RoCa and Company

I'm Baaacccckkkk!

2012-01-21T01:43:00.001-06:00

Hello to all of you that are still with me. During this small hiatus, I have received some really nice emails from some really nice and encouraging bloggers/people and I want you to know that each one has made my day. Over the last month, I have thought hard about the future of this blog. With my new full-time job added onto my plate of a mom, wife, "homemaker" and blogger, my time had really been stretched. With that said, something had to give and I had to give up blogging for awhile.

In my last post I said I would come back with a plan, so here it is in one word: Simplify. Thus a much simpler version of RoCa and Company. Gone are the sponsors and ads. Gone are the Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter buttons. Gone are the pink and Tiffany blue backgrounds. Gone is most of the fru-fru from this blog. Gone is the pressure to keep up with other bloggers. Gone is the sense of urgency to post "something" on a regular schedule of sorts. Gone are the "You Rock Link Parties" and guest bloggers...at least for now. I am still thinking hard about these last two. What do you think?

So welcome to a new and much simpler RoCa and Company. I hope you like the changes and that you will continue with me on this journey to Make and Create. I will post when I can and as often as I can.

It feels good to be back.

Carmen

You ROCK #12 Features

2011-12-13T23:47:00.000-06:00

First the Bad News: I am taking a break from the blog till January. For those that are keeping track, I haven't posted ~~much~~ anything since early November. I went back to work full-time. It was a great opportunity; one that could not be passed up. Because of this, the blog has been ignored except for the link party, features and guest bloggers on a weekly basis. I want to do more than just this, I just need to figure out how. So please be patient with me; I will return with a plan. Until then, have a great holiday season and see you in 2012!

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Now the Good News...
here is the most viewed link-up that ROCKED IT last week....

This DIY CLAY STAR by Creative Chaos. These beautiful stars are simple to make even a child can make them...um, yeah, a kid made this...wow.

Here are My favorite three projects in no particular order:

These MINI SNOWMAN CUPCAKES by Mrs. Fox's Sweets. How does that saying go again..."If they look ~~too~~ good to eat, they probably are..." Mmmmmm!

Next is this DOILY BOOK PAGE WREATH by Twigg Studio. If you can roll a cone out of paper, you can make this...so shabby chic!

These PANCAKE DREIDELS by The Crumb Factory are super easy to make and I love how these were made for DINNER...talk about happy kids eating everything on their plate...

So there you have it...4 terrific projects from 4 very different crafters. Thank you to all who linked up last week...make sure to come back this coming Friday. We will continue to Make and Create together. If your project was featured, make sure to grab your button.

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You Rock #12

2011-12-08T20:42:00.000-06:00

Every once in awhile, my lovely kids will sneak off with my cell phone and snap random photos of random things. Here are two such examples
...my son the sticky-feet-door-frame-climber!

and this great picture of Joshua making faces during a church service...

Never a dull moment ...
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So, are you ready to ROCK IT?!

Here are the very simple to follow rules:

1. Link up something that YOU made: sewing, craft, recipe, anything that you would like to share, etc…

2. Link up to the specific post; not your blog.

3. No linking giveaways or items for sale.

4. Visit and comment/encourage at least one fellow blogger friend.

5. Grab this button and post on your blog or post...just somewhere where others can come and link up as well.

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.rocaandcompany.blogspot.com" title="rocaandcompany"><img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/u3mky.jpg" alt="rocaandcompany" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

And just a simple request, it's optional, only if you want, I'm not gonna make you, BUT it would be nice if you would follow RoCa and Company.

So you ready to Party?! Let's ROCK this place!
Also, remember that the party will be open until Monday night. On Wednesday, I will feature the #1 link that ROCKS (the most viewed). I will also showcase my 3 favorites. And to entice you just a little more, the #1 link that ROCKS will also get to be a guest blogger at a future date (of course only if the winner wants too)...Sounds like fun, right?

Guest Blogger: Brandi from Don't Disturb This Groove

2011-12-08T00:00:00.000-06:00

Remember this Pottery Barn Knock-off Pillow from Don't Disturb This Groove?

Well, Today we have Brandi sharing another fun and simple tutorial. Her pillow was the top viewed link at one of our It's A Rockin' Party and therefore she gets to be a guest blogger today...so without further ado, here's Brandi...take it away girl...

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Hello friends of RoCa and Company, my name is Brandi and I blog over at Don't Disturb This Groove. I'm excited to be here to share a simple wreath I made in the Spring that could easily transition into a holiday wreath for your home!

Source

I like saving money by finding bargains or making things to decorate my home with. When I came across this bay leaf wreath from Pottery Barn I loved it! This wreath is no longer available on their website. I loved that wreath, but I was confident I could make my own.

To make my wreath, I purchased a pack of fresh bay leaves from my local farmer's market.

For my wreath form, I used a picture mat that I had on hand.

Using a hole puncher, I made a hole in the mat to mark the spot where I would place twine to hang my wreath.

I glued the leaves in a desired position using my glue gun.

To complete the look a made a bow out of twine and glued a single anise star to the center.

Voila! So easy to make. The leaves smell very pleasant and the anise star has a nice licorice-like smell. A fantastic holiday scent!

Thank you again Carmen for inviting me to share with your readers today!

Happy Holidays!

