What'cha doing Friday night?

Come out and play! June 10th is the second annual Global Etsy Craft Party and you are invited!! Last year's 5,000 people turned out for 500 craft parties, Everyone had so much fun that those fun folks at Etsy.com decided to do it again.

Friday night.... your town... world wide... get your Craft on! 

Okay, yeah, that sounded silly but you know what I mean

In Tampa, Florida we'll be hanging out at 108 S 12th Street in Channelside from 7-11pm.  By the way, I love these directions from Allison Barkley "If you've ever seen that crazy metal dragon sculpture that lives in Channelside, that's right beside the building we will be gathering in. It is a light purple building that has "Lofts of 12th" on the front side. There will also be a huge sign letting you know you're at the Tampa Etsy Craft Party."

So, will I see you there? This event is FREE and open to the public. We'll be enjoying tasty treats, great conversations, and demos about everything from making dream catchers to roasting your own coffee beans. There will also be a Make it & Take it Table full of art supplies for kiddos (young and old) to play with. Sounds like a fun night to me! Pop by if you have the time, I'll save a space for you. For more info, including a list of demos visit Tampa Etsy Craft Party on Facebook or http://www.meetup.com/etsy/Tampa-FL/

If you are not in Tampa on 6/10 (heaven forbid) hurry over to meetup.com/etsy , enter your location and find the party nearest you. It'll be a grand time

Chalk Walk Tampa 2011

The Mourning Dove by Beth Shistle

This weekend was the 3rd annual Chalk Walk in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Tampa, FL. We popped over and had a great time viewing the wide variety of 2-d artwork. There were 60 + artists showing off their stuff. (plus frozen lemonade & a bouncy house - what's not to love?)

Creature from the Black Lagoon by Tim Ritter

Many were creating colorful chalk murals on the sidewalk while others were plein air painters, busy interpreting the sights around them.

Terry Klaaren paints Tim Ritter & his chalk creature

So here are some of our favorites from the show. (On the aside, I think this was the first time my family actually agreed on what pieces we liked the most)

B.K. Lyons and her fun Sea Horse

Thank you to all of the artists who took the time to talk about their work (and for letting me take pics).  For more info on these talented people, click the captions under each photo. You'll be taken to their websites or FaceBook page.

Artist Unknown - awaiting info

Silly me I forgot to get this gent's name. He was out of business cards but has my email. I will be sure to add his info if I hear from him. Aren't these chalk monkeys too cool?

It is truly amazing all that goes into these pieces. Most of the artists were working with small reference photos or drawings. Some made grids on their papers and then enlarged the grids on the ground before getting started. Others just jumped in and free-handed their colorful creations. Remember these murals are all made out of chalk. I did see lots of hairspray canisters for fixing things into place - good thing as it was a bit blustery on Saturday.

So there they are, trying to get their art-groove on. Keep in mind they are dealing with lots of people milling about & asking questions. Plus temps hit the mid 80s this weekend - phew! I have to say I am impressed.

I've been told there is a whole chalk circuit that some of these artists follow, traveling from town to town.  Hmmm ... wouldn't it be fun to talk to one of these guys & find more about this unique art form? I'll have to look into that. 

Well, thanks for coming along. Next weekend is Greenfest & I need to find some new trees to replace the bay & mango that we lost to the freeze. If you are in town, check it out. And if not, pop back here - there are always photos to share!