Potato Market Bags

Remember the Long Beach Quilt Festival I told you about? Well I came home from the Festival with three (yes, three) burlap potato sacks. Most quilters go to the Festival to buy beautiful fabrics, useful tools, and wonderful patterns, however I came home with potato sacks which were given to me (for free) from one of the vendors- score! If you are anything like the family members I went to the Festival with (I won't mention names!) you might be wondering what in the heck am I going to do with potato sacks, well I'm happy to say that I have an idea!

I've had my eye on these recycled coffee bag market totes from an up and coming Etsy shop, but being the frugal lady I am, I have a hard time buying something that I could totally make by myself. I know that potato sacks are not the same as coffee bags, but I haven't yet been able to locate any coffee bags (perhaps I should ask at the grocery store!).

Eco-Friendly Farmer's Market Totes, by ShopJessBecause

I'm quite sad that this sack is so dirty! :(

Here is my inspiration for my potato market bags...

Market Tote, by TealSuede

Now I just have to figure out how to get the gut-wrenching smell (and dirtiness) out of the potato sacks...long enough to be able to sew them up into a fashionable market bag! :)

What A Quilting Weekend!!!

I can't believe it is already Sunday evening! Time sure does fly when you're having fun! :) I spent Saturday shopping for a quilt pattern and fabric for my sweet friend Kara, as she is entrusting me with making a quilt for her! I have to say that I'm quite honored! I haven't quilted since I made Mr. D his football quilt, and I have yet to finish adding the binding to my very first quilt, circa January 2009 (Shhh! Don't tell anyone!).

Kara selected Threaded Pear Studio's Fantastic-O Fat Fun quilt pattern which calls for 12 fat quarters- not too shabby!

Above is what we walked out of the quilt shop with- 12 fat quarters, binding, backing, and the pattern.

12 fat quarters and binding (top left- green with blue polka dots).

Today (Sunday) I went to the Long Beach Quilt Festival with my Momma and Grandma M. We all love to sew, create, and quilt which makes for fun outings. Long Beach was my first experience with a quilt show and I really enjoyed myself! I walked out with some Riley Blake fabric (one of my favorite fabric companies), business cards from lots of creative ladies, as well as a handful of patterns! I've got some great things in store for my blog and for Squirmy Worm Studio...I sure do hope that you stick around to experience it all with me! :)

A Day Late, But Worth The Wait!

Ladies, with the help of Random.org, a winner of the Squirmy Worm Studio Appreciation Flower! Without further ado, a bit congratulations to one of the craftiest people I know...Alia! :)


If you're name wasn't selected this time, don't be too sad as I'll be hosting additional giveaways in the future and remember you can always earn a flower of your own by referring three customers to Squirmy Worm Studio (not a bad deal if you ask me!)! Have a great Saturday all!

A Quick Shout Out!

If you're looking for the Squirmy Worm Studio Appreciation giveaway...click here (giveaway ends Friday!).


Ordering fabric online an be very painful and costly, however I wanted to make you aware of Fabric.com as I have recently had great success with them (I just received my first order, with the second on its way!). In my experience, I have found that Fabric.com has great prices on all of their cotton quilting fabrics as well as awesome sales! Shipping is free with orders over $35 (which is easy to achieve), the cuts are generous, and you're able to buy fabric in half yard increments (my favorite!). I've found that their shipping is fast, they label all of the fabrics with a little sticker which helps me organize the fabric when I store it, and their Customer Service department is top notch.

If you decide to give Fabric.com a try, I hope that you have as many great things to say about the company and experience as I do! :)

*Please note that I was not paid for this review, as I'm only documenting my personal experience. :)

I LOVE New Fabric!

If you're looking for the Squirmy Worm Studio Appreciation giveaway...click here (giveaway ends Friday!).

The fabric I ordered online arrived via UPS on Friday, and I have to say I always act like a giddy school girl when I get new fabric, as it always brightens my day! :) Below are thumbnails of the fabric that I received. For the most part, the fabrics in the left column will be used as the outside fabric for the Diaper Pods, and the right column will be is the lining fabric (aren't they all so pretty!?!).


I've ordered enough fabric to make two Diaper Pods of each fabric combination as well as two sets of Sloppy Worm Wipes. I'm hoping to be able to offer a Squirmy Worm Set consisting of a coordinating Diaper Pod and Sloppy Worm Wipes as well as a Diaper Pod and set of Sloppy Worm Wipes that can be purchased separately (hopefully that makes sense to all!). If you see a fabric combination that you are interested in, please feel free to contact me and I'll set up a custom order, as I would hate for you to miss out on one of the two Diaper Pods.