You Rock #11 Features

2011-12-07T00:00:00.000-06:00

I am totally speechless...we hit one hundred and one links this past week....wow! You all have been super busy making and creating and it showed. Every link was filled with inspiration galore...my Crafting/Sewing/Cooking/Baking to Do List just got longer...wish I had more time in my day...oh well.

So, here is the most viewed link-up that ROCKED IT last week....

This DIY Cinnamon Candle Holder by Delightful Creations. What a beautiful way to highlight the warm and wonderful aroma of cinnamon...go check out the tutorial.

Here are My favorite three projects in no particular order:

These hand made Norwegian Stars by At Number 29 look complicated to make, but the tutorial that was used seems simple enough. Gonna make these with the kids during our winter break.

Next is this Cheesy Chicken Dorito Casserole by In this Crazy Life. In my "recipe" book, anything made with Doritos is sure to be a hit...

This Baby Name Sign by The Brown Eyes Have It is such a wonderful gift for any baby...big or small, and super easy to make...

And the link that had me saying, "She did WHAT to her wedding dress!" came from Threading My Way. All I can say is Wow...and to think that my beautiful white dress has been hanging out in my parent's house for 11 years...it's time to repurpose.

So there you have it...5 terrific projects from 5 very different crafters. Thank you to all who linked up last week...make sure to come back this coming Friday. We will continue to Make and Create together. If your project was featured, make sure to grab your button.

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You ROCK #11

2011-12-01T22:52:00.000-06:00

Welcome back! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving...we did.

Here is a picture of my kids on our way back from Dallas...

and a true depiction of how our week has been after being off for an entire week...it has been so hard to get back into our normal routines. But, hey, It's Friday and that means the weekend is here. It also means that we get to Par-tay...

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So, are you ready to ROCK IT?! Here are the very simple to follow rules:

1. Link up something YOU made: anything that you would like to share…

2. Link up to the specific post; not your blog.

3. No linking giveaways or items for sale. I will delete those posts.

4. Visit and comment/encourage at least one fellow blogger friend.

5. Grab this button and post on your blog or post...just somewhere where others can come and link up as well. This is also a must if you want to be featured.

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.rocaandcompany.blogspot.com" title="rocaandcompany"><img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/u3mky.jpg" alt="rocaandcompany" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

And just a simple request, it's optional, only if you want, I'm not gonna make you, BUT it would be nice if you would follow RoCa and Company. So you ready to Party?! Let's ROCK this place! Also, remember that the party will be open until Monday night. On Wednesday, I will feature the #1 link that ROCKS (the most viewed). I will also showcase my 3 favorites. And to entice you just a little more, the #1 link that ROCKS will also get to be a guest blogger at a future date (of course only if the winner wants too)...Sounds like fun, right?

Guest Blogger: Melissa from Precious Little Poppets

2011-12-01T00:00:00.003-06:00

Remember this cute fabric flower headband tutorial by Precious Little Poppets?

Well, today Melissa is back to share another cute tutorial. The flower headband was the top viewed link two weeks ago at It's A Rockin' Party and therefore she gets to be a guest blogger today...so take it away Melissa!
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Hello! I'm Melissa from Precious Little Poppets. I am a stay at home mum to The Smalls and wife to Soldier. I live in Melbourne, Australia and I am super excited to be guest posting over here for Carmen today. Do you have a dino loving Small in your life?? Want a great shirt to make his or her day? Here is an easy, stenciled shirt with a little applique thrown in, just for fun.

Here is what you will need:

a plain t-shirt,
fabric paint in two colours - one for the lettering and another for the shovel,
freezer paper,
a sharp craft knife,
felt - for the bone applique,
a piece of cardboard big enough to cover the area you will be painting, but small enough to fit inside the shirt.
general sewing supplies - scissors, needle and thread etc,

Firstly, make sure you read the instructions on the fabric paint. The paint I choose to use requires pre-washed fabric, so I washed, dried and ironed a plain blue cotton t-shirt. You will then need to find a font that you like, or draw some lettering if you are talented in that way - I am not, so I had a poke around dafont.com and found one I liked. It, very aptly, is called Boneyard Army.

Once you have found the perfect font, print out the words, I DIG DINOS onto some white printer paper. Lay a piece of freezer paper, shiney side down, over the lettering and trace all the letters except for the 'I's in dig and dinos, with a pencil. Then very carefully cut out the letters with a very sharp craft knife. Be sure to use a self healing mat underneath!

When cutting out letters with a centre piece, like the D above, make sure you keep the little piece that goes in the middle, you will need this to make the letter look right when you paint. Once all the letters are cut out, iron the freezer paper to the front of the t-shirt. To get the letters looking really crisp, you will need to pay careful attention to the edges of cut out pieces. They need to be stuck down really well or the paint will bleed under the freezer paper and look untidy.

Now, put the piece of cardboard between the back and front of the t-shirt and slowly apply the paint. I like to use a stippling brush and dab the paint on.

I think it helps to stop the paint getting under the stencil. Then let the shirt dry. The paint I used says to leave it for 48 hours, but it was 33 degrees celcius on the day I made it and it was bone dry in around three hours! Good to know the hot Australian summer sun is good for something.

Peal off the stencil. Carefully.

For the shovel, I found a picture here, and traced it onto freezer paper, cut it out and ironed onto the shirt. I used a little square of the original freezer paper stencil, because freezer paper is hard and expensive to get my hands on. We can't find it in the grocery store like most Americans can.

