It’s time for our Labor of Love Contest! Strap on your Rosies and celebrate the “can do” attitude of women who don’t mind getting their hands dirty.  Tell us your labor of love (whether it’s welding, gardening, plastering, or farming) and you could win a FREE pair of our denim coveralls!  To enter, go to our Facebook page, “Like” us, then enter your labor of love under the Labor of Love tab.  Share your story, links and anything else that showcases what you love to do.  We had so many great entries last year, we can’t wait to see what you Rosies have been up to this year!

The contest starts today and goes until August 31.  The winner will be announced on Labor Day, September 5^th.

This year’s Dirtiest Rosies Contest winner tells us a little bit about herself and how she gets dirty.  She is a true Rosie and we admire all of the beautiful work she does.  Plus, she is a fellow blogger!  Check out her blog at sageartistry.blogspot.com.  Here is what she told us about herself and how she became a Rosie:

Sherri doing what she loves best, plastering!

It’s so nice to have companies like Rosies! You support us cowgirls, pioneers, innovators, and creators! It’s a real treat to be honored. My Mom bought me my first pair of Rosies and encouraged me to enter a few months ago…a Mother’s intuition must be right!

I worked at Microsoft from 1998 – 2006 as a project manager. In 2000, my husband and I bought our first house. I went down to Home Depot, grabbed a bucket of “Venetian plaster” and fell in love with the work. At first, my arms burnt from troweling, but I couldn’t get enough of the work. Wall after wall became less white and more textured, one finish flowed into the next.

Pretty soon, I realized that I wanted to do this for a living and I decided to switch careers. I decided to complete Bellevue College’s interior design program to really learn and explore the field of art and design. I knew that I loved plastering before I started the program in 2005, and I still was in love with the trowel after I completed it in 2009. The program at Bellevue College is exceptional and it gave me the structure I needed to elevate my current work. My professors will tell you that I was also the dirtiest Rosie in the program… I hope I didn’t get too much plaster on the tables and seats!

Getting my A.A. in interior design AND growing my business was challenging. I think my biggest challenge now is learning when to take small risks or big leaps of faith! I love being accountable and navigating the direction of my business. One of the most challenging aspects is selecting which plaster materials to fall in love with. Some are beautiful, but toxic, others are beautiful AND kind to our health. When I started my business I developed the slogan, “Creativity with a Conscience.” I have to stick to these ethics as an artisan and constantly evaluate the health of the materials I am using.

Creativity is a beautiful monster… so when I am not getting dirty with eco-friendly plaster finishes like American clay, I am often found getting dirty with fabric painting, sculpting, and casting glass. There really isn’t ever a time that I am not trying to get dirty through creating. My respite is nature… when hiking at the river with my dogs helps bring all those explosive ideas down to a quiet simmer. Then it’s back to the studio!

The current state of my Rosies is very textured!  I used sun paints to paint in wrench designs into the fabric and also did some paint splatters to really take them wild. My family will tell you I have very few solid colored clothes left. Everything in my closet has some sort of texture!

I think the biggest aspect of me being able to “do what I do” is the support I get from my family. It’s nice coming home to a supportive husband, 3 golden retrievers and 2 orange tabbies at the end of a long day. We all nest together and I couldn’t be a creative warrior without a strong family!

by Elizabeth Layton, Rosies Intern

Last Friday we left rainy California and made our way to hot and sunny Puyallup, Washington for the Mother Earth News Fair!  (We thought the weather was strange, too!)  Expecting to head over to the show and set up our booth on Friday, we were surprised and disappointed (to say the least) when we received an email telling us that the truck our shipment should have been arriving in was involved in a hazmat spill.  The truck wouldn’t be able to get to the show until Saturday evening, leaving us Rosie-less for one full day at the fair.  Not letting this new information get us down, we followed our own “Rosies can do it” advice, put on our overalls and acted as our own booth on Saturday.  We met many amazing women and wound up almost selling out of our overalls on Sunday alone!  We really enjoyed getting to meet some of our Rosies girls in person and hearing all of the wonderful stories they all have to share!  Seeing the great turnout at this Mother Earth Fair got us excited for the one in Marin, California in September.  Anyone who couldn’t make it to the one in Washington – we hope to see you in Marin!

