Thrift Store Treasures

While I am putting the house together, I have been drawn to thrift stores a few times in the last couple weeks. Now we are in the house and living in it, it is so much easier for me to picture what I want for the house. I can't help but hear this small voice inside of my head saying..."Hey, you might find XXXX or the XXXX you have been looking for is at the thrift store."...

I certainly don't want to fill up our house with lots of stuff, but hey, if I can find something I have been looking for, for the fraction of the cost compared to the regular retailers, why not?

Do you wanna see what I found???

IKEA furniture. It is very sturdy and in mint condition. At first I didn't know what this was, so I went online and looked it up. It is actually a TV stand. Guess where I put it. In our coat closet by the garage. I was planning to buy a shoe organizer, and this actually fits perfectly... It only cost me $6!

Beautiful milky vases. There are many things we want to do around the house and some of the projects are very costly. So I don't want to spend a lot of money for decorations. I love some unique and inexpensive pieces I can find at thrift stores! What about $1 each for these beauties.

Is this a vase? Nope, this is a...

Before I begin this post...if you haven't had chance to read my Capri Sun review you might want to check it out. I shared one of my childhood memories. :)

---

Glass Lamp Shade. See how it's open both sides?

I love the color and the design on it. So pretty...

Glass lamps are hot right now, but I wanted something a bit different. I found this one with etching on the glass for $6. It is pretty big and I love the vintage feel this has. With the right shade, I know it will make a great addition to a room. The lamp had the original sticker on which said "Alsy". Hmm...does anybody know anything about this lamp? I am very curious.

I have been interested in screen printing and such for a while. when I found a practically brand new condition of Lotta Prints book I couldn't pass it up! $3 verses $15.35 + shipping on Amazon (it is originally 19.95), that is a big discount.

I don't hunt animals on hunting season but I love hunting for decorative items and furniture and it last all year long. Next time when you are passing by a thrift store, maybe you might want to give it a try and see what I am talking about. :)

First Painted Wall

Before I begin this post...if you haven't had chance to read my Capri Sun review you might want to check it out. I shared one of my childhood memories. :)

********************************************************************************************************

You might be wondering what I have been up to...

There are still a bunch of boxes to empty out, though, I have been enjoying some interior decorating. I didn't have a grand plan nor the budget, but there were a few things I had in mind.

When I decorated our house I wanted all of my family too feel...

* A peaceful and relaxing atmosphere
* That they belonged
* Cheerful and happy

My personal decorating goals are...

* Incorporate kids' arts and family photos
* Decorate beautifully (without making my family feels like they can't really live in it)
* Mix some new pieces with vintage items and create a unique and personal style

Above all... to have fun!

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I am a budget conscious thrifty girl. I research the best price before I buy anything and I love to make things if I can. I will share some of my finds in a different post, but today, I am going to share some of the photos of what I have been doing.

I wanted to try beadboard wallpaper for a while and I decided to do that on the kitchen island. I am trying to decide which color to choose... I am leaning more towards the blue.

I painted a few walls and things since we moved in. Here is the taped wall by the stairs in living room. Oh, by the way I love painting the wall, buy I hate the prep work! I almost wanted to do it without the tape... Anyone have any advice?

Then, here is the painted wall...

I was so giddy when I pulled my family photos out of the boxes and decorate the wall. I hung one, two and three... and kept going. I know I have more pictures somewhere, but I feel like at least this wall is "ours".

So, here is the painted and decorated wall...

The kids are usually couldn't care less about how I decorate the house, but when they woke up and saw the wall the next morning, they loved it! I feel like I met one of my decorating goals. :)

Review - Capri Sun

 

As a wife and mom of three children, decisions about what kinds of food to purchase at the grocery store are pretty important. I am not a health food expert or anything, but I try my best to prepare healthy, balanced meals with lots of fruits and veggies for my family every day. Also, I think it is very important for the children not to fill up their growing bodies with lots of junk food. Does my family eat perfectly all the time? The answer is NO. I hate to admit it, but we love sweets and junk food too. So, trying to make a conscious effort to make better choices for our bodies goes a long way, don’t you think? Growing up, my mother cooked very nice healthy meals for us every day, and we didn’t snack all the time. Dessert to us often consisted of very sweet peaches, well ripened cantaloupe, and juicy apples--those sorts of things. Occasionally, we had sweets and soda pop, and because it didn’t happen often, we enjoyed it so very much.

During the summer, my mom would buy Capri Suns and freeze them to use as ice bags. She packed them in the cooler with the special Japanese style lunch (Bento) she prepared. Then she would take us to the nearby beach or park. By the time we ate lunch, the frozen Capri Suns had melted just right (still had some small chunks of ice) while they were cooling the food and keeping it fresh. My sister and I were so excited and couldn’t wait to have a drink. The excitement, the cold delicious juice going down my throat, and of course being outdoors and doing something fun brought happy feelings. People say, “We do not remember days, but we remember moments”, and I think it is so true. I still remember those times as part of my good happy childhood memories.