A little application of brown fabric paint and another few hours drying and I was one step away from a cute little shirt.

All that is missing now is a bone for the I in dinos. I chose some white felt from my stash, cut it out in a bone shape, and attached it to the shirt with a running stitch.

And there you have it! A cute little shirt.

Thanks Carmen for letting me crash your bloggy home! I had a blast.

You ROCK #10 Features

2011-11-22T00:00:00.002-06:00

I know that most of you are super busy right now preparing for your Thanksgiving feast, so I'll make this super quick...This week we had 79 super awesome link ups...Yes! So, thanks for taking a moment from your busy day to link up here at RoCa every Friday. Also, remember that there is NO link party this coming Friday... so see you December 2nd...

So, here is the most viewed link-up that ROCKED IT last week....

Question, what does a short sleeved shirt + too big tights = ?
A way too cute shirt redo that Keeping it Simple made for her little girl on her 1st birthday...such a sweet way to remember such a day. Check out the tutorial and see what else she did with the tights...clever.

This week, I'm breaking the rules again...here are My favorite ~~three projects were~~ in no particular order:

These hand painted chicken towels by Backwoods Cottage are so country chic....

Tom Turkey looks so cute as a bow! I "Shir" Can Craft! did a great job....

Made in a Day shows you how to make this fun and easy swirly scarf...

The House of Bledsoe made these hand and footprint turkeys with her sons...

This table runner by Randee's Organized Chaos is fabulous and easy to make...

So there you have it...6 terrific projects from 6 very different crafters. Thank you to all who linked up last week...make sure to come back ~~this coming~~ Friday, December 2nd so we can continue to Make and Create together. If your project was featured, make sure to grab your button.

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You Rock #10

2011-11-17T21:50:00.001-06:00

When I found this quote on Pinterest, it made me smile. This year has been very hard for me and my family in every aspect of the word...just plain hard. But, as hard as it has been, my God has NEVER left our side. My husband, kids and I are ever to thankful for God's blessing over our lives.

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I hope that you have a very Thankful time with your families and friends next week...and take a moment to thank the ultimate Maker and Creator...

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Some quick thoughts before we link up...
~features for this party will be on Tuesday instead of Wednesday
~no guest blogger next week (Thursday)
~no party next week (Friday)
~new "rule"...if you want to be in the running to be featured, you must link back somewhere on your blog; the easiest way is to grab our button at the bottom of this post, that's it. Just paste it somewhere on your blog: link party page, sidebar, within your post, etc. Now, you don't have too in order to link up, but if I'm going to feature your work, the least you can do is link back.
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So, are you ready to ROCK IT?!

Here are the very simple to follow rules:

1. Link up something that YOU made: sewing, craft, recipe, anything that you would like to share, etc…

2. Link up to the specific post; not your blog.

3. No linking giveaways or items for sale.

4. Visit and comment/encourage at least one fellow blogger friend.

5. Grab this button and post on your blog or post...just somewhere where others can come and link up as well. This is also a must if you want to be featured.

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.rocaandcompany.blogspot.com" title="rocaandcompany"><img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/u3mky.jpg" alt="rocaandcompany" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

And just a simple request, it's optional, only if you want, I'm not gonna make you, BUT it would be nice if you would follow RoCa and Company.

You Rock #9 Features

2011-11-16T00:00:00.001-06:00

Here's a huge shout out to all 68 of your link ups! You all just keep "up one-ing" the previous week's party. Every single post was super creative in every way...thank you, thank you, thank you to all who linked up and shared your incredible inspiration with us.

So, here is the most viewed link-up that ROCKED IT last week....

This ever so easy fabric flower headband tutorial

by Precious Little Poppets. These would look very pretty in any color or pattern and did I mention that they are super easy to make?Seriously, check it out...and you are so very welcome...I just added another project to your "to craft list".

My favorite three projects were:

This snuggle pet bed by Modesty Matters. This bed is so cute and practical. I just got to figure out how to make it for my aging 60 pound lab mix...the mini winnie is not a problem at all. Both dogs will love us even more once I finish their beds.

Next are these mini chocolate peppermint pancakes that Inspired by Family made. Chocolate + Peppermint + Pancakes + MINI = a guilt free"I-can-have-one-more-if-I-want-to-kinda" attitude because, well, these yummy delights are MINI sized.

And last is this great recipe for play dough by Sew Fantastic. This is the perfect thing to make for all the kids on Thanksgiving Day...or any day for that matter...a kid can never have enough play dough.

So there you have it...4 terrific projects from 4 very different crafters. Thank you to all who linked up last week...make sure to come back this coming Friday so we can continue to Make and Create together. If your project was featured, make sure to grab your button.

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Bella Nube Rose Tutorial

2011-11-13T21:15:00.000-06:00

My sister knows me all too well. I made this...

out of this.

My sister bought/sent Sam a silk lined wool skirt that she found at a thrift store. She knew I could "fix" it for Sam...and I did. I threw it in the wash and dryer. Bingo! The skirt shrank so much that it fits Sam perfect now. The lining is a different story.

It didn't shrink as much. So I cut it off the skirt.

I used half of the lining and cut up different sized squares...

cut these square in to random "cloud" shaped circles...

stacked them up by size...

and sewed each "cluster" right in the middle...just a couple of stitches, back and forth ...just enough to hold the "cluster" together...except for the last and smallest "cluster".

