She is amazing!! Very accurate she helped me so much I'm really glad I met her she is so honest she…read morereally cares about her clients. if your looking for the real deal I recommend her all the way!

I met Michael over the weekend and he gave me a reading with the new Allcento Tarot deck! His…read moreartwork for the deck was whimsical and delightful, and easy to understand. The reading itself really resonated with my current situation, the Cards were kind, and you could tell that Michael has done a lot of work to imbue this deck with grace and compassion! Until I was introduced to the Allcento deck, I was unaware that most tarot decks are incomplete! It was a treat to chat with him about all the research he'd done to bring back the missing cards for a full 100 card set. Thanks once again Michael!

First, yes, I would highly recommend Auger Artwork Studios. I have two of Michaels painting and…read moreboth of them hang on my living room wall. His work is fun and engaging, and quirky enough to make us smile when seeing them... BUT the big bonus came when talking to Michael (and why I am writing this review) about a stature that I brought back from Colorado which ended up with a break at the bottom, an with pieces missing and lost. He asked if he could try restoring it, to which I said sure, since it was pretty much useless the way it was. I really did not have much hope for it. But about a week later Michael presented me with that statue, fully repaired and good as new. Where the bottom part was missing, he was able to sculpt a piece that fit perfectly and matched the color of the statue so you could not even tell where it was broke. He had also cleaned and polished the statue, and finished the base so it no longer showed signs of scratches and wear. So again, even if just for the statue, I really have to thank Michael, and again would highly recommend him

The owner was incredibly rude while I was there. Not a lot of help was given and as I was leaving…read moremy appointment I heard him having a conversation stating that he is in support of the race war because he "knows which race has the guns" and "this is why some black people aren't worth the time to save, let the bodies hit the floor" So if you want poor training from a racist this is your place.

Just had my daughter's 8th birthday party there and it was fantastic! The place accommodated more…read morethan 20 girls + family and everyone had a blast!! The staff was very friendly and helpful and went above and beyond when we couldn't get the girls off the stage...they just kept on singing! Would highly recommend to others

More experienced photographers may disagree, but as a beginner, I found WSP's "Focus on…read moreComposition" course super helpful. The class tried to instill a habit of thinking through a checklist before taking a picture (or evaluating it afterwards). The checklist included, among other things: * What's the subject? * Do the direction and quality of light work for your subject? * Does the background distract from the subject? * Check the frame's edges: Is the cropping awkward? * Is there comfortable spacing between the elements of your photograph? Our class was small, so in addition to the lectures and the pithy, informative handouts, we could spend more time going over our homework, getting concrete suggestions for how to improve. For example, the instructor (Joe Yablonsky) would sometimes suggest moving the camera up, down, right, left, closer, or further, to get a cleaner background, a more flattering portrait angle, or more interesting "directionality" in the photo's lines. Other times, the instructor would notice patterns-- that my ISOs tended to be too high, or that there's dust on someone's sensor, or that the focusing was sometimes off. He'd then ask how we took the shot, and suggest new settings or focusing methods (or suggest cleaning the sensor!). Sometimes he'd ask the class to weigh in on the critique, so we could also benefit from our talented (and opinionated!) classmates. One session was a fun field trip to the National Mall. At the National Gallery of Art sculpture garden,we chased photogenic squirrels and captured tourists' hilarious reactions to Joan Miro's Personnage Gothique, Oiseau-Eclair. (Google it if you don't know it). I watched as one classmate got several amazing portraits of strangers, just by walking up and asking. The instructor also gave me a demonstration of how to get my camera to focus with a neutral density filter. (I had been having trouble with that). The course just ended last week, and I still need a lot of practice. But it's made my photos noticeably better. (One of my homework assignments even got published last week, as the page 2 photo in the Washington Post Express!) The downsides: Classes can be expensive! (Luckily I had a gift certificate). Sometimes you can find coupons or Living Social deals, e.g. here's one that's on right now (as of late March 2014): http://conta.cc/1jNpdud Washington School of Photography can be a pain to get to without a car. It's somewhat walkable from Twinbrook Metro, but the commute from DC (especially with weekend red line schedules) took me more than an hour.

