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80/20 Mindset: Shopping Big & Small

by Jill Dudzinski

80/20 Mindset: Shopping Big & Small

80/20 Mindset: Shopping Big & Small

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with their loved ones and are feeling the holiday spirit. As the final autumn leaves fall and we enter the thick of the holiday season, shopping for the perfect gifts is at the top of everyone’s to-do list. And it can feel oh-so-easy to open Amazon and purchase with the single click of a button. Hello, timesaver. With a million other hectic things to prepare for this time of year, the ease of buying gifts from corporate giants is tempting. Because as much as we’d all love to spend 100% of our budget on shopping local, sometimes it simply is not feasible.

But that doesn’t mean you should exclusively shop at giant retailers, either! In moderation, you can find a balance. Use the 80/20 guideline: 80% corporate, 20% local.

It’s an easy mantra to apply going into your holiday season, and it helps make a big impact on the local community. Here are just a few benefits of dedicating a small portion of your gift-giving budget to local vendors:

You are boosting the economy around you.

Visualize the money that you spend at a local business staying local — you are literally investing in the betterment of your hometown.

Your gifts will be one-of-a-kind.

When you purchase from a local artist, maker, or small business, you get to give presents that can’t be found anywhere else. Nothing beats that kind of satisfaction.

You are making an eco-friendly decision.

Buying gifts from a smaller-scale business rather than a giant corporation means that you’ve chosen to reduce any additional pollutants.

You know exactly who you are buying from.

Have you ever felt guilty about not knowing where and how your gifts were sourced and assembled? There’s more peace of mind when you buy directly from a local maker.

You are supporting the dreams of a business owner in your hometown.

And you have the chance to directly impact the livelihood of that artist, craftsman, or maker in your own community.

The reality is that it’s not always easy to shop local - but it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. With Small Business Saturday approaching on Saturday, November 27th, remember the 80/20 rule as you scroll through your gift-giving guide. That small push to add a few local gifts to your shopping cart will leave a big impact! So thank you for choosing us to be a part of your list. Anything big or small really means the world to us and we are thankful for you ❤️

Happy Holidays!

xoxo go play, Jill & crew

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meet the hello ruby crew!

by Denie Jacobson

meet the hello ruby crew!

meet the hello ruby crew!

come kick back at HQ with the hello ruby gals! we're entering the holiday szn (yay!), and we figured you'd want to meet the faces behind all the clothes, packages, and events that you won't want to miss this year! we love the little "family" that hello ruby has cultivated and we get so excited when everyone is in the office, it's so fun!

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introducing, jewelry flights™, from hello ruby!

by Jill Dudzinski

introducing, jewelry flights™, from hello ruby!

introducing, jewelry flights, from hello ruby!

we've seen beer flights, wine flights, and the coffee flights from our friends at Zen Coffee Company have been all the rage as of late! we couldn't resist the fun and have decided to put our hello ruby twist on things. 

our jewelry flights  are flying in to deliver you a whole new accessory look! not only will you get a new necklace, bracelet, earrings, and hair clips, but also the cutest wood paddle & glasses that will be the perfect decoration in any part of your home. everything included is valued over $135 but with our exclusive jewelry flight you get it all for $75 with FREE shipping! get your on board now, quantities are limited, & we'll sell out fast!

jewelry flight 

what's included:

  • your very own flight (including wood paddle and 4 glasses) to keep and use on whatever your heart desires -- retails at $39.99
  • one gold plated fight or flight front clasp necklace -- retails at $28
  • one gold plated in the pearl clasp bracelet -- retails at $20
  • one set of gold plated always yours smiley earrings -- retails at $24
  • one set of our mini babe clips -- retails at $8
  • shipping directly to you -- $16

we've always loved collaboration and we are having the flight collaboration of your (& our) dreams! Zen Coffee Company is also launching their Toast Flight series! we've taste-tested the line-up and you guys are going to be O B S E S S E D 🙌  i could literally eat the caprese toast every. single. day.

if you're a flight fanatic like us, get your hands on our drop of ‘catch flights, not feelings’ crewneck in collaboration with Zen! there is no coincidence that the jewelry in our flights are the perfect accessories and also gives you extra room to fill up on toast & coffee- we're professionals don't forget it.

shop with us online at shophelloruby.com to lock in your flight and get a taste of Zen's flight selections at their two locations, 2504 Farnam St, Omaha, NE 68131 & 2505 S 133rd Plaza, Omaha, NE 68144.

