This year I...

Said goodbye to my apartment and moved in with my boyfriend.  I have my very own craft room!

Opened an Etsy shop (Oh Rocky) selling buttons and more featuring my pop culture inspired illustrations...

Brought home an Albino Ball Python and named her Popcorn...

Started a nature photography blog...

I also bought a new lens for my camera, took tons of nature photos, climbed trees, saw tons of new movies, read all of the Game of Thrones books and started a new favorite series...Outlander!  I feel like 2015 is going to be a lot more eventful than 2014.  I'm so ready :)

Mousy Cuteness

I recently saw this cute little mouse at Petco and wanted to take her home so badly after watching her do this!  I need to figure out a place to set up a little mouse home in my craft room...I'm thinking there may be pet mice in my near future...so stinkin' cute!!!

30 Before 30

Long time-no post!  Holy crap I've been terrible about blogging for the past few months!  I've been too excited about posting photos to my nature photography blog, packaging orders from my Etsy shop, and getting ready for Christmas.  Since my 29th birthday was last Tuesday, I decided to create and share a 30 before 30 list!  I can't believe I'll be 30 next year...I suppose I missed my invite to Neverland.  I'm so excited about 2015 though, and I think it's going to be a fantastic year for me.  On to the list!  My 30 before 30 list:

1. Lose 50 pounds
2. Get a new tattoo
3. Replace my car
4. See a bat colony
5. Stop eating fast food
6. Run a 5k
7. Be confident in a bikini
8. Take super-macro insect photos
9. Buy a Nikon 105mm f2.8 macro lens
10. Buy a Nikon SB-700 flash
11. Buy a set of auto-focus extension tubes
12. Make my grandma's blackberry cobbler
13. Collect creepy things
14. Makeover my hair
15. List 100 items in my OhRocky Etsy shop
16. Have a pet box turtle
17. Go on a cruise
18. Do a pullup
19. Open and Etsy shop for my nature photography
20. Visit Enchanted Rock
21. Visit Dinosaur Valley State Park
22. Take a stunning photo of the night sky
23. Go snorkeling
24. Kayak the Medina River
25. Hike to Gorman Falls
26. Camp at Lake Travis
27. Rent a telephoto zoom lens
28. See one of my nature photos in print
29. Create a photography e-course
30. Buy a kayak

I used to be a member of 43things.com and loved creating and updating goals lists.  After the closing of 43things I needed a new place to create and brows lists and found my50.com  You're welcome to follow my progress on these goals HERE!  Let me know if you have a similar list!  I'd love to check it out!  

Hike & Seek: A Nature Photography Blog

I've been a bit absent this month, and the past week and a half has been primarily due to the fact that I've been designing and planning a new side photography blog: Hike and Seek.

One of my November Goals is to go hiking every Sunday; and since starting that up again, I've inspired myself to document my finds and my nature photography!  I'm so excited about this and can't believe I didn't think of it sooner.  One of the features I'm stoked about is a monthly scavenger hunt where I'll invite readers to participate and submit their findings in a Flickr group!  Ahhhhh!  It's going to be amazing!!!

Here's a screenshot as well as a couple of photos from my first two posts:

I'm still working on getting my sidebar, about page, and everything else set up, but I'm too excited to keep it to myself right now.  If you love nature photography, I'd love for you to check it out:

CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT!

Life Lately

Well, I've been doing a terrible job of  keeping up with most of my November Goals so far, but I'm still here!  I've been working on getting a side photography project started that I'm really excited to share, but I'll wait a couple more days before telling you all about it.  In the meantime, here's a bit of what I've been up to:

Packaging and shipping orders:

Checking out this cute little guy while shopping in Petco:

Wearing cat makeup to work for Halloween (wow this is late!)

Getting my Jon Snow fix by adding this figurine to my movie shelf:

Taking cute pictures of my sweetie boy Brando:

Seeing great new movies like Nightcrawler and Interstellar:

Handling this pretty girl:

What have you been up to lately?

Goals // November 2014

1) I started Outlander by Diana Gabaldon in early October (I think), and have been reading it sooooo slow despite the fact that I love it.  For some reason, I've just not been in the reading mood lately.  I'm ready to jump back in though.  I'm just past the point where the finale of the show left off, and I can't wait to read what happens next.  After I finish Outlander I'm going to jump into the next book in the series: Dragonfly in Amber.