To the "cluster" that I didn't sew together, I hand-sewed on some beads...just random. Then I hot glued it all together from the largest "cluster" to the smallest...added a pin to the back with hot glue...

and done...a beautiful cloud rose pin...

no matter the weather...

Bella Nube is Italian for Beautiful Cloud...and the darkening clouds tonight are definitely beautiful. They hold an 80% chance of rain tonight and tomorrow...which is a very good thing for a drought stricken central Texas.

You ROCK #9

2011-11-10T21:08:00.000-06:00

Sam had the neatest home project to work on this past weekend. It was to disguise a "turkey" so that it doesn't get eaten for Thanksgiving. Sam decided to disguise her turkey as a ballerina cow. She drew and colored black spots...

I helped Sam make the ballerina outfit and cow "mask".

Once done, she glued it all together...

and this once "turkey" is now a prancing ballerina cow...

Can't wait for Sam to bring it home so we can frame it...

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So, are you ready to ROCK IT?!

Here are the very simple to follow rules:

1. Link up something that YOU made: sewing, craft, recipe, anything that you would like to share, etc…

2. Link up to the specific post; not your blog.

3. No linking giveaways or items for sale.

4. Visit and comment/encourage at least one fellow blogger friend.

5. Grab this button and post on your blog or post...just somewhere where others can come and link up as well.

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.rocaandcompany.blogspot.com" title="rocaandcompany"><img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/u3mky.jpg" alt="rocaandcompany" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

And just a simple request, it's optional, only if you want, I'm not gonna make you, BUT it would be nice if you would follow RoCa and Company.

Guest Blogger: Jessica from A Couple of Craft Addicts

2011-11-10T00:00:00.002-06:00

Remember this cute dress by A Couple of Craft Addicts?

Well, today we have Jessica sharing another cute and colorful dress tutorial. Her dress was the top viewed link two weeks ago at It's A Rockin' Party and therefore she gets to be a guest blogger today...so without further ado, here's Jessica...
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This dress was inspired by my dear friend and co-blogger Heather. Her necklace onesie is the most viewed item on our blog. I loved the idea so I decided to apply it to a dress for Elizabeth.

I made a tutorial for this dress but I want to add a disclaimer. Here is some background...I have only been sewing for about 2 years and making my own patterns for about 3 months. I have never taken a sewing class. Most of the time I make it work and it is not always the "correct" way. But that is how we learn, by trying something new. So with that in mind here is the tutorial.

Materials: for a 2T
1/2 yard of material for the top and sleeves. I used satin stretch cotton.
a piece of fabric measuring 16"widex44"long for the skirt (add about 1 inch to the length for each additional size)
2 strips of fabric for the sash measuring about 4"x44" wide (this is just a base, I cut it down to adjust the length which I will talk about later
medium ric rac
large ric rac
fabric paint
a pencil
two small buttons for the front and 3 larger buttons for the back

The process:
1. We are going to work on the bodice first. You will need a fitted t-shirt and some tissue or medical paper for the pattern. Create a basic a-line pattern using your t-shirt.

Then cut about 2 inches under the arm.
Now you are going to use this to cut out your bodice. You need to cut 2 of the sleeve on the fold and 2 of the top (one for the front and one for the lining). Then you are going to use the same pattern piece to cut the back but this time you need to add about 1 inch starting from the middle to aid in the overlap for the buttons. Cut 2 (one for the back and one for the lining". Cut these on the selvage (the raw edge).

Here are your pieces.2. Now we will put it together. Start by sewing the front piece and the back piece together at the shoulders with right sides together. Repeat with the lining pieces.
Here is what the pieces will look like laid out. I like to press the seams open for a flat and clean look. Now you are going to lay the lining on top of the outside pieces with right sides together. Pin and sew down the middle of the back, and around the neckline.Now clip around the curves for an easy flip. Then flip the bodice right side out.
Finally you are going to sew the sides together. You need to match up the right sides together on the outside pieces. Then match the right sides together of the lining. Now you have a bodice.
3. The sleeves are next. I started by creating a cuff to the end of the sleeve. Fold the end up 1/4 inch and then another 1/4 inch and press. I wanted to add some medium ric rac peeking out under the cuff so I pinned it to the inside and sewed it down.

Then with the right sides together sew the sleeves together up the side. Then flip right side out.
4. Next we will set in the sleeve. Turn your bodice inside out and stick the sleeve through the arm hole right sides together. Pin it in place and use A LOT of pins. I like to start at the top middle of the sleeve and pin it to the shoulder at the seam. Then pin the bottom matching seam to seam. Now finish pinning all around the sleeve.
Sew it in place. Flip it right side out and repeat with the other side.

