SNUGGIE!

shown here being modeled by my friend Michael. OH MAN SO FUNNY.

Ok so i know Christmas is over, but i am DYING to buy the snuggie for someone....and it must be a christmas miracle because they are BUY ONE GET ONE FREE! plus you get a booklight. So i am thinking of my two coldest friends, and then keeping the booklight for myself.

I LOVE THE SNUGGIE!

i think its the stupidest looking thing ever but its just too funny not to buy.

www.getsnuggie.com

sunday pictures

here i am as a single mom with my nephews. Look at lincolns little teeny teeth. have you ever seen anything cuter?
Lewis ladies...

there are more but my computer is going SO snail slow that i dont care anymore.

Thats it.

holiday aftermath

so i didnt take any pictures on christmas...whoops. Or christmas eve...or any pictures really. So oh well. It was good, i got this blast from the past...
the hot shot. Its the best invention ever, and we had one growing up (the 80's white model) and mom surprised all of us kids with this new fancy black one of our very own. Seriously, the highlight of christmas...no more waiting near the microwave at work to get hot water for my hot chocolate. THANKS MOM!

Other highlights of Christmas...handpainted birdhouses from grandma, nephews who are THRILLED to death with every toy (except gator golf, dont waste your money. Lincoln could of cared less and that damn game was 20 bucks), Erin trumping everyones gifts, and of course the Christmas day movie...which erin convinced us to see marley & me which is strange since shes really the only pet fan. Her logic was "we cant let Brad win at the box office, we have to support Jen"...logic that speaks to me. So i happily paid to see a dog movie and maybe in some parts, JUST MAYBE, i kind of wanted a dog????????? WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE WORLD?

Today i painted in Anthropologie (big news, i know)...it was good as always. Seriously its the greatest place for me to sit and paint because i meet a ton of people who just want to pay me to paint them on the spot...they think its so cheap and they are so interested, its always a good thing. But the highlight of the day was meeting Linsey and CC at Town Square and finding a mustard corduroy pencil skirt at Jcrew for 15 dollars, and getting a MAC eyeshadow for 54 cents. HOLLA!

Do's and Dont's from the weekend

DO go on weekend trips to Huntington whenever possible
DON'T expect to get there at a reasonable time even though you know you have a million errands to run before you can even leave.
DO stop by your neighborhood Anthropologie for a new pair of pink pants
DON'T wear those pants to a dance party in Long Beach 300 miles later after realizing that you are actually 2 sizes smaller than the size you bought.
DO talk on the phone for directions and to report ETA's with friends at your destination along the drive
DON'T use up all the juice in your phone and then realize later that you left your charger in Vegas and your phone is dead all weekend.
DO go to Fashion Island in Newport to finish all of your Christmas shopping
DON'T be surprised when you see dogs that are better dressed than you are.
DO bring your work on vacation
DON'T be surprised when it draws a crowd and you get lots of helpers (thanks helpers!)DO see Seven Pounds even though you have NO idea what its about (its the only way to see it)
DON'T be surprised if you cry your eyes out. Even me, with the heart of stone, who never cries in the movies, was a little ball of tears. Its an amazingly intense and good movie, go see it. (Plus Rosario Dawson is as beautiful as always)
DO load up your ipod with all kinds of great new music (thanks Brit, Kanye, Beyonce, & Lady Gaga)
DON'T accidentally take Rhyll's ipod on your drive home and realize 20 minutes later that you don't have "take on me" by ah-ha on your ipod and have to turn around to fetch your ipod and return hers.
DO hit up Forever 21. I got 13 headbands and a turtleneck for 14 dollars total.
DON'T expect to find any flat boots under 100 dollars that aren't suede and slouchy. They do not exist anywhere.
DO bring a bottle of BIOFREEZE from your boss for all your back pain.
DON'T let Ashlee spray it ALL over your back or you will literally feel frozen and smell like a pack of gum.

All in all, good weekend. Can't wait to do it again for New Years.

A Day of Rest?

Yeah right.

This is what i did Sunday night.
and there is more now that last night i was able to get more of my Christmas orders done....

Looking forward to Wednesday when i can ship and get rid of these and REST!!!!!!!!!!

oh yeah, this little magazine was sitting on my desk this morning...i was featured in the gift guide of Las Vegas Woman magazine.