2) Due to a family health emergency in October, I fell way short on my illustration plans for my Etsy shop, and now that everything is starting to fall back into place I'm excited to get back into the swing of things.  If you have any suggestions on movie or TV characters you'd like to see let me know!

3) Matthew and I used to go hiking every single Sunday.  It was the one thing I knew I could look forward to consistently every week.  For whatever reason we stopped going, but starting tomorrow we're back on it again.  I'm so excited!  Get ready to be bombarded by nature photos again :)

4) Just like my reading habits, my blog posts have been nearly non-existent.  I have a calendar full of planned posts that I just need to block out some time for.

5) Matthew and I are making a healthy lifestyle change together and I can't tell you how excited I am about it.  Back in February (ouch!!!) I posted about my weight loss plan and not only did I not commit to it, I gained 10 more pounds!  Despite my solid planning and good intentions, I just gave up on it.  Now that Matthew is committed to making a lifestyle change as well, it's going to be a lot easier to stick to.  It's so difficult to stay with something like this if you're doing it alone.  Now we can exercise together and make dinner together more often which will be fun :)  I've got a running schedule set up as well as a daily workout plan that I'll share sometime soon.  My weight loss goal for November is to lose 7-8 pounds.

What are your goals for November?

Life Lately

 I've moved Popcorn out of her initial setup and into a little terrarium under one of my movie shelves!  She's become much more active and has been eating really well.  I love having one of my favorite Quyen Dinh prints sitting behind the terrarium.  If you haven't noticed...I really love pastels :)

 After launching my Etsy shop last Saturday, I've been having so much fun packaging orders and sending them out!  In addition to making my first sales, I added a new Star Trek design and decided to offer custom and bulk ordering options!

 I baked up these delicious Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies and had entirely too much fun packaging them up for the bake sale we're having at work this week.  I'd be fibbing if I said I didn't want to just eat them all myself with a giant glass of ice cold milk right after they came out of the oven.  I was a self control ninja though, and only had a couple ;)

Loving these two cats.  Of the four that we have, Wesley and Sprinkles get along the best.  It was so cute finding them like this on our dog Brandi's bed.  They've officially taken it over and Brandi almost never uses it.

What have you been up to lately?

Movie Recommendation // Snowpiercer

It's been quite a while since I did a movie recommendation post, but I've been meaning to share quite a few with you all!  Today's recommendation is for a really great film titled Snowpiercer.  I will admit that before I watched it, I knew absolutely nothing about it other than the fact that I hoped it would be better than the name.  For some reason, the title was really silly sounding to me.  Boy am I glad I didn't judge the movie by the title.  It's excellent!

Plot Summary from IMDB:

Set in a future where a failed climate-change experiment kills all life on the planet except for a lucky few who boarded the Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the globe, where a class system emerges.

Alright so first things first: the cast.  The cast for this is FANTASTIC!!  Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, Tilda Swinton, John Hurt, and Ed Harris?!  Jeeez!  I totally did not recognize Chris Evans in the very beginning, but let me tell you...black bearded and dirty is a really good look for him (I know what you're thinking...what ISN'T a good look for him right?  Seriously though.)  Tilda Swinton always blows me away, but her performance as a dorky evil bitch villain is simply amazing.  You'll love hating her-I promise.

   

Also...this sweet bubbly school teacher is fucking nuts.  Sorry, I know this photo seems out of place, but I couldn't do this recommendation without an image of her. 

So aside from the cast, what did I love so much about Snowpiercer?  The colors, cinematography, and plot.  I'm gonna repeat myself and say that not only was I skeptical that this film was going be any good after reading the title, but after reading the synopsis...I was almost sure that it was too outrageous to pull off.  You've basically got an apocalyptic dystopian society on a never ending train ride from hell where the leader has taken it upon him/herself to separate it's passengers into a caste system and things get BAD.  Really really bad. 

This is Chris Evan's after finding out that you haven't seen this film....so go watch it!! :)

  

Already seen Snowpiercer?  I'd love to know your thoughts on it!!!

Oh Rocky Shop Launch!

My Etsy shop is officially open for business you guys!!!


I was so nervous to hit that button and publish my shop, but it's super exciting to finally see all of my designs together in one place.  I'll be working on adding new designs regularly, and introducing additional products (prints, jewelry, etc.) over time.  Let me know if there are any characters or designs you'd like to see in the future!

