Singing the blues cuz it is Monday

Today Miz Dolly has everybody singing the blues. I'm jumping onto the Monday Music train with Chris Thomas King covering the eternally classic Skip James. To play along, not all of today's tunes have to be in the blues genre... just sadly pulling the ole heartstrings is good enough.

I'm (once again) listening to lots of Cole Porter lately. KD Lang's version of So In Love is just the saddest song, especially with this video.

Wrapping things up with some timeless John Lee Hooker & Miles Davis - but now I have got to run. Already behind today (seems to be my Monday mantra) and will have to catch you later.

If you're craving more bloozy tunez, pull up a stool over at Dolly's joint and check out her Monday Music blog hop. Who knows? You might find something new to you!

Abandoning Art at the library today

Poe's Muse digital collage ACEO

Catching up on abandoning art today - the Dude helped me leave this one at the Jan Platt Library in Tampa, FL this afternoon. He had fun standing guard at the end of the aisle. And then he kept sneaking back over to see if it was still there when he was supposed to be checking out books for a school project... he had so much fun, I think I have found an accomplice!

In January I posted that I want to abandon at least 1 piece a month.... and then my plans fell off the radar - oops. I'll share a belated February piece soon.

It is great fun to leave something you've made behind for others to find. Ideally it speaks to just the right person or maybe just makes someone smile. I'm sure pieces end up tossed out, rained on and otherwise neglected... But playing with Fate is part of the fun too. Getting too attached to something you've created is not productive. This can be a wonderful lesson in letting go.

If you missed my earlier posts n this topic, last summer I joined a group on facebook started by artist Michael DeMeng which encourages artists to leave works behind for others to find. Participants then share their abandonments on the group page. There are also free printable tags and explanations available for attaching to your artwork.

To find out more about this project, visit DeMeng's page which also includes a video where he explains the concept and how to play along

Winner of GreekArt wooden box + my misc. ramblings

carved wooden letter boxes from GreekArt.com

Woo-Hoo! One lucky person has been selected to take home a lovely wooden box from artisan Evlambios Chatzilazaridis. Today's winner gets to pick their favorite from his online Etsy shop: GreekArt.etsy.com! Drum roll please......

Congratulations to Naila Moon! 

Naila, you can check out the selection of carved wooden boxes to choose from by clicking here. I will contact you today with direction for collecting your prize. 

Special thanks to GreekArt for donating this wonderful prize! If you'd like to learn more about Evlambios's craft and inspirations, check out last month's interview. You can also find his creations online at these locations:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/GreekArt

http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/CraftLand

http://en.dawanda.com/shop/CraftLand

https://www.facebook.com/craftland.gr

And Thank You to all who entered this drawing. Pop back next Thursday for a new interview and prize. I'll give you a hint... it is jewelry related!

Hopefully between now & then I'll get a few posts out. I have some product & music reviews to share plus I still want to show off my finds from the Gasparilla Art Fair earlier this month. 

rnrgames.com

Things have been crazy busy at work with many new products coming out soon that needed final touches. Work wise, everyone else is at PAX EAST this weekend - I'm hoping they send me some pictures once the games get underway. So far, I've only received shots of snow - quite a contrast from the 70s temps around here this week.

Since I got to stay home & keep an eye on things, this weekend I hope to snap some pretty pics at this year's GreenFest and maybe cruise a couple of local art shows. I'll be traveling with the kiddo, so we'll see how he holds up.

Do you have some fun plans for the weekend? Do tell & have fun!

Anything Goes in Tampa

(No... this is not a reference to last weekend's Nude Night exhibition.... for that event click here)

Anything Goes is the blast-from-the-past playing this week at the Straz Center. Originally produced in 1934, it has been updated a few times over the decades. While the current production still has plenty of crusty references and corny joke, the catchy tunes and rousing dance numbers will keep you chuckling while tapping your toes.

This is the part where I admit that I am generally not a fan of musicals... but I am nuts for Cole Porter! (In fact, I'm listening to the 1990 tribute album "Red Hot + Blue" right now). When the opportunity to attend this show came up I jumped into the queue. I am glad I did.

The Roundabout Theater Company did a bang-up job, with a boisterous Rachel York leading the way. She stole the show as sassy night club singer Reno Sweeney with her smooth moves, comedic timing and a gorgeous voice .

Several secondary characters also ruled the stage when their solos came up. Fred Applegate's Moonface Mooney carried off his 'Be Like The Bluebird' song with perfect old-school panache. Moonface's sidekick Erma (Joyce Chittick) and her crew of sailor boyfriends had a grand time (& made sure that we did too) during the peppy tune 'Buddy Beware'. Even the muddled English fiance, Evelyn, charmed the crowd into laughing out loud during his energetic performance of 'Gypsy in Me'.

I wont lie, there are some slow bits. Occasionally I found myself wishing Alex Finke, as lovesick Hope  Harcourt, had a stronger voice and presence. Maybe it was just me, but I occasionally had trouble catching her lyrics.

But with regular-Joes mistaken for criminals, troublemakers mistaken for clergy, and our hero Billy Crocker (Josh Franklin) mistaken for everything from a long-legged sailor to public enemy #1,  Anything Goes will keep you smiling.

