Happily Ever After

Over the weekend, our photographer Jessica Elizabeth attended her sister's wedding and wore one of our Rice Rafferty Silver Hair Clips.  Doesn't she look gorgeous?!  Jessica was a photographer at the wedding, she was a bridesmaid, AND she caught the bouquet.

I wanted to share these beautiful photographs with you.  Jessica - best wishes to your sister.  It looks like it was a lovely day.  I love the details Jessica's sister included in her wedding.  A wedding should be as unique as each bride and her wedding definitely included special touches that made it her own.  The bride wore royal blue shoes (a huge trend right now for 2011 weddings when choosing something blue), the bouquet included pink, lavender, and white roses with crystals (very valentines day inspired) surrounded by fluffy white feathers, the bridesmaids wore long strapless dark purple gowns.

Hair Clip - Silver Glitter Fabric Hair Clip
For more hair accessories visit
www.ricerafferty.etsy.com

METALLIC

One of the biggest trends right now is METALLICS.  You've seen metallics make a major appearance at the Golden Globe 2011 and now metallics are all the rage for prom and wedding accessories 2011.  Metallics vary from silver, gold, to bronze.  Choose your metallic according to hair and skin tone.  I suggest choosing a contrasting metallic to your hair color.  I really love silver on blondes and brunettes.  Bronze looks gorgeous on redheads. 

Question of the day:
What's your favorite metallic and what color is your hair?

Reduce, Reuse, Declutter

Right now I'm in a declutter mode.  Late January is the perfect time for a fresh start.  I'm decluttering my life and trying to create a healthier lifestyle.  I'm ridding it from people who aren't supportive, caring, or loving.  I've let jealous and selfish people into my life for too long and now it's time for a purging of people and things.  I'm trying to eat healthier by consuming fewer processed food items, more vegetables and fruits, exercising more, and minimizing my possessions.  I've been letting a lot of things with negative chi sit around and bother me - not anymore...

I'm working on those projects that have been sitting there half done, staring me in the face, mocking me.  I'm focusing on bringing positive chi into my life.  I just donated a bunch of VHS tapes to my local library (that was very hard to give up my Sixteen Candles VHS).  I placed them one by one into the bin and I told myself someone who has never seen these movies can now enjoy them.


Ways to bring positive chi Feng Shui into your life:
- donate, throw away, or fix broken things
- throw away dried flowers or compost them
- clean EVERTHING
- install an indoor water fountain in your home and place it in an open, central position you can attract the good things you want into your life
- remove television sets from all bedrooms
- don't leave shoes by your front door

I had another big thing bothering me.  I had this warped painting (seriously twisted - when hung on a wall it was lopsided) sitting around since 2004.  I couldn't bare to do anything with it since the painting is so pretty.  I finally took the canvas off the stretcher and hung it on the wall with pushpins.  ahh feels good!  I'm feeling lighter already.  What do you have hanging around that's bothering you right now?

Letter to Miss Valentine

 

Valentine's Day is coming up soon.  It's a day that should be celebrated by everyone.

It's a special time for couples, but it's also a time to show anyone you love just how much they mean to you.

Show your mom, best friend, or someone who just needs a little love how much you care.  February always has me craving chocolate fondue with fresh fruits like strawberries, bananas, and marshmallows.  Have a girls night enjoying sweet desserts and chick flicks or enjoy a home cooked meal with your sweetie!

Rice Rafferty designed a hair accessory inspired by Valentine's Day - Letter to Miss Valentine Hair Clip

All of our designs has a story of course; hidden in this special hair accessory there's an address.  It was hand written by my grandfather to my grandmother while they were dating.  My grandmother's name is Velma; she was also nicknamed Val.  My grandfather wrote a letter to her around Valentine's day so he addressed it to "Valentine."  I thought it was such a romantic and sweet gesture.

Details

***Unique, hand dyed silk adornment.*** Hair Accessory with clip - clip in hair or on purse. Add a fun and feminine chic touch to your hair! Perfect for Valentine's Day or weddings!

* silk screened handwritten address to "Valentine" for Valentine's Day

* hand dyed layers of silk and hand dyed tulle

* up cycled gold sparkle mesh netting

* paper mache, gold painted bead

* Colors: orange, yellow orange, gold, pink brown

* Measuring roughly 4-5" diameter

* Made in USA

All designs are handmade; each item is unique wearable art. The inspiration for this piece was old hollywood - flappers, vintage, pearls, weddings, elegance, glamour.

***Please contact us if you would like multiple hair adornments made for your bridesmaids. Each one is unique and one of a kind. You can choose other colors if you would like it for your bridal party or prom. We can make hair adornments with a comb, pin, clip or all three. Just ask!***

To learn more about this hair clip and more items look at our shoppe:
http://ricerafferty.etsy.com

Wear Your Black and Gold With Style

Are you a huge fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers?  Do you love black and gold?  Do you want something that will add a little bling?  This is the hair accessory for you.

