In an effort to build out the “Raleigh” section of my bloggy-blog, let’s take a super quick break from all the crafting and upholstering. Because my hands are sore from all the stapling.

Awesome things I have discovered in and about Raleigh in recent days:

• Furbish Studio. It is crazy that I live approximately 2 seconds from this place and did not even know it existed until 3 days ago. Found owner, Jamie Meares, on Twitter and can’t wait to find time to go over there and meet her in person / totally geek out over the gorgeous amazingness in the store. Really want to hit this place up ASAP. Like tomorrow.
• A bunch of amazing lady bloggers / entrepreneurs: Anne, Elle, Linnie, Katherine, Heather, and of course Cristina. All different interests, all great reads. I especially am loving Anne’s blog, which I have since had to stop reading at work because it makes me so hungry. All the time. Anyway, check these ladies out.
• The Wine Feed: yet another young person chasing dreams. Not sure why I’m always so amazed / impressed / surprised at how young people are that start businesses. I guess “people who start businesses” in my mind have always been old people, but now that I’m old, it still doesn’t feel right. Anyway the Wine Feed has awesome wines. We had a great edu-session with one of the owners, Phil, and he blackmailed me into buying amazing wine from him. Joking. I had to cut myself off at two bottles [a sparkling and a Moscato if you must know]. I’m saving one of them to celebrate the day I “finish” my apartment.
• Gypsy Jule: an amazingly adorable and awesome shop one block behind my apartment. Finally got around to going there this week and definitely went over my pre-set limit of $30. Worth it.
• Kenda: Girl’s got talent AND has a cute website. Semi funny / awkward how I met her: We were sitting next to each other at RTownLiving’s Raleigh in Review event a couple months ago. She was doing some tweetering on her phone for the event. I was being a creeper / just happened to glance down as she scrolled past my most recent tweet and I go, “oh! that’s me!” And then I immediately feel weird because it is now obvious I was looking at her phone. Good thing she’s super nice and replied with a cool, “oh cool, I’ll follow you!” Yes. I am weird.
• Raleigh now has a 2-story Chick-fil-A. Nothing else to say about that. Awesome.
• The Cupcake Shoppe, a cupcake shop which is right down the street on Glenwood Ave, is owned by a woman named SARA. I had a 2nd grade geek out when I saw that. But for serious, some of the best cupcakes around AND absolutely adorable store decor and furnishings. I had a decorating geek out the first time I walked in, which went something like this: “ohmigah! the chairs! the tables! coffee display! pictures!” Needless to say, my man-piece was there and he rolled his eyes and probably said something sarcastic about being there to eat cupcakes or to admire some tables and chairs. MEN.
• WEATHER. You guys. It was 80 degrees in my apartment the other day when I came home from work. Because it’s getting SO HOT during the day. I would say something like “FINALLY” except it’s pretty much been warm since October. Winter seems to have passed Raleigh by, and I am ridiculously ok with it.