Make Valentine’s Day Fun and Meaningful With These 20 Gifts from Bang-Up Betty

From sweet and sentimental to hilarious and snarky, Bang-Up Betty’s gift shop and handmade jewelry store in Argenta has something to make your Valentine’s Day extra special. Our unusual, quirky and colorful shop is filled with locally made jewelry, funny cards, thoughtful home decor and clever gifts, including lots of Arkansas-made pottery, art, candles, tea and more. Here are some of our favorite Valentine’s Day picks that will make your sweetie swoon:

Heat things up with delicious hot sauces. Or maybe heat up the conversation with this fun card game geared toward couples. Make them laugh with a pair of “trophy husband” socks, or maybe a keychain of their favorite musician will make their heart sing.

Bang-Up Betty is known for their jewelry, pins, stickers and shirts designed in-house: The bronze infinity symbol necklace is the perfect way to say “forever” and the Art Deco Arkansas earrings are timeless. The “Ask Me What I’m Reading” lapel pin and “Bibliophile" sticker are perfect for book lovers. We’re smitten with these celebrity keychains, including stars and characters like Betty White, Ted Lasso and Dolly Parton. These mandala-patterned heart dishes are made in Arkansas by Carla Churchwell. “Romantic comedy” takes on new meaning with this retro Blockbuster-themed card. Chocolates don’t have to be traditional with these key lime pie and pride-themed chocolate bars.

Bang-Up Betty’s greeting card selection is out of this world hilarious, but it’s also filled with gorgeous and sweet cards, like these locally-made cards by Arkansas artist Sherry J. Williamson. We especially love this Johnny Cash card.

Do you have a sentimental something that you say to your sweetheart? Maybe a pet name or a quote? Get it stamped onto one of Bang-Up Betty’s custom mantra cuffs for a super-special personalized gift. Or pick from their list of inspirational mantras to give your Valentine a little loving motivation.

Light up Valentine’s Day with a candle that looks as lovely as it smells. These non-toxic soy phrase candles come in sweet and snarky phrases. Phrases include “You Got This,” “This Must Be The Place,” and many more.

Give the person who has the key to your heart a keychain with the keys to your love shack or your love nest with a custom stamped keychain. If you’ve got a lovey-dovey phrase or an inside joke, we can also stamp those.

Add a sprinkle of love to your home with a colorful throw pillow that will brighten up your decor. We think our new ice cream cone and heart hands pillows make extra sweet Valentine’s Day gifts, but rainbows are always perfect for everything.

Tell them you only want yo be with them using one of the funniest, cutest greeting cards on earth. We’re huge greeting card fans at Bang-Up Betty and we always have a huge supply of cards that will make you laugh, like this Hootie and the Blowfish-inspired card.

If your significant other has a green thumb, get them a beautiful new flower pot for spring. We’ve also got colorful locally-made macrame plant hangers that brighten up any space.

Get the goddess in your life a beautiful, meaningful piece of handmade jewelry from our Greek mythology jewelry collection. The Aphrodite necklace represents the goddess of love and beauty, the Orpheus and Eurydice necklace tells a dark and beautiful love story, and snakes (like the gorgeous ones in our Medusa serpent earrings) have been love symbols for centuries.

Bang-Up Betty is located at 429 Main Street in Argenta. Hours are Thursdays and Fridays 11-5:30 and Saturdays 11-5 with extended Valentine’s Day hours coming soon. Shop online at www.bangupbetty.com and follow them at instagram.com/bangupbetty and facebook.com/bangupbettyjewelry. Email stacey@bangupbetty.com for custom jewelry and other inquiries.

Gift Guide: 20 Awesome Stocking Stuffers For $20 Or Less

Let them know you’ll always love them with this “I Will Always Love You” Dolly magnet.