While getting dirty is fun, getting the stains out of your Rosies isn’t. We have had many of you ask us what’s the best way to clean your workwear so we decided to give you some tips and tricks we have learned:

Sherri Gamble, winner of the Dirtiest Rosies Contest, shows off her paint stains.

• For all stains: We have found that using good old Spray n’ Wash and Oxyclean work well. You can use stain removers as well, but you should test it on your Rosies first before applying.

• For grass stains: We blogged about this a while back, but this remedy is an easy homemade solution from Mrs. Clean. “Pre-treat the grass stain with warm water and vinegar (no fruit vinegar) or water and rubbing alcohol. You can then rub the mixture directly into the stain and then wash it as you normally would. This mixture is known to get out the stain. Another option is to take some ammonia and mix it with one teaspoon of vinegar and then repeat the above steps. All of these methods work great at removing stains.”

• For grease and oil stains: Rubbing lard/shortening on the spots, then washing them as you would normally. This may take a few tries, but it should eventually start to work its way out. Or, spray some WD-40 on the stain and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Then rub some dish detergent onto the stain. Rinse the area, apply more dish detergent onto the stain and wash as usual.

These Rosies have been used for three years and still look like new.

• For paint stains: Pour warm water and rubbing alcohol (generous amount) onto stain and work stain out with toothbrush. Or, spray the stain with some hairspray and rub with toothbrush. Wash as you would regularly. To remove oil-based paint, apply paint thinner onto spot with sponge, rubbing as much of the paint off as you can. Then rub liquid detergent and wash in hot water.

*Remember to test any cleaning solution you use before using it.

If stains don’t come out, wear your Rosies with pride! Stained workwear shows that you like getting dirty, plus they give your Rosies a little personality.

This past October, Rosies Workwear helped build a house for Habitat for Humanity San Luis Obispo for Habitat’s Women Build program. The Women Build is a program that encourages women to make a difference in their community by building homes for those in need. It provides a comfortable environment where women can learn construction skills they might not otherwise have the opportunity to learn. Lowe’s in Paso Robles and CK Builders teamed up to bring Women Build to San Luis Obispo. Our Rosies strapped on some overalls and went to work! Check out this video showing all our Rosies and their can do attitudes…

Like us, many of you Rosies are mothers, which is why we love Mother’s Day!  It is a day where us mama Rosies can kick up our feet and be treated like queens.  We are often showered with gifts, flowers and breakfast in bed.  In my research about Mother’s Day, I came across some Mother’s Day trivia from mothersdaycelebration.com that may surprise you:

• Anna Jarvis started Mother’s Day in 1908, but soon filed a lawsuit because the holiday was becoming too commercialized.
• Mother’s Day is said to be a $14 billion industry and is the second highest gift giving day behind Christmas.
• In 1870, Julie Ward Howe created a day to celebrate mothers by protesting the Franco-Prussian War because it was taking sons away from their mothers.
• The oldest mother to give birth was 70, while the youngest was 5 years old.
• The highest number of children born to a mother is 69 between 1725 and 1765.
• August is the most popular month to give birth, while Tuesday is the most popular day of the week to give birth.
• Elvis Presley was a mama’s boy and slept in his mother’s bed until puberty.  The two had a strange baby talk they would converse in that no one understood.
• Most of the sweaters Mr. Rogers wore on Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood were knitted by his mother.
• A mother giraffe gives birth standing.  The first experience of a newborn giraffe is a 6-foot drop to the ground.

by Elizabeth Layton, Rosies Intern

I have had the privilege of working at Rosies Workwear for the past two months.  Not only have I loved working for a business that promotes “women can do it,” I have been inspired by the hard-working women who purchase Rosies.

As a graduating senior at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, I decided to take one easy class…the beginners rodeo class.  This class allows students to practice all the various events in a rodeo.  We were also required to volunteer at the Cal Poly Rodeo that takes place during our Open House for incoming freshman.  Included in all this was a steer riding competition for our class (similar to bull riding, but not quite as scary since steers are smaller).  Out of the 80 students only 10 were randomly chosen to ride the steers in the rodeo…in front of everyone.

So of course, my name was chosen.  The first words out of my mouth were, “Are you kidding me?”   No, I did not want to put myself on a steer whose only goal is to buck me off, but yes, of course I’ll do it.  How could I possibly work for a business whose motto is that women can do anything that men can do, and then not take this opportunity?

