Link Love No. 71!

I don't know what it is with me, but lately I have been sewing like I am possessed. I am taking it easy, but if I have any time left, I will be sewing.

I am slowly recovering from the angiogram, and I guess subconsciously I want to squeeze in as much as sewing time as possible before having another procedure.

The thing is, I am enjoying sewing so much so that I keep forgetting to take pictures of the process for my tutorials. I am sewing to sew. I will share the finished pictures later (probably after I get better from the next procedure).

Link Love No. 71 had lots of fall decorations and goodies; have you all visited them?

Ok, here are the link loves for this week.

I can't believe Christmas is only a couple months away... around this time I am always thinking about what to do for Christmas gifts for my girlfriends. I was thinking about making coin purses like this one... Originate and Renovate, used a pattern from Amy Butler's book and made such a pretty coin purse. Looking at her pictures made me wanna make this coin purse even more!


Have you ever wondered how to make rock candy? I have! Glue Sticks solved the mystery for me and shared how to make rock candy. What a fun project to do with kids! Thank you for sharing.


I am not big into Halloween decorations, but I fell in LOVE with this crow garland shared by Homework. What do I love about this garland? I love her use of colors, the circles, and the crows add a "Halloweenish" feel without being over powering.

I would love to have it on my mantle.


Another fun Halloween decoration that caught my eye was shared by Just Peachy. What? Did I mention FREE printables? Yes, isn't she so nice? She has more printables on her blog, but these are my favorites!


I AM IN LOVE! Restore Interiors shared her beautiful and unique letters with us. I hopped over to her blog, and saw many beautiful things that totally speak to me. :)


Thank you all for sharing your creations. Happy creating!

Dating Diva Guest Post

Tara from The Dating Divas will be sharing fun ideas you can do on a date with your hubby. This is such a fun post; enjoy!

I am SUPER excited to be doing a guest post for Sachiko on her creative "Tea Rose Home" blog! I think she just comes up with the most fun ideas! Her cardigan makeovers, bag embellishments, and overall creativity just STUNNED me!! :) When I first happened onto her blog by chance....I think my jaw dropped. I definitely do NOT have sewing skills....I am more of a drill, paint, cut, mod podge, & scrapbook kind-of-gal.....so I can learn a LOT from Sachiko!!

I am Tara, one of the *divas* blogging for the website, The Dating Divas.

I am married to my best friend, addicted to crafting & coming up with creative dates for my sweetie & me, AND I loooove blogging with some of my closest friends. Life is good! On The Dating Divas website, we are all about coming up with crafty ideas & creative dates that will help strengthen our relationships...and I have the PERFECT one to share with you. Sachiko thought this creative date to share with her readers....and as it was one of my FIRST to air on our website, I sure hope you are ready to gather a GROUP of friends & get CRAZY.....cuz this date is a lot of fun!!

Ah....I see that I caught your attention, huh!

The "Choose Your Own Adventure" Date

This date was inspired by the “Choose Your Own Adventure” books I used to read in Elementary School. I was a pretty outgoing kiddo….but I was also SUCH a bookworm! :) Seriously! Even now…when I pick up a book, the whole world disappears….and my husband has to say my name at least four times before he can get me to respond! :)

First the INVITE!! The wording was “fashioned” after the wording that is on the books….you can download the invite HERE or HERE. (The second one has “Love Your Amazing Woman” at the bottom.) You can insert it into a Word Document to make it any size you’d like. You can either insert the date info with text boxes OR handwrite it on after it’s printed. Just print it onto white cardstock…I mounted it on some colored paper as well….and taped it on our Master Bathroom mirror a few days prior to the date.

My husband, Jamie, LOVED it!

We invited four couples over to our house & once everyone was assembled - we {the wives} handed the guys FIVE envelopes. On the front of each envelope was a poem about a restaurant. The guys had to read the poems aloud and figure out WHICH restaurant the poem was about. They were then allowed to open the envelope of the place they all wanted to eat at…and that is where we headed.

