You ROCK #12 Features

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.

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.rocaandcompany.blogspot.com" title="roca and company"><img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/309lhg8.jpg" alt="roca and company" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

You Rock #12

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

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

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.

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.rocaandcompany.blogspot.com" title="roca and company"><img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/309lhg8.jpg" alt="roca and company" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

You ROCK #11

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

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:

1.  a plain t-shirt,
2. fabric paint in two colours - one for the lettering and another for the shovel,
3. freezer paper,
4. a sharp craft knife,
5. felt - for the bone applique,
6. a piece of cardboard big enough to cover the area you will be painting, but small enough to fit inside the shirt.
7. 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.