Great Cause for a Great Look!

My favorite hot new item this year is the Lily & Laura Bracelets! Not only are they extremely fun and hip, they also have a great cause! These beautiful roll on bracelets are custom designed and crotched by the village women of Nepal, bead by bead. Where is Nepal you ask? Nepal is a landlocked country about the size of good ole Arkansas, lying between India and the Tibetan Autonomous region of China. If that doesn’t ring a bell, Nepal is also the home of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world!

Each bracelet is made from some of the finest glass and sterling silver beads in the world. Every bracelet is an artistic collaboration between Laura who chooses the bead combinations and the woman crocheting the bracelet. Based upon Laura's combination the artist in Nepal chooses the thread color, pattern, and bead placement within the pattern that she will use to make her beautiful representation of the combination. As you can see, the artistic talent of these women is absolutely amazing! With the freedom to work only when they are inspired, the artisan women work in the comfort of their homes and in the sunshine on their rooftop decks with their families nearby. The focus of Lily & Laura is to provide fair trade wages to their artisans in Nepal, which results in improving the quality of the Nepalese women lives while providing women world wide with beautiful, top quality, handcrafted glass beaded bracelets.

Once I discovered these Lily & Laura bracelets and heard the story behind them, I became what some would call “obsessed”. I started collecting Lily & Laura bracelets when I first heard about them a couple months ago and now I have 20! Since they come in all different colors and many different designs, I decided I needed a big group of neutrals, a couple razorback reds for the hogs of course and a couple bright neon colors for spring! With all the colors and designs to choose from, it is fun to mix and match them. They are super fun to accessorize with and easy to roll on and off. Come get your very own Lily & Laura bracelets at Riffraff’s 3rd Birthday Party, Thursday February 9th from 4:00-7:30PM!! XOXO, Kori Ann

Electric Brights!

Bring neon pink to green to yellow!  We’ve noticed supercharged hues are popping up on everything from dresses to bags to jewelry! Stick to one eye-catching piece at a time to let the color shine and keep you looking stunning!

Color-block. It’s everywhere!

A trend to try and love this spring season at Riffraff!  This graphic design is cool and so easy to wear, whether you choose a palette that’s subtle or bright!  Go all-out in a dress or silky blouse, or work in just a touch with a bag, bracelet, or shoe!

a wonderland of sorts...

Dearest friends, family, and loyal followers: Once upon a time, a girl had an idea. She envisioned a wonderland where people of all ages could come together and find, in a beautiful mixture of all sorts, their something wonderful. She began her journey in a white box in east Fayetteville. While there, she met many of you, shared many joyous afternoon conversations, and collected treasured moments. Then, in 2010 she moved her dream to the Fayetteville Square. There were new treasured moments, new glass doors, new inspiring afternoon talks, and new cherished family and friends whose impact have further defined and personalized what this journey is all about. One of her favorite Good & Fair t-shirts reminded this girl on this evening that there’s a story behind every item in this quirky little store. Her story plucked her up and set her right where she needs to be. This journey, while thrilling, took her time. She missed friend’s weddings, best friend’s going away parties, and more nights of sleep you could imagine. She’s sold gifts and clothes for the past three Christmas Eve’s and she’ll continue to do so every single year. With the sacrifices, however, come great joys. Opening during a recession and completely from scratch is intimidating but has proven that it can be done. Hard work, perseverance, the support of family and friends, and not losing sight of the dream she envisioned of a lifestyle boutique has given her the drive to not look back once. She’s turned a white box into a wonderland of everything she loves. She’s created the Riffraff and Arkansas shirts that are now filling her closet. And, of course she’s found a staff that makes it so that she can’t take a day off, because she doesn’t want to miss a day of their company. As this wonderland approaches its 3rd Birthday in a week she gets giddy about the growth that comes with it. She hopes you continue to soak up the spirit of this funky little destination with her for many years to come. Your kindness, support, admiration, and compassion will continue to inspire this girl with each step she takes through the looking-glass and beyond. For that she cannot thank you enough. XOXO, Kirsten Blowers.

The “IT” Pastel.

Mint Green!  This color is HUGE.  Look for it on laid-back or more polished shapes! Pair it with neutrals for a can’t miss look.  I love it with a pop of a camel belt or a stack of gold bracelets!

XO, Kirsten

A shout out to Fluxe! 'Best Small Biz Facebook Pages'

Tuesday morning we were greeted with a tweet from @jwidmer mentioning he liked our style on Facebook and that he featured us is their Best Small Biz FB Pages blog post!  How exciting is that?!!  Be sure to check out the post here:  http://www.fluxedigitalmarketing.com/facebook-pages-small-business/

If you haven't liked our Facebook page be sure to do so as we're on it second by second keeping you informed!