I met Rocio in college, and she’s always been a fireball! So when I recently ran into her at The Heritage Museum,downtown Dallas, I wasn’t surprised to hear that she was still a fireball and still up to too much. She’s a Fashion designer, Interior decorator, Author and Mother of four. S- Amiga, tell me how it all started.
I've been in the world of fashion and beauty since my pre-teens when I briefly modeled. In junior high, I would run to the grocery store after school to get the latest Vogue magazine. I would tear sheets and make notes of things I would change…how audacious of me! I remember my mom telling me to hurry up in the mornings as I got ready for school...it was a big event!
I would polish my shoes on the weekend, and plan out my outfits with accessories. But in the mornings, I would take time to iron pleats, collars and even my socks! I'm not sure why?...*smile* but it was just fun for me!
I recall waking up in the mornings with fashion ideas twirling in my head and sketching them on paper. I bought my first velvet-covered curling iron at a vintage yard sale when I was about 8 or 9.
I started doing beauty makeovers for friends in junior high, high school and at a department store in college as I studied art and interior design. I loved to sell clothes at retail and helped manage a wholesale jewelry store in downtown Los Angeles.
I received my degree in fashion design and merchandise marketing. I spend a lot of my time working on my business, attending and covering fashion events and parties, interviewing and researching, but I'm a normal, everyday mom.
S-I heard it was a conscious decision after you had kids to get back into these hobbies of yours, is it true?
Yes, it was a conscious decision…. There was a time when I was so busy raising babies that taking a shower felt like a vacation. I had a long to-do list filled with priorities. One day I made the decision to put "myself" back on my priority list. I had to remind myself what my hobbies were. I loved design, fabric and colors. I started designing everything...crafts, a garden, herb-filled wooden frames to sell...I even I designed our home.
S- The big question that all busy moms have is: How? How on earth do you make time to do all that you do?
Keeping a balance between family life and personal interest or a hobby is always a challenge, but it's a priority to me and I try very hard to keep it in constant check. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, but we get to choose how we spend it. It's like any budget, we plan it out first. I believe in making time for self.
Do what makes you feel alive and passionate about life! I'm a writer, a designer, and a business owner, but most importantly I'm a mother. When I spend time with my family I feel fulfilled.
In a business, it's so easy to go overboard because you can always grow your business a little more or network a little more...I have to keep checking myself. In my book, Polka Dot Moms, I go over some basic checks to keep a healthy balance; these are steps I've gathered as I've learned from other moms, leaders and past experience. I used to think I had to be all or nothing...either a great mom with no other life, or completely focused but a terrible mom. Not true! I now know that you can be a great mom and still do the things you enjoy! It really is a balancing act, an act that changes from time to time as we change.
I love what I do, but nothing is better to me than being a mom.
S- Tell us more about your e-magazine and your book.
My new magazine, Happy Vintage Mom was inspired by my book, Polka Dot Moms, as well as my passion for vintage living and vintage fashions. It just launched about a week ago. It's a periodical with new issues each season. However, because it's an online periodical, the articles are published and presented in between issues too.
Circulation is similar to a paper magazine in that there is a targeted audience, but it's much larger because of the internet; obviously we can reach more women within a world presence, but we still have to market ourselves or no one will know we exist.
http://www.happyvintagemom.com http://facebook.com/HappyVintageMom
Make sure you stop by Rocio’s facebook page and Like it, for a chance to win a copy of her book “Polk Dot Moms”.
