We just love this cool lavender color because it just screams California in the 80s and so does this Topo Ranch T-shirt!

We stuck with Topo Ranch for our next pick because their t-shirts have some of the best prints for men we’ve seen all Spring. We’re lovin’ the primary colors on this one.

For the Ladies!

We are totally lovin’ color this Spring and what could be hotter than this bright Tomato! And the tonal arrow print isn’t too shabby either!

We like to think of the Isope Dress as an alternative to seersucker. This subtle men’s wear fabric would look great at any backyard garden party!

Well we made it through Jazz Fest and loved every minute of it! Stay tuned for other great Spring/ Summer picks from us!

Love, Lauren + Thiri

Louisiana Strawberry Ice

We are just in love with adorable summer dress with features some amazing hand done details, such as the hand embroidery at the neck and hem. The over-the-top cute pineapple print was also hand block printed! It also doesn’t hurt to mention that it is fair-trade and benefits a co-op of women.

Another great fair-trade item, the Symphony skirt which also features hand done block printing. The colors also scream summer to me!

For the Guys!

The Hunter tee is one of my favorites so far! I just love the how the grey works so well with the blues of the rad deer print. It’s also got a sexy v-neck!

Next, we are lovin’ how unique the dye job on this polo is. The Elliot polo would be great with some slim back jeans and a fedora for a romantic date night outfit.

Hope you love our picks for April! And we also hope to see you around the shop sometime!

love, lauren + thiri

Branch Out and the Green Light District sponsored a community recycling effort during the Irish Channel- St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 17th. Members of the community were able to recycle any beads they caught at the parade as well as old Mardi Gras beads in the brightly colored bins that lined the 2000-2100 blocks of Magazine St. The recycled beads helped to support The ARC of Greater New Orleans. Phoenix Recycling also joined in our efforts and put out bins for parade goes to recycle any paper, aluminum and plastic waste.

It was an even bigger success than last year and we couldn’t be happier!

Here was our official press release!

GREEN LIGHT DISTRICT BUSINESSES TO SPONSOR RECYCLING WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS DURING THE IRISH CHANNEL PARADE

ON MARCH 17TH, 2012.

Help us keep New Orleans
Green!

We just love carrying all sorts of great local designers and local artist, Jeff Pastorek is no exception! We love this quirky tee he dreamed up for us to celebrate the tasty Louisiana oyster. Yup, that’s an oyster surfing on a cracker!

And just in time for the warmer months we have the French Terry Lounge short. A comfy French terry short that lets you kick back without slouching on style.

For the Gals:

We are loving the Agatha dress right now! You truly cannot beat that coral color! This dress is perfect for beautiful Spring days and nights.

As the weather starts to warm up a bit the smells of Spring fill the air and what better way to capture that than with a home made bar of Louisiana soap. Sweet Olive Soap Works Gardenia goat milks soap is where it’s at!

Hope you liked our picks for March and stay tuned for all the fun stuff we having coming for Spring and Summer!

It’s like a Carnival float in reverse. Arc Enterprises’ new “Catch and Release” float doesn’t throw beads and baubles to parade-goers: The decorated trailer provides a place for revelers to pitch their surplus beads and baubles at the end of the parade.

The Arc trailer, festooned with bull’s-eyes and a clown-face target, made its debut Feb. 5 at the tail-end of the Little Rascals parade in Metairie, where revelers pelted it with about 1,000 pounds of throws. That’s 1,000 pounds of plastic that won’t end up stashed in attics or dumped into the trash, said Margie Perez, Arc Enterprises recycling coordinator.

Instead, the throws end up at the Arc Enterprises headquarters on Labarre Road in Metairie, where they are resold to float riders.

The trailer, which will also follow the Alla and Morpheus parades this year, is one of two new Carnival recycling efforts that Arc Enterprises is participating in this season.

The other is a pilot parade-route recycling project spearheaded by VerdiGras, a nonprofit organization dedicated to, as the name suggests, the greening of Carnival.

This year, VerdiGras and Arc are collaborating to put recycling bins along a six-block stretch of St. Charles Avenue from Amelia to Eighth streets during the Krewe of Pontchartrain parade Sat, Feb. 11. The parade, which rolls at 2 p.m., follows the traditional Uptown route.

Arc’s purple and yellow bins, which were donated by the Thomas and Farr Insurance Agency and the New Orleans Hash House Harriers running club, will collect throws, while VerdiGras bins, donated by Phoenix Recycling, will collect paper, plastic and aluminum.

Volunteers will man the bins and sort the beads and other refuse, said Holly Groh, a volunteer with VerdiGras, which hopes the project will also raise awareness.

“Our motto is: It’s about the show and not the throw,” Groh said. “We don’t have to have trash to have a great party.”

VerdiGras has the city’s permission for its Carnival work. Groh says VerdiGras also hosts an annual green ball, featuring all local and sustainable foods, to benefit Arc, St. Michael’s Special School, and the Musicians Assistance Foundation.

