party dresses)

Height: 5'10"

Body type: combination of Tall/Pear

From Shannon herself:

"I can't tell you how much I adore this dress. It's feminine, classy and ladylike. I feel like Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly when I wear the Confidential dress. In these pictures I was going out to a romantic dinner with my husband. It was so perfect for the occasion and I got lots of compliments."

And here's another one from us: Shannon, we love this dress on you. It is definitely a flattering fit!

Don't forget, you can have this white lace dress, too!

And, if you're interested in showing us how you wear your Shabby Apple, you can find more details here.

We hope to hear from you soon!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We love you forever.

Lady In Red

Valentine's Day is the perfect time to be seeing red, and we have got a lot of great date night wardrobe options for you right here!

So, what I am trying to say is, look no further.

Well, just look below. It's a little further, I guess.

If you're going for fiery passion, try on this red lace dress.

If you're going for a more subtle bombshell look, this wine-colored silk dress is for you.

For a casual Valentine's Day, or a last minute romantic escape, this easy-to-wear red cotton jersey dress is the best option there is.

And if you really want to pull out all the stops (and why wouldn't you?) this fire-red ruffled dress is the only way to go.

Are you seeing red this Valentine's Day? What will you be wearing to celebrate love?

How Do You Wear Your Shabby Apple?

Today we'll hear from one of Shabby Apple's stellar interns, Kristen. Take it away!

Hello, Shabby Apple lovers!

My name is Kristen and I am an intern here at Shabby Apple. I have a couple of things up my sleeve for you, but we will just take them one at a time.

First off, every so often I would love to spotlight one of you! If you have a Shabby Apple dress, we would love to see you in it. Wanna play? Just tell me your name and the name of your Shabby Apple dress, as well as how tall you are and which Shabby Apple body type describes you best (athletic, hourglass, pear, apple, tall, petite or womanly). And of course, provide pictures! (Don't forget to give photographer credit where it's due.)

Then we'd love to hear a little bit about what you thought about your dress and/or outfit, and where you wore it.

Does that sound like a lot? I hope not, but I'll go first just so you can see how easy it is.

The Dress: The Last Empress (from the Silk Road line)

Height: 5'6"

Body Type: Hourglass

When I first ordered The Last Empress I was really nervous about how it would fit. I was nervous about the neckline, and I wasn't sure whether it would flatter my body. Once I put this dress on, though, all those nervous feelings disappeared and I strutted my stuff around my apartment. I wore this dress for graduation (because it does matter what you wear under that robe), and then for my family pictures, aka: my first anniversary pictures. I am also going to wear it for our Valentine's Day date. I can't wait!

{Anniversary photos taken by Elaine Hewitt, Marquette, Michigan.}

Interested in your own maroon-colored, cowl-necked dress? The Last Empress is on sale, so hurry up and snatch one why don't you?

And to share your own Shabby Apple favorite, send an e-mail to kristen{at}shabbyapple{dot}com with all the particulars.

We can't wait to hear from you!

Carded

The time has come for Valentine's Day cards!

As a child I found the whole giving of Valentine's Day cards a generally traumatic experience, mostly because I never really got any. But as an adult I have left all those silly insecurities behind (right?) so Valentine's Day cards are now a fun way to be creative and show a little love.

So, here are some favorites, handmade and otherwise.

For your one true love who spends all day in front of the computer, dreaming of you naturally.

From Sapling Press.

Just because you're single doesn't mean you can't show a little love. Sort of.

From Amanda Larsen Design.

I saw this little guy on Pinterest and it claimed to be a free printable, but I can't find the link. (I am still not so good at Pinterest.) Seems like you could recreate it easily enough, though. (Right?)

And these little goodie bag Valentines are my favorite. So easy to personalize and fill with anyone's favorite treats. I really like the one filled with sharp, colorful pencils.

From Martha Stewart via Black Eiffel.

Will you be making Valentines this year? What are your favorite designs?

Tea For... Everyone!

Here is a little ode to our new Mad Hatter line from Shabby Apple's very own Jane Moesser. Enjoy!

I've always been a sucker for tea parties. I love dressing up in fun, feminine dresses. I love the dainty cups. I love the cookies and sugar cubes. I love the sound of the light clinking of the glass as I set it on the saucer. My friends will testify that I am always on the look-out for an excuse to throw a tea party. Birthday? Tea party. Bridal shower? Tea party. Tuesday? Tea party.

{Image found here}

That being said, it's probably not hard to believe that one of my favorite scenes of any movie or book is the tea party in Alice in Wonderland. Even though it was total chaos, I loved it. I wanted to be there in a sweet little dress and listen to the craziness of the March Hare, Dormouse, and the Mad Hatter.

Shabby Apple's Mad Hatter collection makes me feel like I might actually be able to make it to that tea party. There's something magical about slipping on a pretty, feminine dress that makes me feel like I'm in another time where my only cares are looking fabulous and sipping on tea out of pretty china with friends. The looks are pretty and whimsical and practically scream Wear me to a tea party!

And believe me, I will.

Don't Be Late! Don't Be Late! For This Very Important Date!

The day is finally here! The Mad Hatter line is finally here!

Today all these beautiful skirts and dresses can be yours! Just look at them all.

And now stop looking and get shopping! Hurry up! Before you're late!