Gone are the days of summer sausages and room temperature cheese tubes in your Christmas stockings. This year, get stuffed with fun, lovable surprises without blowing your budget. We love cool and funny little tchotchkes so much at Bang-Up Betty that we filled our shop with quirky knick-knacks that won’t hurt your wallet. Here are 20 of our favorite stocking stuffers for $20 or less:

Keep your colorful thoughts in a colorful place with this oversized rainbow notebook. The pages are unlined, so it’s great for doodles and drawings too.

Would you call me corny if I said this donut bath bomb was the bomb? This donut bath bomb is made in the USA from natural ingredients and smells like a tropical, delicious Mai Tai.

These “Bibliophile” and “Ask Me What I’m Reading” book enamel pins are perfect stocking stuffers for bookworms.

The socks are a slice of happy! These super cute watermelon-themed socks come in the shape of a slice of watermelon and are one size fits most.

This shimmering tea looks as good as it tastes! Bang-Up Betty teamed up with Abbi’s Teas and Things to create this hand-crafted custom loose leaf tea blend exclusive to Bang-Up Betty. It’s an exciting black tea blend with tropical notes and a dash of edible brew shimmer to make your cup sparkle like our jewelry.

What’s in our Bang-Up Bet-Tea blend: black tea, blue cornflowers, passionfruit, mango, cinnamon, papaya, lemongrass, ginger, hibiscus and black brew glitter.

How many times have you been traveling and had to smoosh your dirty laundry up against your clean clothes in your suitcase? This tropical leaf travel laundry bag lets you hide unmentionables in style and makes a great gift for the frequent traveler.

This handmade rainbow ornament is too cheerful to put away when the holidays end! Keep it out all year long and enjoy the colors.

Find loads of cute, funny and sassy stickers like this Scratch the Patriarchy cat sticker in our collection. There’s also a Smash the Patriarchy sticker, I Believe in Science sticker, and many more. They’re waterproof and great for water bottles, cars and laptops.

This geranium rose handmade farmstead milk soap smells clean, light and rosy without being overwhelmingly floral. This bar soap is formulated for sensitive skin using organic and natural ingredients. It’s GMO-free, gluten-free, paragon-free and made without animal testing. Ingredients: saponified virgin organic olive oil, organic coconut oil, greased goat’s milk, organic geranium essential oil, organic rose petals.

Spice up their stocking with this “Spice Up Your Life” Spice Girls-themed magnet.

This jumbo rainbow eraser is fun for kids and adults, makes a great coworker gift and spruces up any office or school setting. It’s the perfect addition to a stocking for an artsy person.

Tell the boneheads to back off with this Don’t Tell Me To Smile skull keychain.

Turn up your desk flair with this retro boombox pencil box. Even the inside is printed with a cute cassette tape pattern.

Need some excellent pencils to go with that pencil case? Check out these Women Authors pencils. Women’s lit is our favorite! This set of no.2 pencils commemorates some of our classic favorite women authors. Each set of pencils comes with the five pencils shown in the photo.

I bought this Fat Cat “Cat in Heat” hot sauce for the cute packaging and was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it is. It’s my favorite addition to my extensive hot sauce collection at home.

This sultry, scorching, smoky concoction boasts a complex Creole-inspired blend of ghost peppers, habaneros, chipotles, roasted tomatoes, cilantro, smoked paprika and more — with an ever-increasing heat level that lingers long in the mouth. Kick up your sandwiches, eggs, BBQ, stews and chili with just a few drops, or use it as a base for some mouth-searing (and mouth-watering) chicken wings.

This fun and hilarious 141 Conversation Starters for Couples game makes a great date night for you and and your significant other, and it’s also great to play on a double date! These heart-warming and funny questions will get you talking, sharing and learning new things about each other.

This quality wooden bookmark pays tribute to the legendary author Jane Austen and would make a great stocking stuffer for a book lover. Find more author bookmarks here.

Keep the evil eye at bay with these wickedly cool eye socks. These eye socks are one size fits most.

The perfect little camping-themed nightlight to tell scary stories in the dark or keep the boogeyman away. Press down on the flame and the nightlight lights up.