I spent some time this afternoon cutting fabric for two Diaper Pods...any idea of which two fabric combinations I started with? I'll give you a hint- the first combination coordinates with this Nursing Cocoon in the shop, and the second is the color of the soothing ocean! :o)

Squirmy Worm Studio's Customer Referral Appreciation Program!

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for your participation!

I am SO excited to introduce Squirmy Worm Studio's Customer Referral Appreciation Program, and should mention that it has been a long time coming! :) I love my customers and know that Squirmy Worm Studio wouldn't be what it is without you, thus I have something special for you. The details are easy, so here we go!

1. Refer 3 customers to Squirmy Worm Studio and upon the third purchase I'll send you a Squirmy Worm Studio Appreciation Flower as a thank you! Just like the products in my shop, all Squirmy Worm Studio Appreciation Flowers are made with love! They are backed with a pin and make great brooches, and/or can be added to your Diaper Pod or Deluxe Diaper Pod for extra decoration, to a pillow, purse, bulletin board...the possibilities are endless! :)

2. Recipient will receive a random Squirmy Worm Studio Appreciation Flower. Flowers measure approximately 3" in diameter.


3. Please note that each customer you refer MUST provide me with your name and email address in the 'Message to Buyer' upon checkout, so that I can track everyone's progress. No name and email = no referral (sorry, but I have to be a stickler on this one!).

Just for the heck of it let's kick off the Customer Referral Appreciation Program with a GIVEAWAY (pink flower with dark beaded middle, as pictured below)! Oh yeah! :)

TO ENTER:

1. Who is your favorite Disney character?
(I've got Toy Story 3 on my mind...can you tell? My all time favorite Disney character is Goofy, as he reminds me of my Grandpa! He he he!)

2. Become a follower of my blog.
(The button is located towards the bottom of the right-hand column. If you are already a follower, please kindly remind me!)

3. Become a Fan of Squirmy Worm Studio on Facebook.
(An easy way to stay up-to-date with all of Squirmy Worm Studio's happenings, by being the first to know about sales and new products! If you are already a fan, please kindly remind me!)

There are 3 possible entries, so please be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry, and make sure there is a way for me to contact you (leave your email address in your comment if you don't have a blog or if you post as Anonymous, as I need to be able to contact you when you win!).

This giveaway will close the evening of Friday, July 23rd, and is open to US residents only.

Winners will be selected via Random.org.

GOOD LUCK!

Hot Days = Lazy Days!

It's been an uneventful week in my neck of the woods, thus I don't have too much to report! The first couple of weeks in July were nice and cool as the lack of 'June gloom' translated into 'July gloom' and that was fine by me! All of that changed this week as it has been so stinkin' hot! I'm going to sound like an old lady, but I grew up in extreme summer temperatures and handled it well, but as I get older I get crankier and crankier when its hot outside! :( Here's to hoping that 'July gloom' returns!

I hope to get some good quality sewing time in today, as I'm working on something special for my Squirmy Worm Studio customers...you won't want to miss it!

My super-duper talented Craft Swap group is coming together for round #3 in the Fall, which means I need to get started on my craft! The group has changed as we have a new addition, which makes the group double as a mother/daughter group, which I think is so awesome! I'm so lucky to be surrounded by such crafty and inspirational ladies! :) I've been meaning to ask, has anyone started a Craft Swap of their own? If so, I would love to hear how its going!

That's all of the announcements/updates I have for today; in the meantime I leave you with this cute photo of Stuart, as he was practicing for the Major Leagues! :)

Whew!

I hope that everyone had a great weekend! My 'weekend' started on Friday as I spent the afternoon sewing with my Momma. Friday I finished up two sets of Sloppy Worm Wipes and a Squirmy Worm Set (see photos below), while my Momma was working on some really cute applique pillows- hopefully she'll let me share them with all upon completion! (Hint, hint) :)

Sloppy Worm Wipes- Moda Freebird

Sloppy Worm Wipes- Bridgewater Camelot Cottons

Squirmy Worm Set- Michael Miller AndaLucia Mod Blooms Earth

Saturday we went to see 'Despicable Me', which was super cute! I walked away with two distinct thoughts- a) I WANT a Minion of my own!!!! and b) between 'Toy Story 3' (last weekend) and 'Despicable Me', I've had way too much movie theater popcorn (oh, and Harkins' popcorn is much tastier than AMC's...I'm just saying!). Saturday evening and Sunday after church I worked on two additional Nursing Cocoons- woo hoo! All finished products have been added to the shop!

