South End Flip - Sun, Sept 19 & Tues, Sept 21

The flip is finished and fabulous! Here's a link to before and after photos. This is where you can see photos and a virtual tour. Favorite Idea: Aerobeds for staging!

Thurs. Sept 9, 2010 - Brimfield Antiques Fair

Betty-Jo and Carol had a great day in Brimfield! Weather was perfect for bargain-hunting! There was lots of costume jewelry this year! We checked out Majolica for Pam but only found one booth. Favorite Idea: Bring lunch so you don't have to eat "carnival" type food!

Friday, June 11, Cocktails for a Cause

This was a great evening! Well attended, fabulous food, good company, lots of laughs! Kate's gardens looked spectacular - candles and torches gave a soft glow to it all.

Thursday, May 27 - Sex and the City 2

Everybody put on their cute skirts and high heels to enjoy the opening night of Sex and the City 2. We had friends, our favorite row and slushy cosmos...there's no better way to enjoy a movie!

Thurs, May 20 - Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill

We had a fabulous day on Beacon Hill. Our car service, aka Pam, provided beverages and an efficient ride to the city. After a brief stop in the Public Garden for a pinning ceremony to acknowledge our President Carol, we were off to see the gardens. Ann was our guide and did a great job reading the map. The weather was absolutely perfect for a stroll in the city. Lunch at a casual bistro was a hit. Favorite idea - garden mirrors...in the glass of french doors or behind lattice.

Friday, May 7 - HGTV Green Home Tour

Our day in Pinehills was terrific. Carol's friend Bizzie (who lives there) acted as our tour guide and the day truly special. After going through the HGTV Dream Home, we toured a model, and then we got to see Bizzie's house - the most beautiful one of the day! Beautiful decor and furnishings throughout - Bizzie has done a fabulous job of making her home cheerful and welcoming. Then we enjoyed lunch at the clubhouse and finished off the afternoon by touring several neighborhoods and model homes. Favorite idea - outdoor kitchen behind sliding doors.

Fri, Jan 8 Flipping Out in the South End

Kate, Patty, Pam, and Carol ventured into Cazenove Street to look at the property being flipped by Katie and Joe in the South End. The photos say it all! Take a look at all the pics posted by Pam on our share site. http://bookit.shutterfly.com/17
Favorite Idea -
Gut it! Take it all! Leave nothing!

Monday, December 21 Cookie Swap

The Cookie Swap at Carol's was a fantastic success! Everyone went home with over 8 dozen yummy cookies just in time for sharing with friends and family over the holidays! To see pics of the delightful assortment go to our Shutterfly share site http://bookit.shutterfly.com/17 Favorite idea - cookies that don't need to be baked! Like Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls, and Oreo Cookie Balls!

Sat, Dec 12, Easton Holiday House Tour

Kate, Louise, Pam, and Carol enjoyed 4 homes decorated for the holidays by Easton Garden Club. Favorite Idea - mosaic flower arrangement.

Sunday, December 6, Westport, CT

Pam, Louise, and Carol had a fabulous day in Connecticut. This tour was run by the Historical Society, and they had sponsors for each home who paid for or provided the Design and Decor aspects. We began at a Victorian owned by the Westport Woman's Club. The holiday designs were provided by the club's Garden Club. The tabletop designs and Bride's room were highlights. Next we visited a green, sustainable, waterfront home, with collector's cars in it's 5 car garage! The garage was cleaner than my home! Here we found our favorite item from the entire tour. There were dental moldings mounted on the wall in two horizontal rows spaced about 18" apart in a wide hallway, which they used to hold a multitude of family photos. Because the framed photos were merely sitting on the skinny shelf/molding, they could be changed out easily. Genius! The next home was a restored 18th century saltbox with a fabulous pool and cabana. Since we found ourselves on Turkey Hill Road, we decided to stop by to see Martha Stewart. Imagine our disappointment when not only was she not home, but her house didn't have a single holiday decoration! You can see her rusty mailbox with the upside down alarm sign in the photos on our photo share site http://bookit.shutterfly.com/17 (please note they would not allow any inside photos) Then it was a quick stop at Adams Academy and then on to the final home which was unforgettable! This home was adorned with tons of dollhouse which the homeowners have been building and collecting for 37 years! Thank you Pam for driving and taking all the photos! Favorite idea - family photos propped on wall-mounted skinny shelves made of dental molding.

Wed., October 21, North End Culinary Tour

You will notice something different about these photos (there's a link at the end of the post) - it's not raining! Yes, Cheryl, Ann, Pam, Carol, and Pat had great weather for our day in the North End. We met our guide on the corner of Salem and something, and then we had a mini lesson on North End history before proceeding to the various shops and areas of the neighborhood. We toured Maria's Pastry Shop where we sampled 7 or 8 of her specialties, then on to Polcari's where we learned about various seasonings and ingredients, including capers packed in salt, and checked out some real cinnamon (not like the stuff we are used to using). Then it was on to a fabulous deli, where our guide instructed us on canned tomatoes (make sure you get San Marzano DOP), commercial pasta (De Cecco), artisan (Setaro) pasta, olive oils, balsamac vinegar (there's a $4,000 bottle in the store) specialty cheeses, prosciutto, and lots of other cured meats. The samples were to die for! The Rubio ( a type of balsamic vinegar used for seasoning meats and cheeses, not for vinegrette) was amazing. There were lots of lessons outside of shops all over the neighborhood - cheese shop, green grocer, etc. where we learned about the diversity of Italian cuisine. We finished our tour at Cirace's wine shop, where we learned about Italian wines and sampled the store's own Limoncello. Here's a link to our share site where you can see Pam's great pics! http://bookit.shutterfly.com/17 Favorite idea - San Marzano tomatoes and De Cecco pasta - available at our own local stores.