Treat your lips to this cruelty-free set of lip balms in three different varieties: unscented, lavender and yuzu citrus.

Bang-Up Betty is snarky, meaningful, well-made jewelry made in North Little Rock, Arkansas, as well as feminist pins, stickers and gifts. Since 2013, Bang-Up Betty has been crafting custom and personalized jewelry and other quirky, nerdy and feminist necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Shop Bang-Up Betty’s unique Arkansas-made jewelry through our “shop” tab, where you can also order custom name necklaces, mantra cuff bracelets, stamped key tags and more.

Visit our new Argenta storefront at 429 Main Street in North Little Rock! We’re located above Ristorante Capeo, entrance on Main Street. Our hours are:

Thursday 11am - 5:30pm

Friday 11am - 5:30pm

Saturday 11am - 5:00pm

Sunday 11am - 5:00 pm (through Christmas)

Masks are required over your nose and mouth at all times inside the store. Thank you for protecting yourselves and others so we can all enjoy the holidays safely!

The Arkansas Necklace and Earrings: Jewelry Made in Arkansas

This handmade Arkansas necklace is made right here in Arkansas by jewelry maker Bang-Up Betty. This is the “Diamond” variety, a not to Arkasnas’s “Diamond State” monicker, and the cubic zirconia can be moved around the state to better represent your favorite Arkansas town.

The Diamond State, the Natural State, or just home, sweet home… whatever you want to call the state of Arkansas, keep it close to your heart with this handmade Arkansas necklace made with either a woodgrain, water or diamond motif.

What makes this Arkansas necklace so super special? It’s made right here in Arkansas, in my North Little Rock studio. Each pendant is meticulously cast by hand in bronze, the sparkly cubic zirconia stones set by hand as well and cast directly into the metal.

The handmade bronze Arkansas charm measures approximately 3/4 inches from top to bottom. “Diamond” at the center of the Diamond State themed Arkansas charm is a cubic zirconia. Chain is 18-inches long, 14K gold-filled and ends in a spring clasp. Don’t call Little Rock home? I can move the cubic zirconia to another part of the state upon request! The listing in our web store lets you automatically select either a CZ in central Arkansas or northwest Arkansas, but if another Arkansas town is closer to your heart, let me know and I’ll make one especially for you. Just email stacey@bangupbetty.com!

If you like the handmade Arkansas necklace, you’ll love the matching handmade bronze Arkansas earrings! They’re extra special because they’re made right here in Arkansas!

If earrings are more your style, you’ll love the matching handmade Arkansas earrings. The earring wires are 14K gold-filled and measure approximately 1 1/4 inches from top to bottom. It’s double the Arkansas! As with the Arkansas necklace, I can move the stone around in these Arkansas earrings if you have another part of the state that you love. Just email stacey@bangupbetty.com!

Keeping with the Natural State theme, the handmade Arkansas state shape necklace can also be made with a luxurious woodgrain pattern.

Keeping with the Natural State theme, the handmade Arkansas state shape necklace can also be made with a luxurious woodgrain pattern.  This necklace reminds me of all the beautiful forests, mountains and other wild natural areas in our beautiful state.

Our handmade jewelry is always available online and ships nationwide. You can also find our handmade jewelry at our gift shop in Little Rock! Stifft Station Gifts, located at 3009 W. Markham Street, is the home of Bang-Up Betty jewelry, where custom jewelry is also made on demand and you can find tons of other Arkansas made gifts. An Arkansas native, I’m proud to keep my craft in my home state. I’ve been a jewelry designer since I was 16 years old and have been crafting Bang-Up Betty jewelry since 2013. Thank you for voting Bang-Up Betty “Best Artisan” for handmade jewelry seven years in a row in the Arkansas Times’s Best of Arkansas! I’m excited to make something you’ll treasure forever. If you have custom jewelry in mind, please email me at stacey@bangupbetty.com.