• Inspiration

    Four Day Weeks Get Me Every Time

    by  • June 1, 2012 • Inspiration

    *In the cookie of life, friends are the chocolate chips*

    Another week come and gone. Four day weeks are always a treat because it’s like Friday comes one day early. As we in the Boston area prep for another six days of rain, we’ll be cheering on the Celtics tonight as they try to rally against the Heat. (Go Celts!)

    Some links for the weekend:

    I always love this blog (and this family is so cute), and today’s outfit post was so lovely.

    As the above quote mentions, friends are important, just ask Beckie.

    The cookie in the above actually is as big as the plate. It’s from our wedding. We ate it Tuesday night, as we celebrate our anniversary. It was actually tasty too!

    This weekend will be full of crafty goodness for the shop. Check it out. What are your weekend plans?

    SoWa Open Market Gets Me Every Time

    by  • May 28, 2012 • Boston Love, Inspiration, Weekend Roundup

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    Hello dear friends, readers and internet wanderers. I hope you had a fabulously fabulous long weekend. The weather here in the Boston area couldn’t have been more beautiful and we took full advantage of it in our own way.

    While we’re not huge “beach people” we do love spending time in the city–especially when it empties out on holiday weekends. So, we headed to SoWA Open Markets. Check the illustration above to get the idea–think food trucks, crafts, vintage, locally made treats, etc.

    I took home a bottle of Alex’s Ugly Sauce. Delicious. Alex himself let us sample the hot sauce and I just had to take some home. There was original and dragon, both featuring vinegar, beets, honey, and spices. I opted for original. Alex was recounting the story of how he got started making “Ugly Sauce” and his tale went a little something like this: I worked on the sauce for years, then, when I got it right, I quite my job and hired my sister-in-law. Follow Alex on Twitter, I’m sure he’ll let you in on the details.

    Alright, enough words. I’ll let the photos tell the rest of the story. Like this husband and wife art duo, whose name I somehow missed, so if you know it, tell me!! UPDATE! From Jen herself, “The husband and wife art duo is Jen and Brian Gubicza.” And you can find her store here and his store here. 

    There’s also a SoWa Vintage market that open inside the building and is full of great finds. Jewelry, clothes, records, furniture and, what do you know, a miniature cat collection.

    Also, we happened into the SoWa Artists’ Guild building to use the facilities and some of the artists were there doing what they do best, making art. If you happen to step in and go to the third floor, check down the hall for John Gonnella. Just tell him I send you when you lay your eyes on his lovely paintings.

    Dreaming Gets Me Every Time

    by  • May 25, 2012 • Inspiration

    Hey guys! Just a quick little graphic I worked up. Been thinking a lot about the power of positive thinking lately and I’m turning this into my mantra for the summer.

    I hope everyone enjoys their holiday weekend. And THANK YOU to all soldiers, past, present & future. Your sacrifices are incredible and not recognized nearly enough.

    Now, go. Get to your weekending!

    *Turn can’ts into cans and dreams into plans. -Kobi Yamada*

    Spring In The Air Gets Me Every Time

    by  • April 26, 2012 • Boston Love, Inspiration


    The other day I was on my way out to run some errands and when I turned the corner, this beautiful Dogwood tree caught my eye. I happened to have my camera in my bag, so I did the touristy thing and stopped to snap a few shots.


    Spring is in full bloom here in the Boston area, complete with April showers. We were a little light on snow this year, so hopefully we’ll get enough rain to keep everything blooming in the coming weeks.


    I’ve lived near this corner for nearly three years and never noticed this Dogwood before. I wonder what else I’m missing?

    A First Birthday Gets Me Every Time

    by  • April 9, 2012 • Inspiration

    Last weekend, during our trip to the DC area, we got the chance to celebrate my niece’s first birthday. So, even though her birthday is today (Happy Birthday Audrey!) I wanted to share the cute party my sis-in-law put together. Note the cute pink poms hanging out above.

    There was lots of yummy food including a giant cupcake (Baby Audrey was NOT a fan) and deliciously-styled finger foods for us adults.

    The owls were peeking through on the tablecloth and in those cute owl toppers and banner (below) from Etsy. I just couldn’t resist snapping all the details including the pretty pink bows on my niece’s presents and the one in her hair.

    Lastly, her birthday banner and a cute shot of our birthday girl. The banner is from the same shop. And Baby Audrey loved the camera all weekend. She especially loved pointing at it.

    Happy Birthday, Birthday Girl!

    Fun Gets Me Every Time

    by  • March 29, 2012 • Inspiration

    Thursday is here and as we approach the end of the week I just wanted to share this thought I told my tap class last night. We’re working toward a show on April 14th and I’m just trying to get them all as excited as I am. I mean, I’m a big advocate of fun in everything. (including music.)

    “If you are not having fun you are not doing it right”

    So, I hope you’re having a fun day, no matter what you’re doing!

