The Biggest Rockarooz Giveaway... EVER!!! {A Good Life Blog}

it's true friends.

i've teamed up with one of my favorite bloggity bloggers to give y'all the opportunity to win $40 in rockarooz store credit.  yep, that's right.  all you have to do is visit amy over at a good life blog to find out the details.  it's easy peasy to enter, and in just a few short weeks your little rock stars could be sportin' their very own rockarooz gear.  and just like p-ray here, they'll probably be the coolest kids on the block.  i'm just sayin.

so what are you waiting for?  click here to enter.  giveaway ends june 17 at 11:59 pm pst.

good luck everyone!!!

Rockarooz Is Going Granny!

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one of my all-time favorite crochet styles has to be the classic old school granny square. i just can't help myself.  there's something about the granny square that's just flat out awesome.

maybe it's because it reminds me of my grandma who taught me how to make them when i was 8 years old.

maybe it's because you can make them in absolutely ANY color combination you could ever imagine.

or maybe it's because you can make just about anything with the always dependable, go-to granny square.  it's versatility is endless.

granny cushion covers {source}

no matter what you're making--a pillow, blanket, sweater, hat, or jewelry--the detail of the granny square brings its own special pop to every project.  i have to admit that sometimes the assembly step can get a little tedious, but the final product is always an amazing reward.

check out a few of these awesome granny square products available on Etsy.  and trust me, there are tons more.

motif cuff bracelet {source}

granny square earrings {source}

owl blanket {source}

granny square scarf {source}

rainbow granny square blanket {source}

aren't the colors fabulous??  i'm completely in love with the cuff bracelet by nothing but string.  i just might have to add it to my birthday wish list ;)

Creating Inspiration {Vol. 25}

i recently purchased a blogging magazine, which i'm loving, called Artful Blogging.  the magazine consists of multiple articles written by people who create visually inspiring online journals.

one of the articles in particular, written by Jessica Rose, caught my attention for a number of reasons.  she began her blog four years ago to help draw attention to her Etsy shop, Vol. 25.  i'm absolutely in love with her artwork.  the style and colors put me at ease, and the inspirational quotes bring a smile to my face.  she has so many wonderful pieces, but i think my ultimate favorite is "some see wishes".

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this piece brings me back to my childhood when i used to close my eyes, blow on a dandelion, and pray that my wish would come true.  my dreams were big, my hopes were high, and i was determined to reach for the stars.  the joy and simplicity of it all warms my heart.

i'm so excited to have found Vol. 25.  being a fairly new blogger, and Etsy seller, it is important to find people who inspire me.  as much as i love what i'm doing with Rockarooz, sometimes it's hard to keep my head up.  i just have to remember to believe in myself and know that my hard work will pay off.  one day i hope to inspire someone else, as so many have inspired me.

go check out Jessica's blog here, and her Etsy shop here.  it'll brighten your spirit and bring cheer to your day.  i promise.

now, let me send you off with a couple more of my favorites.

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Some Recent Projects

per usual, i've been a busy little bee lately.  i sincerely apologize for neglecting my amazingly awesome blog fans so here's a little update....

on easter i had a little dilemma... i had no idea what to do with my hair.  it's getting way too long, and with the weather warming up i have zero interest in drying and styling it.  so {in true rockarooz fashion} i made myself a headband and popped a fun multi-color flower clip on it!  everyone loved it and i ended up having to make one for my cousin's girlfriend too.

then, yesterday was my sister's birthday.  i honestly can't believe she's 17!  so {again, in true rockarooz fashion} i made her a totally awesome patchwork bag.  i just might have to make one for myself now.  words can't describe how exciting it is when you have an idea in your head and it actually works out!  this will definitely be a new rockarooz item.

and finally, i'm finishing up a baby blanket that was special ordered by my aunt {back in november - shhhh}.  i definitely slacked on this one a bit, but it's coming out beautifully.  the colors are simple but it's perfect for the design.  i'll always have a soft spot for granny squares.  they're perfectly timeless and so versatile.

