I'll just say that up front. I got it for free as part of CSN Store's offer for me to do a review and giveaway on the blog, and I'm very satisfied with it. The shopping was easy, the staff person I dealt with (via e-mail) was professional and polite, and the apron arrived on my doorstep just three days after placing my order.

The minute I opened up the package and my girls saw all the ruffles and bows, the girls were in love with it. "Oh, mama, where did you get such a beautiful apron?" Beth said. "I think you should wear it to your dancing class!" Lucy said. And even Evie said, "Pretty dress, mama!"

If you're all-business, professional-chef type person, this is not the apron for you. If you like girly frilly things, it absolutely is. The cut and style of it are very flattering; I really do feel cute and flirty with this apron on, even when I'm just washing the dishes.

That doesn't mean it's not functional. It's big enough and the fabric is heavy enough to cover and protect your outfit while you're cooking, and it has a big pocket on the front that I find really handy. It has really, really extremely long ties, both the upper ties that go around your neck, and the waist-band ties around the middle. The long waistband ties are nice, because there's enough fabric to wrap all the way around your middle and still tie in a cute bow in front. And even if all your time in the kitchen should cause an expanding waistline (who, me? Lick the beaters after I'm done cooking? Never!) your pretty apron will still fit. I feel like the fabric is a little bit slippery though, or maybe I'm just not cinching my bow up tight enough--sometimes after awhile the bow seems to slip and loosen up a bit. The long upper ties are nice on the one hand, because even an extremely tall person could adjust them as needed, but they're actually so long that sometimes when I'm bending over, they flop over my shoulder and that's annoying.

So far, so good. Apron looks great and I like it. I was a little afraid that when I washed it, it would either A) fall apart; or B) shrink; or C) turn into a mass of wrinkles and no longer be cute and perky unless I ironed it. And there's no way I'm bothering to iron an apron. I am glad to report that none of those appear to have happened. It's currently hanging up to dry on the door to the laundry room, and it's not completely dry yet, but all the ruffles appear to be intact and still attractive, no ironing required.

It does, however, require a little extra care in the laundering department. It has to be washed on cold water, and hung to dry. No tossing it in with the dirty dish towels and then throwing it into the dryer.

I was also a little alarmed by what I discovered when I checked the tag for the washing instructions. "Caution: May be flammable."

Ummm...what? May be flammable? Why in the world would you make an apron--something that, by definition, is worn when the wearer is around things like ovens and stovetops and grills--that may be flammable? Flammability is pretty much the last thing you want in an apron.

But then it also says "100% cotton." If it's really made of cotton (as are my other aprons and most of my clothes) than it's not any more susceptible to burn than any other garment. I mean, if I take a cotton dish rag and put it directly into a flame--yep, it's going to burn. But it's not as though the fabric is some kind of weird synthetic blend that's going to burst into flame at any moment. Perhaps the company just feels compelled to put the "may be flammable" wording on the apron to prevent lawsuits? Like the "caution, contents may be hot" labels on coffee cups? It's not as though I were expecting the apron to be made of asbestos. I get it that cloth can catch on fire.

So for now, I'm not super worried about cooking with this apron on, but I admit that seeing those words on the label is a little unnerving.

And now we come to the final two factors in this apron: price and country of origin. This apron cost $29.95 from CSN Stores, plus $7.95 shipping. And it's made in China.

Now, I've been wanting a really cute, girly apron for awhile, which means I've looked for them on etsy before. (In case you don't know, etsy.com is an online marketplace where crafty people can sell their hand-made items). If you search etsy for "flirty apron" or "retro apron" you'll get a wide range of options and prices, but I easily found a couple like this adorable polka-dot one from Vintage Galeria for $20 or this cute green one with rick-rack trim for $25 at Lanie's Creations. So it is possible to get a flirty apron that's actually hand-made in the U.S. for a little bit cheaper. And you could probably communicate directly with the maker if you had any concerns about flammability. (These aprons all seem to be 100% cotton too, just like mine, though I don't notice any warnings on them).

Overall, was I satisfied with the apron I bought from CSN? Absolutely. It's cute and it's girly, but it's also functional and comfortable. It's maybe not super-simple to launder but I don't think it's going to be a problem. The shopping experience on the website was good and the delivery time was outstanding. Would I buy something from CSN again? In a heartbeat. Minor concerns about flammability aside (I really am thinking the warning is just a way to fend off lawsuits), I would give my flirty apron a big thumbs-up.