Each girl made up a poem/riddle/clue (in advance) for a place they knew their husband would love to eat. The choices were: Cafe Rio, Fudruckers, Island’s Restaurant, Pei Wei, & Farmer Boys (…we were trying to keep it a “low-budget” night…).

After the guys figured out all of the clues…they couldn’t decide which place they wanted to go to – they liked them ALL! My husband finally put the top three choices on the ground and called our little Yorkie to come over. The envelope Jaxston (our dog) walked up to was Island’s Restaurant!

We then divided up into two groups….for the two cars that would take us there. And…of course….since this is an ADVENTUROUS date….we had to do something fun in the car on the way to our restaurant!! Each driver was handed an envelope full of “Car Tasks”. At each stoplight, we took turns pulling out a task to complete! It was HI-LA-RI-OUS!!!

I tried to take pictures of the others doing their tasks. In our car, we decided it would be more fun if we ALL did each task…here are some pictures of the differents ones we had to do (you may need to click on the pictures to make them bigger…):

We received a lot of fun AND funny reactions from people in other cars. Some people in one car even started dancing along with us!!

After our eventful car ride to the restaurant…we arrived, were seated, and we ordered our SUPER yummy food. I then introduced the “Restaurant Tasks” envelope. Each person had to choose at least one task out of the envelope and complete it sometime during our meal.

It was SUCH a hit that the group decided to try two tasks each. I didn’t get any of the pictures of the tasks because most of them were verbal….but I CAN say that we were laughing a ton! Here are a few of them:

• When the waitress comes to the table say, “This food is SCRUM-DIDDILY-UMPTIOUS!!!!!” (If there is no waitress – say it to anyone that walks by.)



• When the waitress asks “How is everything?” loudly proclaim, “I’m having the BEST night of my life!!!” (Try to say that phrase at least 2 more times before dinner ends.)



• Mention MC Hammer in three sentences throughout the dinner.



• Tell about your first date with your spouse.



• Make Star Trek door noises whenever someone passes the table. (Our friend, Nathan – did a GREAT job with this one!)

I have to tell you a little bit about ONE of my tasks! The task was:

Go over to another table, ask them how their food is and if they are enjoying their dinner. Perhaps you can offer to take their plates/trays if they are finished.

I chose a table consisting of two parents and a child. It looked like they were just finishing up….PERFECT! My group was all done, and I was hoping that I could quickly complete my task and then we could all walk…er… sneak out.

I walked up to their table and asked how their meal was. They looked at me, a little puzzled…(probably because I wasn’t wearing the standard uniform…)…and told me that they really enjoyed their meal. I then asked if they needed anything before they left. They replied that they were just fine, but thanks!

I turned around to see our group trying to stiffle laughter and we all quickly walked out. THEN – as we were standing in front of the restaurant, talking before heading to the two cars, that FAMILY walked out!! My husband spotted them and loudly proclaimed, “Hey! There’s the family whose table you went up to!!” Totally his personality to do something like that!

They came over and we chatted with them for a minute – I told them that they were part of a game we were playing and I thanked them for being such good sports. They thought it was pretty funny as well. They told me that they were a little confused because they hadn’t seen me all night! :) Overall, the ”Restaurant Tasks” were a blast and it kinda reminded me of the game, “Curses”. (If you have never played that game – I totally recommend it!)

Before leaving the restaurant – the guys were given FIVE more envelopes with clues/riddles on the outside pertaining to different activities we could do. Their choices were: Laser Tag, Miniature Golf, Rock Band, Game Night, or watching the dueling pianists at the Paris Casino down town. You can see which choice was the popular one….

We headed back to our place and had a blast playing Rock Band.

Right before the date ended, I was able to snap a photo of the guys with their “Choose Your Own Adventure” choices….

