Its time to save the date! Flyer and press release coming soon…

The #TooflyPopUpShop is back! It’s been a few years but this time around I had a little more time to put it together the right way. I am currently enjoying the process of curating events at various places. Something about getting all the pieces to an idea where people get together gives me great joy. Like painting I am putting together theme, color, and design to tell a story. Our story. Save the date!

Down to the last few posts! –  This year LLP celebrated the 10th Ladies Love Project Holiday Pop-Up Shop! We teamed up with City Lore Community Arts Gallery space in the lower east side for a 2 day event. A total of 20+ vendors gathered for the fun. Our LLP photographer Samantha Morales took some lovely photos of the crew this year, here are some of my favorites. Shout out to all the vendors, friends, family and guests that came thru to support the #shoplocal, #shophandmade, and #shopsmall movement —-> Follow us on our facebook page for the next vendors call!

Its a wrap for 2016! Thank you everyone. Community vibes build community tribes <3

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I’m ready for fall! This year I decided to head back to Cali. It’s been a minute since I took a trip to the westside, and visited my friends and family. As much as I love New York every now and then you gotta switch things up. The world is really big, and the more I create new prints, and designs the more I want to visit other places to exhibit them. It’s easier to pack and go these days, especially if you have the time and means to make it happen. #WHYNOT I say. Today, many artists can travel anywhere they want because all you need is a pencil and paper to create just about anything your little heart desires. “Visualization” is key. All you gotta do is show up to that life! aka pop-up:) There’s a ton of cities across the globe where we can showcase artwork, paint murals, and build/network with the local community. Indefinitely if your about it on the really real your ART becomes your LIFE. That’s how we livin’ ya’ll! – see you soon LA.

Press Release Coming Soon!

SAVE THE DATE! We are gearing up for the next ladies Love Project Holiday Pop-Up Shop!

That’s right, a #QuitoArtsWalk! There is none, so Erin Yoshi and the Trust Your Struggle crew got together and hooked it up in 1 DAY. It’s arts month in Quito, Ecuador ( AUGUST ) and the city spreads the word on Talleres Abiertos De Quito. I think it’s a great idea to have open studios by artists for public view, but once a year tho? If we’re gonna build a strong”all inclusive” arts community you gotta do it yourself. That means organize local crews, shops, and artists of all angles to come together for the cause. Professionals, youth, kids, families, even the older folk who love to water color down the block. We’re here to spread that creative love, and good vibes with others who are down. A foundation for local economies starts with each of us, and that means “manos a la obra” mentality. It’s how we do, and how it’s done here when it’s time to clean up a street, build a house, or rock a food garden. The historic center of Quito is an amazing place with streets like calle Junin and others like La Ronda providing spaces for the artists to take over public space. Is it safe? Yes, but sometimes the cops fuck with us/them. Harassing an artist using a spray can to create, or an artesano setting up shop on the floor to make a living is not cool. So we’re out here trying to create a safe space for them too, because art it not only for an elite class with fancy galleries and glossy pamphlets. We’re independent, and rep the streets where the heart and soul of people lives.

Collaboration with Trust Your Struggle Collective, Toofly, Alm Crew, and Sirka.

  

Gracias a todos!

I’ve been having a lot of fun lately with the items on my shop. It’s finally taking shape and in the direction I want it to go. Every year I release a new item, and a new color way for the up coming summer or holiday pop-up shop. The “New York City” T’ is a favorite and this season we have it all in 3 colors! — Black, White, and Heather Grey. Good times with my cousin Eliana who modeled them as we cranked up some 90’s Hip Hop.  I will always love New York and this is my way of showing my city some luv with an original handstyle!

New York City T’ by Toofly $25 —> www.tooflynyc.com/shop

Model: Eliana Gutierrez, Quito Ecuador

My last day in NY was super sweet! Spent the 4th of July at my favorite place in Queens the Long Island City Pier. I had a lovely combination of work and play that day. Worked on a live art piece with my cousin Richie for the LIC FLEA, sipped on some beer, and enjoyed a juicy turkey burger with fries. YUM! It had been a minute to sin. Summer in NY is the ultimate, each time shorter than the next unfortunately. My schedule more hectic every year. I hardly get a chance to hang with my friends now, but one way or the other they make the effort to meet up and I LOVE THEM FOR THAT!!! Being loved by your friends is one of the happiest of feelings. Especially since I spend months at a time now without them.  You should always show your true peeps love as well as those family member who care. To my dear friend Evelyn who I love very much thank you for always being there and sharing the family time with me:)

( EVELYN PHOTOS HERE, Dude send them lol! )

