for my online image transfer class… this is the ultimate image transfer class and you will learn so many ways to transfer images that your head will literally spin with ideas and new projects!

previously, this class has only been available locally in vancouver at our store, but since our store is now officially closed, i am offering this class online for the first time.

the class start date was delayed due to my surgery, so… if you are interested in registering for my 6-week ultimate image transfer class - the art of transference ONLINE - please click on the link on the right and you too can be part of this innovative and exciting image transfer workshop.

complete class details and faqs are available here and here.

don’t miss out on the registering for this class… the class will not be repeated until october/november. registration closes June 30, 2008.

hey gang…

just a quick post to let you know things are improving everyday. I’m moving better. my ‘bullet holes’ are healing nicely [i’ll barely have any scars!] and now that we’ve addressed my ongoing stomach-acid problem with a heavy duty acid-blocker for a few weeks [felt like i was still having baaaaaaad gall bladder attacks up until today] things are looking up.

i still get exhausted from doing even little things like walking around too much, going up and down stairs too fast, breathing… i do know that i am feeling much better than last friday [surgery day] and my strength will improve with time.

thank you for all the caring emails and well-wishes. it’s so nice to know that people care. love to you all!

hey gang. i’m up and moving around. slowly and very very carefully. but i’m moving.

surgery went well on friday and everyday there is less pain. i have 4 - 1/2″ holes in my tummy and my bellybutton hurts like heck [that’s where the camera went!] but i’m healing well and getting around.

just wanted to let my concerned friends that the surgery went well and that i’m on the mend. that’s it for the computer for me today. sitting for more than 15 minutes at a time is pretty uncomfortable. i’ll update again in a few days.

thanks for all the well-wishes! C

hitting the sack early tonight as my surgery is scheduled for 8am and i have to be in hospital by 6:30am. yuck. thank you for all your well wishes…

t will post tomorrow night or saturday about how i’m doing. for now… peace out! catch you in a few days.

until i go under the knife. eeek!! i have a ton to do before that too… so here is a quick update on the status of a few projects:

• Collaborative Mixed Media Book:
  this WILL be going ahead and i will be posting complete details along with submission guidelines after july 2, once i’m back on my feet after my gallbladder surgery this friday.
• Art of Transference ONLINE Class:
  this too is going on as planned; however, the start date of june 30 was issued prior to me knowing that i’d be going in for surgery this soon. the new start date for the class is going to be july 7. i apologize for the inconvenience, but with all the healing that will have to happen in the next two weeks i think it is best to delay the start date a bit. [ i didn’t think you’d want to hear me groaning in pain on the video tutorial LOL!]
• studioWERX on Main store closure:
  • the big job of packing up will be happening between june 26-30. thanks to leanne [rubydog’s art house owner], i will not be packing up the store myself. i’m under strict “no-lifting and no-exertion” rules for a few weeks. i will try to pop into the store before the official close depending on how i’m feeling. thanks to those who offered to help, but i think we’re ok for the pack-up…
  • i have two large fixtures up for sale and they can be seen in the store. leanne at rubydog has all the details about the pricing on the fixtures etc. please call the store at 604-873-2825 for more information.
• portobello west - june 29
  • yes. i will be attending portobello west. i will be the quiet, pale, red-haired girl in the corner of her booth. lol! i’m optimistically hoping to be at the show [i’ve already paid for the space!] and will be sitting quietly as my hubby and a dear friend deb help me out with sales at my booth.
  • the great thing about this show, this month in particular is that it is the first time i’m going to be showing a number of large 24×24″ pieces. i have just had a set of 12 original artworks reproduced on 24″x24″ and 18″x18″ stretched canvas giclees and the results are just stunning [if i say so myself]. the colour and reproduction quality is magnificent.
  • the price point, considering the size of the artwork, is very good [in my opinion]: limited edition 24×24 giclees will be selling for $250 CAD and 18×18 giclees for $150 CAD.  i’m super excited to be doing these and hope that there is interest in these significantly larger works.
  • included in this first batch of limited edition giclees are:
    4 - 24×24 botanical canvasses [2 new and 2 reproductions]
    4 - 18×18 mixed media collage portraits [all new artwork!]
    4 - 24×24 mixed media portraits [3 new artworks and 1 reproduction]

so that is the big, ‘biz’ stuff on the go at the moment and the timeline for delays due to my impending surgery.

