caught this on YouTube today while noshing on my healthy salad at lunch…. enjoy!

many who know me, know that on my feet are usually one of two things… sketchers [which i love year round] and crocs [which i love because they don’t make my bare feet stinky in the summer!].

in the summer, or as soon as it stops raining everyday in vancouver [april to early may], all i wear are my mary jane crocs in burgandy and olive green. love them! well… welcome the sueded alice to my growing collection of crocs. these are the cutest shoes ever!

they are like mary janes, but slim and non-croc like! they resemble the famous alice in wonderland slipper mary janes alice wore. they are black with red soles [love that] and they are sueded. yep… the croclite material that has made crocs famous is now available in textured finishes like ’suede’.

so… for the shoe-addicts like myself, i felt a little enabling was in order.

now don’t even think of telling me that these are not the cutest flat black slippers you seen in a long while.  i love them and you can never take that, or my foot comfort, or my non-stinky crocs away from me. ever.

i just can’t believe it’s almost mid-august! where has the time gone?!?

ah yes, it went to health issues and surgeries this year. THAT is where it’s gone lol! thank goodness i’m almost through that stuff. one more minor surgery on my pesky right eyelid to remove the cyst that is causing all my eye infections, and i should be all good!

anyways. i’m up to my armpits in boxes for the ‘crazy’ studio/warehouse sale this weekend and will probably be a little MIA from bloggin’ until after the crazy is over. so, i thought i’d leave you with this tasty treat eye candy early this week until i can get back in the regular swing of things…

this set of scrappy pages are from a mini-acrylic, ’see-through’ book i did late last year of my favorite girls at the waterpark. so summery and fun, i had to share it… again. enjoy!

to see the rest of the album, visit my flickr site. supplies for the mini-album include the following:

See-Throughs 4×6 mini-album, paperWERX Organic and Cellular paper lines, Lazar StudioWERX Concentric and Painty Splats unmounted rubberstamps, Staz On ink in Jet Black [used on transparent pages], Hambly Journalling rub-ons, Jenni Bowlin Studio Classic Labels.

hey all…

just a reminder that our warehouse and studioWERX studio sale is happening this saturday, august 9 from 12-5pm! we have lots of stuff to move, so hopefully you are all going to come and help me pare down my studio lol! here is where the list stands…

• over 150 rubberstamp grab bags, each containing 5-6 unmounted stamps from a variety of design styles and a few bags with cats life press and paper artsy stamps have been included in the count too. there will be NO PEEKING into the bags on sale day! you pick your bag, pay for your bag, then you can open it… i have a feeling our dining room and living room will become trading zones like last time lol!
• about 100 full, half and quarter sheet of rubberstamps are being discontinued or overstock and must be sold
• lots of embellishments from maya road and prima
• basic grey and my minds eye papers
• overstock paperWERX papers for $0.35/each
• so much more…

all items are listed are available at the studio/warehouse sale only, for ONE day on saturday august 9 from 12-5pm. discounts are only available to people shopping in person, no online sales.

no early birds will be allowed, sale starts at 12pm.
i have a ton of stuff to set up, and cannot be dealing with both early birds and set up that morning. sorry.

also, please try to avoid bringing dogs and small children to the sale. last time we had a sale at our home studio it was pretty chaotic, especially with a ton of people moving about in a confined area. i don’t want anyone to have an accident, trip or fall with kids and animals underfoot, your understanding is much appreciated! [yes we have cats, but they will be safely stowed in our bedroom to avoid mishap]

cash and credit cards will be accepted only and credit cards will be processed on-site. no checks.

address for the studio/warehouse sale is at my home studio:
5491 warbler avenue, richmond
2 blocks south of steveston hwy, between no. 2 road and railway avenue.

well, it’s back to pricing for me this afternoon. see you soon…

this past weekend was crazy busy! it’s time to stop and just take a breath.