Life Lately

make animated gifs like this at MakeAGif

I can't stop playing this song!!!

I've been working on creating new designs in preparation for the shop launch!  Here are a few of the newest designs!

Pennywise and Dexter!  

 Matthew and I went to see Tusk on Monday, and oh my gosh...dude...this movie is so fucking funny!!!  It's definitely super creepy, but I wasn't expecting it to be so funny!  I can't wait to buy it on Blu-ray when it's released!  I couldn't help myself, and did an illustration with one of my favorite quotes from the movie.  

What have you been up to lately?

NARBC 2014 // Popcorn

Alright, so yesterday was one of those super-fantastic days that had it rained would have been perfect.

• I got to sleep in.
• I had a Peanut Butter smoothie (aka Nectar of the Gods...seriously) from Smoothie King for Breakfast.  I've never tried anything else from Smoothie King because I just can't pass this one up when I go in there.
• Matthew and I went to the NARBC show (North American Reptile Breeder's Conference).  The NARBC is the "big show" in Texas that comes around twice a year on a Saturday and Sunday in Arlington.  There's a smaller one ( that comes around every couple of months that we're going to this coming Saturday (October 4th).  I debated and debated on taking my DSLR to the NARBC show, but knowing that it was going to be packed and that I was looking to get something, I decided that I'd take it to the smaller show in October instead.  As you can see from the photo above, I came home with the prettiest little Albino Ball Python!  Her name is Popcorn and I. Am. In. Love!!!  
  
• We had lunch at Hooter's and I had their Buffalo Chicken Sandwich.  That thing is amazing.  Seriously, I would kill for that thing.
• I came home and set Popcorn up in her new home, and gloated over how pretty she is.  
• I took a much needed nap.  It's amazing how lots of excitement will wear you out and make you sleepy.  I never take naps, but I was pooped.
• I woke up in time to catch the mid-season finale of Outlander.  It's quickly become one of my new favorites, and I ordered the hardback of book one after the episode.  I have a feeling that I'm going to tear through those books and finish the entire series in no time!

Have you ever been to a Reptile Expo?

P.S. If you're interested in going to a Reptile Expo, but don't know when or where they're held, you can check HERE!

Shop Update: New Illustrations!!!

I have been working my bum off on so many cute designs over the past 10 days, and I am so proud of how much I've accomplished in such a short amount of time!  I'm getting closer and closer to my shop launch which is October 11th in case you missed my last Shop Update post!

Here's a sneak peak at all of my illustrations so far:

I've been turning them all into magnets, and I love seeing the collection as it grows on my fridge :)  I'm super excited that I've finally discovered a medium and a style that I love to work with: Watercolors!!!  Not only have I been testing them all out on magnets, but I've uploaded all of my designs to my Society6 Shop which you may have seen on my sidebar :)  Some of my favorite items from there so far include:

Which design is your favorite!?  I'd love to get some feedback and welcome any suggestions on characters or quotes you'd like to see!  I'll keep you guys updated on the process of preparing for my shop launch, and I hope you're having a great week!

Galaxy Nails

A couple of weeks ago I tried doing Galaxy Nails for the first time, and aside from a couple of blunders I feel like they turned out pretty good!



You can find the tutorial that I used to create these over at Aubrey's blog!

Nature Photos: Here & There

A few nature photos taken here and there with my iPhone.  Enjoy!



The caterpillar a couple of photos up was dangling from the temperature gauge and over the course of an hour or so he had set himself up in a cocoon!  I didn't have the patience to sit and watch from start to finish, but it was neat going out there every now and then to check the progress.  So neat!

Man Crush Monday // Chris Pratt

Okay, so Chris Pratt is quite possibly the most adorable dude on the planet right now.  I mean seriously, I'm not sure I could find anyone more suitable to start off this Man Crush Monday feature than this guy.

If you've never seen Parks and Rec, which is what I first saw him in, here's one of my favorite clips of him as Andy Dwyer:

And if you haven't seen Guardians of the Galaxy yet, I think you should see it as soon as f*cking possible :)  Aside from Chris Pratt, this film has a crazy string of totally awesome lines.  From Jackson Pollock references to "Pelvic Sorcery" to "Don't ever call me a thesaurus"...this movie really does have fantastic quotes. 

On a recent trip to Target, Matthew was kind enough to snag this bad-ass Star-Lord doll for me and I love that it repeats sooooo many lines from the movie.


