Last Thursday, I went to a great show with some great girls.If you haven't heard the Milk Carton Kids, then you need to download (for free - say what?!?!) their music right now because they are amazing. Their lyrics made me misty eyed and swooning over love.If you haven't heard Gaby Moreno, then you're in for a super treat. At one point, I made a "yeeaaaah" shout because she was just. that. good. Yes. I have a new girl crush (you will too).If you haven't heard The Kin, you haven't heard harmonies this sweet. (plus, not bad on the eyes either)...listen here or in the player below **But these lovely ladies are what made the show and the night. Lots of laughter and smiling.I am so lucky to have such wonderful people in my life!thanks for a fun night lovelies!xoxo

Here are some snaps of before and after...Pre-sketching last weekend...

NY Cares Day outside mural team...

Happy volunteers and indoor murals...

Finishing touches outside....(I had to leave early to pick up my cousin from Germany [posts on this soon!])

Happy students this morning!

NY Cares Day 2011 (as always) was a great success!

Thank you to everyone that participated. We *quite literally* brightened this school and neighborhood. While the volunteers were at lunch, I worked on accents and highlights, while doing this a little girl from an apartment building called down..."Hey! That looks real nice." Knowing that she will have a brighter view makes me smile.

Thank you to everyone involved!

Or global warming fall??Either way this weather has been ridiculously beautiful and the past few weeks have been deliciously fun.

There's something about being in an art studio/class that makes my heart skip and feel calm at the same time. The smell of paint, the paint covered easels from previous students, being surrounded by other talented artists eager to paint and learn - it all makes me happy.So as soon as I walked into the room last night, I felt comfortable. I was at ease.But feeling challenged is also good and I want to grow as an artist.What does this mean? That for the next few weeks I draw.I'm very nervous about drawing. I admit that I hide in my blurry color swirls, but I think  (know) that brushing up on these fundamentals will ultimately help me create even better paintings.As one guy put it, "it's like taking two sticks and making a fire. Once you do that, you can do anything."So here's to trying new things.These are some snaps of my new painting. Let's see what happens after a few weeks of drawing and when I return to painting. It will be an interesting experiment!

*source*(remember those fuzzy velvet paint my colors with tigers and unicorns? it's arguable which one is cooler. hehe)I'm loving this new album.**Can you believe it's October?!?!

I can't believe NY Cares Day 2011 is in two weeks! I absolutely love this project, so much that I've participated it in every year since I moved here. You can see my previous experiences here, here, and here.I think it's very inspiring to think about all of the volunteers around the city participating in brightening schools and doing what they can to make a difference. I even take a break from my regular NY Cares Art Explorer's project so I can work with other schools.Someone recently asked me if I thought of my volunteering as "work". I didn't have to think twice about that question. I don't. To me, it's something that brings me back to earth. There's something about having a very hectic week and then taking a couple of hours on a Saturday morning to make art with kids or paint murals that reminds me that there is soooo much more to this life than the things I'm surrounded most of the time. I enjoy meeting people and I love trying new art activities with the kids. Plus, there's this amazing bakery right by the train that has this amazing Colombian cheese bread which I get every week with my co-team leader. YUM!Anyway, this year's mural focuses on puppets the school uses to teach kids about "being a good sport" in different situations. Here are some sketches in progress. They aren't finished yet and the crayons don't really show the exact blues I want to use for the sky, but it's a start!p.s. perhaps not my best sketches, but it will be a fun mural and much prettier than these!

I love volunteering and I love the kids I work with even more. Last week, we made marbleized paper. I have to say that the students had swirlier turnouts than I did! My sample looked more like a speckled egg! Our projects work best when I bring a sample to class. This way the kids actually see what we are making. Plus, it's a great chance to do some fun art!I found this project online. It was super easy, super messy, but super fun!The best part about that day? Having one of the kids who just wanted to play on the computer actually participate in our project. He was not interested in making art with us AT ALL and was very adamant about not coming to class. Three volunteers tried getting him to come, but I managed to talk him into it. Seeing him excited about the project and promising to participate in future projects made my week. If you are in New York, come volunteer with us! Giving back is so, so rewarding. Thanks to everyone that participated and my great co-team leaders!Hooray for volunteering! NY Cares Day 2011 is coming up! I'll be posting information about my mural soon! What you need:

• Food coloring
• Vegetable oil
• Paper
• Baking pan
• Water

1. Take the food coloring and cooking oil and put it in a glass or cup to stir. I used these glasses at home, but at the class we used little craft containers.2. Mix the oil and food coloring to make the colors you want. Stir it quickly like a salad dressing.3. This part looks super cool...4. Put enough water in the pan so it's a thin layer at the bottom (my sample has too much). Add the food coloring/oil mixture to the pan. It should float to the top of the surface.5. Take the paper and place it on top of the water. When you pull it off, you'll have different swirls and patterns. To make more patterns, just take the mixture and drop it on the paper directly. Move the paper around to make shapes and things you like!** Have a kind roommate help you out when you realize it was stupid to wear a nice camera while playing with oil and food coloring... have him document the rest of the photos **The result? Fun paper! 