Finally you are going to create your button holes in the back.
5. Now we will work on the skirt portion. Start by creating a hem by folding the bottom under 1/4 inch and another 1/4 inch. Press and sew down.
Next I added large ric rac to the front of the skirt along the hem line.
Now using a long stitch sew a line along the top of the skirt about 1/4 inch from the edge and leave the ends long for synching. Now sew another line next to the first line.
Pull on the tread ends to gather the skirt. Gather until it matches up with the bodice length but leave about 1/4 inch of skirt on each side for your skirt seam. Pin to the bodice and sew in place.Now sew the back of the skirt together.
You will have to overlap the top of the skirt where I meets the bodice because the bodice overlaps for the buttons. I just make an extra gather at that part and sew it in place. (Don't worry your sash will cover up any oddities). 6. Now you are going to make the sash. Sew your two sash strips together to make a long strip. To get the correct length measure around the front of the dress and then the back tying it in a bow (I like to put the seam in the side seam of the dress so you can't see it). Now you can gauge the length you need based on your bodice and desired bow size.
Now fold your strip in half right sides together and press. Then sew your strip together starting at one end and down the length. (Do not sew up the end or you won't be able to flip it back over.)
Using a wooden spoon flip the sash back to the right side.
Fold the edges of the open end inside and blind stitch or top stitch the end closed.
Now attach your sash to your dress at the side seams, matching up the seam in the sash with one of your side seams. YOUR ALMOST DONE!
7. Now for the fun embellishments. Either by hand or using a stencil draw a collar line on the top front of the dress. I just did it free hand (it doesn't have to be perfect.)
Now take your pencil and dip the eraser end in fabric paint. Then make dots along your line dipping the pencil in the paint every other dot. (I would practice a little on a scrap of your fabric to make sure the color, size, and textures work.)

Now add your small buttons to the front and back.

My daughter loves it so much she refused to take it off before bed.

You ROCK #8 Features

2011-11-09T00:00:00.000-06:00

Wow...I can honestly say that last weeks party was the best thus far...we had many fabulous knock-offs, scrumptious recipes and awesome DIY tutorials. Every single post was super creative in every way...thank you, thank you, thank you to all who linked up and shared your incredible inspiration with us.

So, here is the most viewed link-up that ROCKED IT last week....

This "I-can't-believe-this-is-a" knock-off Pottery Barn Pillow
by Don't Disturb This Groove. Seriously, this looks just like the original without the original price tag. Go check out the tutorial and make a one or a couple...

My favorite three projects were:

This biker's wreath by c.w. frosting. I've seen wreaths made from many things but a bike's old tire...and spare bike parts, and origami flowers and coffee filters...now this is pure genius and manly. Go check out the tutorial...

Next are these drop cloth pillows that Pitter and Glink made. Love the stencil work, the ruffles and the color combinations. They all work together beautifully...

Next in line is this mouthwatering hot fudge sundae cake by A Pinch of Joy. Um, dear sweet sisters of mine, makers of anything and everything thankful day feast...can we sub a pumpkin pie for this instead? Pretty please...

And last is this ever so clever and brilliant reminder for our little ones. A bathroom print out by The Crumb Factory that speaks volumes. Need I say more...

So there you have it...4 5 terrific projects from 4 5 very different crafters. Thank you to all who linked up last week...make sure to come back this coming Friday so we can continue to Make and Create together. If your project was featured, make sure to grab your button.

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You ROCK #8

2011-11-03T21:12:00.000-05:00

Joshua participated in this year's Book Character Parade at school. The idea is to get kids to dress up as their favorite book/story character and parade around the school with book in hand...can you guess what Joshua's favorite book "character" is?

Yup...it's the Batman Monster Truck!

My husband spent most of Saturday afternoon working on this...He did an AMAZING JOB! Joshua was beaming from ear to ear as he paraded to the "oooooo's" and "ahhhhh's" of all that saw him...

it was such a great moment for Joshua and Dad.

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So, are you ready to ROCK IT?!

Here are the very simple to follow rules:

1. Link up something that YOU made: sewing, craft, recipe, anything that you would like to share, etc…

2. Link up to the specific post; not your blog.

3. No linking giveaways or items for sale.

4. Visit and comment/encourage at least one fellow blogger friend.

5. Grab this button and post on your blog or post...just somewhere where others can come and link up as well.

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.rocaandcompany.blogspot.com" title="rocaandcompany"><img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/u3mky.jpg" alt="rocaandcompany" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

And just a simple request, it's optional, only if you want, I'm not gonna make you, BUT it would be nice if you would follow RoCa and Company.

Guest Blogger: Stephanie from Lady With the Red Rocker

2011-11-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

Remember this awesome Beaded Indian Corn Pin from Lady With the Red Rocker?

Well, Today we have Stephanie sharing another fun, colorful and simple tutorial. Her pin was the top viewed link two weeks ago at It's A Rockin' Party and therefore she gets to be a guest blogger today...so without further ado, here's Stephanie...take it away girl...

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Hello! My name is Stephanie Hill, I'm the Lady With the Red Rocker on my porch. I'm a stay at home mom of 4 beautiful children, and wife to my wonderful husband, Doug. We stay busy with church and school, so I have to sneak my craft time in-between all the craziness.

I am so excited to be here today. Thank you, Carmen, for being so gracious to me, for allowing me this opportunity to share with the fabulous RoCa and Company. This is my first guest post, so I am super-duper excited!

My project for today is for a DIY picture re-paint. You've heard of "paint by numbers", well this is kind of like that, but without the numbers... Okay, it's not really like paint by numbers, maybe more like paint by colors? Um... never mind, let me just tell you what I did. ;)

I've been in the slow process of re-doing my living room, and I re-covered the 47 pillows on my couch...

