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!

a little seasonal yumminess… don’t you just love the starbuck ornament? make me want a caramel macchiato and slice of holiday gingerbread loaf right now! mmm…

have a great weekend and hopefully i’ll see a few of you local blog stalkers at portobello west =)

Christmas Ornament, originally uploaded by studiowerx.

last year, terry and i decided it was time to radically change our christmas decor.

part of it [the change] was necessity due to a change in our home’s living room [square footage] as opposed to our bowling alley condo livingroom. part of it was just needing something new and fresh.

we bought a tall, narrow, pre-lit tree last year. it’s black and looks amazing. we went with an all new theme too… all pink, lime green, orange and purples. we bought all new mercury glass ornaments that are a combination of matte mercury glass [love it!] with tone on tone flocking and some with a bit o’ sparkle in the form of vintage glass glitter. the look is wicked. fresh and modern but with traditional shapes and ‘types’ of ornaments. the black tree looks more like a really dark green and is truly very sophisticated looking. we’re so posh LOL!

so who knew that this season, a full year later, the HOT colour trend is pink. albeit soft, pale pinks, not our hot magentas. but still. we’re on trend, on target and it’s starting to look mighty festive in our living room and foyer.

the next task on the list is our outdoor lighting now that our annual fall/winter pruning has taken place. terry will be working on the lighting this week and we’ll get to put out our new penguin/igloo character set [purchased at costco of course] in the front yard. yay!

it’s kinda bittersweet around here this holiday season. last year, at this time, we were struggling with a very very ill and dying 3 year old kitty - my Mackenzie. she was our primary focus and we were doing everything we could to nurse her back to health. we miss her everyday and thank god she didn’t have to suffer discomfort for long. putting a beloved pet to sleep on december 23rd is truly a heartbreaking and devastating thing to have to do. talk about killing the holiday spirit…

this year is such a contrast. we have a happy healthy pair of kitkats [kodi and baby lulu] and the biggest worry we have now is making sure the christmas tree stays UP. this is lulu’s first year with a christmas tree since she ‘just’ turned 1 year old and the novelty of seeing a tree in our house is slowing starting to wear off. needless to say there have been a lot of ‘no’s and a lot of spritzing with the water gun. she’ll figure it out eventually and is getting better with it everyday.

i hear ornaments moving on the tree… time to get out the water bottle again. goodnight all…enjoy this bit of festive inspiration and pick up the latest issue of Blueprint [a fave magazine] for 2007 holiday trends.

XO Christina

Pink Christmas, originally uploaded by studiowerx.

A little bit o’ colour for a Fall day…
Enjoy!

Fall 2007 Colour, originally uploaded by studiowerx.

here are some pics from our vacay/business trip last week. wish i was in vegas right now, especially since it’s going to be a soggy weekend here in vancouver. [sigh]  oh well… as least i can enjoy these photos until our next trip =)

have a great weekend everyone!

Viva Las Vegas, originally uploaded by studiowerx.

so, can you guess we’re were going?

yup… we head off to the land of 24hr gambling, pumped oxygen, walking, shopping, walking, 100F temps and oh, did i mention walking? lol.

after 4 days in vegas, we always end up with what we have now termed as ‘vegas feet’… the definition of ‘vegas feet’ according to the lazar-schuler household:

• day one: walking is a breeze, you walk everywhere and ignore the casino cab line-ups
• day two: you’re looking for excuses to take a break and sit for a minute, cabs are starting to look good
• day three: you can’t be bothered to walk more than a few minutes at a time and you are now getting bitchy while you wait in the 20 person cab line-up at the bellagio
• day four: find a keno pit, park your ass and don’t move again until you have to go back to the hotel, get your bags and head to the airport!

what most people forget [or don’t realize] is that virtually every block length on the vegas strip is at least a half a mile long. the hotel, that seems of so close that you say with naively "let’s just walk to it", is really so HUGE it’s closeness is an optical illusion and what seems like a short distance is really about a mile away. trust me. i know this. i’m speaking from multiple trips of experience.