(Nathan, Dustin, Jamie, & Ezra)

You can download the ENTIRE “Choose Your Own Adventure” Date zipped file HERE! I included blank cards for you to write your own clues/riddles OR if you have the same restaurants and activities in your town, you can use the ones we made up.

So what is OUR website all about? I told you a little above....but in case you were curious....our website is what happens when a BUNCH of super crafty friends get together & come up with solutions for strengthening their marriages.

We blog about amazing & creative date ideas, fun gift ideas for our spouses, quick & easy romance ideas, CRAFTY tutorials, and MUCH, much more!! ANYTHING that would help enhance our already ROCKIN’ marriages!! We even decided to share tips on how to look good for our man AND ideas on how to keep things HOT in a certain room…..

…but you are gonna have to visit our blog for THAT!

Stop on by The Dating Divas to get more ROMANCE tips so you can keep dating that amazing spouse of yours! We love spreading the word about our blog….and we hope it will strengthen YOUR relationship as much as it has ours!!

Thanks again for letting me hang out with the "Funky Time" crew today!

Thank you so much Tara for the great idea! This sounds like something my husband and I would enjoy. It was such a pleasure to have you.

Link Party No. 71 / Guest Post: Arcadian Home Decor

Before we start the link party, allow me to introduce you to Jenn from Arcadian Home Decor. I think their style fits in well with my style. I love the beautiful pictures, especially the... Oh I couldn't decide, I love 'em all! Enjoy!

I write daily for an e-commerce website that specializes in top home decor ideas from around the world called Arcadian Home Decor. It allows me to flaunt my inner designer by writing about a myriad of home decor topics and I love being a part of their team. Every day I spend hours poring over great interior design sites, and one that has always stood out is Tea Rose Home, where Sachiko never ceases to amaze me with her beautiful posts. Thanks for letting me write here today Sachiko!

Sometimes a little pattern can go a long way, and such is the case with ruffles. Subtle and graceful, ruffled lights like lamps and hanging fixtures are refined choices of home accessories and are attractive in almost any room. These are eight beautiful ruffled lights we adore.

Polka-dot pretty

Madeleine LIFE + STYLE via

The colourful circles on this ceiling light created a delicate ruffled effect that breaks up the spaciousness of the high ceilings. The sweeping curtains are also very beautiful.

Natural tones

live a little wilder via

The beige ruffles of this table lamp match the wicker table decorations of this entryway, creating a distinctly Bohemian chic look.

Pitter-pat of ruffles

dear lillie via

Ruffles work perfectly in a nursery because of their soft texture - here, a ruffled lampshade is mimicked in framed baby clothing wall art, a unique way to showcase ruffles.

Old-fashioned elegance

Maison Decor via

The ruffled light fixture shown here looks antiqued when paired with a vintage end table and reupholstered wingback chairs.

A perfect pair

House Of Chic And Penoche via

Ruffles look pretty in a singular fashion but are even more striking in twos - here, ruffled lamps act as bookends to this bird-inspired bed, while the drape-like canopy matches the dainty material of the shades.

Grace from above

houzz via

A dressed up chandelier, with ruffled shades, flowers, and crystals, becomes the centrepiece of this colourful dining room.

Matchy-matchy

ArchiExpo via

The ruffled design on this lamp matches the detailing of the bedding in this baby blue and white tween room. The wall decorations are an especially lovely touch.

Classic country chic

The Exchange via

A ruffled lampshade with pattern gives this ordinary red piece of furniture a punch of personality - the motif matches the bedding and vintage plates hung like wall art.

Content provided by Arcadian Home Decor, a site that specializes in top quality home accessories at extremely affordable prices. If you like this post, be sure to stop by the Arcadian Home Decor blog and say hello!

Thank you Jenn! That was a great post!

OK, go ahead and link up, enjoy everyone’s creations. I will!

1. Please post something YOU made. It doesn't matter if it is crochet, quilt, clothing, anything would be fine. I want to see it! If you use someone's idea or patterns please give them the rightful credit.

