Painting With A Twist: In Pittsburgh!

Around Halloween, I won a Twitter contest for two free tickets to an upcoming class at Painting With A Twist in Robinson. Just hearing this made me jump out of my skin with excitement because I have seen pictures on Facebook of friends who have gone to similar studios or this one in particular, and because my mother did not pass on her painting skills to me, I always thought that this would be more my speed, since they teach you as you go along. And of course because it's BYOB.

I unfortunately was unable to use the Halloween tickets because of work conflicts but the fabulous owners, Jamie and Nicole Orlando, allowed me to pick another class to join them. I, of course, choose the Smithfield Street bridge class, as I'm sure I've mentioned before, it's my favorite bridge in Pittsburgh. No, I don't think it's weird to have a favorite bridge, we have 446 to choose from after all! And of course, being that he lives near the location and he's one of my favorite humans, I took along MJ. I thought, what better way to celebrate our 4 year anniversary then to paint some pretty pictures and have dinner afterwards. MJ was not too thrilled at first, considering he doesn't have artist genes either, but that quickly changed when we got there.

After checking in and finding our awesome, and perfectly appropriate for us aprons, we settled in by snacking and meeting some new friends, and then the class started, and MJ began to feel right at home. Our awesome teacher/artist, Amie, was going through routine things, like how the class would go and such, then she came to naming the brushes we'd be using, so we would know which one she wanted us to use and when. So, there's this big brush that she named Big Daddy. She also decided to call MJ, Big Daddy, and being the natural people-person (aka flirt) that he is, by the end of the class, everyone there was calling him Big Daddy, and needless to say, we had the greatest time ever.

I highly suggest that you attend a class. There are locations all around the US (for those of you reading from somewhere that isn't Pittsburgh). Though I can only comment on how fabulous everyone is at this particular location, I'm sure you'll have a good time at any other Painting With A Twist as well.   I honestly, have never believed in Art Therapy until going to this class. (Sorry to my friends who majored in AT in college, but I do believe you now!) And although we still do not have painting skills, MJ and I did have a great night following along to an artist who is obviously very talented, but who could very easily teach and help everyone when needed. Thanks for your patience, Amie! Also, in other news, MJ won the November Tag & Brag that PWAT has on their Facebook each month, so we're very excited to be able to go to another class soon....you should join us!

Fashion Forward Fridays: ecoChic Resale Boutique

Hey everyone! Today I am really excited to bring you an interview from owner Terry Chesky and an inside look of her fabulous resale boutique, ecoChic. This wonderful boutique is located at 401 Home Drive, in front of the Best Buy and Home Depot in Robinson, and hopefully this post encourages you to take a trip there soon! In Terry's interview for Fashion Forward Fridays she explains how ecoChic came to be, how you can become a consignment partner, and how this store is helping transform the fashion scene in Pittsburgh! You guys know that I am all about saving money and still wearing great clothes, thrift shopping is my favorite hobby so you know that I am all about helping out a locally owned consignment shop. Plus, Terry is a great woman who seems really interested in meeting the needs of her shoppers, how could you not want that kind of loyalty to you as the customer while shopping? 

Outside ecoChic in Robinson - all photos provided by Terry.

How did ecoChic get started? My mom and I had been in the consignment business for almost 20 years when we opened ecoChic resale boutique in 2010. We loved second-hand ANYTHING.... antiques, thrift stores, flea markets, and consignment shops. Our first shop, Consignment Cottage, located in Moon Township, is a great store, but off the beaten path. We opened ecoChic with the idea of creating a smaller, boutique resale experience in the heart of the busy Robinson shopping area. We hoped that it would appeal to a greater audience by being in one of the busiest shopping communities.... and it has!