Verabelle: A day in the life... OK, well, 2ish days.

I thought that as part of my new blog, I should introduce you all a little more to what I do - a kind of behind the scenes, "a day in the life of Amanda." My days are usually filled with quite an enjoyable mix of activities, which I can attribute to working from home. It's always so so nice to be able to run back and forth from stitching to baking to the garden and maybe even to a little strawberry picking...

Yesterday, I had to make a button run. I've had a running list going of things needed for pieces in progress, and I finally had to give in and make the drive to Mary Jo's in Gastonia, the best semi-local source of buttons I have found so far (other sources include local antique shops, online finds, and my already well stocked button drawers, filled mostly with tidbits from my Granny, Isabelle.) For those of you who live nearby and are into crafting, if you haven't been to Mary Jo's, you must go! I have never seen so much fabric in one place in my life. But my favorite feature is the wall of buttons. I found some good bright plastics and a few other random supplies on my shopping list and then took a break for my fun activity of the day.

Gastonia is only a few minutes down the road from my good friend, Jess, which makes going for buttons also a good time for going for lunch... and strawberries. We hit a local BBQ joint for lunch (It seems that Jess and I have become BBQ buddies, as this has was #3 on our tour of NC BBQ.), and then we went down the road for some strawberry pickin' at a local farm. The weather was perfect - sunny but breezy - and we spent a few hours in the rows, filling our cartons, then sipping strawberry cider slushies at the picnic tables. Then bye to Jess, and me, my strawberries, and my bag of buttons wound ourselves down some lovely country roads, toward home.

I spent the rest of the afternoon working on designs for a few new pieces of clothing. Jess and I had chatted, and I had some new ideas! I'm working on some smaller animal patches - so far, on a Sophie the Squirrel sweater and a pair of Odetta the Owl pants. There will be more of these to come, I know! I also did a little button organizing (I also recently snagged a ginormous deal of a bag at the antique store down the street from our house.) And then I got things ready to work on a piece for craft night (ironed on a transfer, picked out some thread colors, etc.)

I have these fairly regular craft nights at our house, where I invite over all my crafty girlfriends (and even the self-proclaimed uncrafty ones - everyone can make something!). Everybody brings over a project, and we all get a little work done together. It's always a lot of fun to share ideas, get suggestions, and just chat and laugh about our lives. Last night, I worked on a vintage vest for Odetta the Owl. I really love this vest! It's a bright, almost florescent red sweater vest. And I'm adding some trim around the v-neck with some old fabric that I picked up from a thrift store in Phoenix, during my dad's and my road trip back in January. It's polyester with a bubblegum pink, white, and beige floral pattern. I've got Odetta sewn onto the sweater, so far, and then I'm going to be working on some other decorative embroidery work. Aside from her flower child flair, I feel like Odetta is also starting to get this kind of Arts and Crafts style - a little more geometry and symmetrical lines. I think you'll see what I mean when I post some new pictures, once I get models for these newer pieces. It's always interesting how these animals seem to have minds and personalities of their own!

Where I usually find myself working - the living room in our little house in Charlotte.

This has become my unofficial sewing chair.

So today, I have been working on some sewing, picking out a background for my banner that will be on Etsy, and doing lots of stuff online. I also had to do some work-work, which means things for the nonprofit I also work for. Things got a little interrupted with my dentist appointment, though. I am traumatized by the dentist and was pretty well worn out when I got home!