2. Link to your specific post, that way it is easier for everybody to find and read it.

3. Please grab the "Tea Rose Home" grab button, and link back from your post. If you can mention the party in your post or place the button on your side bar, that would be great! I want more people to have a chance to come and show off their creation.


<center><a href="http://tearosehome.blogspot.com"><img border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462799092490427250" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 126px; height: 160px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtc9CFJR6Te5CpNgHYGsz2oQcSPEa7ev57prQmm-wO7bU5-IXOUTAJV08BvA-pbdpS2QCr864re5ljtzEGNU20emgmsiG0eSXBf9nArpxdnE1SRy7EGrrnSSMYTt3mS2C3S9d6A8bRk7E/s200/GrabButtonLinkParty.jpg" /></a></center>

Guest Post/ 4 Frugal Ways to Decorate Your Outdoor Space

It is nice to have a beautiful outdoor space to enjoy with our family and friends. I have a special guest post today from one of the writers from OutdoorLiving.com and she is going to share some helpful tips for decorating our outdoor space.

Enjoy! :)


When it comes to decorating your outdoor space, it’s easy to be overwhelmed with the cost of it all. The furniture, lights, plants, accessories – they can quickly add up to a lot more than you expected! But with a little creativity and some searching in the right places, you can bypass all that and still come out with a great looking outdoor living area. Here are 4 frugal ways to decorate your outdoor space.

Garage Sales / Thrift Stores

- Shopping at garage sales and thrift stores is a cheap and easy way to find all sorts of accessories, from chairs to planters to pictures, to put in your outdoor space. You truly never know what you’ll find here, as one person’s junk really is another’s treasure. Even if you don’t find the exact thing you’re looking for, you just might see something that sparks your creativity and gives you a great idea for your outdoor room.

Repaint/Refinish

- Repainting and refinishing is a quick option when you want to give something a different look without radically altering its shape. Whether it’s changing the colors to match the season or refinishing to keep a piece looking good all year, it doesn’t take much time and is totally worth it. It can also make a fun project for kids – think something like painting planters with their own creative design. Make sure to use paints and finishes meant to withstand regular outdoor exposure.

Change Accessories

- Just because you want to freshen up the outdoor space doesn’t mean you need to spend a ton on a new furniture set or a total remodel. By changing small things like the accessories in it, you can create a different look for much less cost and effort. Try changing the pillows on an outdoor couch to match the seasons, with warmer colors in the spring and cooler colors in the fall. Want to give the area a completely different feel? Rearrange the furniture and put a rug down in the center of the patio. It’s a small change, but it will make a big difference.

Repurpose Items

- Finally, put your thinking cap on and repurpose items. Think you have no use for something? Think again, because there’s probably a way you can make it work in your outdoor area. A shallow bowl can be converted into a birdbath, a few crates can make lovely ottomans with a fresh coat of paint, and old soda bottles can become hanging planters. This is an area where you’re only limited by your imagination, so do some thinking and you’ll surely come up with some great ideas that will be unique to your outdoor space.

Frugal decorating doesn’t have to mean a sparse outdoor living area. By following these 4 guidelines and letting your creative juices flow, you’ll be able to decorate yours with everything you want for a fraction of the cost!
About The Author – Marissa Alan is a writer with Outdoor Living. Her hobbies include cooking, herb gardening, and exterior decorating. For more on products like wind chimes, patio furniture, fire pits, and bird bath fountains, visit OutdoorLiving.com.

Link Love No. 70!

Thank you for sharing all your creations this week. :) You won't believe what happened to me this week... I had a cold or flu like symptoms with a fever of over 103 for a couple days and slept almost two straight days. Seriously... a wound that hasn’t healed from the angiogram, leg pain, and a fever?! I wish I was making this all up but I am not. People say when it rains it pours, I guess that is true. I feel like I should stop writing my "sick journal" but this way at least you know why I have been slacking lately.

