My Bed / His Bed

I found this cute four-poster dog bed in one of free Lowe's magazines that the mailman delivered.  I would LOVE to make one for Stuart, but I know that he wouldn't utilize the cute four-poster bed, as this is where he prefers to sleep...

I get the right side of the bed, and he's claimed the left side.  He typically naps on top of the covers, but sleeps under the covers during the night.  He sure has it made!  :)

Per Stuart's request, in the next coming weeks I would love to display a photo/story of your dog (with a link back to your blog)!

To submit a photo, all you have to do is send an email to me at:

squirmywormstudio@gmail.com

Please include the following...

One photo

Your name

Your Blog Title + URL

Your dog's name

A little something about your dog (special talents/tricks, fun fact, etc.).

P.S.- I'm assuming you probably thought that I forgot my promise of a photo of my new Target bedding- didn't you???  Well, I didn't...it just took a while to make my bed!  Not bad for $22- eh?  :)

P.P.S- We'll be celebrating starting Monday.  Work got a little bit crazier than I had anticipated at the end, so I haven't had the chance to sew anything for the pending giveaway.  That and I'm still debating on making a couple changes to my blog...I need to sleep on it a bit more.  Please come to visit on Monday!  :)

Inside My Closet...

Last week or so I was watching Regis and Kelly (just for a minute!) and Regis mentioned that the majority of women in the U.S. have 17 pairs of shoes, but only wear an average of three pairs (which got me thinking!).  When I moved a couple of weeks ago I took the opportunity to weed the shoes that I never wore (I got to the point that I was tired of lugging the around for no reason!), which left me with +/- 12 pairs, and my go-to slippers (the top left pair in the photo below). 

I've since added a pair of TOMS shoes (although still in the box) and am thinking about a pair of Steve Madden boots (they are super cute, but don't fit perfectly...I'm trying to justify the purchase!), and I'm expecting UPS to deliver a super cute pair of rain boots tomorrow.  :)  With that said, I guess I don't fit in the 'majority' category for the number of shoes I own, but I do have to say that I tend to swap out between my three favorite pairs of shoes (#1- Rainbow Sandals, #2- New Balance Sneakers, and #3- black Aldo flats).  Do you wear all of the shoes in your closet?

PS- I also hang my clothes by color!  How do you organize your clothes?  :)

Randoms From My Week!

Good Morning!  After racking my brain for a topic for today's blog post, I thought I'd share some random happenings from my week...

• I hired movers on Saturday, and one of them looked like one of the Home Alone burglars (the shorter one of the two)- ha!  (Remember this post...it was the same day that the listing photos were taken for the house.  The house was supposed to close escrow today, but has been delayed, so hopefully everything gets ironed out.)
• My favorite French Bread is from Walmart!  It's inexpensive and soft for days-  yum!
• Yesterday (Wednesday) I was out in the field for work.  I drove 500 miles, visited 7 Starbucks stores, and worked for 15 hours- ugh I'm tired!  :)
• As for yesterday, I also ended up being mile away from the Mexican border, and 60 miles away from Arizona's state line.
• I scored a clearance comforter at Target for $22- woo hoo!  I'll post a photo as soon as I have the time to make my bed!  :)
• My Sweet Divinity Tutorial for The Quilted Fish goes live tomorrow (I'm nervous and giddy at the same time!).
• I'm attending Blog Sugar in September- I can't wait!!!

Some of my favorite bloggers have been having open calls for questions, so after much thought I've decided to jump on that bandwagon!  :)  If you have any questions for me, please feel free to email me at squirmywormstudio@gmail.com and I'll answer the questions in a future blog post!

View From My Window

I hate to iron clothes, and have to say that I'm not 100% fond of ironing quilting fabric, but all is tolerable with this view from the ironing board in my Sewing Studio! :)


January 2011 has probably been the best January (speaking in terms of weather) that I can remember! December was rainy, which wasn't pleasant, yet it made the view from my Sewing Studio that much better as the hills are green! It might be hard to decipher in this photo, but there are a handful of horses grazing on the hillside.

You're Invited!

...to Made With Love's home tour! I don't know about you, but I absolutely LOVE looking at model homes as well as where others call home! A peek inside someone's home makes me giddy inside (is that weird?). Anyways, I spent the majority of this weekend cleaning and thought I would share (because I know you've been dying to see!).

Family Room

Dining Room / Family Room

(All of Squirmy Worm Studio's magic happens at that table!).

Kitchen

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Spare Bedroom / Office / PlayStation Room

Hall Bathroom

White Casual Dinnerware

I've been doing a little online window shopping for white casual dinnerware. I've come to find that there are many options, however I've had a hard time finding a 'young' dinnerware collection- most to be a bit matronly. :( There are two collections that I would like to see in person...

Lenox Tin Can Alley. I may be able to work with these, however I know that I do not want square dishes- been there and done that!


Emma Dinnerware. I like the dotted details on these dishes.