we’ve been to vegas more times than i should admit [this is our 9th visit in 13.5 years together] and i know just how far it is from the mgm grand to the venetian. it’s too freaking far! thank god for the monorail that now runs from the mgm grand to the sahara. it’s really  been a huge help the last couple of trips and makes travelling the strip much easier on our feet! we’re staying at the mgm grand this trip and having the monorail station in our hotel is a huge bonus.

there are trips to the two big outlet centers already planned [t has been scoping out the stores and their sales online!] and many late, late nights [3am-4am bedtimes] with much sleeping in [up at 11am] in our immediate future =) love that. we’re going to hit up a couple of our favorite buffets [at the paris and bellagio] and grab a great steak and pomme frits at the ‘mon ami gabi’ bistro in the paris hotel. yummy!

so why are we ‘really’ going? the memory trends scrapbooking convention… we’re heading to lv to suss out the new products for fall/winter and do some buying for our vancouver store. i’m looking forward to attending the show as a buyer and not an exhibitor for a change! plus it’s a nice way to take a mini-vacation to one of our favorite holiday spots [and we can write off the trip - LOVE that!]

well… i’ll catch you in a few days [we’re back on thursday]. hope you all have a great weekend. behave while i’m gone… really, somebody should. all i know is that i’m not going to this weekend/early next week =D

Viva Las Vegas, originally uploaded by studiowerx.

a mosaic of my recent works… so cool to see it like this!
Enjoy =)

My ETSY Collages, originally uploaded by studiowerx.

I’ve been working on our friends’ business website and helping out by taking photos of their cool home… these shots were taken at scott and ray’s home last weekend and are a great example of the type of store they have created in vancouver: durga interiors - indian antiques, textiles and home decor.

durga interiors is about bringing indian and pakistani antiques into the modern home. juxtaposing the ancient and antique with current, trendy decor. adding ethnic flavour and spicing up our typical spec. home interiors. with a lick of paint, an incredible antique indian chest or cabinet, and a luxurious fabric throw… your interior can go from everyday ho-hum to exotic vavoom!

the guys are not only sellers of these incredible antiques, but are avid collectors themselves and shooting their lovely home was a opportunity for us to share how easily indian antiques can be incorporated into everyday, modern interiors. they live their mantra of everyday exotic and their very typical home is a perfecet example of the warmth and character indian antiques can added to home decor.

if you live in the vancouver area, check out their store durga interiors on 4th avenue and visit their website if you are not in town, the guys will ship anything virtually anywhere, just visit their website and email them any inquiries you may have. their new container of anitque yumminess is arriving any day from india… so stop by their store soon!

enjoy the eye candy…

Durga Interiors Inspiration, originally uploaded by studiowerx.

last night i noticed it. there was a coolness to the slight breeze blowing through the window. summer is winding down.  so in honor of what seems like the shortest season of the year [and truth be told, it’s not my favorite - i hate swimsuits], i thought i would acknowledge my favorite part of it - ice cream!

i really can’t justify ice cream to myself in the middle of winter, but come summer, no problems there LOL! my favorite ice cream is from two local landmarks… the old DQ on steveston highway [10 city blocks from my house] and Timothy’s Gelato at garry point park in steveston.

at DQ it is all about the georgia mudfudge blizzard. terry’s favorite. it’s a super thick, spoon-required ice cream shake made with soft serve DQ icecream, fudge, pecans, caramel and brownie bits. so good!

Timothy’s is a homemade gelato shop that has been in steveston forever. my absolute, die-hard favorite is the double chocolate fudge gelato [double scoop - of course] in a fresh, warm waffle cone. mmmmmm… sinfully indulgent chocolate in the ultimate cone. a true luxury that i only indulge in a few times a year and i savor every lick and drop of that yummy deep, dark, rich chocolate. it’s the ulitmate chocoholic’s fix =)

so people, get an ice cream cone, sundae or sandwich and enjoy what’s left of the summer… it’ll be over before we know it.

Summer Sundaes and Sandwiches, originally uploaded by studiowerx.

Some favorite Pet shots from across the Flickr landscape. Love all critters and these are just a few of my favorite, recent Flickr photos. Enjoy!

Now… I’m back to stewing about MMM 2008. No announcement YET - geesh.

Furry Friday, originally uploaded by studiowerx.