Art Hop Hot!

I wasn't even planning on doing the Art Hop this year, but then Jen made me an offer I couldn't refuse! The teachers from the DIY Lounge were offered free booth space so we were able to do collective selling, which meant I only had to actually be there for a three-hour shift.

We set up in Alberta Street right next to collage, the art supply store which holds the DIY Lounge in the back room. (Psst...they're opening a new location on Woodstock! TODAY IS THEIR FIRST DAY OPEN - and there's a big grand opening party scheduled for Saturday, May 31. Click here for more info.)

In our booth were myself, Jen (Knot Ugly Designs), Teresa, who does amazing beadwork, Nicole Cipriano, Dawn (Envelop Cards), and Linda, a watercolor artist. We had a free make-and-take craft table going on throughout the day.

I just can't get over how bright these colors are. It was about 90 billion degrees out. I had to keep my stuff in the shade to keep it from melting. It was hot! But fun!

After we set up, since I didn't have to work my "shift" until 3 pm, Chuck and I wandered down to Francis, where we had a delicious breakfast while basking in the glow of this huge mural painted by the incredibly prolific Portland genius Chris Haberman (who is also the singer for Hello Cleveland), in collaboration with Jennifer Mercede. We were like, "Wow! Is that a Haberman?" And it was.

With full bellies (the Dungeness crab Benedict was AMAZING!), we wandered back down the strip (walking right in the street as they closed it down for the Art Hop for the first time this year). We visited the Alberta location of Trade Up Music (I hadn't been there since playing a show there when it was a club called the Medicine Hat - we played a private party there, it was PACKED and insane, and nothing like the pristine music store it is now).

I tried taking pictures of various vendors as they were setting up for the Art Hop. Unfortunately I must have had my camera settings all screwy because most of the photos turned out really dark and blurry! Sorry! But here is Judi of Curly Girl Glass:

And below you will see tw0-thirds of the Salmon Street Studio family! Their daughter, Zoe, has her own little space where she sells cute watercolor bookmarks that she makes. She was reading a Canadian version of the newest Harry Potter book. She said the only difference is that some words are spelled differently...

So I actually went home and mopped my kitchen floor (yes! I did!), then came back to work the booth in the afternoon. I hung out with Teresa and she engaged in great gear-talk with all the astounded men who were drawn in by my black-and-white painted killer vintage Kramer bass guitar, which Teresa played a bit (she is a bass player too). Look at the beaded cuff she's wearing - that's what she makes. The leather cuffs behind her are by Nicole. Between the three of us, it was cuff city!

Well, as it happened, Cootie Platoon was playing a show that same evening right there on 20th and Alberta, at a newish dive bar called the Know. After tearing down my stuff and loading up my car, I went and had a Coke with Rico and Melle, pictured here with some other punk rockers and of course the classic can of PBR.

I didn't stay for the show, but couldn't miss a photo op with my best friend!