It's hard to believe that tonight will put an end to 2013 and we'll be ringing in 2014. Looking back, it has been a very exciting year for Rare Dirndl.
Some of the great highlights include our participation in the Münchener Trachtentage
The Sunflower Dirndl being featured in the Nickelodeon Original Movie Swindle
And seeing Lisa Mateo in the Warm Night Dirndl on NYC's PIX 11 during the Oktoberfest season!
Here is a quick video that features other exciting things that happened this year!
All of this excitement would not have been possible without your support and there are seriously no words to describe how grateful I am, I can't wait to see what 2014 brings for Rare Dirndl.
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I am obsessed with the color yellow, the brighter the better!! It’s pretty safe to say that yellow is my all-time favorite color. So 2 years ago when I saw the Sunflower Dirndl hanging on the rack I knew I just had to have it!! Since then, I’ve worn it as many times as possible!! I always wear it during our Labor Day trips, my home Oktoberfest, or anytime I feel the need to show my German pride!! I love that I can “dress up” my dirndl by wearing a black blouse, my white blouse with the Edelweiss sleeves, my white or gray blouses. I also love that I can wear different color aprons! The fit of the Dirndl is perfect! It makes me look and feel great. I am able to take the Sunflower Dirndl and make it my own!! The dirndls look great with my Rare Lederhosen Messenger bag too!
My favorite thing about Rare Dirndls is that I can show my heritage and show tradition, but add a modern twist. I love going to different events and being able to check out the latest dirndls, blouses, and aprons.
Every time I wear a Rare Dirndl, I get stopped. People are drawn to my bright yellow dirndl, but they are also drawn to the Messenger Bag. The messenger bag looks great with everything!!
Do you want to be next month's Rare Dirndl Customer Spotlight? As the winner you will recieve a $50 Coupon Code for any online purchase, a feature on the Rare Dirndl website and blog, and a gift package worth approx $100!! Click here to get all the details!
Ever wonder what dirndl style you are? Take our dirndl quiz and find out! Simply type in your email here
This time of year is all about family and friends! I love it when I find the perfect gift for the people on my list and a lot of those people would be super excited about these great German gifts that I found/made. So here are my top pics for this year! #1- Let's Get Cookin! DIY German Cookie Mix in a Jar
Everyone loves to eat Oma's cookies and a great way to share them is by making a DIY cookie mix and put it in a decorative mason jar. Take a great oma cookie recipe and collect all the dry ingredients and put them into the jar. Then create quick instructions telling them how to bake the cookies and what wet ingredients they will need to add. Its a great personal gift that will only cost $5-$20 depending on the ingredients and how you decorate the jar! Here is a link for recipes for cookie mixes as well.
German Cook Book
If the do-it-yourself option isn't for you, a great cookie cookbook is another perfect option! I love the cookbook that the American Aid Society's Kindergruppe put together called "Was Gibt's zum Essen?". It's a fabulous collection of German and American recipes. They are $12 each and e-mail erikaneumayer@mac.com to get more details.
#2- Bag it up!
A Perfect Purse
A great way to complete your dirndl look is with a great purse. I love this suede 'Andrea' purse from Bavarian Specialities. It has subtle details with the piping and the edelweiss broach and is imported from Germany. It makes a great gift at $49.90 and is available in 3 colors
Classic Tote
From dance shoes to groceries, school books to toys, the Rare Dirndl Logo Tote is a great gift that is super versatile and one of my favorite new things. This classic canvas tote has the custom designed Rare Edelweiss logo screen printed on it and has already proved super useful for me and is only $10!
#3- Baby It's Cold Outside… Stay Warm!
Hats, and Scarves, and Warmth… OH MY!
I don't know about other people, but during this crazy cold time of year… I've gotta have a warm scarf! I've got a favorite right now and so does by boyfriend. He loves the Swiss füssball scarf I bought for him last year and he highly recommends it! Whether it's Deutschland, or Die Schweiz, its a great buy for the man in your life. You can find them all for $20-$30 online.
Last but not least, I made this quick video to show you my top 5 Rare Dirndl items (all under $100)
BONUS!!! So I can't end this blog without mentioning this book. The book by Elizabeth B. Walter is one of my favorite books. Having participated in the Kirchweih Fest for both the Karlsdorfer Verein and the American Aid Society, it is a tradition that should never be lost. This amazing book is tells the story of the celebration of Kirchweih from Banat to America. All the artwork was also done my "Tante Elsa". They are etchings! Its a very tedious process involving metal, acid, and a boat load of talent. I helped her with the page layout for the book, but I honestly LOVE love love this book. I have a copy on my bookshelf and am selling the book on my site for Tante Elsa. Click here to buy it or see more sneak peeks of the inside of the great story and fabulous artwork.