Overall this classic tale of potentially unrequited love made for a fun night out. The big dance numbers had enough pizazz to impress both Fred Astaire fans and non-dancers like me. Filled with great music, boatloads of mistaken identity and plenty of snarky silly humor, this show was even more entertaining than I had expected.

C'mon - hop onto this stylish time machine for a saucy and slapstick visit to the 1930s. Anything Goes is playing at the Straz Center (Tampa, FL) through Sunday March 17. Some extra temptation: you can save 30% off Thursday's performances with promo code PORTER30.  Restrictions and charges apply.  For tickets and more information, call the Straz Center Ticket Office at 813.229.7827. This show is recommended for age 8+.

By the way, while the Straz Center generously gave me tickets to this event, the opinions stated here are 100% my own.  Have you caught this show sometime in the last 79 yrs? Please share, I would love to hear your thoughts. 

Musical Monday:Nude Night Recap with extra sauce

I wrote the wittiest posts in my head this weekend (with wickedly tacky titles)... but as I've been on the go go go, none of them ever made it to keyboard. Maybe I am just getting really old, but it seems like weekend activities are feast or famine lately - is it the same for you?

feathered 'lizard' performer at Nute Nite Tampa

I will not tell a lie - Nude Nite was a blast! I am already looking forward to next year. Some of the extra tickets I received went unused - maybe I should offer them up on the blog in 2014 (assuming I get in again). Any thoughts?

body painting

DH & I attended night 2 of this three night arty-party. We arrived early and had a grand time talking with the other artists and performers while soaking in the like-minded let's-not-take-ourselves -too-seriously vibe. 

satyr & nymph
( I missed the artist's name on the super realistic painting behind the models)

As the night went on, it got harder to see the art and live acts through the crowd.... but then the people watching became the real event!

pole dancers & an audience member I nicknamed Dr. Jekyll

Chicken sh*# that I am, it was a big deal to enter a show after 10 years under a rock. Ready to shift into sales mode, you can magine my surprise ....okay, now imagine it bigger.... when I found out that my two pieces sold in the first 20 minutes of opening night. 

guess who

I've had a few folks tell me that means my prices are too low. I don't care. I am happier to sell at a "low" price than bring something back home at a higher one.

So, here we are .... Sunday night, and I am too tired to be clever. I'll just share some family friendly pics from the event since you might be at work.

Avengers Assembly by Robert Monnerat

Saturday afternoon was spent suckin' sauce and knowledge from Daniel Blood, master certified barbecue judge for the Kansas City Barbeque Society. 

Woohee! That was a belly busting and brain filling experience. I will admit I am crazy about good BBQ - which is why you'll never see me walking around  Nude Nite in just a bunch of feathers !

Sunday was all about the time travel. We went back to the late 1800's for the Victorian Picnic in the Park at the Henry Plant Museum. Buckets of fun, old school style: lots of tiddlywinks, badminton, chess (+ anything else that required no batteries or internet).

Tampa Bay Steampunk Society at the H.B.Plant Victorian Picnic

If you've made it this far - many thanks. I am dog tired & probably babbling at this point. If you are looking for a Musical Monday pick me up be sure to pop over to Xmas Dolly's - lots of fantastic stuff over there. This week's theme is "music that tells a story of your life" .

We could be here all day listening to my auditory biography... and still be left scratching our heads (or yawning). So I'm just sharing a couple of tunes today. If you visit Miss Dolly be sure to add your own  musical inspirations to wake everyone up this week.

If you're a Monday morning sleepy-head like me you might like this bit-o-noise from Unkle, Morning Rage:

----------

Before I forget, if you haven't left a comment recently, please do! It will enter you in the 3/28 random drawing for an intricately carved box from the etsy shop GreekArt. There are a few ways to enter - click here for details & an interview with the artisan.

Nude Nite Tampa 2013

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Musical Monday + some artsy stuff

Josh Ritter's new album, The Beast In Its Tracks comes out tomorrow. 

If you are looking for a mellow start to your Musical Monday you can live stream the entire album early over at NPR by clicking this link.

You can also stream his earlier albums at this link. Once there, click each album cover to listen. There are also a few free MP3s too.

Looking for some other musical genres today? Or want to share what is on your radar? Pop on over to Xmas Dolly's and join the MM hop!

It's going to be a busy week around here! Yet, I hope to share some pics and purchases from this weekend's Gasparilla Festival of The Arts. A juried art fair with over $75,000 in prize money, it attracts a spectacular variety of 2d and 3d creative expression. 

This is my favorite local art fair & I had a blast wandering around with Etsy artisans KcBird of Bird House Designs  

 leather belt with peach & pink handstamped flowers from Birdhouse Designs

& Monique from UniqueNique. 

gold dragonfly fused dichroicglass pendant necklace from UniqueNique

There is so much to learn traveling with talented folks who specialize in different techniques. I ended up paying attention to leather & glass items that I would have just walked around on my own. So, thank you, ladies for opening my eyes ... and for your fabulous company, of course!

Final note today, if you haven't entered the new Thursday Giveaway, leave a comment before 3/28. On the 28th one lucky winner gets to pick a carved wooden box from the online shop GreekArt.Etsy.com for their very own. Prize ships free worldwide & there are a total of three ways to enter. Click here for details, photos and an interview with the shop owner/ craftsman Evlambios Chatzilazaridis.