Well, there were a couple good things that came out of this fever...

1. It was good that the procedure was canceled last Thursday, if I had a fever they couldn't do it anyways.

2. After two days of sleeping, I hardly ate; I discovered that I had lost a little over 3 pounds. :) (I know most likely the weight will come back soon, but...yea!)

I still have other problems, but the fever subsided on the third day, and I started enjoying all the links in bed, so thanks everyone!

So here are the link loves for this week.

I actually saw a cute, well I should say "handsome" blazer for boys on JCrew’s website for $185.00 the other day. Ugh! Melly Sews shared this handsome looking blazer for toddlers she sewed. Didn't she do an amazing job? I like that she chose fun fabric for the liner, instead of the plain ones (hidden cuteness inside). :)



In the past couple of days, it has been so cold, and I am in the mood for warm and cozy food. For some reason, "Honey Butter" shared by Babblings and More sounds soo good to me right now, and it is so sweet that her son wants to make them on his own.


Three Mango Seeds shared her great find at an auction, and how she gave new life to old furniture. She did such a beautiful job and I LOVE all the pillows on top.


One of my son’s birthday is approaching soon, and this cake reminded me of that! At Second Street shared this AMAZINGLY well made Millennium Falcon lego cake with us. I showed the picture to him (he is a diehard Star Wars fan) and he said, "Wow, yeah...". :)


Oh how I love this project! I can't stop crafting saw this idea on Martha Stewart’s website a while ago and wanted to give it a try. This waxed leaf garland turned out so nicely, and I bet it is so beautiful to see light hitting it through the window.

They were all so wonderful. Thank you everyone!

Link Party No. 70!

Ok, I am NOT going in to get the procedure this Thursday :(
The hospital called us yesterday and told us that there was a miscommunication and they can’t get me in this week. Well they can’t get me in for another 2 weeks!

I didn't want to get the procedure, but part of me just wants to do it so I can get better soon...

I am just hoping that my condition will at least stay the same and not get worse.

Meanwhile, I am going to take it easy, and enjoy some sewing here and there. :)

So, I decided to do a Link party this week. I am sorry that I had to take a break from the link party for two weeks. I hope you have some things to share with us!

OK, go ahead and link up, enjoy everyone’s creations. I will!

1. Please post something YOU made. It doesn't matter if it is crochet, quilt, clothing, anything would be fine. I want to see it! If you use someone's idea or patterns please give them the rightful credit.

2. Link to your specific post, that way it is easier for everybody to find and read it.

3. Please grab the "Tea Rose Home" grab button, and link back from your post. If you can mention the party in your post or place the button on your side bar, that would be great! I want more people to have a chance to come and show off their creation.


<center><a href="http://tearosehome.blogspot.com"><img border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462799092490427250" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 126px; height: 160px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtc9CFJR6Te5CpNgHYGsz2oQcSPEa7ev57prQmm-wO7bU5-IXOUTAJV08BvA-pbdpS2QCr864re5ljtzEGNU20emgmsiG0eSXBf9nArpxdnE1SRy7EGrrnSSMYTt3mS2C3S9d6A8bRk7E/s200/GrabButtonLinkParty.jpg" /></a></center>

New Love / Shabby Apple Skirt

I am scheduled to go in to get a procedure done this Thursday. Having and trying to recover from the angiogram and to have another procedure so soon seems like a lot. Honestly I am not enjoying the craziness at all.

But you know, life is not always bitter, there is sugar sprinkled in so it will be bearable even in the difficult times too. :) If you are wondering what I meant, check out the gorgeous skirt below...


I received a skirt from Shabby Apple just before the angiogram. I was planning to do a review post right after I get better but it was taking me such a long time to recover and couldn't do anything for a while that I decided to have a little fun before the next procedure. Head over to my sponsors' page to read more about it.