We were invited by Buytopia for a fun event called Paint Nite and they even welcomed the baby! We were contemplating leaving the Little Monkey at home but then figured, why not? Life is a big social experiment after all and given that the Paint Nite event was hosted at a restaurant and involved paint, it couldn’t be overly formal. So off the three of us went!

I had heard about Paint Nite but were it not for the team at Buytopia and Charming Media, I don’t think I would have got around to trying it. So a big thank you to fab daily deals site for the invite! Paint Nite is a novel concept that combines some of my favourite things, creativity, drinks, food and exploring your neighbourhood. Paint Nite is hosted at local bars and restaurants and each time at a new venue. The concept is rampant throughout the U.S and is now in Toronto as well. All you have to do is turn up (oh and buy a ticket ofcourse – keep an eye out for deals on the local Facebook pages. I hear tickets are about $25 when on a deal). The canvas, paints and brushes are all set for you but you are responsible for the drinks and food you may purchase at the event.

The class is led by fun instructors who have you drinking creatively and humming to some good tunes. The local artist on feature guides you through from empty canvas to a masterpiece over the span of two hours. Our session did take about 3 hours which made it a little difficult with a toddler who is now entering her terrible two stage. Since we had two canvases the hubs took one and the Little Monkey took the other. She got painting without much fuss and was having a grand old time…though an hour into the event she decided she wanted to help her dad out by painting on his (he wasn’t impressed!). This soon lead to some whining and occasional shrieks. Luckily for us, the group that evening seemed to be a chilled out bunch and didn’t seem to mind (sorry everyone!!). The hubs then took her for a walk while I took over the painting. Needless to say, the final “masterpiece” was a true Murphy collaboration. She got quite cranky at the end but the artist on feature was also a kid loving children’s book illustrator so the two of them bonded quite a bit in the end. If you’re wondering, yes the lovely yellow dress was paint splattered…another canvas obviously!

All in all, a totally fun event, meeting new folks and getting the creative juices flowing. With older kids this would be a great family event and a shorter class would be fun for the tiny tots too! Not a bad idea when gathering for a girls night out, a date night or even a birthday party. It can get a bit tough trying to eat while painting so perhaps stick to finger food and the drinks. Come ready to get creative and don’t be afraid if you’ve never lifted a brush in your life, the instructor and artist will have you thinking you are Picasso!