good tunes

...was my audition song for many things in college...is so, gosh darn beautifulthe other night there was a huge harvest moon in the sky. I ran home as fast as my legs could take me (while carrying a big chalkboard that was up for grabs from the office - SWEET!) with hopes of getting to the roof to take photos.Of course, I missed it at it's peak, when it was right above the street. It looked like a huge orange ball in the sky and across the way was it's sister sun saying goodnight. Since they were almost on the same plane, it was as if they were two guards passing one another between shifts of protecting the sky. I'm sure it would have been breathtaking from an aerial view.Since I can't fly (although, that would be an awesome super power), I got as close as I could. The roof.

Sometimes I get so caught up in what I'm doing that I barely take a moment to look up. Literally. It's easy for me to get angry at my computer or the internet for being so slow, and it's even easier for me to forget how crazy the internet actually is! (I mean, come on - the interwebs is pretty awesome!) I can get so angry that I will want to pull my hair out scream, "serenity now dammit!" very loudly! But, I know better.So tonight when someone said to glance up and look at the sunset, I knew that that was my serenity moment. (I love sunsets!) And so, I took a moment and a breath and remembered all that is beautiful. And just like that, the light shifted and it was gone..

A day at the Krull-tail apartment is fun.You might get attacked with baby powder by a curious roommate - just wondering what it would look like if you were gray......and it will definitely be a powdery mess.A kitty will surely want to say hello......only so she can be lifted into the air to do some acrobatics.while other kitties will want to sleep on hard surfaces.And if you're lucky, you might stumble upon a package like this on your way home...

Last week I got to go to the U.S. Open. I'm not a big sports person, but I had a really fun time!Andy Murray Awesome seats... Rafael Nadal Samantha Stouser Maria Kirilenko This game had some seriously crazy tie breaks! Look at this cool moon! *note* I did not drink these all on my own! Although while holding my friend's cups while he was in the bathroom, a concerned passerby thought I had..."wow lady, you better not be driving! "This train yard made me have a bit of nostalgia for my Iowa City apartment (650 s. Johnson home of Goosie) and when we would throw our rotten fruit at the tracks! (except my throw was so bad it never made it that far!) Thank you friend for the awesome tickets and great company!

Last week I took a day off to work on some art and the kitties decided to help. Many times they hid the scissors with their furry tails making me feel as if I lost my mind because "dammit! I just had them!"Caesar (the black kitty) loves sitting on lumps. He never likes to sit on soft things, he prefers piles of books; shoes or anything that looks like it would be uncomfortable. His sister just likes to get into everything and runs around like a mini tornado. Aren't they adorable?The new project is something in the works, more to come.oh and he also likes to wear shoes. ;)    

 You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -- over and over announcing your place. in the family of things.~ mary oliver 

 These old bottles were part of our finds from Dead Horse Bay this spring. It was nice coming home to a new light display!I love living with my ridiculously funny, creative, and awesome BFF! 

p.s. RIP beautiful tree from my block (not pictured above). I will miss smelling the flowers and reaching up to feel your pretty leaves. p.p.s. I admit it, I was one of those people walking around the park after the storm...not the smartest idea in the world, but I couldn't stay cooped up any longer! p.p.p.s. Times Square now has Crumbs ... sweeeeet! (although, Butter Lane cupcakes are still the best)  

Found via instagram. A kayaker in soho!**My hurricane survival kit consisted of watercolors, books, and an apple. Now they will be used for Sunday afternoon relaxation and nursing a small hangover from birthday shenanigans.I hope everyone was okay and safe during the storm!P.s. Parks and recreation is brilliant.

August is in full bloom and summer is ending. I've been enjoying these fence flowers for the past few months. Standing on my tip toes to smell them, hoping I don't run into a bumble bee!Let's hope Irene doesn't blow away them away. New York folks - stay safe!

Last week Hayden and I took an adventure to the roof of our apartment (of three Franks) to watch a storm roll in and I've been playing with the photos on Instagram and Camera Bag, two super fun iphone apps. The craziest thing about the roof is that you can venture across the roofs of all the apartment buildings on the block.our neighbor's party yard our backyard used to have a pool, now it's just a sandpit for us to throw our cherry seeds from the kitchen window.storm clouds rolling in...

I am sort of clumsy, things fall a lot. Like my phone. Except last week it fell a little too hard...I tried listening to my music and I couldn't hear anything but fuzzy static!  Listening to silence and people's chatter is not top of my list, so getting a new music player was very important. I found this adorable thing on Craigslist. It holds so much music and makes me very happy!I also realized how much music I have and the variety of things! From languages to musicals to good indie bands. Happy Friday! Have a great weekend. xoxo