Love these guys...they've taught me so much about the technical and functional aspects of…read morephotography, from how my DSLR works to how to better frame and compose my shots. I'll be taking my third class, on composition and design, next month. The 2 teachers I've had, Joe Yablonsky & Cortney Jackson, are instructors that I would recommend to anyone who wants to pursue photography as a hobby or as a profession.

Nowadays, walking the corridors of any mall can be a rather mindless act with Sears, JC Penney,…read moreFoot Locker, Victoria's Secret (and their clones) offering the same innocuous litany of storefronts. However, when I walked through Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg this week and saw a storefront sign that read "Splendid Chinese Ethnic Groups," I admittedly did a double take. Those four words were as incongruous a name as I had ever seen on any storefront anywhere. So, naturally, I stepped inside to investigate. That's when I quickly found out that, in fact, "Splendid Chinese Ethnic Groups" isn't a store at all but, rather, an exhibition space. Stupid me. I should have known better. The mall, as I knew from the moment I walked in, is currently all decked out to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. That's because, for years now, Lakeforest Mall has assumed a pretty prominent role in celebrating the Chinese New Year locally. In tandem with the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center, which is based in Gaithersburg, it has celebrated the Lunar New Year with an assortment of performances, exhibitions, and cultural demonstrations throughout its corridors (using its long walkways and, yes, vacant spaces as the local Chinese community might have once utilized the streets in and around Chinatown before shifting demographics moved the epicenter of the Chinese community to Montgomery County). The theme for this year's celebration, as I learned, happens to be "The 56 Ethnic Groups" of China. So, what I stumbled upon as I happened to walk the mall with a friend as I did was, in fact, this year's "special exhibition." And, it's an interesting one at that (considering the exhibition's small size and rather meager appearance). Along each of its walls, placards and photographs, filled with historical information and factoids, highlight the various Chinese ethnic groups (many of whom are seemingly obscure minorities) and give them a bit of much deserved attention and public spotlight. As I tended to the left and right walls, I read about the Derung, Oroqen, Tu, Lahu, Hui, and Han ethnic groups (among many others). Despite being Chinese myself, it was an education to say the least. I know very little about Chinese ethnic groups...well, except for the Han (the largest ethnic group, the one that most everyone thinks of when they think of Chinese people, and the one that I happen to belong to myself). Referring to the placard on the wall and to what I could recall, I told my friend who was with me, "Yes, that's the ethnic group that I belong to. It's actually the largest ethnic group in the world. Han Chinese comprise about 92% of China's population. In total, that's 1.3 billion people and roughly 20% of the global population." My friend who is from the ultra-tiny country of Luxembourg was utterly flabbergasted by these numbers. Seizing the moment, I continued, "Yeah, we love to have sex all the time. That's why the population is so huge." My friend soaked it all in. "In fact," I went on, "Thousands of years ago in ancient China, we invented sexual intercourse." My friend just shook his head in awe; and, I think for about three brief, spellbinding minutes, he actually believed me.

Thank you so much, Wheaton Film Festival and Andrew, for allowing me to participate in this event!…read more The WFF schedule was jam-packed, with informal networking, panel discussions, a dinner reception, short film screenings, and an awards presentation! Checking in was a breeze, as your name(s) were checked off, so no need to show your QR ticket codes. They had the evening's agenda, sponsor information, as well as sticky name tags. The festival took place in the ballroom, which was on the 2nd floor, at Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad - plenty of parking in the lot, which was great! The staff were all friendly, and everyone was super excited to check out the winners' work! The after party, in which all attendees are invited to, was at Limerick Pub. Thank you for a fun Saturday! +networking opportunities +friendly staff +at the Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad ballroom

Captain Silly did a phenomenal job at my sons 4yr old birthday party in our backyard. Prompt,…read moreprofessional, respectful and adaptable are his hallmarks. He hits the trifecta of incorporating magic, sugar and pyrotechnics (talking about a match) that captivates the youngsters from the moment his 90min show starts. He adapts his acting to ensure everyone is included (even late comers) and really makes the birthday person feel extra-recognized and special. Captain - my son is still stoked from your show and attendees are sharing how much they enjoyed it as well as the fact that their kids are also still singing your praises. Congratulations on a job well done and continued best wishes with your business & endeavors. Highly recommended!

