Lulu sits weird

oh yeah… TGIF! i’m so sleepy this week. tired. bone tired. too much to do at the moment and not enough time. when is there ever enough time? LOL!

so where have i been and what have i been up to? well, let’s see…

• working on rebuilding/redesigning a business associates new website, online store and blog - it’s looking good! have a few coding issues to iron out, but it’s coming along now…
• have built and designed two new websites for the other parts of my creativity [outside the stamping and scrapping life i mean]. here they are: film[werx] studio and paperWERXing: Mixed Media Artwork
• designing and creating new rubber stamps for Circle Craft and our website
• designing and creating new KITS for Circle Craft including mini-books, card and paper assortments
• starting to package and sort inventory for Circle Craft
• prep for Portobello West on Sunday…

speaking of Circle Craft… the big event is coming up this november and runs from november 11-16. i’m looking for 2-3 rubber stamping demonstrators for the evenings from 6-9pm and on saturday/sunday. if you are interested in helping out [you’ll be paid in merchandise and free admission to the show] let me know. please email me before october 15 about your availabilty and experience and include at least 3 samples of your handstamped cards/artwork.

what will a demo person be doing? here is a list of general demoes that i do during the event:

• stippling ink, inking edges and blending techniques - simple ideas to get people started
• basic stamping techniques using ATC sized cards, shipping tags, gift tags
• showing how to use the tack n peel system with unmounted stamps
• highlighting new stamp sheets like seasonal christmas and new designs

that’s it for now… back to it! and i’m getting another coffee =)

don’t forget to register this week for the art of transference online class series! registration closes next monday september 30…

class starts on october 1, 2008 and runs until mid-november.

this workshop will not be repeated again until february 2009! so don’t miss out on this session if you missed the last one!

i recently had the priviledge of doing a photo session with a friend’s newborn baby girl. her name is emma and she is absolutely precious. some of the photos turned out so great that i just decided that i had to do something with them… so last night, and late into the night, i created a sweet, baby pink and pastel mini-album about this wee girl. and people, when i say ‘wee’ i mean wee! she’s a teeny tiny 6.5lbs and 3.5 weeks old. precious cargo indeed…

here are a few peeks at the mini 6×6 clear album… which coincidently is based on an album/kit that will be available at circle craft 2008 this november. yes, yes… shameless self-promotion. i know, i know. but it is MY blog isn’t it?! ;^)

and yes! we will be back at circle craft this year with new rubber stamps, new kits, and hopefully some fresh paper arts inspiration for you.

this year’s event dates are longer than ever, starting november 11 and running until november 16.  6 DAYS!! we will be having all kinds of new items, some favorites and some special promotions, so watch this blog for updates and news about circle craft 2008.

and now, onto the cutey patootey emma…

been working on this in the spare moments I have because it seems to be becoming a necessity to separate my lazar studiowerx biz from my personal artwork. so… here is the link for the new site: www.paperwerxings.com

the site is still under development and i will continue to chip away at it as time and my schedule allow. let me know what you think!

well, it’s that time… time for the Art of Transference ONLINE Class - Fall 2008 Session registration to open!

Art of Transference Online Class:

Image transfer is a much used technique in mixed media, collage, paper and memory arts today. Through my image transfer teaching experience, I have learned that image transfer techniques need to be learned VISUALLY to ensure success. In this ‘all you ever wanted to know about image transfer’ class you will learn how to make your own image transfers using 10 DIFFERENT techniques covered over 6 weeks. Throughout the series you will be transferring provided vintage images and stock photography onto a variety of surfaces including watercolour paper, vintage paper, tile, fabric and metal using different mediums and techniques.

This workshop includes lots of video demos of techniques and encourages hands-on time for student to experiment with new techniques or perfect ones you may already know. And as a group, we will discuss ways to incorporate image transfer into your artwork, memory projects, ideas for gift giving and more.

NOTE: this is a technique/process-based class where you will create a large number of samples. Also please note that one method of transfer produces STRONG fumes. If you are sensitive or allergic to chemical smells, please consider this carefully before signing up for the workshop.

Class fee: $65 CAD (6 weeks)

here are the details…

• registration for the Art of Transference ONLINE class begins september 17 and will remain open until september 30 or until the maximum ‘classroom’ capacity is reached.
• please click on the ‘pay now’ button in the right column to complete your payment and registration before september 30 to be included in this Fall session of the Art of Transference ONLINE class.
• the first class will begin on October 01 with the first technique workshop
• all weekly classes will include:
  • a downloadable PDF handout with supply list, step by step instructions and photo-support
  • BONUS downloadable PDF image transfer sheets with vintage images and stock photography. new sheets will be provided each week.
  • a comprehensive, high quality quicktime video tutorial for each technique covered plus supplementary videos where appropriate
  • an online chat to discuss problems/successes and project ideas for weekly technique(s).
    date and time to be determined based on student poll
  • access to private flickr student gallery and discussion board where students can submit their class examples and the projects
• classes will be held through an online, password-secured blog.
  after completing and payment for your registration is received, you will be given access to the blog with a provided login id and password.
• payment: all online class payment is through paypal. paypal now accepts credit card payments in addition to paypal account payments, so if you do not currently have a paypal account don’t worry. the transaction process is easy and relatively painless =)
• refunds: refunds will only be processed up to 24 hours before the first class is launched on october 1. all refunds requested after 12:00am, september 30, 2008 will be denied.

