Top 5 Reasons to Visit Leavenworth

Last week Lil Star and I headed out of the Seattle gloomy weather with our besties and drove out east to Leavenworth. You can always count on gorgeous spring and summer sun in this  little Bavarian getaway. So, it's our first reason for why we drop in every summer.

Taking a stroll down the main street to visit one of my favorite shops Mapel has also become a summer tradition. Lil Star and I found a darling gathered top, little M found the perfect striped wrap and big M gnabbed herself a grey onesie perfect for summer fun! I couldn't resist a feathery barrette that I saw while I was at the counter gabbing with owner Staci. This boutique's lines like Veronica M and  Tulle are reason number 2 for why we like to visit this seasonal hot spot. But our shopping didn't end there.

Thankfully Erin suggested we stray from our normal path and head down a side street. Good thing we did because Lil Star found herself a skirt/tube babydoll in asian print at a brand new store called, "Magenta". This boutique was packed with fun prints and color for great prices. Now you have three reasons to visit this quirky little town!

Though we spent most of our time poolside at the Icicle Inn, (Reason number 4 to visit) talking about books we all need to read like "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo," on Tuesday we decided to take a look at one of this region's wineries.

Driving up to the authentic, charming log cabin, (if we didn't know better, we would have thought we were in the french countryside) green mountains stood behind rolling valleys with fruit trees and grape vines. "I could live here," I thought. Icicle Ridge has a fair amount of lovely vintages for every occasion and the best occasion is relaxing with a friend atop old-growth logs the size of wine barrels. And that brings us to reason number 5.. You can't get these hand-crafted, award winning wines at the grocery store, not even your local wine store, Icicle Ridge wines are only available at their winery or through their club.

There you have it 5 solid reasons to visit Leavenworth!

April Prize Winner! Ding, Ding, Ding

April's Champagne Lace cardigan from last month's feature store Mapel is shipping to Florida! The Fashionista Club's lucky winner Vanessa P will be sporting her free cardi in 80 degree weather. It's light weight enough for the Gulf's warm days and balmy Miami nights. I am sure she will be sizzlingly gorgeous in her freebie no matter what the temp! Maybe we could convince her to share a snapshot with us all. May I suggest a darling dress from Veronica M to our Miss Vanessa P? It would look great under that cardi. ShopMapel's got em!

If you haven't signed up for our Fashionista Club yet, what are you waiting for? You could be our next lucky gal!!

Sweet Mapel Interview

click on this image for a closer look!

Our feature boutique for this month, Mapel sent me something yummy in the mail. Check out this gorgeous cardigan from Champagne Lace! At $48 it's a steal but the ladies at Mapel have decided to sweetin' the pot; They are offering Adelita Style another cardigan for me to give-away to one of you lucky Fashionista Club members! Sign up today because this pretty prize will be gone April 30, 2010. Annnnd, for ALL my readers type in Adelita20 for an exclusive 20% off anything at ShopMapel.com! The coupon code is active today and is good until April 18, 2010. Fashion IS sweet!

Here's my interview with one of Mapel's owners Staci Stevens :

AS: Leavenworth is a very small town. Did the two of you grow up there?

Mapel: Neither or us are "from" Leavenworth. We met in Seattle but both come from areas outside of Seattle originally. I'm from Portland and Jenelle is from Chicago. Part of our "inspiration" for opening a store in Leavenworth was because of Jenelle family connection in town. She has family that has lived in Leavenworth and she would visit (from Seattle) on a regular basis. She came to love the cute Bavarian town. It can be endearing (if only they had a good happy hour- the food kind of happy hour)!!!!

AS: So a mutual friend introduced you and a little wine brought your mutual ambitions of owning a store to light. How has partnering in your darling boutique illuminated your friendship? I mean, are you besties now?

Mapel: Good Question- the first time we have been asked that. Most people want to know about how "difficult" it is to have a partner OR warns us how difficult the result will be. To be honest between managing the store and operating the website, we talk/email/text "about" 70 times a day, so we pretty much know everything there is to know about each other - when one of us gets a bad case of the hiccups, the other is notified immediately. We both like to work hard and play hard, so we've bonded over wine (beer during O'fest) after busy days in the shop. We joke (on a regular basis) that we are "married" and need to ask the other one before we plan a girls weekend with friends OR laugh that we should be sending each other flowers (which.... we have done). We are both lucky that it's been a compatible partnership and resulted in a friendship.

AS: Do you find the urge to yodel every now and then?

Mapel: One of our first business meetings (in Leavenworth- when Jenelle lived there) resulted in an after hours mtg at The Post Office (have you been there?). It's a karaoke bar in Leavenworth. After hearing the other one "attempt" to sing we knew our calling was in fashion- nothing that had to do with our voices. HOWEVER- Jenelle's husband has assumed the role of the yodeler (or in this case singer) and during the conception of our business we would work late late late hours @ Jenelle's house in Leavenworth while her husband kept us entertained doing that "rock star" band singing game- on the wi or something. I don't even quite know the name.... but there were numerous nights when we worked in her office while he sang us to work.

AS: I absolutely love the Champagne Lace cardigan you sent me!! I know my followers will love it too (and one lucky winner from our fashionista club). Can you tell us a little about this line?

Mapel: Oh You!!!! Since I'm officially coming out of the closet this Thursday at a wearable art exhibit in Portland I will let you in on a little industry news. Champagne Lace is my label. I have an apparel design background (Nordstrom for 6 years) and this last winter had an itch to do something crafty. So essentially I take raw goods (basic knits) and embellish them with vintage trims OR A grade trims. It was more of a casual side project but it kinda keeps growing. So... .in my spare of my spare of my spare time I craft the Champagne Lace collection. I love things that exude a romantic, vintage yet relevantly modern aesthetic- and that's what I strive for with this collection. In addition to the apparel I have a few jewelry pieces that are comprised of vintage chandelier pieces and vintage buttons. Voila'. Also- this Thursday the collection will be shown in a Portland art gallery that highlights wearable art. Thanks for your kind words about the cardi. It's one of my favorites. It's a raw 100% silk trim that is torn on the seam (to prevent fraying) with a gold ribbon trim.

AS: What is the sweetest part of working together at Mapel?

Mapel: I don't think Jenelle and I would still be in business if we didn't have each other. We OFTEN need to bounce ideas off each other and more importantly vent to the other one. You know how hard it is to have your own business- and even if you have family that supports you emotionally it's not the same as actually being in the trenches owning the business. We are able to relate and support the other one emotionally unlike any other family member. We also are always running at full speed and it takes two people to maintain a website and brick/mortar. We each have such different strengths that perfectly compliment the other one.

Today's AdelitaStyle Self Portrait

Here's a great weekend outfit- a simple bat wing sweater over a super thin turtleneck and skinny jeans with fun boots but, something is missing... Maybe this Woven City Bag from ShopMapel would be the perfect compliment? It's on sale this weekend only for 38 bucks!

Veggie Bags at ShopMapel

I don't usually post twice in a day but the girls over at ShopMapel are having a great sale on these adorable vegan handbags!! Every day from now until Wednesday the 24th a new handbag is offered, click on a bag link to get your lucky discount. My favorite is today's discounted bag, the bronze Moto Bag from Compose. I have seen them in person and they are gorgeous. With no bunnies, cows or kittens harmed and prices that won't harm you either, you might want to grab a couple! Don't miss out on tomorrow's bag!