i still have a ton of laundry to finish tonight and tomorrow, i’m trying  to get out one more shipping run before i’m in ‘recovery’ mode [it’s not looking too good for that at the moment], have to get my truck insurance completed, tidy the livingroom, kitchen and studio and generally just try to finish up ‘household stuff’ before i go under the knife.  it’s a lot to do. and only 49.75 hours now left to do it in. whew!

posting may be spotty between now and july 2. terry will pop on after i’m out though to let everyone know i’m ok [or at least i’m trying to convince him to].

if you live in the ‘hood, are one of my art buddies and want to come by to see me after the surgery, that is very nice and totally not necessary… but just in case, please call first - i may not be in the prettiest state and wouldn’t want to scare you with bedhead-rooster hair and bad, haven’t-brushed-my-teeth-today breath LOL! thanks =)

yeah yeah… i’ve been all doom and gloom lately. health issues [effing stones!] and main street store closing. sometimes life just gets you a little down. well today, a little drop of sunshine landed on my doorstep!

i receive a monthly e-newletter from a great photo website called photojojo. a while back they had featured ttv photography
[ttv = through the viewfinder] and using a vintage 1950s duaflex camera [as seen on the right] as the viewfinder. i was hooked. i HAD to have one.

check out this link to a flickr group focussed on ttv and you’ll understand why i had to get a duaflex… the images are so cool and arty!!

so after weeks of trying to purchase one of these elusive cameras, and being outbid on ebay by $0.23 on more than one occasion, i finally snagged one and my little drop of sunshine arrived today!

here is my first effort… my magic 8 ball and monster finger puppet. yeah… i’m physically 38, but my spirit acts more like a 16 year old. alot. LOL!

fun huh? there are a few more versions i tweaked in photoshop in my flickr sets.

i love the gritty, nasty and grimy texture in the digital photo that happens when shooting through the duaflex iv viewfinder. it is really quite cool, ’cause let’s face it… this thing is 50 years old! and it’s never been properly cleaned. it comes by its grimy demeanor quite naturally.

it’s so funny how as photographers and designers we often work really, really hard to ‘grimy up’ our perfect digital pics. with this vintage $10 camera, it’s naturally occuring. kinda like a mushroom… its a fungus and grows in manure, but add it to a plain pizza and something magic happens.

so. my favorite new photo recipe. add a ttv camera to your shot, point and shoot with your digital camera, and something truly magical will happen. i don’t think you’ll ever be able to predict the final image 100% of the time, but you KNOW it’s going to be tasty.

i saw my surgeon today and we bonded over hockey - go figure LOL!

we talked at length about the problem, went over the current state of my health and what he figured the situation dictated and sure enough, he agreed that a speedy removal of my stone-filled gallbladder was a ‘must do’. and quickly. 

also… in light of the fact that t and i had plans for other ‘procedures’ this month, my surgeon is expediting my surgery date and i’m going in on friday june 20 to have my gallbladder removed! ack! it’s a little sooner than i was psychologically ready for, but i’m super relieved to be getting it dealt with this quickly.

so… from june 20 until july 2 i’m going to be a bit spotty on the posting since i’m not sure how quickly my recovery will go. i’m expecting about a 7-10 day recovery time based on the fact that the doc is doing laparscopic surgery and i’m only going to have two smallish incisions [about 1-2″ each]. organs will be adjusting to their new locations [since now the gallbladder will be gone lol!]. there is a less than 3% chance the doctor will be ‘unzipping’ me for the surgery so i should be recovered fairly soon. and back to eating a more normal diet quicker than anticipated. yay!!! i may be able to enjoy butter chicken again before the summer is done.

