Street Style: Bang-Up Betty/Maddox Fashion Shoot in Downtown Little Rock

Keesha, Syd and Quiniese in tops from Maddox and jewelry/pins by Bang-Up Betty.

It was HOT in July,  but these lovely ladies braved the sweltering atmosphere to make my cotton candy-colored fashion fantasies come true. Maddox Boutique provided the wardrobe, Katie Childs captured the moments, and Bang-Up Betty added the handmade Arkansas jewelry. Here are a few fiery shots and some funny outtakes, because that's what happens when a bunch of badass babes bond over salty handmade jewelry and boob sweat. 

Syd breaking hearts in the Cry Me a River Necklace and Maddox crop top

Kick Ass Mantra Bracelet and I'll Cut You Necklace

Nasty Woman Statue of Liberty Necklace and peach top from Maddox

Keesha shares her Liberal Vagenda with the world

Keesha gone wild in all the Bang-Up Betty lapel pins

Keesha, an unstoppable force, this time in the Nope Middle Finger necklace and top from Maddox

Smash the Patriarchy necklace

Kyla in a jaw-dropping ensemble from Maddox and the Don't Touch Me cactus necklace

Don't Touch Me cactus necklace

Resist stamped mantra bracelet. Silver and brass cuffs are customizable. 

Kyla in the Hot Mess necklace, even though she is FAR FROM a mess 

Quiniese in a saucy lace-up top from Maddox and my Strong as Hell necklace and Wonder Woman earrings

Quiniese in my Strong as Hell necklace and Wonder Woman earrings

Get Shit Done necklace and lace-up top from Maddox

Quiniese, fierce af, in the Strong as Hell necklace and Maddox top

Amy and Laura in the Smash the Patriarchy shirt

Smash the Patriarchy shirt

Illuminati necklace

I Believe in Science necklace. $4 from each sale through bangupbetty.com goes to the NRDC to protect the environment. 

Syd, Vogue as hell, in my Nasty Woman necklace and top from Maddox

Gifts That Give Back

Nasty Woman enamel pin, I Believe in Science Necklace and George Michael Lapel Pin by Bang-Up Betty give back to great charities. 

Over the past several weeks, I've launched a lot of new products, and many of those products give back to local and national nonprofits. Thanks to you purposeful shoppers, I've been able to donate around $2,000 to progressive causes near and far in the last year. This convenient gift guide shows you how to shop consciously and what causes Bang-Up Betty is supporting. 

I Believe in Science

I Believe in Science enamel pin, stamped necklace and bumper sticker donate a portion of the proceeds.

$1 from each I Believe in Science sticker and pin and $4 from each I Believe in Science necklace sold at bangupbetty.com goes to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

Think Locally

Strong as Hell bracelet and George Michael Enamel Lapel pin by Bang-Up Betty give back to Arkansas charities. 

You're probably not going to believe this, but Christmas morning I was in the shower thinking about work, because I always think about work in the shower. I was thinking about what pins I'd make in the new year, and I had been planning to make a George Michael pin at some point because he is everything to me. I started thinking about "Last Christmas" and feeling optimistic. I decided to go forward with the pin right then. Fast forward several hours later, after Christmas lunch, I'm opening gifts with the family, and the most precious thing on earth is handed to me... a Wham! Make it Big record. Fast forward LITERALLY 10 MINUTES and my phone lights up with a text: "I'm sorry about George Michael." And that's the story of the best and worst Christmas ever. 

Anyway, I knew I had to make the pin, and to honor George, $1 from each goes to Lucie's Place, and LGBT homeless shelter in Little Rock.

On a much lighter note, I made this Strong As Hell bracelet to benefit Arkansas Women's Outreach, a nonprofit that provides feminine products, underwear and much more to homeless women in Arkansas. 100% of the proceeds from this bracelet go to AWO. So far given them more than $1,500! 

Get Nasty

Nasty Woman Feminist Lapel pin and sticker by Bang-Up Betty give a portion of the proceeds to charity. 

$1 from each of these Nasty Woman stickers and enamel pins sold at bangupbetty.com goes to the American Civil Liberties Union to help combat this bogus administration.

Guess How Much We Donated to Arkansas Women's Outreach...

Strong as Hell Bracelet by Arkansas handmade jewelry designer Bang-Up Betty to benefit Arkansas Womens' Outreach in Little Rock. 

Y'ALL! 

Thanks to your generous support, I've been able to give almost $800 to Arkansas Women's Outreach! I KNOW!! RIGHT?!

Thank you so much for buying the Strong As Hell bracelets over the last couple of months and for sharing it and the mission of Arkansas Women's Outreach with your friends and families. And thank you for sharing your stories with me! I've had so many people reach out to me and tell me their "Strong As Hell" stories of battling cancer, going through rough times and more reasons that make you sometimes need a reminder that you're strong as hell. 

PLEASE, read up on the very real issues homeless women face on a regular basis. Check out this fantastic story by Becca Bona at AY Magazine to hear from Arkansas Women's Outreach founders Katy Simmons and Rachel Achor. They've got an Amazon wish list, too, if jewelry isn't your thing, or you can donate directly to them here. The bracelets are still available here. 

Left to right: Arkansas jewelry designer Bang-Up Betty, Arkansas Women's Outreach founders Katy Simmons and Rachel Achor

And can I just say that the conversations these women have started in the community have been FANTASTIC?? Internet "meninist" trolls, be damned. These gals have got a real thing going here.  

A Weekend in Custom Necklaces II (or Escape to L.A.)

Last week custom requests were a little confused...

These are just a handful of my favorites from last week that I made before heading to L.A. for the holiday weekend to collect bacteria from Nicolas Cage's hand prints at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Fun fact: the first movie my sweetheart Collin and I watched together was "The Wicker Man."

Anyway.... jewelry...

The best thing about that spectacular WWJD necklace is that it stands for "What Would Janet Do?" because Janet Young, duh. (Hey, Janet!) And somebody's smokin' bff got a "pole dancer" necklace to complement her g-string.

And finally, Sydney Brazil made my heart explode when she ordered this "Strong As Hell" necklace. Why? Because she's a Thea Foundation scholarship winner who could tap dance your face off and she is STRONG AS HELL! Sydney, I can't wait to watch you go to college and travel the world so my working ass can live vicariously through you.

I'll end this post with a flashback to 1999 and let you count the WWJD bracelets I wore...