Scarecrows can wear Rosies, too!

Halloween is fast approaching and we have some great ideas for easy decorations at your home!  Have you been wondering what to do with your old overalls and coveralls?  You know the ones we’re talking about, those paint stained, dirt covered, lovingly worn overalls that you have since traded in for your new, clean (temporarily) ones.  We have taken our old overalls and converted them in to Scarecrows!  Using an old pillowcase, we painted our scarecrows face on to it and then used the old overalls as his clothes, stuffing them with straw.  You can use any old boots for his shoes and then set him up wherever he will serve you best!  We like placing ours on the porch where he can greet our visitors.

Here are some other “how to” ideas for fall decorations from http://www.hgtv.com/topics/halloween/index.html

1. How to make a Halloween pillow

2. How to make a table runner

3. How to make spooky lanterns

4. How to make a life-sized Halloween ghost

5. Creepy carnival tents for an outdoor Halloween theme

Why do we leave the apostrophe out of Rosies?

According to the Encyclopedia of American Economic History, “Rosie the Riveter” inspired a social movement that increased the number of working American women by 57% between 1940 and 1944, and was one of the most widely recognized icons of the 1940’s.  She embodied everything a woman could want to be: attitude, beauty, and strength.

The iconic “Rosie the Riveter” poster may have been one woman, but it was millions of women who, combined, gave Rosie the meaning it has today.  Women actually comprised 1/3 of the work force during WWII (that’s 18 million women working!)  This is the reason we call ourselves Rosies Workwear…not Rosie’s Workwear.  It’s not that our grammar is bad, we are simply paying tribute to all of the women of the past, present, and future who give “Rosie” the reverence deserved.

It’s up to all of us to continue the tradition of strong, self-reliant women.  What will you accomplish in your Rosies?

Fun Fact: Marilyn Monroe considered herself a Rosie!

Back in Style!

Working with your hands is no glamorous job, as all of you Rosies are well aware of.  With dirt under our fingernails, sweat on our faces, and hair piled up in a bun so that it’s neatly out of our way, no one mistakes us for fashionable during working hours…or do they?

That’s right ladies – the overall is back in style!  Style blogs are commenting that overalls are “vintage cool and totally chic” (I’ll take that!).  Just because we are doing tough work doesn’t mean we can’t look good at the same time, right?  This is one of the biggest reasons we love to offer our Rosies overalls in a variety of colors (our sea green, raspberry, pink, and tan – also coming soon are navy overalls and a USA made denim!).  Giving our uniforms a little splash of color is fun and a great way to stand out.

A pair of new, fashionable Citizens of Humanity overalls are selling for up to – wait for it – $298.00!  High fashion comes at a high price.  Luckily for us, we can sell our Rosies overalls at only $52.00.  Plus, our “we can do it” attitude has given us the pleasure of meeting thousands of inspiring and fascinating women.

You all are the reason that we love making these overalls, and the reason we have such a strong and supportive community of women!  Not only is the Rosies community strong, independent, and inspirational, but we are fashionable, too!  Look out, world!

What's Your Labor of Love?

We have been getting great stories from all you Rosies out there!  We love seeing the passion everyone has for hard work and getting dirty.  That’s what makes us Rosies gals because we can do it and we do it in style.  Our Labor of Love Contest is still going on until August 31, so be sure to keep sending in those stories for your chance to win some new denim coveralls.  Check out some of these great entries we have had…

“Working on clearing my land! I love cutting wood, piling it up, having a bonfire and cleaning the trash up from prior owners to make our land beautiful.” – Karen Rowden

“All kinds of gardening, so much so, that I actually started a business doing just that. I also love to ride and tend horses, which is also a very dirty love.” – Wendy Patrick

“I’m a Wildlife Damage Control Agent, and I love it! I crawl under houses to check for signs of animals like raccoons and opossums, the occasional snake, or to retrieve dead animals (ew!). I crawl through insulation in tight attics looking for squirrel nests and bats. I do a lot of crawling! I also inspect roofs and chimneys, soffeting, and I like looking for wildlife damage and repairing it. Because humans keep expanding into wildlife territory, the two continue to clash. That’s where I come in! It’s about getting animals out and keeping them from coming back in the most humane ways possible. That way everyone wins. The animals get back in their natural habitats and people don’t have to live with critters in their houses anymore! It doesn’t pay great, but this work really is a labor of love for me.” – Kristen Strickland