I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA and I'm quite aware of the strong support for Pittsburgh teams.  I remember hearing the song "Here we go Steelers, Here we go, Pittsburgh's going to the Super Bowl."  In grade school we were asked to wear black and gold to show our Steelers support so I wore all black - black leggings and black top with a gold chain, of course.  I always liked a little bling.  The accessory above is made from up cycled jewelry, lace, mesh glitter gold netting, and hand dyed yellow tulle.  The accessory is great for weddings, proms, homecomings, birthdays, dance costumes, parties, or any other special occasion.
Check it out here www.ricerafferty.etsy.com

I remember singing a song in grade school "Pittsburgh...a smokey old town, Pittsburgh."  It's hard to believe Pittsburgh was once a steel town full of smoke and now it's grown to be a health care center, fashion haven, Super Bowl Champions and ideal site for major film productions.  It's a city that shows old industrial towns how to turn a depressed economy around.  The city is full of top companies now - like Google, Dick's Sporting Goods, American Eagle, and Modcloth.

I love success stories!  They inspire me to think outside the box and imagine the impossible.

Golden Globe Winners 2011

Above are my Golden Globe fashion winners for 2011. Pictured from left to right - Anne Hathaway in Armani, Angelina Jolie in Versace, Amber Riley in Valentino, Dianna Agron in J Mendel, Mila Kunis in Vera Wang, and Scarlett Johansson.  I also loved Leighton Meester's dress (as always - she has great style).  The trends I found on the red carpet were emerald green colors, metallics (gold bronze and silver), long silhouettes with a train, and creamy whites with lace or rhinestones.  Old Hollywood glamor with a modern twist seemed to be the staple look of the evening.

The hairstyle trend:  up with lots of volume or long and natural

The evening's worst dressed - Natalie Portman (sorry Natalie).

Do you have any regrets? I know I sure do.

We all have regrets. It's best not to dwell on them (which is very hard to do).  Instead, I'm trying to conquer my fears and regrets every day.  Maybe our regrets can be used as a blueprint for our future endeavors.

I have a few regrets from my childhood.  When I was five years old I took a dance/ballet class and quit only after a few lessons.  When we were dancing across the room the teacher saw I wasn't doing a dance move properly so she took me back across the room numerous times until I did it right.  I was extremely humiliated and honestly during a moment of humiliation my learning retention is very low.  I'm the type of person who prefers to make my mistakes privately and practice until I get it right.  My mom was really frustrated and disappointed I never went back.  I loved the dance/ballet clothing more than anything.  I was upset at myself for years because I never got to experience that magical world (I know it's not all pretty shoes and tutus, but I missed out on an experience).

Another regret was when I turned down the opportunity to be in a fashion show when I was a little girl.  My mom put on the fashion show for our church.  Right before I was supposed to go on the runway I decided not to.  I let the fear take over and once again I missed out.  I regret these experiences, but in another way I don't because turning them down taught me a few lessons.  Sometimes we need to do things that may make us a bit scared.  The temporary discomfort will soon pass and after we'll be filled with joy.  I DID IT!  I DID IT! 

My mom regretted not getting her art degree when she was younger, but in 2006 she graduated from college.  She has been accepted into numerous juried art shows and was the designer for a fashion show Runway 3.0. 

Throughout middle and high school I went to every single dance, I took every art class(which isn't easy exposing your emotions and getting critiques...believe it or not you get used to it), and studied art in college (I also inherited the love of art).  Recently I attended a salsa class AND I was one of the models in the Runway 3.0 Show.  It felt amazing to fix these mistakes by dealing with them in a new way today.  It definitely isn't easy to do things that scare us, but I just think back on the pain and disappointment I endured of not trying and it helps me to push myself harder and further.

By working on my business Rice Rafferty with my mom we're conquering our fears and we want to encourage other women to find their inner strength and conquer their fears too.  The dreamy vintage look of dance wear is a huge influence on Rice Rafferty accessories.

The photo at the top of this blog entry is of me.  I'm wearing a tulle trapeze dress with fiber optic lights and a feather hair accessory with ribbon and real pearls.  The hair accessory is great for bridal parties.  We can make custom items to match your color scheme.

www.ricerafferty.com
www.ricerafferty.etsy.com

Above is an advertisement I designed for Rice Rafferty Couture Accessories.  Our model, Bri, is wearing our velvet devore hand dyed scarf and purple lilac bib statement necklace.  All our items are one of a kind, but we can make custom items. 

The look for our models is fresh with very natural looking makeup (except for the gorgeous red-orange lipstick).  We also wanted to create a very glamorous, Victorian and vintage feel to accentuate the accessories. 

Photo by Jessica Elizabeth
Model - Bri Wirth

Coming Spring 2011

Here's a sneak peek of one of our new designs in the works for Spring 2011.  We're using some similar materials and some new.  Stay posted for new designs!

