the crab + the moon
I watched this little kitty grow from the tiniest kitten who woke me up by snapping the hair elastics on my wrist to the most spoiled pampered cat I know. Here is the completed illustration of the one and only Stella MonStarr. Stella lives in Sea Bright, NJ where she sun baths by day and curls up in a bean bag by night.
the crab + the moon is now doing custom pet portraits! Please email us for pricing!
Olive Angelina Benicula Who, also known as Olive the Cute, is a rescue who lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Her birth name was Betty in her days of biting rope and mild gingivitis. She loves sports radio and her lamby. Her mother spoils her with all organic goodies and lots of hugs. She is a hipster pup and I am also her auntie. Who loves her very much. You can follow her on Instagram at @olivethecute.
During my travels to LA I found myself on my favorite block of Abbot Kinney Blvd and in The Juicy Leaf. I was perusing for cactus and succulents and stumbled up these beautiful pieces of metal, crystal and death. I've never seen anything like them. If only I had an extra $2,800 in my pocket. If only.
Austrian Crystal Encrusted Skulls. Makes my heart skip a beat.
You can only find these pieces at The Juicy Leaf or on their website thejuicyleaf.com
If you're up at 2am tonight you'll be able to catch the lovely moon maiden.
Since I have an early eeeeearly morning flight tomorrow I will unfortunately be up at 2am. So at least I have something to look forward to when my alarm goes off. For the next week and a half I will be doing window installations across the country. California I'm coming your way!
Pulling inspiration from my photographs for my next project.
Tattoos and graphic wild flowers! A few of my favorite things...
Teepees, super moons and tacos..... I can't think of anything more fitting for my birthday.
I decided for my first celebration of the last year of my twenties to have a grownup birthday party in a teepee. I learned of this teepee through the lovely people of North Brooklyn Farms. It's called The Tipi Project and it's located in Havemeyer Park in Williamsburg. All I wanted was to spend some relaxing time making art with the people that I love. And I got to do just that!
The Tipi Project is a nonprofit space that offers things like workshops, yoga classes and events and when the Tipi isn't in use you can rent it out for your own boho party or gathering. Denise hooked me up and was super helpful with the whole planning process. I highly recommend at least visiting the space if you're in the area.
My morning started at Salon AKS where Sadah tatted me up and made my hair pretty and pink. Then it was off to the teepee. The day was a warm, beautiful day. My friends brought their own personalized art projects. Molly worked on her jewelry, Liz started building a vintage style camera from scratch and Kenzie... my beautiful lawyer... brought a kids coloring book. I had made some lemonade with blackberries, strawberries and mint. It was the perfect non-alcoholic refreshment and super easy to make! We ended the night by eating tacos and drinking Prosecco under the super moon. It was....... the best.
temporary tattoos - lulu dk
temporary tattoos - lulu dk
Cancer is, as you've guessed, the astrological sign that I hold nearest and dearest to my heart because it is of course my sign! Hence, the crab and the moon. The crab being the zodiac symbol and the moon being our ruling planet.
I plan on making this a two part series by doing an additional crab illustration. I've been sketching but it hasn't really clicked just yet.
This little number I came up with is a waning crescent moon, which is the moon I was born under, with poppies, peonies and lithianthus blooming from it. The flowers and the outer circle also represent a flower crown symbolizing summer and every moon maiden's inner flower child. It was originally suppose to be my first tattoo. This piece is very special to me to say the least.
Everette Mica Rhee was who inspired my horoscope series. My little Aries inspiration. She is the brand new daughter of one of my closest friends. I knew I wanted to paint her something and I wanted it to be a subject that would be relevant throughout her life. When I showed her the painting she could not stop scanning it side to side and then smiling. Aries was officially baby approved. That moment made my stomach drop.
From meeting Evers yesterday, I get it. I totally and completely get it. She is perfect in every way and all you want to do is stare at her and hold her. It was a cool and strange realization when I was holding her last night. This age is pretty cool. You get to see the people you love the most having mini versions of themselves that you can hold and cuddle. It's pretty amazing in every sense of the word.
Evers and Jess were just too photogenic to not include photos of them.
The illustration was done in pen, ink and watercolor. The frame is an authentic vintage frame I found at an antique store back in Massachusetts (that kind if vintage look can't be replicated). I have been holding on to the frame for a while now and it was always the odd man out when it came to my wall decor. Now I know why... it wasn't meant for me it was meant for Evers. I adhered paper flowers onto the frame to give it a softer look. I really think it came out quite nice!
Happy Sunday!
In honor of the Midsummer Festival that takes place today in NYC, I bring you the ultimate babe in a flower crown.
Virgo will be available for purchase on Society 6 very soon. We'll let you know when it's up!
Mallory Sophronia opened their first ever brick and mortar this past weekend! The apparel and accessories line has a new home in a cottage in Kennebunk, Maine within the Morning Walk Galleries.
Kennebunk could quite possibly be one of my favorite places to visit. It has beautiful views, just a real sense of calm and more importantly, the best seafood. Ever.
Mallory Sophronia caters to the bohemian beach babe. The girl behind the brand pays homage to her ancestors and their namesake through her handmade goods. What differentiates Mallory from other designers is that she makes clothing that fits all body types, there is no right or wrong way to wear her pieces and each piece is a true one of a kind. Her designs range from flowy and oversized to short and sexy.
My favorite piece I own at the moment is a printed purple kimono. It doubles as a skimpy robe around the apartment and a top that hints at a little too much, paired back to my black leather shorts. And of course... I own one of the orchid flower crowns. L O V E .
Mallory and I installed the interior space in about 3 days. Her family contributed a lot as well. The whole experience was so fun and freeing. We just did whatever the hell we wanted with no restraints. It was pretty cool.
To shop Mallory Sophronia from the comfort of your home go to mallorysophronia.com
If you're lucky enough to be in the area of the shop they are located at 2 Morning Walk Lane in Kennebunk, Maine at The Galleries at Morning Walk. The shop is open Mon, Wed, Fri-Sun from 10:00am - 5:00pm.
It's officially summer!! Which means it is officially appropriate to wear fresh flowers in your hair at all times. Fresh flower crowns are one of my favorite things about summer. The perfect accessory for any boho babe. The downfall of it all is that they only last 1 - 2 days, which makes this chick real sad. So to turn my flower frown upside down I dry them out and incorporate them in my room as wall art! It's pretty simple and it allows me to showcase all of the special occasions where I have worn these beautiful pieces.
After the crown starts to wilt place it on a tapered round lampshade to dry out (remove the shade or use only when the shade is cool) then hang! You can also have them framed in a shadow box but if you're on a budget like me, hanging them is just fine.
Let the crowns live on!
There was a clear color pallet today.
Pale pastels of a moonstone.
Today was absolutely beautiful outside, so obviously I had to create a comfortable little nook on my fire escape and take my work outside! I brought the plant babies as well. They needed a little fresh air.
As my very first project for the crab + the moon I will be illustrating the astrological signs. What inspired me was one of my closest friends becoming a mom for the first time. So this first sketch is for her. As you can see it is Aries. And this is stage one.