mom’s 60th birthday is tomorrow and so we had a small bbq with our immediate family a few of her friends so that meant a day of costco, grocery and liquor store shopping plus a cleaning marathon. plus we took part in a block party with our neighbours and co-hosted the party by donating our bbq for the event. so all in all, it was a crazy two days that left me wiped out on monday.

back at it this week. the office grind and home art studio is humming along at a steady pace.

have a few commissions to finish off, some orders to pack and then a long bc day weekend to enjoy. whew! where does the time go?

one of the last areas for me to got through during the `big dig` is the storage area we have under our stairs. you see we have accessible storage from inside the studio via two narrow doors about the size of kitchen cabinet doors, only a little taller. in here were things that I had forgotten about - or were trying to forget about lol!

whilst digging through the last of my boxes, i stumbled upon some old photos of me and t. now these are ooooooold pics, taken about 13-15 years ago in the beginning of our relationship [we’ve been together for 14 years as a couple, 6 dating/living together and 8 years married]. damn, we look so young! so… because really, i have no secrets [and damn i don’t look half bad], here we are… in our early 20somethings. aren’t we cute?

here is another snapshot of a project that is near and dear to my heart… a tiny [and i mean TINY] altered book.

the book is a diminutive 2×3″ and was created in a miniature ‘joy of cooking’ book found at my local chapters bookstore. it was part of a round robin altered book exchange. the theme of the exchange was ’small altered books’ and i took the theme to heart, much to the dismay of some of the participants. LOL! initially the group grumbled about how small it was and how hard it would be to work in. carmi, you remember that don’t you? <big grin> but in the end, each of the artists loved the tiny book, holding onto it as long as possible. each person reveling in its petite-ness.

due to the tiny size of my book, i encouraged the artists/participants to create faux postage and mail art and to tip them into the tiny book. the mail art created inside the small pages is wonderful! it’s really a treasure to hold and see. the book is pretty much bursting at the seams, so photographing it is difficult. but… i thought i would include a little tease about how amazing this little altered book is. the edges of the pages are painted, beaded [carmi is famous for her beaded altered books!], inked and foil wrapped. each tiny submission unique and thoughful. i look at the pages often with admiration at the work inside and fondness for the women who participated in this project.

enjoy this tiny glimpse into perhaps the smallest altered book you’ve ever seen. i will treasure it always.

sorry gang… no posts for a few days. i’m dealing with yet another bout of my lovely, chronic eye problem blepharitis and this is a bad one. nasty nasty. won’t go into the gory details, but suffice it to say… i’m looking a little scary!

be back to regular posting in a few days… in the meantime, enjoy this!

maya road accordion chipboard mini-album. sprayed with glimmer mist oriental poppy. layered with jenni bowlin tiny papers, vintage ephemera, stamped image from lazar studiowerx design sheet on bazzill white cardstock and finished with american crafts thickers.

finally got my long awaited button magnet making supplies on monday and tonight i started playing. carmi, now i understand the obsession!

i pulled out my button maker. ripped open the bags of magnet supplies and started tearing out vintage magazine images to create teeny, tiny 1.25″ collages. i was soooooo happy with these diminutive art works that tonight i listed 2 new items on etsy. two sets of 3 - 1.25″ button magnets featuring original, mini-collages on each magent. so cool!

i love that they are originals and will not be reproduced. so… if you’re interested in art for your kitchen, desk or bathroom vanity - check these babies out =)

well folks, the verdict is in… i LOVE my ikea expedit storage solution! it totally rocks. yep. i said it. it rocks. hard. and you know what, that is wicked!

here are some snapperoos of the completed unit. notice the mini-books and binder album… the tiny and large cards… proof positive that yes! i still do create scrappy and rubberstamp goodness =)

oh… don`t hate my ledger book pic. i know i shouldn`t have that many BIG ledgers, but what`s a girl to do when she is obsessed with old paperÉ yep. buy more stuff!