I love it when I stumble upon local awesomeness.

I just found this Etsy shop today (via the lovely ladies of 100 Layer Cake [when I was cleaning out my google reader!!]), and was really excited to see that the owner, Angela, is based in Boston.

While I am impressed with all of the things in her shop, I was especially taken with these blank, hand-bound books that can be used as journals, guestbooks, or whatever you'd like, really. I love the simplicity and elegance of the vintage stamps as the focal point of the covers, and all of the lovely details. I have no idea what I'd use mine for, but I really, really want one... I'm especially pining for the gray one! :o)

I really love anything that has black and white stripes (or any stripes for that matter). I cannot tell you how many things I purchase on a whim, simply because they're striped. I love this black and white baker's twine, and the rustic and whimsical look it gives when used to adorn packages.

I thought this invitation line was really creative and fun. You pick a victorian-style icon, and then you add in your own information to customize it. It's a really unique and fun idea!

She's doing a letterpress and bookbinding workshop in Somerville in August with Albertine Press, and I really want to go!!!

Cambridge/Boston by car.

Boston is one of my very favorite places. It's such an interesting city, rich with history, yet relatively current. If you ever visit the city, you will see a mixture of the best and worst people you'll ever meet. I won't go into the number of reasons I love Boston, but I will say that summers in Boston are a horse of a different color. There are always things going on, people to see, things to do, places to go. The hatch shell hosts free concerts next to the Charles River all summer, and there are a myriad of things going on on the Common on any given day. Anyway...

As we were driving into the city Saturday night for dinner, we rolled all the windows down in the car to hear the free concert and take in the sights and sounds of Boston on a Saturday night in June. The Red Sox were out of town, so there was thankfully no traffic, and the air was a little crisp, but absolutely beautiful... just the way I like it.

image from here (i'm not this talented... or tall).

Dinner was good. We went to our favorite restaurant, Rustic Kitchen. I had Wild Mushroom Tagliatelle, and James had a Filet with Parmesan Truffle Fries and sauteed veggies. There were tons of people in the city that weekend, because it was the tail end of Pride Week, and everyone was out and about.

image from here.

On the ride home, I got a bit creative with my camera and took some photos of the Cambridge skyline as we drove home along the Charles:

I especially like the last one... probably because it reminds me of a merry-go-round, or amusement park ride...

I highly recommend Boston as a vacation destination to anyone that has never been. It has a little bit of everything, and is such a beautiful city. I think my favorite thing about it is that each season has its own beauty (and we definitely have four very distinct seasons), and you notice so many different aspects of the city at different times during the year.

Well, that's enough gushing for today...