2011 Prom Accessories

 photos by Jessica Elizabeth

The New Year has me thinking about Spring 2011 and Prom 2011!  Prom and wedding attire is very different than it used to be.  It's more about adding your personality and unique details to your look than trying to look like someone else.

Your dress:  Go with a simple style that flatters your body shape and something you can move around in.  Ladies, this is more important than having the trendy noticeable dress.  Do you really want to be the girl stuck in a chair the whole night or with three friends that assist you all night?  Not very fun.  Choose a color that looks good with your skin tone and hair color.  Decide what season your skin tone is.  Are you an autumn or a spring?  I suggest a dress with very little bling so you can add whatever you want.  Also, it won't matter if someone has the same dress because your look will be so different once you add your own details with accessories.  

For my homecoming, my mom and I changed the straps and added a few flowers to the bodice and voila brand new dress!  Also, don't choose a gown a gown meant for a 40 year old woman.  You have years ahead of you to wear older styles - wear the fun youthful dresses now!

Your shoes:  Choose shoes that are comfortable!  I can't emphasize this enough.  You're going to be dancing and moving all night.  Walking around barefoot isn't very attractive on prom night.

Your purse:  The purse size depends on your body shape.  If you're petite choose a smaller handbag.  Bring only your most important items - lip gloss, tissue, money, and some breath mints.  Choose a contrasting color or texture for a little variety.  It doesn't have to match exactly.  A creamy or vintage white beaded bag would be cute!

Your accessories:  Okay, this is where we can really help.  I suggest a Rice Rafferty fabric tulle corsage (fabric corsages are the hottest trend right now, plus you'll have it for years), garter, hair combs, a bib statement necklace, or a devore velvet wrap.  For the wrist corsage we can make it with a glass vase so you can add flowers to the corsage for a special night.  The fabric wrist corsage can also be worn as a pin.  The fun thing about the corsage is you can keep wearing it for months or years to come!  It's a treasured keepsake you can still enjoy wearing.

Our items are completely one of a kind, so we can jazz up your look and help you to feel comfortable and confident!  When you wear a Rice Rafferty accessory it makes you feel beautiful inside and out.  We use hand dyed and up cycled silks, lace, tulle, and rhinestone beads and jewelry elements.  We can work with any price point.  Just contact us and we'll work with you!

Send us photos of your dress and we'll assist you with your whole look if you'd like!  We love accessorizing!  :)

Our style is vintage couture, one of a kind wearable art.
www.ricerafferty.com
www.ricerafferty.etsy.com
Look up rice rafferty on facebook and see what's new!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/rice-rafferty/203899441756#!/pages/rice-rafferty/203899441756
 

Celebrating Inner Beauty

Our Lilac Purple Bib Statement Necklace is one of our most popular designs and one of my personal favorites (but who am I kidding I cherish them all).  I love the color and the fun texture.  Some people worry they couldn't wear such a necklace.  Our rice rafferty designs are made to bring out your inner beauty.  We want every woman to feel beautiful inside and out.  Rice Rafferty is a company for women by women.  We believe in supporting local.  We use local materials, print shops and work with a local female photographers, stylists, and hair stylists/makeup artists native to Buffalo, NY.

Our designs are also created as wearable art so you can wear the necklace on a special evening out then bring it home and hang it on your wall to enjoy.  I don't know about you, but i love to hang beautiful dresses, scarves, and necklaces around my bedroom to enjoy.  If you're interested in this necklace, but would like it smaller just ask!  We can make custom orders for you.  btw isn't our model Laura Lemke gorgeous wearing this necklace?  She looks so sophisticated!  Laura is an art history student and a very talented dancer.

* materials used *  hand dyed silk, up cycled jewelry elements and beads, finished on back with soft ultra suede and our rice rafferty label, braided neck tie straps

Photo by Jessica Elizabeth
Visit our sites for more info and join us on facebook!
www.ricerafferty.etsy.com
www.ricerafferty.com

Magical Lake Effect Snow

There's something magical about Buffalo, NY in the winter time, especially when it's snowing.  Everyone is in a better mood and helping each other out of snow piles.  There's excitement in the air during a lake effect snow storm.

Everyone's a little giddy with thoughts of leaving work early, snow days, warming ourselves by a fireplace, and sugar plum fairies dancing in our heads.  I've lived here 12 years and it has taken me this long to realize it.  Mostly because I was hiding inside during these snow storms.  The real fun is out there with people!  A few years back during the October Storm '06 my car was stuck in the snow and my coworkers (who i didn't know very well) helped push my car out.  It's these random acts of kindness that really makes a community.  Buffalo would be the perfect setting for a Christmas Lifetime or Hallmark movie.

The snow begins to become a bit irritating in February and March, but December it's a winter wonderland. :)