(No, I don't really have 47 pillows on my couch, it just felt like it when I was in the middle of sewing them. ;))

The pillows have a lot of blue in them, and the picture I had on the wall really wasn't working for me, so I decided to re-paint it. Here's the before and after...

The first thing I did was lightly sand the whole picture, just enough to take off the gloss finish, to help the paint to adhere better.

The majority of the picture is of flowers, and they are all the same kind of flower. I wanted to keep the simple look, but just change the color of the flower. I did this by using 3 shades of blue acrylic paint - dark, medium, and light. I'm a visual person, so here's a picture...

PS. Be sure to mix up as much paint as you think you will need, 'cause it's hard to try to match it later. (Not that I know this from personal experience... *wink*wink* ;))

Then, I began painting the flowers. Using the original flowers as a guide, I painted over the petals with my darkest shade first. After that, I painted the center with a yellow color and allowed it to dry. (I forgot to take a picture of this step, so I re-created it on paper. I'm a nerd, I know. ;))

Next, using the medium color, I painted the petals about half way down over the dark color , and allowed it to dry. Finally, I used the lightest shade, and painted just the edge of the petals. Here is what the flowers looked like when I was finished...

For the leaves, I used a moss-green over the original, and I added a few more leaves throughout the picture.

I used a medium brown color to paint over the original twigs. I also dabbed some brown and green in the center of the flowers to give them some more detail.

Taking the same colors that were used for the flowers, leaves and twigs, I lightly dabbed and blotched those colors into the background of the picture, just enough to bring out the new colors that I added to the picture.

I also painted the vase yellow to match the new pillows...

and, the background mat blue...

The coppery color of the inner frame had to go, and I thought silver would be a nice compliment to the blue in the picture. (If in doubt, go with silver, I always say. :))

I taped off the black frame and lightly sanded the copper frame.

Then, I painted the inner frame with dark silver. (I just added a little black paint to the silver paint, to make dark silver.) Here is the silver paint I used...

Using my scruffy brush, I blotched on the lighter silver paint over the dark silver until it looked like it had been antiqued.

Since I waited to take off the tape until after the paint was dry, I scored the edge with a knife, to make sure that the dry paint did not peel when I took off the tape. (Um... yes, I did use a regular kitchen knife to do this... What!?)

I finished the painting by applying a clear varnish to seal everything.

Here is the final product...

A fresh new picture to grace my wall, all for the price of a little paint. Love it!

Thanks for letting me share with RoCa and Company today!

It was a blast! :)

You Rock #7 Features

2011-11-01T23:02:00.000-05:00

Can you say WOO HOO!?! We had 82 FANTASTIC project link-ups last week.
All of them are very creative in every way...thanks for all of you who linked up and shared your inspiration with us.

Here is the most viewed link-up that ROCKED IT last week....

This scrumptious Toasted Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich
by Joyful Homemaking. OMGosh! Are you kidding me? No wonder it was the most viewed link last week...who can resist this combination of flavors? I am so making this for the kids in the morning.

My favorite three projects were:

This Knot Just Any Old Necklace by Cass Can Sew. Simple and super easy to make...and I love the polka dot ribbon and how nicely it goes with the floral fabric.

Next is this Wedding Stitchery that Adventures of a DIY Mom made for her cousin who recently got married. What a great wedding gift. Check out the tutorial...there's a free pattern if you want to make your own.

And last, is this tote bag by tousled day. This bag is a labor of love...really...it was made by hand..every single stitch. And it was also a learning experience in many ways for Marija.

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Every once in awhile...

2011-11-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

our kitchen table looks like this...

it just happens when my kids get into "craft" mode...

sometimes they end up like this...

and when they let their imaginations go wild...

Samantha and Joshua's Pet Rock Collection 2011

they make and create...

Joshua's ~Fabric Paint Mix~ Samantha's

and I'm bursting at the seams with love, joy and pride.

Canalis Shirt Tutorial

2011-10-30T19:38:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been on a kid shirt redo kick so I decided to take a break from that and make something for me...finally, something for this Mama...

and, yes, it's another tshirt refashion.

It reminds me of tube corals on a shirt...

and that is why I named it Canalis which is Latin for "tube".

You will need two of the same color shirt; one shirt needs to be one size larger than what you normally wear. Take the other shirt, fold in half - hot dog style and fold in half - hot dog style, again. Cut it into strips like this:

You will end up with lots of tshirt loops...cut your loops in half at the seams...you want to take off the seams and then pull each strip till it curls up...do this to each one.

Now take the larger shirt and cut right at the seams...from the bottom of the shirt all the way to the end of the sleeves. You want to open up your shirt completely so that it is easy to sew on the strips of from the other shirt.

Now start sewing your strips onto the front of the shirt, beginning from the neckline and work your way around the neckline and then start filling down and across...just take one strip and begin sewing and fill up the front of your shirt in any pattern you like. If a strip is too long, just cut it and use elsewhere on the shirt. Use up as many strips as possible to get it to fill in nicely. Since your shirt is opened up, you can sew on strips even over the seams at the shoulders and onto the back of the shirt...Have fun with it...Just be careful to sew down the middle of each strip and make sure that the curled up part doesn't get caught with the needle...

like this...but if it does, just stop, put your needle up, release the foot and gently tug and snip off the thread until the shirt is free again

Once you've filled up the front of the shirt with lots of tshirt tubes, turn the shirt inside out and line up the sides again, pin and sew up again...once with a straight stitch and a second time with a zig-zag.

