♥ St. James Court Art Show ♥

Ever since I moved here, I have heard about the St. James Court Art Show. The Show is an annual event where artists from all over the country come to display and sell their work.

I didn't make it last year, and truthfully, I didn't think it was too big of a deal. Boy howdy, was I ever wrong! This morning, I went to Historic Old Louisville (which is amazing in and of itself...but more on that another day!) to see what all the commotion was about. I figured I would beat the crowds by going at opening on the third and final day of the show...10:00am on Sunday morning. I could not have been more wrong! It was packed! Finding a place to park took me a good 10-15 minutes of circling and after a 5 minute walk, I found myself amongst a crowd of people that would make even the mildly claustrophobic nervous.

I had a great time, though! As an aspiring artist myself, I was inspired by everything that I saw. I found the diversity and creativity of the artwork astounding...oil paintings, watercolors, pottery, mosaics, photography, sculptures, puppets, toys, hats, purses, jewelry, stained glass, clocks, clothing, shoes, leather, books, garden decorations, metal work, carvings, 3D art, tapestries, rugs...basically anything that could be hand made! And the booths went on for miles! Block after block after block I wandered and browsed all that was available. There was also the typical street carnival food (that smelled great but thankfully never make it into my possession!) and an array of musicians and dancers performing on each corner. It made it even better that it was a gorgeous, sunny, crisp fall day!

I didn't purchase anything, but I definitely enjoyed myself and will come back in the future! Maybe one day I'll return as an artist in the show! :-)

Super cute birdhouses!

LOVED the guy who takes photos of tree frogs! I asked him for a card, but he didn't have one, so now I don't remember his name, but his photos were incredible!

The booths go on forever!

You can't see it here, but these paintings where embellished with strategically placed color-coordinated rhinestones! Sparkly!

You can't tell in the photograph, but these are 3D photos. This man took photos and then cut out pieces and layered them back piece by piece to make a 3D shadow box of each image. Awesome!

St. James Court...at the heart of Historic Old Louisville.

This is where the party was!

 More art!

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♥ Fourth Street Live ♥

Our friends, Tammy and Sheldon, are in town this weekend, so my dad and I planned to meet up with them for dinner downtown. Tammy and I brainstormed ideas, and came up with the idea of going to Fourth Street Live! I took it one step further and suggested a progressive dinner event so we could sample a few of the restaurants there. I was pleasantly surprised when everyone went for it!

Fourth Street Live is a one block area in the middle of downtown Louisville. Most of the time, the road is closed off to automobiles and becomes an open air mall of sorts. There is a big Borders bookstore, and many restaurants and nightclubs in the two-story space.

Although it was not the case tonight, there are frequently free outdoor concerts on the weekends. I have seen Swtichfoot and Lonestar perform on two separate occasions. It's pretty cool!

We decided to start with drinks and appetizers at TGIFridays. It turned out that Sheldon's daughter, Stephanie, was also in town, so she and I finally got to meet after a couple years of always hearing about each other!

We all got our poison of choice...I ordered a fruity cocktail with rum, Southern Comfort, Disaronno Amaretto, and assorted juices. I forget what it was called, but it was good!

For our appetizers, we ordered nachos and a Jack Daniels sampler with ribs, glazed chicken, and Cajun shrimp. It was so good!

Here is the gang at Fridays! Aren't we a good looking group?!?! :)

Back out on the street, in the AMAZING weather, it was just starting to get dark, so I snapped a few photos of all the lights!

We decided on RiRa Irish Pub for our main course. There was live music, and the restaurant has a really great pub atmosphere! I ordered a delicious sandwich...grilled chicken with swiss cheese and spinach and artichoke dip on sourdough bread! Complete with a side of amazing sweet potato fries! Mmm! I took half of my sandwich home in a doggy bag....but I was so tired when I got home that I accidentally left it out on the counter overnight!!! So bummed! :-(

Sheldon's beer sampler.

After our Irish meal, we decided to go to Maker's Mark Lounge for dessert! Mmmm....bourbon.... :-) It's a pretty swanky place...dramatic, low lighting, leather couches, sheer floor to ceiling curtains. I like!

I ordered a Bourbon Ball Martini!

Cheers!

Bourbon Balls! Definitely some of the best I've ever had!

Apple crisp!

Strawberry scone!

It was such a fun night!!! I love the vibe at Fourth Street Live, and there is obviously tons of great food and fun to be had there! I really enjoyed the company I was with, too. :-)

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