I would totally be lying if I said these photos didn't make me more excited to see Jurassic World than the dinosaurs...and I LOVE dinosaurs!

 I mean come on!  Holy Jeeez right?!

P.S. He and Anna Faris have got to be one of the hottest/most fun couples ever right?

Shop Progress: Getting Closer

I'm so excited you guys!  I'm launching my shop in October!  I've been working on new designs and illustrations lately and have finally found my niche!  Over the past year or so, I've gone through all of these internal battles with myself over opening my Etsy shop.  I seem to always have some sort of excuse for delaying the launch.  Sometimes I feel like what I'm creating isn't original or artsy enough and other times I tell myself that I don't have a wide enough range of products or not enough products at all.

I'm going to just throw all of those excuses to the side though, say fuck it, and just do it.  I'm setting my launch date to October 11th because it's the first Saturday in October that I'll be off work, and I know I won't be able to concentrate at work if I'm constantly wondering how my launch is going.  I'm not going to obsess anymore over how many designs I open with or anything else like that.  Whatever I have ready by October 11th is what I'll open with.  I'll always be adding new items so that's fine :)

I recently purchased a set of Concentrated Watercolors and everything else I needed to start watercolor painting, and I have fallen head over heels in love with it!!!  I've decided that all of my products will originate from my tattoo style watercolor paintings of Pop Culture favorites, quotes, and trends.

"Pretty Bird" was my very first Watercolor Painting and I love the way it turned out.  In case you didn't catch it, it's from Dumb & Dumber :)  The "Forever and Ever" one is my favorite!  The Shining is at the top of the list of my favorite Horror films, and since I'm launching in October, I thought it would be perfect to start a series of Horror genre illustrations!  

Here's a look at what they look like as Magnets or Buttons:

So what do you guys think?  If you have any requests for designs you'd like to see just let me know and I'll see what I can do!

Life Lately

I've been doing a bit of work to my room and so far I've gotten 2 walls painted, my desk moved to the corner I want it in, and the first of my movie shelves put up!  It's impossible to tell what color I've chosen for my walls in these photos, after editing them for Instagram, but they're a really pretty eggshell blue.  I'll post real photos once everything is complete!

I'm going to have to start digging out all of my movie related toys and such to help decorate the edges of these shelves!  I love my vintage little ET toy :)  I had no idea how many movies I'd be able to set up on these shelves, but once I got these up it kinda put it into perspective for me.  I've got them all stored in about 6 crates and this was only one and a half crates worth!  Once I paint one of the empty walls I'm going to line the center with these shelves, but double the length.  I can't wait to get everything put up!  I've finally gotten my record player out and can't wait to paint this little table I've got it on.  I'm not sure what color I'm going to go with yet, but it's starting to feel like me.  This Wildewoman record by Lucius has become one of my favorites.  If you haven't heard them before, give them a listen!

If I had known a year ago that Monty Python would be doing a live performance in London, I would have seriously saved all the money I could to buy tickets and fly out there to see the show.  Watching it live from a local theater was the next best thing though, and it was such a great show!  It was sad knowing it was their last performance as a group...like saying goodbye, but I'm so happy I was able to be part of the experience!

What have you been up to lately?

Big Tree at Goose Island State Park

Is this not the most amazing Oak Tree you've ever seen?  I couldn't fit the entire tree in the shot with the lens I was using so this photo really does it no justice at all, you HAVE to see this tree in person.  Just a few quick stats to put in into perspective:

• It's thought to be one of the largest in the nation.
• The trunk circumference measures 34 feet & 1.75 inches!
• The average trunk diameter is 11 feet & 2.25 inches!
• It's 44 feet tall
• It's over 1,000 years old!  

You can learn more about Big Tree by clicking HERE!

There are a few large Oak Trees nearby as well that have incredible root systems:

While checking the trees out, Matthew spotted this Texas Spiny Lizard, and I probably spent about 30 full minutes taking a gazillion photos hahaha!  Here's my favorite:

And this is where is gets it's name:

I hadn't climbed a tree in a few years and there are "no climbing" signs posted and a fence placed around Big Tree, so I climbed one of the other ones instead.  I am now convinced that this should be a regular occurrence.  I miss climbing trees!!!  That was like...my thing when I was a kid!  Oh, and I had my first pedicure in over 8 years!  I've totally been missing out.

When is the last time you went tree climbing?