Making the best of my NY minute with dearest of friends and family <3

Taking the time to pull together my last post before I devote my heart to my family this holiday week. I had a very short trip to New York this fall which made it super difficult to do everything I would have liked, and needed to do. Next time a 1-2 month stay in New York is about do! Promise. The goal this fall was to rock my first ever Toofly Holiday Pop Up Shop. As some of ya’ll have heard The Ladies Love Project is taking a mini break so we can try and switch things up for 2015. Unsure when we will return exactly but trust we are working on a fresh new twist for LLP. Until then I will be keeping the holiday spirit alive <3

For years now I’ve been building with our hommies from Rebelution Ink and Fresthetic who’s local owned businesses continue to hold it down in Williamsburg. These are the folks we gotta support these days so they can rise above the crude reality of gentrification. Rebelution Ink is a small silkscreening biz and boutique on 560 Grand St that is open to print, and share their space with independent artists and creative folks. Randy Quiles and his team do a great job on all the Toofly t-shirts, totes, and hoodies. I love this place! I dig the people that run it, as well as the people who come to the space to connect. They are a community of “true school” New Yorkers. Heads who share a common passion for their neighborhood and the rough changes it’s going through. They are here to support their hood, the local businesses, friends, and family who hold a tight grip to Bushwick. It’s hard not to vent about what’s happening all around them especially with people who identify with the change. We all came up together in this nitty gritty concrete jungle. A “dope world” back then of diverse energies and fly authentic vibrations. We sOoooo miss it!!! It’s why we are still here sharing them good ol’ vibes on a community tip. We genuinely care to be in each others company because it makes us comfortable. We can indulge in sincere conscious dialogue about the life around us because we truly do “relate” to eachother. I appreciate each and every person who came thru this past weekend because of this and much more. What you shared and brought to the space says a lot about why you came thru. That’s what it’s really all about folks. I don’t know how much longer we will have these kind of spaces and places. It’s important these days to show your support because like the destruction of 5Pointz, which hit us hard this past year, it can be here today but not tomorrow. True New Yorkers know the impact it has on our lives and the new generation when we lose “our” spaces in the city where all our dreams were planted. Fat Beats, East Village Radio, Pearl Paint, are no more. The luxury condo loving, glass encased, suburban lifestyle that is glued to a screen 24hrs a day, has taken over indefinitely. The illusion is thriving and making born and bred New Yorkers feel a certain type of way. It sucks. Just like everything else that’s no longer original to this city. Art, music, and even our local piragua man is being re-packaged and replaced by some hipster to sell multi flavored ice’s to the masses of uncultured transplants. It’s real out there son! and it’s wack how we let it all happen. Not much you can do about it now. So I’ll be back ( just to visit ) because this New York City sistah is a continent trooper now, and I belong to a immense universe outside that city bubble that inspires one to be young, wild, and freeeeeeeeee ready to kick brand new flava in ya ear!  

Photos by #LifeRoundHere and #TooflyNYC – Follow us on Instagram. 

Big ups to poet and actor Lemon Anderson who came thru with his lovely family to experience the Toofly Pop Up Shop. Looking forward to rockin’ a beautiful new marker piece on his walls with a fresh message:)

The Toofly Pop Up Shop will be up for one last week at Rebelution Ink 560Grand Street, Brooklyn NY. With T-shirts, Hoodies, and Prints! Last chance to cop that “limited” edition item for the holiday season. We’re down to the last of the “Love Warrior SKY” pieces. 

My future Toofly Pop Up Shop intern lil Ani! the youngest member of the Project Girlz. Time is flying:)

Building the Toofly New York Team! Shout out to Blanche for holding it down:) Thank you Teatulia Teas!

Shout out to Shiro for being an awesome guest artist!

THANK YOU for the product sales love! Happy artist happy customer:)

Congratulations to all the tote bag raffle winners! That was fun…

JILL DE BUSHWICK a Williamsburg true school local on the 1 & 2’s. Happy we got a chance to rock it on the last day.

THANK YOU NEW YORK CITY!!!

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another - Anatole France

HELLLLLLLLOOOOOO World. I’m finally in Sunny Florida. Ready to relax a bit, and spend thanksgiving week with my querida familia before the Art Basel Miami madness next week. November was an amazing month. I’m loving this three city tour! My first stop was LOS ANGELES, CA about 30min away from Pasadena, Ca where Designer Con 2014 was being held this year. This fall I decided it was time to move into new territory and expand the visibility of my brand to a much larger audience. I teamed up with long time hommie KANO who’s been rock’n these really fun convention events for a few years now, and he recommended I give it a try. I enjoyed it!!! The “booth world” and the hundreds of new faces I got a chance to meet personally who follow my instagram page was special. Meeting your followers live and direct is cool especially because they are in a an entire different city and the energy is still all love. I will most definitely be back next year. Yeahhhh! Shout out to my dear friends Izzy and Kano and my LA family I got a chance to finally re-connect with after 30+ long years.  Thank you guys!!!