“We’re hoping this inspires other people and gets them to think about what’s possible,” Groh said.

The “Catch and Release” trailer and purple bins tap into the community’s growing ecological consciousness as well as the impulse to help others, Perez said.

Arc Enterprises, at 925 S. Labarre Road in Metairie, is a branch of the nonprofit Arc of Greater New Orleans; it provides intellectually disabled citizens with jobs such as landscape maintenance, janitorial services as well as its popular Vintage Garden, which also markets its own vegetable soups.

Last year, Arc Enterprises employees and volunteers sorted 100,000 pounds of beads that were donated by school bead drives, collected in bead recycling bins stationed at grocery stores, and donated by private citizens.

“People are aware that we employ people with disabilities; putting money in their pockets,” said Perez, who also is a jazz and blues singer.

Each Carnival, the Arc Enterprises warehouse is stacked with tons of beads, sorted by length, color and krewe and stored in mesh crawfish sacks. One area is piled with sacks of glinting green beads, ready for the St. Patrick’s Day rush. Float riders who buy their beads from Arc Enterprises can save plenty over the cost of freshly manufactured imported throws, Perez said, but she focuses more on the altruism.

“People are becoming more aware of how wasteful Mardi Gras can be,” she said. Though no one knows exactly the quantity of imported throws that are tossed during Carnival, Perez said that one estimate is 22 million pounds.

“That’s a lot of plastic that’s not going to break down in our lifetime,” she said.

Vance Levesque, Arc’s controller/sustainability officer, estimates that only 2 percents of throws are recycled.

The “Catch and Release” trailer was his idea. He suggested converting a landscaping equipment trailer into the bead catcher. Arc used $1,000 won in an ecological idea contest conducted by LifeCity, a Louisiana organization that supports sustainable business development, to refit the trailer.

The impetus to go green is part of what brought Beth Koehler and Patrick King to Arc on Wednesday. They have begun a small Carnival celebration in their hometown of Carbondale, Ill., and said they chose to buy used beads for green reasons and because they believed in Arc’s mission, but also because recycled beads would bring more “authenticity” to their neighborhood Mardi Gras.

They echoed the thoughts of Tammy Rice, who has patronized Arc’s bead shop for three years: “Why buy new when you can buy used or previously loved beads.”

Originally posted on Nola.com

Arc’s bead-recycling trailer will bring up the rear in two parades: The Krewe of Alla, Sunday at noon, Algiers-Terrytown route  The Krewe of Morpheus, Friday at 7 p.m., along the traditional Uptown route

To buy recycled beads:

Want to spice things up for Valentine’s Day or just add some more sexy to your wardrobe? Then the Celine off-shoulder dress is what you are looking for! It’s short, sexy and the cheetah burn-out is too cute!

Another fun and flirty dress that is perfect for a date or a night out on the town is the Kava dress. It’s a great fit for any body type and the ‘sunset’ print is so stunning and different.

For the Men:

We chose the Lines V-neck tee because of the hot color. This orange is fab and the v-neck adds a touch of sex appeal!

The Rattray Navy Jean has the perfect dark wash so that you can dress them up or down. Pair the with the lines tee for a picnic date or a vintage snap western for a night of bar hopping with friends.

Alright ladies and gents, our favorites for February! Hope you all have a sweet Valentine’s Day and are gearing up for a fun Mardi Gras!

Louisiana produces some of the best oranges around and the Satsuma is my absolute favorite! I couldn’t resist sharing this great recipe from the Crescent City Farmers Market. Enjoy!

Satsuma Cane Syrup Pecan Pie

Louisiana citrus season got off to a bit of a slow start this year, but it’s well underway now that both the L’Hoste’s and A&K Citrus are back at the Market. Pick up a few sacks for this Satsuma Cane Syrup Pecan Pie.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, corn syrup, sugar, satsuma juice, cane syrup, satsuma rind, flour, and salt; beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Stir in chopped pecans. Pour mixture into pastry shell and arrange pecan halves on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes. Cool pie for 8 to 10 hours or overnight. Cut into wedges to serve.

Makes 1 9-inch deep-dish pie- Recipe originally appears on http://www.crescentcityfarmersmarket.org/

the Costanza eco-fleece sweat pant! perfectly named for a television character who wished he could live in sweats, these are the perfect pair of sweat pants…you won’t want to take them off…seriously!

the Rattray Bomber jacket is a instant classic. For those who aren’t into the leather version this is a great alternative.

For the women:

the Turner Hooded scarf is such an amazing piece. It’s a scarf, it’s a hood and it’s super cozy! Great for spicing up any wardrobe!

the Arden Thermal is a staple for the Curator brand and it could make us happier. The cowl neck is just georgous and this beautiful color flatters every skin tone.

So there you have it folks, our perfect picks for January! Hope you had a safe and fun New Years and we can’t wait to see where it takes Branch Out. Thank you for all your continued support!

Love,

Lauren + Thiri

Wishing you a great green New Years!

love, Lauren + Thiri