Nursing Cocoon- Riley Blake Black Boo Skulls

Nursing Cocoon- Riley Blake Black Boo Skulls and Pink Summer Dot

The 'new' fabric that my sister helped pick for the shop is due to arrive on Friday, which means I should have some great new Diaper Pods to choose from early next week- yeah for variety! :)

I hope everyone has/had a great Monday! :)

A Couple of Quick Updates...

If you're looking for Made With Love, you came to the right spot! My blog has a brand new look (finally!), but don't fret as the content is the same as I'm all about life, love, and crafting! :)

I'm working on creating a newsletter for Squirmy Worm Studio, so when I figure it out and launch it I'll remind everyone, so that you can subscribe! :) I'm also working on updating the shop with some new Nursing Cocoons, as well as girlie Sloppy Worm Wipes. If you're interested in a Deluxe Diaper Pod feel free to contact me for a custom order! In addition my lovely sister has volunteered to help in Squirmy Worm Studio's fabric buying department, which will definitely help to expand the fabric variety in the shop, which is something I'm very excited about!

Before I sign off, tomorrow (Friday July 9th) is Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A (my absolute favorite fast food restaurant...sorry In-N-Out, you're a close second!). ;) Is anyone planning on dressing up like a cow for a free combo meal? I'm tempted, but not 100% committed!

Custom Canvas- Oh Yeah!

Once upon a time there was an empty wall, which in my house is a miracle as my walls are full of special photos from my travels, watercolors and pen drawings from my very talented friend, and other items in which I deem worthy! ;) I'm happy to report that my empty wall is now no longer empty, thanks to my friend Lindsay of Paint Me A Picture!

Lindsay is a talented momma of one (very soon to be two!) who paints sweet canvases for children, nurseries, and your home. Lindsay painted a custom canvas for me of...you guessed it Stuart! :)


The silhouette of Stuart hangs on the previously empty wall which was conveniently located above Stu's puppy condo, thus the painting sort of doubles as Stuart's address (corny I know!).


If you have an upcoming baby shower, an empty wall, or plan on redecorating your child's room, make sure to check out Lindsay's Etsy shop as you'll thank me later! :)

Happy 4th of July!!!

I hope that everyone had (or is having) a great 4th of July! Mr. D and I had a great and busy day, and here are a couple of the highlights...

The morning started off with a Toy Story 3 matinee! I'm not much of a movie go-er, so a family gathering at Toy Story 3 (3-d!!!) was very much enjoyed. Not to mention that we used the coupons as featured on Hip2Save's website, for $1 popcorn and $1 soda (any size!!!), so our concession purchases were guilt free (score!). After the movies we stopped to run a quick errand, and Mr. D spotted the gnome and bought it while I was busy shopping around! I'm not a fan of surprises, but I enjoyed this one! Isn't he cute? :)


We finished the afternoon off at my parent's house enjoying some family Wii time (this is a family favorite), as well as grilled hamburgers and corn on the cob out on the patio- yummy!

I am now home and thinking about selecting fabrics from Sandi Henderson's Meadowsweet collection for an upcoming addition to the shop...another Deluxe Diaper Pod- woo hoo! Any special requests? :)

Change...Not the Coins (well, kind of)!

Do you ever feel like you're standing still and life is spinning around you like a tornado? That's exactly how I've felt for the past week or so. The only way I can describe it is that it has been one ROUGH week. I mentioned last week that we are facing many changes in our daily lives, and change is not something I'm a fan of as it causes me much unneeded stress and anxiety! However I've always been a lover of change (as in coin change...did you like the transition? He he he.)! My momma tells a story that when I was a young girl (probably 2 or so) my eyes would light up when I would hear men playing with change in their pocket. There were even a few occasions where I would go and pat their pockets, as that was my code for "GIVE ME YOUR CHANGE...please!". :)

Okay, back to the regularly scheduled post! :) Last week started as a normal week; I got up everyday and went to work, until Thursday afternoon when I was given the news that my former employer could no longer afford to keep me. Although the news was not a 'shock' to me, as I survived four rounds of layoffs in the past year and a half, it is something that one cannot prepare for. I've never been a work-a-holic, as I find great pleasure in other areas of my life, however I've always been employed. I spent the summers in high school life-guarding, held internships and a retail job in college, and started my first career job a week after I graduated from college, and now here I am...spending my days looking for jobs and enjoying Stuart's company (I love the latter half...how cute is he?).


With last week's layoff, and associated consequences, I've been holding on to 1 Corinthians 10:13...

"No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it."

I'm well aware that there are so many other individuals and families that are dealing with some of the same trials, and please know that I'm praying for all of you!