Captain Silly Bones is really another level of entertainer above the rest! Pirate, comedian,…read moremagician, story teller, dj, purveyor of goodie bags, and all around bringer of joy and magic. He has such a kind soul and was great with the kids! Everyone at our party was absolutely amazed by him. We cannot express enough how magical he made the day for our 5 year old girl. We will 100percent ask him back in two years for our son's 5th birthday! Our daughter had the most amazing day! And all the parents got to relax and enjoy the show! Don't even hesitate or compare him to other magicians. He is one of a kind and absolutely worth it!

With a wiggle and a shimmy, and a twirl twirl twirl, the tension that I had been feeling all day…read morewas starting to drain away. I had been planning my husband's surprise 40th birthday party for nearly 2 years. And in the last 6 months, random sticks would poke into the spokes of my plans, causing me to have heart attacks several times. I was already upset and uptight over the situation with the party venue (http://www.yelp.com/biz/karma-gaithersburg), and I wasn't sure if I could take another thing going wrong. Before I knew it, it was nearly 7, when I booked Shadiyah to perform for our guests. I was just about to panic (yes, it was only 6:55, but you really don't know about me and my "Cruise Director Julie Clipboard"), when Shadiyah arrived. Not only did she arrive on time, but she was careful to "hide out" in the service area so the guests wouldn't see her until I was ready for her. Very nice touch! Her performance was awesome! Although I know absolutely nothing about bellydancing, she was energetic, graceful, and fun! Although my guests were (mostly) too shy to join her on the dance floor, she made an effort to bring people out of their shells and was really amazing! When I originally called her up to book her for my event, she was great at describing the various types of dances, and what she thought would be appropriate for my party. In addition, she was fantastic about follow up. She would call and send emails every step of the way. I think I booked her for 10 minutes, but she ended up performing more like 20. I knew that she had another event to go to after mine, but she never seemed rushed, in fact, after her performance, she stayed around for a few minutes for pictures. All in all, a great performance and equally importantly, a thorough professional. It was a pleasure working with her and I'm so glad that I booked her for my event (even if I didn't get the FTR for it...haha!)!

I like belly dancing I really like belly dancing for all the reasons that you know beautiful woman…read morebeautiful form beautiful everything. For entertainment purposes it serves all men, women everybody. It has a history that goes back way back thousands of years ago beautiful sexy women have been showing their style and grace with this wonderful art form. Today this art form still is carried on by practitioners of the dance. Shadiyah is one of those wonderful art forms. She's got style, she's got grace she can balance a tray full of lite candles on her head and roll all around the floor and not burn herself. Put a scimitar (middle eastern sword) on her head blade up and she will shimmy all around the room with it never falling off. She can roll a gold coin on her stomach and give you change or flip it heads or tails you call it. She has a cane that she will grab you out of your seat and make you dance to the hypnotically pulsing rhythms of the middle eastern music. Veils unlimited: she can twirl them whirl them spin them and dress them up and never miss a step. Shadiyah has a very engaging and elegant glowing personality and she is willing to talk about the art of the dance after her performance to inquiring minds. I had the joy to experience her performance at a friends birthday party a couple of years ago and look forward to seeing her perform at one of the many restaurants around the area that she dances at. I certainly recommend her if you need family friendly entertainment for birthday parties, corporate functions, wedding parties, anniversary parties, etc. Only thing she does not do is bachelor parties for obvious reasons, no need to ask for drunken trouble. Seek her out and maybe you can learn her dance from the workshops and dance classes that she teaches when not performing every week somewhere all over the WMV and around the country.