One thing I do know, is that I'm adding a set of these to the white dinnerware for a pop of color! :)

If you don't mind me asking, where did you purchase your dishes from? (I've been focusing my attention on Macy's, Crate and Barrel {lovely, but too expensive for me!}, Pottery Barn, and Mikasa.com).

My New Favorite Store is...

Bed Bath & Beyond!!! I had lost hope in customer service and return policies until my recent interaction with Bed Bath & Beyond, thus it's been deemed my new favorite store!

In early 2007 Mr. D and I registered for these dishes at Bed Bath & Beyond, 12 place settings in two colors- taupe and a mild teal. We opted not to register for fine china, as I was gifted four boxes of china years ago. We received all of the dishes we had registered for, and I was in love with them until I removed all of the price tags (off of a total of 44 pieces) and washed them- chipping a few pieces in the process! I was so disappointed and wanted to dig the price tags out of the trash in hopes of returning the pieces, but opted not to be a crazy lady and kept the dishes. :(

The years have passed and the dishes continue to chip, thus my frustration and disappointment growing day by day! Saturday morning I was getting ready to go to Bed Bath & Beyond to buy a replacement dish (again!) when I sat down at the computer and wrote a quick email to corporate explaining my disappointment in the quality of the dishes. Within 8 hours (on a Saturday!) I received a response email from Bed Bath & Beyond stating that they want their customers to be 100% satisfied with their customer service and merchandise, and to bring in the dishes for a return and/or exchange!

I had some major anxiety this morning about returning the dishes (truth is I always have anxiety about returns, even with a receipt!). I went to the return counter, explained the situation, and the return was made without a hitch! I'm now in the market for new dishes! Until the purchase is made, Mr. D and I are eating off of my fine china (tonight we had pizza on the china- kind of felt like a sin, but it is what it is!). :)

Lemon Overload!

HELP! The branches of our {tiny} lemon tree are overloaded with ripe fruit. I enjoy making fresh lemonade (although I haven't made any lately- shhh don't tell anyone), and I also love adding lemons to the garbage disposal, making the kitchen smell nice and fresh.

How do you use lemons?

The 'D's Have Arrived!

Remember this post? Although it's a bit embarrassing that it took me this LONG to accomplish hanging up my 'D' collection, I have to say I'm in love with the display above the computer desk! Mr. D and I hung up the collection Saturday evening and it has totally transformed the rather drab room! I'm still on the hunt for more 'D's, so if you come across any please let me know! :)


In addition, the new bedding I ordered from Kohl's, for the spare room, arrived and exceeded my expectations! Hopefully I'll have the time/energy to put it on the bed this week!

P.S.- My stitches come out on Tuesday...hopefully I'll be sewing in no time! ;)

Sight Unseen!

Saturday evening I did a little online shopping, which is way out of my comfort zone, however after spending the afternoon browsing around Target, Bed Bath and Beyond and Kohl's for the perfect duvet cover for the spare bedroom- I was desperate! {'Spare Bedroom', a.k.a.- the computer room, my craft storage room, Mr. D's Playstation room, and Stuart's home away from home.}

I wasn't looking for anything too girly or fancy as we haven't 'technically' had many guests stay in the spare bedroom; the bed is mostly used by Mr. D while playing his Playstation and when Stuart needs a nap! The walls are painted a nice sagey green, compliments of the previous owners, thus I had some color constraints, as I'm not interested in re-painting the walls.

After looking high and low I purchased this...drum roll please!

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Hopefully I'll like it as much in person, as I did online (if not it's going back to Kohl's!). If all works out, perhaps I'll make an accent pillow or two!

My Kind of Calendar!

Guess what was under the Christmas tree with my name on it? :) A 2010 desktop Sewing Calendar, which showcases over 100 sewing projects! A perfect gift for any sewing enthusiast...now if only I had a sewing room to display the calendar in (I guess the computer desk will have to do for now, and I'll definitely be asking Santa for a sewing room next Christmas!). Thanks Megan!

Magnet Mania

I must admit that my magnet addiction consumed me Friday night. After my plea in the last magnet post, I stumbled upon 1.25" flat glass marble magnets at JoAnn's- I was tickled pink! I purchased a couple new pieces of scrapbook paper and was on may way to making BIG magnets! In a night's time I made six sets, each set consisting of one large magnet and three 3/4" magnets.


I also felt the need to rearrange and update my refrigerator with my new magnets...

BEFORE


AFTER

'D' is for Doyle, Decoration,and Design

I must admit that I'm trying to resist the urge to re-decorate, however I've found so many great photos online for sewing room organization (my dream is to one day move from the kitchen table to my own 'creative space') and home decorating. Yesterday I came across this idea and can't seem to get it out of my head, as it is so simple, yet very charming and personal. To date I have one 'D' (aka our wedding cake topper), and am now on the hunt for more!

***UPDATE***
My hunt for D's has been successful, as my mom and sister picked me up the two pictured below while at Kohl's! I'm a happy camper! :o)