Paint Night Boston

Well, so much for my 14 days of Valentine’s blog posts! Instead of feeling inspired, I am feeling tired and sick with a touch of the flu. Yech.

So, while I was laid out on the couch drinking tea with honey and lemon and watching a “Castle” marathon (and NOT blogging about Valentines), my family was busy sipping wine and painting at Clery’s Bar in Boston with The Next 26. (this pic just reminds me of finger painting in elementary school : )

If you are not familiar with The Next 26, they are a non-profit who has spent the past year in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings hosting 26 cultural and charitable events in hopes of keeping the Boston spirit alive until this year’s Marathon Monday.

The Next 26 Founders Chris Mathison & Nick Leydon

To read more about them and join the fun-they still have more events to go-click their logo below.

Don’t know about Paint Night?

Well, essentially you go to a restaurant or bar where they set up multiple easels side by side, and then provide wine to drink as you are painting (hmm, that seems rather counterproductive…)

There is an art teacher at the head of the class who provides step-by-step instructions to art students at all levels of expertise.

Everyone paints the same picture, in this case the Boston Skyline at dusk, but each one is unique. Loving The Next 26 blimp over Boston.

Coach came home with two paintings, of which he was quite proud. One was his,

the other, my daughter’s. Same subject, different styles. Do you have a favorite?

And here is the Next 26 team showing off their creations. True works of art, no?

So, sorry about the whole Valentine blog post thing. If you need some Valentine’s inspiration, check out my Pinterest “Be-Mine-Valentine” page. Everything from decadent chocolate desserts to print-from-home Valentines and home made decorations, like this cute Valentine Mantel by OneKriegerChick.