Saturday, October 17, South End House Tour

What a great day we had! Katie, Liz, and Carol saw 6 homes on the South End Historical Society annual South End house tour. For some reason, we were surprised that all the homes felt, well, old, including original (dark) woodwork, original (beat up and refinished) floors, antique furniture and lots of color on the walls, including wallpaper. I don't know why, but we were hoping to see some contemporary renovations, which I'm sure, would have horrified the Society, and of course that's why none of these sorts of homes was included! We also went to a Sotheby's open house in the neighborhood, and had a fabulous lunch at Stephi's on Tremont. Our resident photographer could not attend, and sadly, the only photo we have is of this teeny-tiny sink, which you can't tell from the pic, but really has a diameter of 8", yes, I said 8 inches! Favorite idea - media room right off the kitchen.

Tuesday, October 6, L&T Benefit Bash

What a fun day! Who knew you could get manicures and massages at Lord & Taylor! And free gifts! Kate has a lifetime supply of lipstick, Louise smells heavenly, Pam will be best-dressed, and Carol made a friend in the cosmetics department. We shopped for so long we didn't even have time for lunch! Favorite idea - free massages while shopping!

Friday, September 11, Brimfield Antiques Fair

Brimfield was fabulous! Rainy day prices prevailed for Carol, Kate, Betty-Jo, and Louise. Carol found some windmill roly-poly whisky glasses to add to her otherwise pathetic windmill collection consisting of a few postcards and salt and pepper shakers. Louise found a great antique picnic basket to add to her collection. Kate was the only one to remember typical Bookit weather and bring an umbrella. We enjoyed a sumptious lunch courtesy of Kate and Louise in the car on the way home. Favorite idea - always bring an umbrella!

Thursday, July 16 - Brimfield Antiques Fair

We had a fabulous day in Brimfield! Pam, Carol, Elaine, Betty-Jo, and Louise left early and stayed late! The weather was perfect - cool and cloudy, crowds were thin, porta-potties were cinnamon scented. Betty-Jo gets the best-dressed award for following the blog suggestions most closely. Elaine wins the best shopper award for making the most purchases. We may have to go back in September to make sure we didn't miss anything. Favorite Idea - shutter slats used for small signs and plant markers. Here's a link to our Shutterfly share site with Pam's pics. http://bookit.shutterfly.com/17

Wednesday July 1 - Falmouth Garden Tour

West Falmouth Library
Village Garden Tour
Pam, Louise, and Carol had a fabulous day in Falmouth! We used our umbrellas to shade us from the hot sun. The tour included lots of freebies - free pinching lessons, free tickets for anybody who lost theirs, and free ice cream for all. Pam uploaded lots of great pics to our share site. http://bookit.shutterfly.com/17
Favorite idea - signs made from oars and paddles.

Tues., June 23 - Secret Gardens of Cape Cod

Why are all the gardens a secret? Anyway, we had a beautiful warm and sunny day on Cape Cod. We only wore our rain gear because we were making a fashion statement. Pam gets the award for best dressed because she had the largest umbrella and pants you couldn't see through when they got soaked.

Favorite Idea - best outdoor hot tub and shower!

Friday, June 19 - Secret Garden Tour Newport RI

Once again "Book It" had a blast. The weather started off a little rainy, and finished with beautiful sunshine. The Secret Gardens of Newport were certainly worth the trip to Rhode Island. Louise gets the award for Best Cheerleader and kudos for getting us all to go!

Favorite Idea - rock labels.

To see more photos go to http://bookit.shutterfly.com/

Thursday, June 4, 2009 - Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum

Another great day in the city! The Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum was overflowing with great paintings, tapestries, furnishings, and objects d'art. A docent gave us a fascinating-but-not-too-long talk about Isabella's life and how it related to the museum when it was being built. The indoor garden is spectacular and that alone is worth the trip. We loved that ALL the plants were in concealed pots, so they can be changed out seasonally. There is a greenhouse on the property where they raise and maintain all the plants. We loved the Cape Primrose. Pam obeyed the rule about no photography anywhere inside, but there are photos of backsides and outsides here on our share site at shutterfly http://bookit.shutterfly.com/269. Next time Betty-Jo wants to be the lead car so she does not have to go through so many red lights to keep up. A late lunch on the deck at the Hoosic (thanks, Dave!) was the perfect ending to a great day for Pam, Ann, Mary, Carol, and Betty-Jo.
Favorite Idea - white flowering tree - doesanybodyknowthename?

Thursday, May 21, 2009 - Beacon Hill Hidden Gardens

It was a fabulous day to be walking around Beacon Hill. Pam and Louise get awards for Best Dressed. Katie wins Best Guide, and she didn't even need the Owl. It was Ann, Betty-Jo, Carol, Kate, Katie, Louise, and Pam. Window boxes along all the streets were all beautiful. Lunch at Figs was great. To see photos click here http://bookit.shutterfly.com/
Favorite Idea - black window box: sweet potato/grass/lobelia.