    **My mom’s birthday is this week. (Happy Birthday Mom!) Some fun birthday projects to be revealed soon. Just want to make sure she has time to enjoy her surprises first!**

    #Caturday Gets Me Every Time

    by  • March 20, 2012 • Inspiration, Weekend Roundup

    Enough about #crafturday until another day. It’s time for a little #caturday action, as inspired by Beckie over at Cubicle 57. (She had her very own #caturday last weekend.) And this past weekend, Louise and I had our own.

    Look at those paws! How sweet is she?

    Sometimes the click, click, click of the camera frightens Louise. To have your own #caturday any day of the week, visit Louise over at Purrspectives.

    Changing it Up Gets Me Every Time

    by  • March 16, 2012 • Inspiration, Link Love

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    For the past 3 or 4 years, I’ve lived with the above LACK TV stand from IKEA. It was cheap, easy to put together and was a great space saver in the not-so-large-studio apartment I used to reside in. But now that we’ve got two people living in one also-not-so-large apartment, we need something that offers more storage.

    First, I looked at how I might hack this bad boy into something a little more substantial. I wasn’t quite digging what I saw. Second, I browsed and browsed IKEA for an inexpensive replacement that might offer more storage and height. But everything just feels the same. And a little too utilitarian for our style.

    So, I took to the internet for inspiration, and here’s what I found:

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    I’m loving the look of these painted dressers. There’s PLENTY of storage for remotes, DVDs and then some. Plus, some have great ideas like removing the first row of drawers, or, my favorite, creating a “faux” drawer to put the cable box and DVD player in.

    So, maybe the plan is to scavage the weekend yard sales and start the hunt.

    What do you think? Would you change it up with a made-over dresser as your entertainment center?

    Epicenter Gets Me Every Time

    by  • March 14, 2012 • Blog Love, Inspiration, Link Love

    This is a long overdue post about Epicenter located in Green River, Utah. Where is Green River, Utah you ask? Well, lucky for you, I’ve got an illustration.

    This illustration and all the hand-drawn & hand-written goodness comes to me direct from the fine folks at Epicenter. Just this week I received a beautiful piece of snail mail from them and I just had to share it and all the info I could drum up about the great work they are doing in our country. The informational mailer was produced on newsprint and folded into the cutest square piece. (I really can’t get enough of the printed goods.) I’ve receive many beautiful pieces from Epicenter in the past. (Psst… they’ve got graphic design skills that are up for your grabs folks!)

    Now, the reason I know so much about the Epicenter is because one of my dearest lifelong friends, Maria, started the organization with a group of her college friends. I’m lucky enough to receive printed materials from the pioneers of Epicenter quite often—holiday cards, pamphlets, postcards and the like. More on that in a moment. First, a word about Epicenter from the Epicenter themselves:

    EPICENTER serves as an affordable housing and small business resource center for Green River, Utah, by acting as a Habitat for Humanity Satellite Office, USDA Rural Development Resource Center, Business Expansion and Retention Resource Center,Utah Department of Workforce Services Information Center, Cottonwoods on the Green Apartments Management Office, & creative design studio.

    Now, maybe that doesn’t seem like a huge deal to you, but did you see that drawing up there? The FIRST EVER Habitat for Humanity House in Green River. They did that! Let me add some context. The average annual household income in Green River is less than $30,000. Now, the cost of living may be lower than where you live, but this number still leaves about 15% of the town’s small population under the poverty line. Epicenter is making a difference.

    If you want to help my friends make a difference in our country, and possibly get some of this great mail like I do, there are a few ways you can get involved. One, as the above shows, is by making the trip to Green River yourself. If you want to be on the Frontier, go to designonthedottedline.com to learn more. Or, if you can’t do that, at least educate yourself about a part of our country you may not know about. And, if you feel so inclined, make a donation, or pick up some Rural gear from Epicenter’s ETSY:

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    (PS. Thanks, Maria, for all you do for your community! I’m grateful to have passionate friends like you making a difference in our country.)

    RSS Gets Me Every Time

    by  • February 29, 2012 • Blog Love, Inspiration, Link Love

    It’s finally arrived—the blogroll page of Gets Me Every Time. Now, you haven’t known this, but I’ve been working on it for almost as long as I’ve been blogging, that’s about 2 months for those of you who just joined us. Anyhow. Here’s why it took me so long:

    1. At any given time, I have at least 100 unread items in my RSS feed. Some days, I manage to get it to about 85, but it never seems to go any lower. Granted, I always have something to read.

    2. My RSS feed is not organized! So, I’ve been taking the time to split all my favorite blogs into categories. Some fall into two categories, so I put it where I see it fitting best. (Right now, there’s recipes/cooking, friends & boston bloggers.)

    3. I’m still not finished, and I just kept stalling. But, I decided to put up this version for now. I couldn’t wait. And neither should you.

    I’ll be posting more soon. Until then, enjoy the blogroll, folks.