planned course curriculum outline [this may be subject to minor schedule changes]:

• week 1: b/w and colour toner based transfers part i - 2 techniques
• week 2: b/w and colour toner based transfers part ii - 2 techniques
• week 3: inkjet transfers using acrylics part i - 2 techniques
• week 4: inkjet transfers using acrylics part ii - 2 techniques
• week 5: inkjet transfers using alternate solutions - 2 techniques
• week 6: polaroid image transfers - 2 techniques

IMPORTANT NOTE: This class will not be repeated until Spring 2009. please register today if you wish to take part in the last 2008 session.

this is the last session for this ultimate image transfer class to run this year, so don’t miss out on your last opportunity to register and get 6 weeks of images transfer lessons, videos, detailed handouts and vintage imagery.

the fall session will begin october 1 and will through to mid-november, which means that all your newly acquired image transfer skills can be put to use in time for the holiday gift giving season! you’ll be able to take the techinques taught and apply them in a variety of ways and create unique, personalized projects.

i hope to see you in class!

many of you know that i work full-time, as well as own lazar studiowerx with my hubby and create mixed media artwork [yeah… i don’t sleep much lol!].

well, i would say that 90% of the time i really like my job - some days i damn well love it. it’s a creative, exciting, important and fun job working for the municipality i live in… this week however [and most of last week] fell into that 10% hate area.

it’s been a horrible 10 days with massive, crushing deadlines, working days-off, etc… then, you bust your ass and meet the deadline, only to find out that one person your project STILL needed input from has finally looked at the project and realized that THEY still needed to give you their 2 cents. so now, instead of gratefully acknowledging a job well done, my manager pushing the project through on time [regardless of one individual’s lack of commitment to the task], i am now told that the deadline has been moved to the following month. 4 weeks later! all this just after i’ve killed myself to get it done and 2 hours BEFORE it’s previous ‘drop dead deadline’  that had ‘no flexibility’.  wtf ?!?! ridiculous! grrrr…  and because of all the stress, i have had a migraine for 4 days. 4 days of non-stop pain and fuzziness. i worked through each of those 4 days, committed to meet my hard deadline and now i’m so exhausted i can hardly see straight.

today i’m mad, tired and thoroughly frustrated. this is one of those ‘hate’ periods in my ‘regular’ job that makes me want to quit and just do art. all art - all day. everyday. <sigh…>

too bad we live in beautiful vancouver with it’s high cost of living. maybe one day i’ll be a full-time artiste, but for now, c’est la vie… i have to suck it up, bite my tongue and carry on.

rant over. thank you for listening.
artwork to resume this evening after i scan a few new pieces from last week and take a nap.

finshing the studio:

yay! we’re heading off to IKEA to pick up the workstation/studio table and cabinets that will hopefully get me closer to finishing off my artstudio! i’ll take pics once the workstation is complete. so looking forward to finishing off the space. there is still a bunch of purging and work to do, but i’m up to the challenge =)

let there be light:

last weekend, black eye and all, we went to a local lantern festival. it was a quick tour with our friends and their girls, only about a 45 minute walk around. it was interesting enough, but i confess that i was disappointed that the organizers did not spend more time prepping and sprucing up the site. admission of $20-25 per person is pretty steep for what you are getting - thank goodness our admission was free and we had 6 passes for me, t and our friends. i certainly wouldn’t have paid $20 for that… maybe $10, but definitely not $20.

the grass lawns and boulevards needed MAJOR maintenance and trimming. shrubs were outta control and the morning glory in the garden area is taking over in a big way… that said, thank goodness the best way to see the festival is in the dark lol! if you’re not a ‘parks’ person like me, you probably didn’t notice as much in the way of ‘oopses’ as i did… but some of areas were in pretty sad shape. at least the lanterns were interesting enough.

the other thing that killed me about the richmond lantern festival was that the signage in many areas were fraught with ‘engrish’ and major typos! the one that made us laugh out loud was the description of the ‘cartoon’ characters being referred to as ‘catoons’ lol! at first we were confused, then we realized that the spelling was messed up. ah well, that’s what happens when you rush an installation of an outdoor display.

i did manage to take a bunch of photos in the dark and let the glow of the lanterns, some of them [the lanterns that is] were HUGE. so instead of using a flattening and deadening flahs in the shots, i lit the pics with the ambient lantern light. they turned out really great… here are a few for you to enjoy.

to check out all the lanterns from the 2008 richmond lantern festival, click here and you will be magically transported to my flickr account. enjoy!