75 hour illustration in under 2 minutes, Society 6 features Illustrator Guillaume Cornet

Found this cool time lapse of Guillame Cornet's Parisian Neighborhood ink and color illustration yesterday. It is from Society6.com - they also share some stills and short article here.

What do you think? I love the kooky characters peeking out everywhere. 

We Have A Winner!

Welcome! Let's get the drum roll going.... 

The winner of today's random drawing for 2 Tampa Bay Lightning Tickets and a free meal voucher to the Give & Grub foodtruck is....

Brienne Lee!

Congratulations! I'll contact you today for your shipping address. If you you want to get a head start on the Give & Grub menu, check it out here. You can also find yummy photos of many dishes @GiveandGrub on Instagram & Twitter. 

(For anyone who is curious: Random.org was used to pick today's lucky winner.)

List Randomizer

There were 10 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Brienne Lee
2. kbird
3. Sandwich Gal
4. Colette S
5. Rachel Gault
6. Jenny Hodges
7. :: miss m ::
8. Lora
9. LindsayTampaBay
10. Marie Moody

Timestamp: 2015-03-19 22:33:54 UTC

Many thanks to the Give & Grub foodtruck and their partners for donating this great Thursday Giveaway prize. 

If anyone missed last Thursday's post and wants to learn more about this generous organization (For every menu item they sell, they donate a meal to local families in need) click here to visit that post.  Warning: some of the photos might make your tummy rumble! If you're in the Tampa Bay area and looking for a way to help folks and grab a bite, be sure to try out the Give & Grub Food Truck. Find their calendar here. You can also contact them about selling at your event or workplace here.

P.S. Just a little something fun I found over on Pinterest.

Musical Monday - gone fishin'

Looking for some tunes to start the week? Be sure to pop over to XmasDolly's Musical Monday Blog hop. For real. You never know what goodies you'll find over there. 

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By the way, if you are in the Tampa Bay area on 3/26 be sure to comment here to enter next Thursday's random drawing for 2 free tickets to the Lightning Hockey game + a voucher for a treat over at the Give & Grub food truck. Winner will be selected on 3/19. Click here for details.

Potted Potter At The Straz

Are you a Harry Potter fan? 

Love to laugh?

Near Tampa this weekend?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need to drop everything right now. Seriously. Take a moment and click here to get your tickets for Potted Potter, The Unauthorized Harry Potter Experience. This show truly is a "must see" and it is only in town through Sunday 3/15 at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. Go on... It will only take you a minute. I'll wait for you...

da da da dum da da dum da da da dum da dum

All sorted? Ooh, I hope so. You really don't want to miss this fun retelling of the entire Harry Potter series. Yep, all 7 books. Oodles of characters. Played by 2 actors... in only 70 minutes! 

I know this sounds like madness, but it is more like choreographed chaos. The creators, Jeff and Dan take you on a hilarious whirlwind tour of H.P.'s world ... but only one of them seems to know his way around. The other is a bit behind on his reading and keeps confusing the tale with equally famous fantasy stories. Narnia? Hobbits? Wha??

But, hey, there is a disco ball! 

And a dragon! 

And Quiddich game (of sorts) breaks out.

With a silly set, tons of toys, costumes, jokes, pratfalls and (of course) help from the audience, Potted Potted will have you, your kids and even grandma cracking up. This guy (below) kept reenacting his favorite bits for hours after last night's show. 

All this is a good thing! The wanna-be Wizards get me, right? Need to convince your (grumpier) Muggle to come along? Let's see...

Never heard of Harry Potter? (wha???)

Hate to Laugh?

Near Tampa This Weekend?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need to drop everything right now. Blah. Blah. See 1st paragraph, then scurry back here.

Potted Potter is a family friendly event. Their promo states it is for "ages six to Dumbledore (who is very old indeed)." We spotted audience members from younger than six to almost as old as Dumbledore belly laughing at the same shenanigans. However, Jeff and Dan had to squeeze in a lot of material, so it is a very fast-paced performance. Some of the speedy chatter may fly by the youngest muggle. This is really not a problem though, as by then they are already laughing at the joke just after that one.

You don't need to know a thing about The Boy Who Lived to be entertained by these funny fellows. The show is cleverly written and just plain silly. The actors, who are also the creators, bounce everything off each other (sometimes literally) in a way that is amusing for everyone.

