Win This Lovely Dress From Shabby Apple

I love this dress. Well, really, I love this entire photo—if only I could look so effortlessly elegant while riding my shiny scooter next to Roman statues—but the dress! Isn’t it perfect?

And it can be yours. Shabby Apple, which offers all sorts of lovely, vintage-inspired women’s dresses, along with fabulous swimsuits and pretty jewelry, is giving one lucky Woo! reader this summer frock, Spanish Steps. The top is super soft, made of a jersey knit, and the full sateen skirt is adorned with appliquéd, ruched flowers. I could imagine wearing it to a bridal shower, or maybe a fancy yacht party—you know, if I were ever invited to one.

To win the Spanish Steps dress, just leave a comment! Be sure to leave a valid email address.

Earn additional entries by doing any of the following:

Become a fan of  Shabby Apple on Facebook, and leave a comment with your Facebook name. (One extra entry.)

Follow Shabby Apple on Twitter, and tweet about this giveaway, then leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (One extra entry.)

Sign up for the Shabby Apple email list. (One extra entry.)

More details: Open to U.S. residents. Giveaway ends Monday, Sept. 5 at noon PST. Winner will be chosen by the random number generator at Random.org. Winner will be contacted by email and must claim the prize within 48 hours, or another winner will be chosen. Void where prohibited.

 ALSO! Whether or not you win, Shabby Apple is offering a 10% discount to Woo! readers. Use the code woo10off when you check out. Happy shopping!

Disclosure: Shabby Apple contacted me about hosting a giveaway. I was not paid or given free goods. 

Astonish Me

Been in a bit of a life-slash-internet funk lately. Hoping to find inspiration again soon.

“The best piece of advice ever given was by the art director of Harper’s Bazaar, Alexey Brodovitch, to the young Richard Avedon, destined to become one of the world’s great photographers. The advice was simple: ‘ASTONISH ME.’ Bear these words in mind, and whatever you do will be creative.”
—Paul Arden

Photo via

Marble Nails: The Attempt

So I watched this awesome video on how to do marble nails. (Watch it. I bet you’ll be inspired, too) Then I tried it myself.

Yeeeeeah. I get the idea of how it’s supposed to work, but my nails ended up more “abstract art” than swirltastic. Which is okay. I still like them. I might try it again sometime, but probably not because it makes a huge mess. But you should try it and post pics!

A Mary Kay Makeover (Plus, A Giveaway!)

Psssssssst. Wanna get a peek of Mary Kay’s mineral eye makeup and win $100 worth of makeup? Click here!

Socks Unite

This wall in Brooklyn is a gathering for socks who’ve lost their pair. How sweet is that?

Via Argot & Ochre

Words I Love

Simple messages that sing! Loving every whimsical print in hillarybird’s Etsy shop.

For the World Traveler

A whimsical globe by ImagineNations would be such a rad gift for that friend who’s setting out to see the world, even if it’s simply in her dreams.

Blue & White Stripes

Espadrilles, $48 at Madewell

 Bag, $40 at Aldo

You really can’t go wrong.

Bossypants, The Audiobook

I know a lot of you have read the book (it’s awesome, right?). Well, I strongly, strongly recommend the audiobook. It’s read by Tina Fey herself and hearing her tell her life story is a pure joy. I’ve listened to the whole thing no less than five times now. (I drive a lot.) She’s so damn smart and funny, and she’s proof that if you truly want it and you work like mad, you can have it all.

Who else is in the Bossypants fan club?

I Want To Go To There

Thanks for your wonderfully honest comments on my last post. I love how the internet always makes me feel less alone. Reproductive confusion for the win.

So a big reason why we can’t have kids just yet: We’re all wanderlusty (it’s totally a word.) On my fantasy vacay list: Boston, Austin, Savannah, Charleston, New Orleans, Chicago, Sequoia National Park, Vancouver, Toronto, Alaska, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Galapagos, London, Greece. Pretty much all the places that make me feel jealous when friends post photos of them on Facebook.

Fueling my jetsetting whims is Airbnb, a site that I guess people have been talking about for the past year, but I just discovered. You can rent the most unique, charming, sometimes wild spaces all over the world — a fern forest treehouse in Vermont, a B&B in the shape of a boot in New Zealand, a freakin’ igloo in Switzerland (no joke) — all for prices that seem more affordable than your everyday Marriott or Hilton. Staying in one of these places, you’d really feel like a local and not like the dorky, instagram-snapping tourist that you are.

Take a look at these sweet digs:

Aptos, CA

Cape Town, South Africa

Paris, France

Santa Barbara de Heredia, Costa Rica

Brooklyn, New York

*Some of these exact listings are no longer available, but take a look around yourself. There are a ton of amazing finds.
**Groupon has a deal on Airbnb TODAY!