If you think any of this info would be helpful to your friends, I would be honored if you would send them to this blog post so they can get some fresh holiday ideas. I hope this helps you with your Christmas shopping for those crazy-fun Germans on your list. I know my list is full of them… and I love them all!! Merry Christmas to your family from ours!
Ever wonder what dirndl style you are? Take our dirndl quiz and find out! Simply type in your email here
I'm so excited to announce our next open studio weekend! We'll kick off the weekend on Friday night from 7pm-9pm with free Jagertee provided by Glunz Beers and yummy appetizers like cheesy bread balls, spicy homemade ranch crackers and an assortment of sausages.
Black Friday gets a lot of attention, but I'm more excited about Small Business Saturday and the fact that it coincides with our 1 year anniversary! (approximately) So, In honor of of that, I've put together a quick video featuring the evolution of the now Rare Dirndl Design Studio. See how it went from real drab to super fab in less than 5 minutes!
Ok… so the studio will be open on saturday, but my favorite part is that there will be a German style breakfast from 10-12… wurst, käse, semmel, eier …. omg yum (you should come early otherwise I might eat it all! I'm getting hungry just typing this!)
And there's more!! Starting on Black Friday (which i'm not particularly a fan of, but everyone keeps asking me if i'm doing something for it… so i'm going to start by calling is Schwarz Freitag… anyway) I'm giving away a Rare Tote bag packed full of goodies!
Inside the tote will be:
A Rare Dirndl Sticker
A Germany Scarf
An adorable Children's Beret
A New Lederhosen Bracelet
Thats a $60 value and it can be yours when you spend $100 with Rare Dirndl anytime between Schwarz Freitag and Cyber Montag (while supplies last)
So thats about it, so much going on… I better got to work making all the things I'm going to give away to you for free ;-)
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When my mom and I went to Germany to pack up and sell my Opa's condo, our favorite thing to do on the weekends was to sit in the town square and watch all the ladies and girls walk by on their way to church in their dirndls. We both agreed then that when I got married, we would fly back to Germany to have mother and daughter dirndls made.
Unfortunately, when I got engaged, my mom had recently passed away. It was important to me to honor our agreement and find a drindl for my wedding dress. I was incredibly lucky to find Erika - so close to where I live and so willing to work with my ideas! She took my thoughts and wishes and created a beautiful wedding drindl that my mom would have loved.
My one-of-a-kind wedding dress was exactly what my mom and I had in mind so long ago when we saw the girls in their dirndls on the way to church. The best part about my dress is that my mom and I had the idea for it, and Erika made it a reality.
- Connie Gartner
Do you want to be next month's Rare Dirndl Customer Spotlight? As the winner you will recieve a $50 Coupon Code for any online purchase, a feature on the Rare Dirndl website and blog, and a gift package worth approx $100!! Click here to get all the details!
Sunday is the 2nd annual International Market and Wine Tasting and its the perfect time to get a jump start on your Holiday shopping and support small and local businesses! Vendors include Pampered Chef * Baubles & bags * Rare Dirndln * Thirty One Gifts* Homemade German Christmas Cookies * Tastefully Simple * Handmade Jewelry and 10+ more!
I volunteered to make some cookies for the event, however I'm not a very good baker nor do I know any German cookie recipes. So I contacted my good friend from mybestgermanrecipes.com and she told me about a great Hazelnut Macaroon recipe from her Christmas Cookie Cookbook. Check out this video to see how I did with sugar and eggs instead of fabric and thread!
For my first attempt making a christmas cookie, it wasn't too bad, but I didn't whip the eggs enough… they needed to be more firm. The best way is to use a hand mixer, but I don't have one. That way the batter will be thicker and then when you place them on the pan, they will turn out much better. I also baked them too long, so make sure you keep an eye on them after that 10min mark.
I had such a fun time baking and hopefully I will slowly but surely get better at the craft and be able to try more of the cookies from the cookbook! The Christmas Cookie Cookbook is only $4.99 and you'll be able to download it and try the recipes instantly! Just in time for the holidays!!!
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