so that is the update my friends… i’ll post again very soon.

registration for the art of transference online class is now open.

registration closes midnight sunday june 22, no exceptions!

the class will not be available again until october 2008.

for complete class details please see the course outline and additional faqs!

aquarium anemone

Originally uploaded by studiowerx

love these pics from the vancouver aquarium!

i took them over the weekend while attending my favorite niece’s birthday party. how cool was it to get a ‘behind the scenes’ tour of a vancouver tourist attraction? pretty darn cool i have to say.

thank you to joyce and percy for allowing us to attend, since we missed the weekend before with family obligations. it was really special hanging out with you and kids [yep, all 16 of em!] for the afternoon. we had a ball!

the photos were shot using my canon 50mm f/1.8 fixed lens. a cheapie $80 lens worth every single penny. the low lighting conditions and constant movement of the fish [damn you fish!] necessitated the use of this lens, and i gotta say i’m thrilled i have it in my arsenal. so much so that i’m investing in a wide-angle, fast, fixed f/1.8 sigma lens. those of you out there in photo-land know what i mean by fast… you just can’t beat a low-lighting shot without flash! atmosphere and ambiance that is truly amazing… magical even.

for more jellyfish, anemone and dolphin pics, please visit my flickr site.

now this is ambiance… look at that lighting. pure magic!

hey gang…

a number of you, my favorite blog-stalkers, live in the vancouver area and are aware that our brick and mortar storefront on main street is closing soon. the dates are now set and rubydog’s and studioWERX on Main will officially be closed on june 24, 2008.

yep, it’s sad. timing certainly sucks for me personally with gallbladder surgery looming in the next 4-6 weeks, but when life hands you lemons, you make a lemon-drop martini right? right!

our pricing on non-lazarstudiowerx product has always been very competitive and some say, a little underpriced. well, rejoice a little more my friends because virtually every non-lazarstudiowerx product is being marked down, waaaaaaaaaaaaay down, to clear before our tiny shop closes. so… take a big sip of that martini and dive in to do some kick ass shopping at well-below retail pricing. here is the run-down of the mark-down effective immediately:

• button sets - 50% off
• ALL non-lazar studiowerx rubberstamps - 50% off
• ALL maya road chipboard shapes, alphabets and sheers EXCLUDING chipboard albums - 30% off
• maya road ribbons sets - 50% off
• glimmer mist - 30% off
• embossing powders - 50% off
• tsukineko glue pads - 50% off
• kokuyo glue runners and refills - 50% off
• cosmo cricket blackboard chipboard books - 30% off
• american craft: thickers foam alpha stickers - 15% off
• american craft: remarks alpha stickers - 30% off
• heidi swapp chipboard alphabets - $2.50 per pkg!
• all rub-ons - 50% off
• crop-o-dile - 30%

whew! check out the sale while supplies last. all our inventory is in the store now so if it isn’t there, we are sold-out of it and will not be re-ordering.

we will be selling off a few of our store fixtures too, watch for a post in the next week about what pieces will be sold, pricing and pick-up dates.

also, a small plea for help… if anyone is able to lend a hand packing our smaller side of the store up between june 25-30, i’d be more than happy to pay you in rubberstamps, artsupplies, some of my original artwork, you name it.

i’m a little hampered at the moment with a very, very hectic 9-5 work schedule and my nasty a$$ gallbladder, and packing up the store may end up running into my surgery date. so… if you’re available to help me out during the day, or from 6-9pm on any of those dates at the end of june, i would certainly appreciate it. let me know! i can be reached at 778-231-2825.

it’s been grand being there for you as an rubberstamp, altered arts, collage, and scrapbook store on main street, and eventhough we’re leaving, we’re not gone forever! we’ll be selling new stamps and other fun goodies at circle craft in november, plus there is a warehouse sale date TBA this summer, once i know what’s happening with my surgery and what my recovery time will be.

thank you for your patronage throughout the last year and a bit.
now, go do some serious sale shopping!!!