The official drop for my new Giclee Prints! Now available on the shop, while supplies last: www.tooflynyc.com/shop

LA PEEPS <3 #FriendsWeLove

Tia Dali <3 my grandfathers sister who’s been living in LA all this time! Happy to reconnect and meet all my cousins.

THANK YOU LA <3

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2014

PRESS CONTACT: E: Blanche.cote@gmail.com / 718.877.6082

TOOFLY HOLIDAY POP-UP SHOP COMES TO BROOKLYN!

Renowned Street Artist TOOFLY Hosts Solo Pop-Up at Rebelution Ink Boutique and Gallery

BROOKLYN, New York—October 21st, 2014—After a successful three-year run with the Ladies Love Project Pop-Up Shop (LLP), New York’s beloved street artist, designer, and entrepreneur, Maria “TOOFLY” Castillo will host her first solo TOOFLY Holiday Pop-Up Shop at the trendy Williamsburg boutique, Rebelution Ink.

The popular boutique and art gallery will play host on Friday, November 21, 2014 from 6PM to 10PM and Saturday, November 22, 2014 from 12PM to 8PM to graffiti enthusiasts, fashionistas, and the Brooklyn community. All will get a chance to view select paintings by TOOFLY as well as shop her highly sought-after, handcrafted goods. Fellow street artist Shiro, who hails from Japan, will make a special guest appearance on Saturday from 3PM to 6PM to celebrate the unveiling of new art print releases ($35-$75).

With TOOFLY’s signature style, shoppers can find the perfect holiday gift to spruce up any home, office or wardrobe. At a time when women’s rights are at the forefront of today’s headlines, the mixed media artist has gradually increased her collection by adding an array of illustrations capturing fierce indigenous women. Such works embody the palpable presence of feminine power and creativity. The same can be said of the women who grace her t-shirt, hoodies, tote bags, and sketchbooks as sold at the TOOFLY HOLIDAY POP-UP SHOP. Attendees will experience a colorful, culturally rich world with an opportunity to sweep up a special TOOFLY tote bag valued at $50.00. Teatulia Organic Teas will be serving warm drinks alongside JC’s Sidewalk Cafe with special treats. There will be Hip Hop, Rock, and Funk playing throughout the two days to help usher in good tidings for the holidays and build community spirit.

As an added bonus to what will be a rocking event, both SHIRO & TOOFLY will kick-off black book signing–a graffiti ritual with roots in nostalgic New York, where artists reverently swap black books to collect drawings or catch “tags.” With live artwork, funky clothing and collectible designs by TOOFLY, this two-day event is not to be missed!

“Having the TOOFLY HOLIDAY POP-UP SHOP in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn is dope!” says Randy Quilles, owner of Rebelution Ink. “TOOFLY’s work honors the ‘true school’ New York vibe and her recent re-connection to her latin roots demonstrates a unique progression of her artistry.”

TOOFLY will be available for interviews prior to, during and after the holiday event to discuss the changing landscape of street art in direct relation to changing communities.

Read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

LADIES LOVE PROJECTâ„¢ SPRING 2014 POP UP SHOP!
Saturday, May 31st, 2014 // ( Rain Date Sunday, June 1st )
Time:12PM-8PM
Location: Houston Street Center // 273 Bowery, New York , NY // 2 trains to 2nd Ave or Delancey

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It’s that time again! LLP team is gearing up for HOLIDAY 2013. Ready to bring you all a wonderful community event that supports independent artists and designers for a 1 day pop-up shop! Shop local, shop handmade, and support local economies this Holiday. See you soon!

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates!

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Earlier this year during my trip to Peru I met Alejandro Carranza Vela. A local artisan who travels throughout South America  “parchando” ( setting up shop on the street ) and living a carefree street life. From Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, and heading north this year, Alejandro is an amazing soul. I was impressed with his handmade jewelry works on metal, and thread. It’s amazing what one can do with stones, rocks, and beads. There is a whole tribe of friends like Alejandro who travel and set up shop in plazas. They live on the basics, and spend afternoons under the sun making art, music, and friends. I’m enchanted with this whole bohemian hippie life! ((( Inspired ))) Stay tuned for our 2013 jewelry/art collaboration:)

to check out Alejandro’s work visit his Tumblr page: ARTE.VIDA.CULTURA

Our Ladies Love Project photos by Samantha Morales are ready! Unfortunately I’m super swamped in New York and wont have a chance ot rock my blog posts for a few weeks. In the meantime check out flicks on the link below —->

http://samanthamoralesphotography.nextproof.com/session/new