You only like top tier performances? Potted Potter has played to sold out houses around the globe and has received rave reviews from most major papers. Click here for a few. It was also nominated for an Oliver Award (England's version of the Tony Award) in 2012.

Still not convinced? Oh, your a tough one. Best pop over to the Straz website, get yourself a ticket anyway. Sounds like you need a good laugh!

For More Info visit PottedPotter.com.

Disclaimer: I was provided with two tickets to attend this show in exchange for a blog review. All opinions are my own...And I can't say enough good things about this crowd-pleasing preformance. My son and I loved it.

Give & Grub: Good Food, Great Cause & A Groovy Giveaway

Last Monday several Tampa Bay Bloggers enjoyed a tasty and interesting event hosted by the Give & Grub food truck and Laser Spine Institute. It was a beautiful evening, low 80s with a cooling breeze off the nearby river. A perfect day for dining al fresco next to Amalie Arena, home of the Tampa Bay Lightening hockey team.

Disclaimer: Each blogger received dinner and a box of surprises. Inside my box was a t-shirt, (which my son claimed as soon as I got home) and some other goodies ....Which I will be giving away to one lucky winner on 3/19 - see details at the end of this post. All opinions shared here are my own.

The Lightening mascot, Thunderbug, and some lovely ladies show off tasty treats

Gourmet Food with a Purpose: While selling its customers tasty treats, Give & Grub's main goal is to fight hunger in Tampa Bay. Feeding America Tampa Bay, states that approximately 700,000 people in West Central Florida struggle with hunger... and 250,000 if those are children.  The folks at Give & Grub and its partners are changing this one meal at a time. And you really can help:

- For every menu item sold by the food truck, a meal is donated by The Laser Spine Institute to to a child of a family in need. So, buy a meal to give a meal.

- Additionally, every time you use hashtag #GiveAndGrub on your favorite social media sites, an additional meal is donated to someone who needs it.

See, you really can make a difference! As of March 3, the company has already given away 25,000 meals to hungry individuals. They are shooting for 150,000. Why not give them a hand and help children and families in need? 

So, if you are in the Tampa Bay area and looking for some lunch (or dinner), click here to find out where the Give & Grub truck is today. It appears at the Amalie Arena for hockey and arena football games, as well as other occasions. They also travel around town. You can even put in a request to have the truck appear at your special event or workplace. 

 

Wondering what is on the menu? A little something for everyone. We checked out all of the items and tasted quite a few. Bishops Bowl (above) caught my eye. Check out all that color! Named after Lightning goalie Ben Bishop III, this vibrant dish can be topped with either blackened shrimp or tofu and is loaded with roasted red peppers, red peppers, saffron and mango on a bed of yellow rice. It also includes some fried plantains (I took my photo too close and accidentally cropped them out - oops).

The Slap Shot Chicken Salad is also an attention getter. Again, check out all that vibrant color! You are practically eating a rainbow in this dish. Baby greens and tender chicken make up the base, with roasted beets, shredded carrots, dried cranberries, sugared nuts and green apple adding loads of crunch and sweetness. And don't forget the crumbled cheese and vinaigrette. 

After we took some snaps, Chef Brian talked about the food and introduced a new dish, a Philly style cheese-steak sandwich with sweet potato waffle fries. This one still needs a catchy name, so put your thinking caps on and share suggestions. Looks like Carlos (of CarlosEats), the fellow with hand on his chin in above pic, is already working hard on this one. Or, maybe he is just wondering what to eat first.

Then it was time to eat. Here is a close up of my box of munchies. The left side shows sweet potato fries (They sure were sweet!) & a steak sandwich (Can't eat mushrooms, so I passed. Others said it was very good.) The Callahan's Mac Slam, mac & cheese with keilbasa, was a big hit with the 5 yr old sitting at our table (see his thoughts on his Dad's review at Dad's Who Change Diapers). The last two, a steak taco and a chicken parm sandwich were my faves.

The Hedman's Steak Taco outshone everything else in my box. I liked it so much, I decided it needed a stand alone photo...oooh...aahh. The soft flour taco is wrapped around skirt steak, purple cabbage, and roasted corn pico de gallo with a chipotle glaze. Your order will also come with Tijuana rice and plantians.