The day of the rodeo I was pretty nervous.  I wasn’t so much scared anymore (I had gotten to practice once, earlier that week) but I didn’t particularly feel like embarrassing myself in front of hundreds of people.  As Rosie luck would have it, I didn’t embarrass myself at all.  In fact, I won!  I stayed on the longest and received the highest score out of the ten students.  I won a belt buckle and got the satisfaction of proving that girls can ride steers, too.  I think I’m becoming a Rosie.

It’s that time of year again! Time for our Dirtiest Rosies Contest! Think you are the dirtiest Rosie? Submit a photo of yourself to info@rosiesworkwear.com and a short description of why you are the dirtiest Rosie. Each week we will post the submissions on our Facebook page. The winner will receive a new pair of  Rosies’ overalls, gloves and the title of Dirtiest Rosie. The contest goes from now until the end of May and the winner will be announced June 1st. Spread the dirt!

Tired of being cooped up for weeks on end?  Do you find yourself daydreaming of falling madly in love? Or do you have a sudden urge to clean your whole house, upside down, inside out?  Then you may be suffering from spring fever.

Spring fever is not just a topic of popular poems, movies and songs; there is actually a science behind it.  Scientists say it is a decrease in the hormone melatonin and an increase in the hormone serotonin.  Combined, these shifts cause a rise in energy, increased elation and a desire to find that special someone.  Melatonin is also affected by the amount of light, and since the days are longer, expect to get a sudden desire to be ultra productive.

So how do you cure your spring fever?

First, I would take all that newfound energy you have and fulfill your desire of planting a garden, cleaning your house, or reorganizing your shed.  Plus, it gets you out of the house and into some fresh air, which you have missed for so many weeks.

Second, if you are looking for love, it is time to spring into action.  Set a date to spend time with your loved one.  Or, take a chance and talk to that someone you have been thinking about all winter.

Lastly, get outside.  You have been cooped up too long.  You may be tired of being surrounded by the incessant flu bugs that seem to plague everyone in the winter.  Take a walk, tend to your yard, or go for a bike ride.  Spring is here so take advantage of it!

In the words of Mark Twain, “It’s spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.  And when you’ve got it, you want – oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!”

What are you aching to do?  Share it with us here or on our Facebook page.

On March 13th, we set our clocks ahead one hour and capture some extra daylight in the evening. For most Rosies this is a cause for celebration. Teresa Kane on Rosie’s Facebook says, “…more time to work outside…Love it !!!!”  Another Rosie, Kerry K. Murphy says, “garden – just got my overalls & I’m ready to start planting! Well, except for the fact that the temps are still in the 20s at night. Oh, and we got a sprinkling of snow yesterday. But there’s always next week!!!!”

The intent of DST (daylight savings time) is to give more daylight in the evening. This simple act of moving the small hand on the clock one hour ahead has widespread impacts, not the least giving Rosies more time to do the things they love. Some reports say DST reduces accidents and injuries, particularly driving. Other reports say DST boosts business and it’s not just because we can work longer. In the case of tourism industry, we can also play longer. DST is even credited for saving energy because less artificial light is used.

With all the benefits of  more daylight comes the downside of adjusting to an hour less sleep. The return to daylight saving time each spring affects the sleep patterns of millions of Americans says, Dr. Aparajitha Verma, in Healthnewsdigest.com. Below are some tips she gives for getting prepared to spring forward:

* Sleep in a quiet and dark environment and set the thermostat at a slightly cooler temperature.
* Don’t allow pets in the bed.
* No reading, eating or watching TV in bed.
* Don’t watch the clock.
* Set a “wind down” time prior to going to bed.
* Don’t take over-the-counter sleep aids and avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol close to bedtime, as these can disrupt sleep. Instead, try drinking warms teas or milk to increase your body temperature, which helps induce and sustain sleep.
* Exercise is good for sleep, but not within two hours of going to sleep.

As for the last tip, exercise, it seems not a problem for Rosies. After planning and dreaming for months in the darkness of winter, Rosies are ready to spring into action. How will you use the extra daylight?

More daylight means more chances to enjoy beautiful sunsets. photo from xasauantoday.com