“My husband is a farmer and his father has been his best friend his entire life. He (my husband) never had a male friend except for his father until I came along. Jerry worked on the farm with his father since he was six years old. His ‘pa’ died January 3rd of this year after being ill for several years and not being able to help on the farm any longer. My poor husband has been like a lost puppy dog without his ‘pa’ and the crops have been late.  It is just very hard to get used to farming alone, which has been a tandem effort for a lifetime. I am from the city (Jerry has always called me his city slicker) and decided last year to try to help him run the combine and the tractor so we don’t loose what he loves to do. So now I am a farmer, not by choice, but for sure by ‘labor of love’. I love my husband and would do anything to help him.” –  Melodie Koukilk

“After moving around for the military for the first 4.5 years of our marriage, we were finally able to settle down on 4.12 acres in beautiful Missouri. Shortly after arriving came the chickens! Next came the garden… and lastly the cow. We have given our little patch of heaven the name ‘Charity Farm’ and our goal, once we get more established and learn more (we are both newbies at the farming thing), is to be able to provide fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs and some milk free of charge to a family in need in the area. We will use the farm to teach our girls (who we plan on homeschooling) about being self sustainable.” – Jacki McGinnity

“My labor of love is my almost three acre lot where I reside in a formerly rural area, which has now developed subdivisions. (Sigh) I keep on, keeping on by tending to my gardens and yard the old fashioned ways—by using organic methods with a homesteading philosophy to keep me going. It is a life sustaining act for me, and a great counter-balance to my 8-5, 40 hour a week job. Nothing reaffirms life and nature so much as harvesting your own vegetables or fruit, and my favorite apparel to wear to do so are bib overalls. I would love the opportunity to try out Rosie’s bibs. And denim would be perfect for my gardening and homesteading life of choice! Thank you!”  -Clare M.

“I just bought my first home last year and the yard had nothing in it. I have been busy designing and digging flower beds out, planting, laying mulch and also working in the garage, which up to just last week has had electrical power restored. This is my labor of love, making a home for my family.” -Adrianne Calhoun

“My home. My husband and I did every bit of the labor we could. Wiring, drywall and painting. It’s an always evolving process so we are always working on it.” -Melinda Grubb

“I have an organic herb garden in the backyard and an organic vegetable garden in the front yard. The herbs are not only used to season my food, but for medicinal purposes as well (I’m a shamanic healer). Right now the basil, chamomile and holy basil are in full bloom. The privilege of smelling that delicious clove-like scent from the basils and seeing the tiny chamomile flowers and all the bees happily collecting nectar is utter bliss for me – proving that all those hours of hard labor, broken fingernails, dirt scattered on me and tracked into the house, shooing away my dogs from eating the herbs as young shoots, constant weed patrol, and pulling the weeds by hand, is paying off big time and is truly a labor of love!”  - Kerry Murphy

“I garden in my Rosies! I love gardening and have turned what was a desolate oasis (my honey’s yard) into a yard this summer and my Rosies have been wonderful for doing all the work….in addition to gardening, we have three horses and I wear my Rosies while tending to our big babies and often for riding as well. Lots of room and comfort on horseback in my Rosies! So happy to have found, ordered and be working in my overalls!” – Joy York

“My husband and I bought ten acres of old cattle grazing/feed cornfield farmland with the dream of starting an organic farm. Truly an enormous labor of love, as we are starting from nothing (basically, a cleared field) and building from the ground up. Whether it’s kneeling in the mud & yanking out weeds, peering into leaves and hand squashing bugs, digging holes for new trees, starting seeds, beautifying the grounds with flowers, or chasing after our flock of guinea fowl as they wander the neighboring acres, there’s always something to do around here. Combine that with two kids, a puppy and two cats, and I could probably live in Rosies 24/7.” – Sara Bozzelli

Don’t forget to enter your Labor of Love by going to the Labor of Love tab on our Facebook page.  Be sure to enter before August 31 for your chance to win a pair of our classic denim coveralls.  Keep on working hard!

Enter Our Labor of Love Contest

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 5th.