How Signature Rose Was Named

Signature Rose received it’s name through a combination of varied events. I always knew I wanted to do a signature studio. I started developing plans for one in my down time, never knowing when would be the “right” time. 

I remember visiting my grandma Delarosa at the nursing home in my hometown of Fostoria, Ohio. She has always been a support system, fun loving and a smiling gramma who could throw down in the kitchen. Tortillas, salsa, migas, tacos you name it! It was all homemade authentic mexican cooking! She loved us with her smiles, hugs and food. She had always been creative or crafty. Crocheting blankets and doilies was her specialty and I still have several.  I talk to her or text her often, and I think of her daily. I am thankful for the time we spend together. A couple years back I learned she was into gel pens, and gel coloring books. So I purchased her some more and sent her large envelopes to mail her artwork to me! She loved sharing her art. I loved it too. 

Several years later she’s still enjoying the hobby and does it often. During one of my visits in September of 2022, she asked me to give her a tattoo. I said “Gramma! I can’t be smuggling my tattoo gear up in here!” She laughed!

Her room is surrounded by photos of family members. We have such a large family, and she has found room to seemingly squeeze them all in there. I spotted her box of gel pens lying on the bed. I let her know I would love to give her a gel pen tattoo. She said “I want a rose.” Delarosa family has been united by the rose and it has been a sense of family for so many of us. De la Rosa means “of the rose” in spanish. I chose the colors of a red rose, and added a glitter gel pen to make it sparkle.  As I colored her tattoo in, we joked, and my mom who was visiting with me took a picture. This is always fun for us, just being silly together. 

I finished the last of the rose, surrounded it with the sparkle of the glitter gel and she looked at me and said. “Now, sign it. I want your signature” My gramma has called me Chumpy since I was a little tyke. She said it came from my grandpa Pete who used to love the band Queen and originally called me “his little champion”. She said she was used to calling me Champion and then Chumpy just came out and it stuck! So I carefully signed it “Chumpy”, just for her. She smiled. 

In 2023 I started feeling like it was time to implement the plan and open my new private/signature studio. After much thought and reflection, I finally decided on a name. Signature Rose just felt right. Signature Rose comes from a love of family.