And you're done

Once you wash it, the tubes will curl in more...if you end up with some strips that don't want to curl up, just take your scissors and cut across the length of the strip about half ways and they will curl up for you.

Going PINK for Breast Cancer Awarness

2011-10-30T00:00:00.001-05:00

Today I am participating in The ArtsyGirl Connection Challenge to dedicate my blog for the day and go PINK in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness. Here are some PINK tutorials from the past...

No Sew Shirt Refashion

Charming Rose Pin/Clip Tutorial

Star Burst Shirt Refashion Tutorial

Hearts Tutorial

Baby Rose Shirt Redo Tutorial

3D Flower Tutorial

For more information on Breast Cancer and how to help beat this, please click here. Together we can make a difference.

If you want to join in the PINKNESS, please link and share your actual PINK post with everyone for the day. Grab the linky code and share with your readers as well...go check out who went PINK for the day...

You ROCK #7

2011-10-27T20:52:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday, we went day tripping to Texas A&M. The Science Department hosted a Chemistry Open House and Science Exploration Day where kids of all ages could get down and dirt in the name of Science. We had such a fun day playing with gooey things, painting, building, investigating, touching, laughing and along the way, we learned a thing or two about how fun Chemistry really is.

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So, are you ready to ROCK IT?!

Here are the very simple to follow rules:

1. Link up something that YOU made: sewing, craft, recipe, anything that you would like to share, etc…

2. Link up to the specific post; not your blog.

3. No linking giveaways or items for sale.

4. Visit and comment/encourage at least one fellow blogger friend.

5. Grab this button and post on your blog or post...just somewhere where others can come and link up as well.

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.rocaandcompany.blogspot.com" title="rocaandcompany"><img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/u3mky.jpg" alt="rocaandcompany" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

And just a simple request, it's optional, only if you want, I'm not gonna make you, BUT it would be nice if you would follow RoCa and Company.

Guest Blogger: Andréa from The Simple Craft Diaries

2011-10-27T00:00:00.002-05:00

Remember this Wire T-Shirt Scarf from The Simple Craft Diaries?

Well, Today we have Andréa sharing another fun and simple tutorial. Her scarf was the top viewed link at last weeks It's A Rockin' Party and therefore she gets to be a guest blogger today...so without further ado, here's Andréa...take it away girl...

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Hi !!

I am Andréa from The Simple Craft Diaries and I love to craft! I am a stay at home mom who loves handmade and simple things. I love crafting them for my home, for my friends, for myself and most of all for my little girl, who is most certainly my main inspiration. When I started blogging back in March of this year, it was mostly about things I would do for her and for her gorgeous golden brown and long curly hair. Oh, how I love doing this!!

So, in keeping with my "origins", when Carmen invited me (yippee!!) to guest post here, I immediately thought of hair accessories for the fall. They are all very simple and easy, all you need is some felt ( it can be scraps!), scissors, fabric glue or a hot glue gun, hair clips and a headband.

Here they are: A pom pom headband, an over-sized multicolour mum flower hair clip and a single rosette hair clip. I love the fall colors!

POM POM headband:

Material:

1. A round shape ( I used a small sample paint container) around 2 " wide

2. Felt - I used red and brown for the leaves and ochre for the pom pom flower

3. Pen

4. Scissors

5. Fabric glue/hot glue gun ( you can use needle and thread instead)

Make 27 circles, as each pom pom uses 9 of them

Use one of the circles for the bottom , fold the other ones in triangle shapes and start glueing as follows:

Make 2 layers

Cut 2 leaves, fold the bottom part in half and glue to get a leaf shape

Attach to one of the pom poms

Attach the pom poms to the headband

Cut 3 more felt circles to attach to the bottom and secure the flowers

The first fall beauty is ready!

Fall girl!

Oversized Mum Flower

Material:

1. 20 strips of felt in assorted colours - I used orange, red, ochre , beige , red and brown. 9 inches x 3/4 " inch

2. Hot glue gun or fabric glue

3. Hair clip

4. Scissors

Glue the strips to each other. Use rows of the same colours together. Pick the colour you want for the middle first and start form there. It will be a very long strip of felt, girl!

Start cutting the edge like this. To make things easier, I used a small scissor

After all the fringes are done, start rolling , glueing as you go.

A long way to go....but it goes fast, do not dismay!

Ready!

Cut a circle of felt for the backing and grab the hair clip

With the hot glue gun, attach them to the back of the mum flower

A perfect photo prop for that perfect fall picture!

I also made a smaller version for everyday use, it is so easy!

Felt Rosette:

Material:

1. Felt - I used bright orange for the rosette and brown, green and ochre for the leaves

2. Scissors

3. Hot glue or fabric glue

4. Hair clip

Draw a spiral ( I used white felt here to make it easier for you to see)

Cut it out

Start rolling the spiral back and gluing as you go

READY!

Make the leaves the same way we did for the pom pom headband. This time I made 3 of them.

Glue them together

Attach to the rosette

Felt circle for the backing and a hair clip

Attach with the hot glue or fabric glue

READY!

Ready or not for fall??

Thank you Carmen for inviting me to guest post today, what a fun and exciting experience!