Now that I am a mom, I have been doing the same for my children. I buy juice packs or boxes and freeze them to use as ice packs and put them in the cooler for family picnics. Sometimes I would pack them in the kids’ lunches for school as well. I grew up as a Capri Sun kid (if there is such a term) and, several months ago, when I found the Capri Sun 100% juice at a grocery store, I was super excited!! Capri Sun 100% fruit juice has 1.5 servings of fruit* in every pouch with no added sugar and my kids love the flavors they offer. Now that school is in session I will be packing a Capri Sun 100% juice into their lunches.

 

*Each pouch provides ¾ cup fruit juice, which is 1 ½ servings of fruit according to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines.  As part of a well-balanced diet, eat a variety of fruit every day and be sure to make most of your whole fruits

Just Checking In...

A week from today, we finally got the key to the new house, and on Thursday the moving truck came to drop everything off. Oh, Boy.

I knew we had tons of stuff, but it seems like unpacking is taking forever. We are still living out of boxes, and our computer is not hooked up at our house yet. I am visiting my in-laws right now, and doing a quick "hello" post.

I know I should just focus on unpacking, but I couldn't help it. I am painting a few areas of the house as well. When things calm down, I can't wait to share the before and after pictures.

Love you all and see you soon. :)

Sachiko

Happenings and Pictures from our mini family getaway

I can't believe my kids are starting school tomorrow. Their backpacks are all packed with new school supplies, we attended back-to-school night a couple nights ago and we had Rachel's birthday party yesterday. Then... also on Monday, Mr. TRH and I are going to close and claim the house as ours! I am not so excited about juggling the new school year and moving at the same time, but we are all so excited about the new chapter of our lives.

I don't think I am going to share the picture of our new house on my blog, because I am kind of funny that way. It is outside of my comfort zone I guess and I really hope that you, kind readers of Tea Rose Home will understand that. Though, as I am going to decorate my house, I will share the picture of the rooms, and I am very excited to share that process with you!

So, as you know from my last post, our family did a mini family getaway last weekend. We didn't tell our kids where we were going, but I didn't want to build up their excitement too much so I just told them that it is definitely NOT Disneyland. We just booked a hotel in downtown Salt Lake City for a couple days and wanted to have a nice family time. We were thinking something like taking them to a movie they wanted to see as a family (we watched "Despicable Me 2"), eat out at a bunch of different restaurants; play in the pool whenever they wanted. When we got to the hotel, they were so excited and loved the plan we had for the weekend. Also, when we got there we found we hit the jackpot...

I had no idea that there would be a Craft Lake City DIY Festival going on that weekend right in the back of the hotel. We spent quite a bit of time there just enjoying everything. There was music, many talented crafters and artists’ shops (which I bought a few things for our house!) and there were lots of food shops.

At the kids’ craft area, there were several activities they could do. The boys got to build a model car and Rachel created a sun visor.

At the science & technology building, we all experienced virtual reality... got to build a small robot (which was created with a 3D printer!) and they were able to touch an actual human brain! I will not post the pictures of that here on my blog though...

Our room had a nice city view (and a view of the craft lake city DIY festival, I was so tempted to go back to buy more stuff!), we all lined up by the window and admired the city lights and the moon we found between the buildings.

Oh yes, the food... I found a booth that sold amazing macaroons. I can't find her name card right now, but when I do and am able to I will blog about it. It was so good that I went back the next day to have more... thinking about it makes me drool... also I rediscovered that fresh squeezed lemonade is so good in the hot sun. We as a family tried African food for the first time and it was SO good!

The brunch we had at The Park Cafe was heavenly... We rolled out there all happy and full.

Our mini family getaway was relaxing but at the same time full of adventure. We did go see a movie, played board games in the room, played at the pool as we planned but also the unexpected discovery made our time in the city so much more enjoyable. And you know, we didn't need to go far, it was all under our noses. :)

Soaking Up the Summer 2

In a little over a week, we will finally move into our new house and at the same time the kids will be starting school! To reduce some of the craziness, I finished all the back to school shopping early. Running around with the kids, and spending lots and lots of time with them leaves very little time to sew and craft, but I have been making some jewelry that I will share with you soon! Making jewelry takes less space than sewing, I guess that is why I do that a lot nowadays.

Speaking of school... My oldest is entering a new phase in his life, it's called "Junior high". I am a bit anxious for him because that was the most difficult time for me looking back. Though at the same time, I feel like he is going to be OK. He is a very funny, kind, down to earth type of boy and makes friends easily.

He has been gone all last week to attend "Timberline" (it is a leadership training course for boy scouts). On Saturday, we all went to pick him up and attend the closing ceremony.

He was a bit dirty, but had a huge smile and was mingling with others. Every milestone like this, I feel like he is growing up way too fast. In my mind's eyes I can still see him as a 1 hour old infant in my arms. I have to admit, it pulls my heart string like no other!

You are so amazing Christopher, I am proud of you!

We are going to have a small family getaway this weekend, and the kids have no idea where we are headed. Hehehehe...

I hope you all are having fun this summer.

Happy creating memories!

Sachiko

E-book * Five and Ten Designs*

My friend Jessica from Sewing Rabbit and her talented friends created the sweetest e-book called "Five and Ten Designs".

I am so excited to share this information with you today! I looked through the whole book and it is filled with adorable clothing patterns. Are you looking for cute dress patterns? Looking for inspirations? Look no further, because it is available in her shop, please head over to check it out.

Happy sewing everyone!