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hello toasters, how are ya?!

by Jill Dudzinski

hello toasters, how are ya?!

hello toasters, how are ya?! some call it an obsession... some say it's call it loyalty.... we still don't know which we are more on the boarder of 🤣🤣🤣 

if you haven't already heard the news, we're going to be on the morning toast!! to some a small ad like this doesn't mean much, but to someone who has found comfort, guidance, and friendship through the toaster community, this means everything. like E V E R Y T H I N G. 

claud & jackie have formed a space where all millennials can spill the hottest tea and be fully themselves without society judging everything they do. (including wearing skinny jeans & side parts, lol kidding but like not..?) 

whether you're already a daily listener or a newbie, tune in tomorrow wednesday the 24th to hear a little shoutout to hello ruby and fan girl along with us. if anything comes from this we hope the toast cult following grows just a liiiiittle bit more and we all can start talking all things TMT! 

don't be RHD, and find the pod on these channels: 

audioboom, apple podcast, spotify, & stitcher

SPECIAL BONUS: we're dropping a hot new collection in their honor & you won't want to miss it. pretending the weather is extra ~toasty~ and preparing for the spring sun! shop now!

 

we don't mean to brag, but seems jackie-o is a fan. see here & here.

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didn't you hear? sage is all the rage.

by Jill Dudzinski

didn't you hear? sage is all the rage.

didn't you hear? sage is all the rage.

do you ever not realize you're obsessed with a color until you look in your closet and half of your clothes are that color? that's how we feel about our newest arrivals and the color sage!

nothing says spring like a pop of color and these green tones do just the job while staying neutral enough to mix & match. we're getting heavy inspo from Pantone's Spring/Summer 2021 color palettes and think you're going to love them just as much as we do!

Pantone's "Tomatillo" green brings a vibrant, yet subtle, glow to any outfit just like our almost spring knit & almost spring knit mini. this set is trimmed with a cutsie small frill but hugs your curves to make you feel just spicy enough. the mini has an adjustable string to make it as short or long as you please!

if you want to bring the blazer trend into your spring wardrobe you must shop the sage oversized leni blazer, sage square micro top, and sage paper bag shorts! this set together is tooooo die for. effortlessly profesh and on trend. each piece is just as good paired with any of your other fav tops and bottoms!

but not sure if you're ready to totally commit to this sagey trend - shop the double slit mini. a faded tie-dye style pattern gives you a mix of dark greens with just a hint sage. the perfect bottom to pair with your favorite graphic tee and head off to drinks with the gals. 

spring fever is SO real, and so is sage fever. no better color to walk into the new season with! you know what they say - green is the color of nature, it symbolizes, growth, harmony, and freshness.  I don't know about you guys but I'm ready for all of those things - bring it on spring!

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our boutique warehouse sale is bananas

by Jill Dudzinski

our boutique warehouse sale is bananas

happy wednesday all! it's been awhile but we're back on the blog with some exciting news!

we're collaborating with local Omaha based boutiques and are coming to ya with multiple HUGE sticker sales for up to 90% off your favorite items! how is the possible may you ask? here's the DL.

it all started when my friend Katie, owner of Little Mango a kids boutique, and I decided to do a blowout sale to make room for new inventory in our boutiques. we rented out an old Hallmark off 120th & dodge to create a make-shift store front (dressing rooms made of old card holders to boot) and have been doing the same thing ever since.

we search for spaces to all over the omaha area to rent for a weekend and sell everything from sweaters, jackets, graphic tees, jeans, dresses, and more for as little as $5-$25!! (literally up to 90% off you guys, that's insane.)

events like this even sparked a new venture for Katie and I called A Local Collective. through this we've gotten to team up so many new small businesses across the state by hosting online shopping events to connect each other to new opportunity. 

come shop this huge boutique warehouse sale & say hello to me, Katie, & our other local friends!

 

Boutique Warehouse Sale | West

633 N 114th St, Omaha, NE 68154

Thursday, Jan. 28 / 11-5
Friday, Jan. 29 / 11-5
Saturday, Jan. 30 / 10-4

 

Boutique Warehouse Sale | Midtown

3201 Farnam St, Omaha, NE 68131

Thursday, Feb. 4 / 11-5
Friday, Feb 5 / 11-5
Saturday, Feb 6 / 10-4

 

Boutique Warehouse Sale | Online

shophelloruby.com || alocalcollectivene.com

Starts: Monday, Feb. 15 / 8am CST
Ends: Friday, Feb. 20 / 11:59pm CST

 

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Bleach Boredom Tutorial in Quarantine

by Jill Dudzinski

Bleach Boredom Tutorial in Quarantine

HI guys!! :) So I, just like everyone else have experienced more time on my hands lately. So, Jill and I wanted to do some fun activities and tutorials so you guys have something to do during the pandemic. The first one we have done is bleaching clothes, all my fellow TikTokers, I know you know what I’m talking about. In our IGTV there is a video explaining literally everything, but we wanted to make an additional blog post just to clear up any questions you may have! 

