My second pair of pretty socks...

To match a blue dress with sunflowers for the fabulous Miss Megan (aka my daughter).

I am slightly addicted to making these (at the moment). Of course any of you that know me know that I will make a few more pair then never want to touch them ever again. I am bound and determined however to finish up the package of 1o socks before I give up. This way Megan will have a pair of socks to match every outfit.

I did get some beautiful socks from my friend Maggie, that I will have to post, her socks are a beautiful work of art that mine can't compare.

It doesn't happen often,

but every now and again I break down and make something for myself.

In this case it was a new wristlet.

What also doesn't happen often is that I take a piece of discontinued fabric and cut into it, just in case you didn't know this about me I tend to be a fabric hoarder. In this case I used fabric from one of my favorite designers, Joel Dewberry in teal and brown.

I have decided from here on out that all my wristlets will have pockets on the inside. My least favorite feature of the last wristlet I used for myself was that it didn't have a pocket to place my credit cards in so I was constantly having to search through stacks of money and receipts (more so receipts then money unfortunately, LOL) to find the one card I was looking for.

My first pair of pretty socks...

My friend Maggie made the cutest socks for Megan, but since having a baby or two she just doesn't have the time to make them anymore.

Since I got sick of looking at boring socks for my daughter I picked up my crochet hook, some buttons and pretty thread and this is what I ended up with :)

How perfect is this?

Since Michael was a little boy trying to potty train I have used construction paper graphs to track progress and "oops". As I was browsing the website of the week for my Creative Bloggers group I found these adorable personalized charts. There are so many great gift ideas on this site that I couldn't possibly share them all with you. So make sure you go to The Polka Dot Press to see everything that she has to offer.

You can also access her website through her blog by clicking HERE

One of my favorite shops...

For a long time now has been Woolies, so I decided to hop on over and see what my long time friend from the forums has been up to.

Not only does she still have her adorable knitted items in her Woolies shop, but I found out she has a second shop called BusterandBoo where she has some wonderful pendants. I do have to say my most favorite listing however was this set of earrings titled "Lily Of the Valley"

If you would like to keep up with what Sara has been up to follow her on her blog by clicking HERE

Featured Blog of the Week: ByCoco

While I was browsing Coco's blog which you can read HERE I saw a link to her Etsy shop where I found some of the most amazing pieces of stained glass work!

The following information I took from her profile page:

My name is Coco Watkin. I grew up in New Orleans where the atmosphere is rich with culture and where imagination is celebrated through its architecture, its music, its food, its Mardi Gras and its other festivals. New Orleans is a large city with a small town flavor and a special love of the arts--visual, performing and culinary.

As a military wife of 30 years, I've experienced different cultures within the United States and abroad, each exuding their own indigenous artistic flair for transforming the ordinary in life into something extraordinary. Beauty abounds if we just take time to notice.

As the mother of five children, necessity has often been my inspiration and on a fairly regular basis has proven to be the mother of invention. Parenting has been a wild and unpredictable ride, and I would do it all over again, especially if I could do it over again with the same husband who is a fantastic father.

Among other endeavors, I am a part time artisan specializing in stained glass and decorative folk painting (European style stroke work). Over the years, I've also dabbled in carved candles, soap, clay, needlework, fountains, basic carpentry refinishing, caning, and various types of sewing, as well as candy and jelly making. Often while creating something in my studio I am tapping into my knowledge of and skill in more than just one artistic medium. My other passion is for transforming trash into treasure or giving new life to something old. Both the process of creating and the process of transforming objects are spiritual experiences for me--It's when I feel most alive.

I hope you enjoy reading about Coco as much as I have, please visit her Etsy shop by clicking HERE to see more of her amazing works.

Whew!!

I was planning out a custom order that I was about to do, when I realized that the style she was originally asking for just wouldn't work. It was to be large and boxy, with short straps (24") with metal hardware.

As I was drawing out dimensions, etc on a piece of paper, I realized what the customer was asking for just wouldn't work. I emailed her to let her know that I was going to go with more of a hobo style that she also liked instead of the boxy.

I pulled out my muslin hobo pattern and stared at it, trying to figure out what it was about that bag that I never liked. I went back and looked at pictures of the other bags I made when it dawned on me that the bags were too stiff.

So I took my pattern, and drew one slightly larger, and cut the bag out of this adorable bird fabric by Henry Glass. I used the lightest weight interfacing that I had on hand and went to work. I inserted a zipper into the lining, which I sewed closed originally, and a magnetic snap. I used the same interfacing in the straps and attached rectangle metal rings.

I am still not sure if she likes it yet, if she does I will be making hers tomorrow.