The Chicken Parmkos, named for Lightning Captain Steven Samkos, is one of Give & Grub's best sellers. After a bite, it was easy to see why. Plump breaded chicken, loads of marinara and parmesan cheese bursting out of a homemade Italian roll. It is a classic.

There are even more dishes on this food truck's menu. Click here to check them all out. And remember -  Each purchase you make AND each #GiveAndGrub hashtag you share will provide one more additional meal to someone who really needs it. For more info please visit GiveAndGrub.com.

Still with me? Phew, I sure am looong winded tonight.

... and kinda craving one of those tacos. 

If you made it this far, I'm guessing that you might be curious about the latest Thursday Giveaway prize. I'll give you a hint:

Crossed paths with the trolley while walking off some of the evening's treats

Are you a hockey fan? Will you be in Tampa on March 26th? Want to win 2 free tickets to the Tampa Bay Lightning vs. the Nashville Predators that night? 

If you answered "Yes!" then this might be your lucky day. Anyone who leaves a comment on my blog before 1 a.m. (EST) on March 19th will be entered into a random drawing for 2 tickets to the game plus 1 voucher for a free menu item from the Give & Grub food truck.  (Please be sure to leave an email address if you contact info isn't in your profile.)

Good Luck!

The unexpected math behind Van Gogh's "Starry Night" - Natalya St. Clair

Vincent van Gogh - Starry Night

My family and I recently visited NYC. It was a bit chilly to these old Florida bones and Starry Night was on my son's must-see list, so we warm our toes at the MoMA.  Like we wouldn't have gone there anyway, right?

Tonight I spotted this fun & informative (& short) TedEd video. (Thanks for sharing, Brettney from Wenchie Art.) Can't wait to show it to my young mathlete tomorrow.  Plus, it seems way too cool not to share here. Enjoy!

Sunday Funday - part 1

Sunny springtime rolled in last weekend, bringing with it outdoor fun and sweet strawberries! I decided to play hooky, ditched the family and visited some local markets, museums and my favorite annual fair, The Gasparilla Festival of the Arts.

The day started with a trip to the Hyde Park Fresh Market, where I spotted Gypsy Junque's show stopping boho bus. Gotta love the colors! By the way, click on any of the links for more info on some of my favorite finds.

The Hyde Park market happens the first Sunday of each month. It features some tasty (& very photogenic) produce, as well as a number of local vendors. You'll find everything from truffles and fruit trees to fedoras and hoola hoops. Plus several food trucks and even a kid's play zone with bouncy house and bungee trampolines (ooh - risky combination).

photo courtesy of Mon Beau Reve and Co.

In the middle of the market is a large fountain, several benches and live entertainment. Center stage featured a fab fashion show of comfy creations from local clothier Mon Beau Reve and Company.  

photo courtesy of Mon Beau Reve and Co.

With all of the beautiful weather, yummy treats, and local shops to explore I was tempted to hang in Hyde Park all day. On any other day I would have, but the art was calling me. I filled my bag with fragrant finds from Swanson Soapworks,  espresso beans from Java-Planet and a refreshing apricot iced tea from Tebella. Then it was time to head downtown.

mmm...more strawberries, please

A quick stop at the always aesthetic Oxford Exchange.

Then a walk across the bridge found me at the Tampa Downtown Market. Normally held every 3rd Sunday of the month, they tossed in an extra shopping day for March. 

Lucky me! I stumbled into fellow Etsy seller I am so not cool (vintage and repurposed) and Savannah Beach Mosaics sharing a tent and selling their colorful creations. 

View of the Downtown Market from the FMOPA. Beyond is the art fair!

At this point it was time to cool off before tackling the art fair. The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts has three strong exhibits right now, including Elger Essler's large format landscape heliograveures. FMoPA is a small museum, but always worth a visit. Quiet and cool, it was the perfect place to recharge my batteries before diving into the big event. 

I've mentioned before that this art festival is one of my favorites. There is always a wonderful mix of artwork, in many different styles and mediums (& price ranges). Plus you get to meet the artists, which is very, very cool. Once again, this show did not disappoint! My original plan was to probably go home empty handed. But... I ended up picking up the most pieces yet.... and now I have to find a place to hang it all. Fortunately they are smalls, so that shouldn't be too bad. 

Pop back in a few days to hear about the art fair. I will share some my faves, plus the pieces that followed me home. Until then, best wishes for a creative day!