First, you have to gather all of your supplies:

  1. Rubber bands/hair ties,
  2. Bleach
  3. Any clothing piece you wish to bleach
  4. Rubber gloves (optional).

These are literally the only supplies needed for this! 

The sweatshirt I used in the video is from Walmart and it was literally $8, they also have different colors and matching sweatpants too! If you don’t feel like buying a sweatshirt/don’t want to go through the hassle at Walmart, you could use any clothing piece in your closet that you feel as if you’ve overworn, has lost its character, or it’s just something you can’t make yourself get rid of even though you don’t wear it. 

Then after you have all of your supplies, you can start the whole process. (Tip: make sure you’re wearing clothes that could get ruined by bleach without breaking your heart) You start off with preparing the clothing piece, I did the basic scrunch and swirl tie-dye technique for my sweatshirt because that has been the most popular on my social media. But, if you want to make it more exclusive, you can google “tie-dye patterns”. So many cool ideas will pop up and there are also usually directions along with the patterns to assist you in the technique. 

After you decided on your pattern, you then add rubber bands to the clothing. I promise the way you put your rubber bands over the piece and the number of bands you use, do not matter, it’s just to make sure it stays tight while being bleached. 

The next step is to get the item wet, you can do this outside with the hose, in your bathtub, sink, anywhere you can trust yourself using bleach. 

Once your clothing piece has gotten wet you now can apply the bleach! You add bleach to both the “top” and “bottom” of the clothing. (Tip: I used my hands and smashed the bleach into the clothing. Did this make it work better? I’m not actually sure) In the video, I used “toilet bowl cleaner bleach” because, in my opinion, it saves you money and hassle. You don’t have to get an extra container and then put the bleach in there and then hope it will work to go on to your shirt. The toilet bowl cleaner is already in a bottle? If you may? Anyway, it works great for keeping your hands free from touching any bleach. I also think that it’s easier to place the bleach in the desired spots that you want when it’s more of a gel-like concoction. But, regardless of the bleach you decide to use, it will get the job done. 

After about 15-30 minutes come back and check up on your project! You should be able to see the bleach in action at this point. You want the bleach to sit on the fabric long enough for all the spots to be uniform in color. But, don’t let the bleach sit too long because it has more potential of destroying the fibers of the clothing. - That being said not every piece of clothing is made out of the same material, obviously, so time may vary, after 15 minutes you may be able to move on to the next step! I let the bleach sit on my sweatshirt for about 22 minutes.

Nowwww take off the rubber bands and look at your almost complete masterpiece!! (or don’t and surprise yourself) After the rubber bands are removed, you can throw your artwork into the washer, change the setting to cold water, and fling in your detergent. (Please do NOT wash with any other clothing pieces this bad boy deserves his own load) After washing it you can dry it any way you desire. 

And then VIOLA you just tie-dye bleached!!! My favorite part about this activity is that no matter how hard you try no item will be like the other, it’s an enjoyably unique way to update your closet. Oh, and become TikTok trendy. Tag us in the items you make!! Can’t wait to see them!!

Stay safe! -Elli

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A Local Collective Launch

by Jill Dudzinski

A Local Collective Launch

Maybe you’ve heard?l But maybe you haven’t. We started with in person popups and here’s where we are going....

A Local Collective Nebraska Hosts Small Shop Online Virtual Market

Omaha – In an effort to support small businesses in Nebraska, A Local Collective will be hosting an online virtual market on Friday, April 24 – Sunday, April 26, 2020. The goal of A Local Collective is to create a one-stop shopping platform that focuses on bringing a variety of online small Nebraska-based businesses together in one place, while also making it easy for customers to shop the online market with one universal discount code valid this weekend only.

 

Due to the recent global situation due to Covid-19, many small businesses have been significantly impacted and have experienced a loss in sales. As a result, A Local Collective realized a need to move quickly and think creatively about how to market small businesses in Nebraska. This is where the idea of the Online Virtual Market came from.

By creating this online space, each individual business will be able to direct their customers to the website to shop their sale while also introducing their customers to other small shops in Nebraska. Small businesses are the core of our communities and it is vital we continue to support these brands and keep our shopping dollars local when possible.

A Local Collective’s online virtual market features clothing and accessory boutiques for men, women and children, dog accessories, hair products, artisan bags, jewelry, gift items and paper goods.

A Local Collective was established in 2018 by Katie Manganaro, owner of Little Mango Children’s Boutique and Jill Dudzinski, owner of Hello Ruby Women’s Boutique. Both women saw a need to collaborate with other local, small businesses to help promote each other and learn best business practices and new ideas. A Local Collective’s first event was a Small Shop Holiday Market located inside Westroads Mall in November & December 2018.

For more information, please visit https://alocalcollectivene.com  

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