shabby apple dress review and giveaway …

June 17, 2011

i was thrilled when shabby apple contacted me to do a review of one of their darling dresses.

i’ve been wanting a shabby apple dress for a long time, so i was happy to finally get to try one out!

i ended up choosing the mariposa grove green dress.  i have a thing for kelly green!

i ended up pairing it with a small cardigan because it was a chilly day.  and, don’t mind the uncooperative miss norah…  and, that my husband cut my feet off in the picture.. ha ha.

it has cute scallops around the neckline, which you can kind of see better in this picture.
i thought the quality overall was very nice.  the cap sleeves i thought were a little bit smaller than it looked on the model, but other than that i really liked the fit of the dress.  it also seems to run big, as i ordered an extra small even with extra baby weight i have yet to lose.

so, i have some exciting news for you readers!

shabby apple is giving one of you their new adelaide bow skirt.  isn’t it darling?
i am in love with that big bow!  too cute!

all you have to do is, check out shabby apple, and let me know what your favorite piece is in the comment section!  you have until wednesday, june 22nd at midnight to enter. (us residents only)

the winner will be announced thursday, june 23rd.  good luck!

and, for the rest of you, shabby apple is offering my readers 10% off their next order.  just type in the code, armelle10off at checkout! (code expires july 17, 2011)

shabby apple sent me a dress to review, all thoughts and opinions are my own, if you are a business and would like to send me your product for a review, please email me at: carolinearmelle @ gmail.com.  

a summer salad …

June 16, 2011

I love summer, not only for the nice weather, but also for the abundance of fresh produce available.  I love to eat fresh salads, and this salad encompasses many summer veggies.
For this particular salad, I basically threw in just about every vegetable I had in my fridge.   That is the beauty of a nice summer vegetable salad, there really are no limitations.
{Tips to make a nice summer salad}
1. Start with a nice bead of greens (whatever you prefer) – spinach, arugula, mixed lettuces, sprig mix.  If you want them extra crisp, run cold water over the greens, and spin them in your salad spinner just before serving.
2. Add diced vegetables of your choice-  cherry tomatoes, avocados, mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, corn, cucumbers, radishes, carrots, red onion, olives.  Like I said, the sky is the limit.
3. Add a sprinkle of cheese-  I added a mix of parmegano reggiano, and romano cheese.  Gruyere would also be good!
4.  Complete your salad with a nice vinaigrette.  My rule of thumb for putting together a fresh vinaigrette is to use 1/3 cup acid (vinegar, or lemon juice) to 2/3 cup oil of choice.  I always add a little sea salt, and fresh ground pepper with a bit of mustard and agave nectar.  My favorite part is that you can adjust your ingredients to your taste, and even throw in some herbs if you want!
Here is a great recipe that I used for my summer salad (pictured above)
{Fresh Vinagrette}
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1 tsp good quality dijon mustard
1/2 tsp coarse salt [like sea salt]
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp agave nectar
2/3 cup canola oil
Whisk together all of the ingredients except for oil.  slowly whisk in oil so the oil and vinegar will emulsify.
Enjoy!