You Rock #6 Features

2011-10-26T00:00:00.001-05:00

We had 63 incredible project link-ups last week.
All of them are very creative in very special ways...thanks for all of you who linked up and shared your inspiration with us.

Here is the most viewed link-up that ROCKED IT last week....

The Elizabeth Dress by A Couple of Craft Addicts. This is such a beautiful dress, so vintage looking yet it has a bold modern twist on the back...go check it out.

My favorite three projects were:

This Scrap Necklace by Dazed. And then some. Didn't know scrap silk and beads could look so amazing...sorry little sis...gonna cut up that silk giraffe blouse you gave me and making me one of these.

Next is this Shag Heart Pillow that Shannon Sews made piece by piece...and all her hard work paid off because the finished pillow is just amazing.

And last, are these clothespin ballerinas by Southern Crafty Girl. These are off the chart too cute! Go check out what happened to the other clothespins that didn't make the ballerina makeover.

So there you have it...4 brilliant projects from 4 very different crafters. Thank you to all who linked up last week...make sure to come back this coming Friday so we can continue to Make and Create together. If your project was featured, make sure to grab your button.

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3D Flower Tee Tutorial

2011-10-22T20:30:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I tend to take things just a little overboard...as a case in point, just look at what I sewed for Sam the other night...

see what I mean? A humongo 3D beaded flower appliqued tee.

Sam and I L.O.V.E. how this shirt turned out. We both especially like how the wavy petals and leaf give the shirt dimension.

Want to make one?
But first a disclaimer: I want to apologize for not taking enough pictures for some of these steps...not only do I tend to go overboard at times but I also tend to forget to take pictures along the way when "crafting". So if you have questions, please email me...
3D Flower Tee Tutorial

I started out with 3 tee shirts: a plain long sleeved thrifted shirt and two patterned tee shirts that I already had. The floral one should look familiar to you...it's the same as the one I used for this shirt here. The striped one was already in my stash of shirts that no longer fit Sam.

Making the flower applique

1. Cut your tee across at the arm pits.

Now you should have a tube from the bottom part of the tee.

2. Cut down the sides of this tee tube. You should have two pieces. Use fusible web to fuse these two pieces together...WRONG SIDES to each other.

3. Make a flower pattern using freezer paper. You can free hand it or do like me, find an image on the web, copy and paste to a word document and enlarge...trace your image onto the dull side of the freezer paper.

4. Iron on the freezer paper, shinny side down, onto the fused fabric. Let the fabric cool down and using the outline of the flower, cut out the flower piece.

5. Now find a plate that is large enough to cover up most of the center of the flower. Using said plate, make a pattern on freezer paper. Iron on the freezer paper to right side of fabric and then iron on fusible web to the wrong side of fabric. This circle is only one piece of fabric and not two like the flower part. Once cooled, cut out circle. Now you have the second part to your applique.

6. Repeat the above process but now use a smaller plate to make the inner circle. Now you should have a flower and two different sized circles.

Assembling the flower applique

7. Lay down the flower piece and lay the bigger circle on top, making sure to center it. Be sure to have the wrong side, the one with the fusible web, down. Iron on that circle to the flower. Now repeat with the smaller circle.

8. Now that the flower is all fused together, zig-zag around all the edges. Use a tight zig-zag stitch. I used the shortest stitch length and the longest stitch width to get a nice tight zig-zag. I also used the gap on the sewing foot as a guide while sewing the edge. It works every time.

9. Sew on beads if you want. Since this fabric had small flowers with a blueish center, I just sewed on a bead at each of the blueish centers.

10. Use freezer paper and draw out a stem and leaf. Follow the steps 3 and 4 to make, cut and fuse the stem to your shirt.

Once fused, zig-zag the edge of the stem to the shirt.

11. For the leaf, follow step 2...it needs to be double-sided. Zig-zag the leaf edges. Pin the leaf onto the shirt and sew a straight stitch down the middle of the leaf onto the shirt.

12. Now position your flower onto your shirt. Pin it securely and

sew a straight stitch right along the inner edge of your zig-zag stitch. Again, use the gap on your sewing foot to guide you.

*Make sure to alternate your fabric patterns when cutting out the flower, circles, stem and leaf so that your shirt has a contrasting pattern to it.

This has been the hardest tutorial I have ever written because of the lack of photos, but I hope it made sense to you. If not, please just email me and I will try to clear it up for you.

You ROCK #6

2011-10-21T00:00:00.003-05:00

Huge shout out to my Sammie Girl...She became a 1st Squire of the

EarlyAct FirstKnight for demonstrating above and beyond character traits of Honesty and Responsibility...a very noble honor. Way to go girl!! Who knew a princess could become a Squire? We are so very proud of you...keep it up!
For more information on the EarlyAct FirstKnight program, click here.

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So, are you ready to ROCK IT?!

Here are the very simple to follow rules:

1. Link up something that YOU made: sewing, craft, recipe, anything that you would like to share, etc…

2. Link up to the specific post; not your blog.

3. No linking giveaways or items for sale.

4. Visit and comment/encourage at least one fellow blogger friend.

5. Grab this button and post on your blog or post...just somewhere where others can come and link up as well.

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.rocaandcompany.blogspot.com" title="rocaandcompany"><img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/u3mky.jpg" alt="rocaandcompany" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

And just a simple request, it's optional, only if you want, I'm not gonna make you, BUT it would be nice if you would follow RoCa and Company.