A Rockarooz Special Order - {Loafers & Headband Set}

today i was super excited to finish up this special order from another fabulous rockarooz customer.  i think the colors are just perfect, and i've totally fallen in love with this matching set!  whenever i receive special orders i'm always so excited to play around with the colors and see how each item turns out.  i have to say that rockarooz has some seriously hip customers!! you guys never cease to amaze, and i absolutely love bringing your ideas to fruition.

thanks for being so awesome!!

you make my days so much fun :)

p.s.  these adorable little sets will be available on the rockarooz site very soon!

loafer booties pattern by polka dot posh
flower headband pattern by rockarooz

today i'm linking up with tea rose home for link party #48.  check it out and share your awesome creations!

SALE! SALE! SALE! - {20% Off Rockarooz Purchase}

TODAY ONLY!!!!

use coupon code MIDWEEK20 to receive 20% off your entire Rockarooz purchase!!

remember, 10% of all purchases, now through march 31st, will also be donated toward cancer research through the Revlon 5K that I will be running on may 7th!

what a perfect way to overcome that mid-week funk. tell your friends to stop by for a great deal and a great cause!!

www.rockarooz.com

Work Work Work...

last week i decided to participate in a craft show at the La Crescenta Woman's Club on march 12th.  this is very exciting news but now i have a TON of work to do!  every day for the past week i've been working away on building up my inventory.  up until now i've mostly run my business on a "made to order" basis.  although this system has been working well, i would prefer to keep more items on hand and shorten up my turnaround time.  my ultimate goal in making this decision is to ease up my workload during the busy months and, most importantly, provide improved customer satisfaction.

i have a variety of new items to release for spring including headbands, sandals and, of course, more hats!  stay tuned for a couple sneak peak posts... coming soon!

in addition to working on my actual products, i've also been working on some marketing materials.  yesterday my wonderful hubby and i finished up a Rockarooz post card, and started on a new st. paddy's day design.

Rockarooz Post Card

per usual, my initial design concept couldn't be executed so the post card took a bit longer than expected.  i think you could say i have a love hate relationship with the design process.  it's frustrating when you're ideas don't translate on paper the way they do in your head, but with a little time, and a lot of patience, you can create something even better!

the holiday stuff you're just gonna have to wait and see as each holiday comes around.  all i can say is... SO DARN CUTE!!!

Photographer Feature - {MEuryPhotography}

i get so thoroughly excited whenever a professional photographer uses my items for their photo shoots!  just a couple days ago i received some new photos from a wonderful photographer, Michelle Lillethorup Eury, who purchased a hat from me a few months ago.  it was so unexpected and it totally made my day!  her photography style is so beautiful and i absolutely love the colors!!  to see more of Michelle's amazing photography, check out her portfolio here.  

Thanks Michelle!!

Baking Ribbon??

as much as i love to crochet, sometimes it's fun trying out new projects.  as you may have noticed from recent posts, i've been brainstorming new ideas for the Rockarooz spring line.

the other day while surfing the web i came across a guide on "how to make korker ribbon".  i have a ton of ribbon laying around and i thought this would be the perfect thing to play around with.  when i read the guide and saw that you're supposed to bake the ribbon for 25 minutes i was quite intrigued!  my boyfriend, on the other hand, was more convinced i was going to burn the house down with my new little experiment.

i ran out immediately to pick up some dowels so i could start on my new project right away.  after watching a few more tutorials i decided not to wet the ribbon like the initial guide had explained.  i wrapped the dry ribbon around each dowel and popped them in the oven at 275 degrees for 25 minutes.  i let the ribbon cool for a few minutes but i didn't have the patience to wait any longer.  i started unraveling one of the dowels and to my dismay the ribbon didn't seem to hold its curl... {sad face}.  i was so disappointed but i decided to let the others sit a while longer with the hope that maybe i just jumped the gun.

when i returned to the ribbon about an hour later... lo and behold!!... the single unraveled ribbon had returned to it's adorable little state of curls... yay!!  i quickly unraveled the remaining ribbons and ran them through my fingers in a bowl {ahhhhh, satisfaction!!}.  these are gonna be FUN!!!!