Tis the Season to dump your brain

-i got 18 painting orders for Christmas. They have to be shipped by Wednesday. Uhhhhhhh Christmas Miracle??? (Don't worry, if anyone who ordered one is reading this...IT WILL BE DONE! I promise)
-That being said, i hired my very first employee. After meeting with countless applicants, hours of interviews, thousands of phone calls to references, and thorough background checks....I finally found the perfect employee who i really think is going to be a great asset to the Shop of Shavs EMPIRE. Her name is Megan, and shes my sister. And shes doing the grunt work, prepping canvases. The most annoying part of the process. Its great to have you on board sissy. Don't screw this up, because i will have HR speak with you and let you go if it doesn't work out.
-My friends and i are emailing about this, and i know I'm going to get some backlash from some of my friends but it needs to be said. I hate it when children are signing. If you are not deaf, or someone in your family is not deaf, you don't need to be learning how to sign everything under the sun. Sure, the "please," "thank you," "milk," "more," "all done," fine. You can teach those, whatever...they are universal, sure. But whats with the toddlers who should be talking, being mute but signing "good morning mom, i had really vivid dreams and i am ready for my delicious breakfast of fresh fruits and loaded omelet." I know some of you are thinking "shes an idiot, there have been studies that prove...blah blah." None of us learned sign language and we are smart and fine. Baby sign language is trendy just like sushi is trendy. (i know, that NO ONE really likes sushi...barf).
-I finished my other nephew Lincolns painting.hes my favorite little guy (not that jack isn't favorite, hes still favorite, hes just a kid, not really a little guy)
-I've gotten quite a few headband orders...so fun. If anyone has any other ideas of what i can sell, let me know...this is getting totally crazy but equally fun.
-I love Sugar from Survivor. LOVE her. She better win.
-Got tickets today to see Britney Spears with Kayla/Blake and Mark/Jeremy, for April. Cool. I'm the 5th wheel. HAHAHA oh well. Its not like i was going to spend the money for a second ticket in hopes i would find someone who would want to use it. I cant wait till April. Brit Brit should have her abs back by then, right?
-my brother in law works with a girl who was on the Olympic volleyball team and she has like all of this credit with Under Armour cause they sponsor her or something (i don't get it) and so shes letting Justin use her credit...and I'm getting a sports bra from them for Christmas. i picked it out. Its only 50 dollars (WHAT?). I'm pretty excited and not at all weirded out that my brother in law is getting me a sports bra.
-I have a table tonight at a Henderson craft fair. I guess because i feel like i don't have enough on my plate already?
-I'm really excited for my sister Erin to get here for Christmas.

homemade storebought

Last night Kayla and Mark (coworkers AND friends) and I got together to make some anthropologie knockoffs. The scarves that i was so excited about didnt workout because the sewing machine was having major issues...but they will be completed at some point.

So onto craft number 2, these tinsel ball ornaments. Priced at 6 dollars....yeah right. Its pipe cleaners and pearls.
everyones creations. (mines the best, i already know)the evening was topped off with a quick jaunt to Urban Outfitters to use and abuse our discount. I bought Jack and Lincoln some Grillz candy...picture will be posted shortly.

Busy Weekend

I had a crazy painting weekend and it doesnt look like its going to let up anytime soonSaturday was spent at Anthropologie at Cesars Palace where i painted my little heart out from 10 till 4. I got started on this painting of Kayla and Blake and met some great contacts and potential buyers so thatLast night i stayed up to get a bulk of Jacks painting done...this is him holding it minutes after he woke up. Isnt he so cute with his sleepy eyes? Lincoln was carrying it around yelling "Look Jack! Its YOU! Its YOU!" it was adorable. Lincolns will be next....

Dear A-hole,

You think a hit and run is funny? You think i'm some sort of idiot and wouldnt figure out you were the one who side swiped my car? Buddy, the red paint is kind of a give away, PLUS you parked across the street from me for 3 days...are you serious?

Maybe you could of just left a note, or knocked on the door i was parked outside of? No? All i'm saying is dont be surprised that I'm filing a police report as soon as i figure out exactly how to do that.

Also, im a big fan of the your red monte carlo, nasty.

Merry Christmas,

Shauna

winter wonderland

Sure its like 60 degrees in vegas in december, but here at work its BEGINNING TO LOOK ALOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!

Paintings...to headbands?

So it may be a little random but....i dont care. i found a new hobby, crafting headbands. I was buying them, and a lot of them, when i realized "i could make these for way less." So thats what i did. I have a headband or two in my collection that cost 40 bucks each...that is just absurd. So i added some of them to my etsy, and will be adding some probably every couple of days or so..So check back...buy them, stuff your sisters stocking with them.

they range from 4 to 7 dollars right now...i know, totally breaking the bank.

Cole, Man!

oh yeah, i got another nephew.
this little stinker, Coleman Russell Patrick, decided to surprise everyone and come a month early on black friday in Provo. How inconvenient. But its cool, we forgive him, hes the teensiest thing you have ever laid your eyes on. I want to eat him. You would too if you saw him in real life.
see...?
linc the stink, in his "bloods" get-up ready to fight some crips. I asked jack to smile and he said "no i dont want to, i would rather just look at baby coleman"one strategically placed stringy bang and some dark circles...you would think i am a single mother of newborn triplets with the sleep i am getting these days.

I LOVE THIS BABY. If he didnt live around the corner from me, i would be plotting his kidnapping.

a regular day at the office

Today i could be found not at my desk, but outside, painting this cute little holiday mural. Its a lot cuter than it is in this picture...but its dark and its not going to be finished till tomorrow, so check back then. Hey dad, remember when you made me do this in highschool for money? I guess that practice helped...not everyday you get to wear yoga pants to your 9 to 5.hank showed up to help me out...Abe and Hank (boss's boys)Ok so how cute are they? I got these hats last night at Anthropologie for these boys and they really were 10,000 times cuter in person. I mean seriously...couldnt you eat those cheeks?

Gobble Gobble, its a brain dump.

-How good is the new Beyonce song "Single Ladies (put a ring on it)"? I AM OBSESSED.
-I've been wanting to expand my etsy shop and i've been trying to think of something that would be in the same family of the paintings, however i realized, its etsy. It can be random. And fortunately after consulting with Linsey earlier on in this adventure she made me realize that the "little shop" doesnt specifically say anywhere that its JUST paintings, and that i really can expand it to whatever. So...i have been getting a lot of requests for headbands, and i know they aren't exactly like totally original or anything and im not expecting to make a killing or even really looking to...so they will probably be some of the cheapest headbands and hairclips you can find on etsy. If you see something on a tv show or in a store thats expensive, send me a picture and i will see if i can create it for CHEAP. So thats my idea. Its just fun to make something with your own hands that you are proud of.-this thanksgiving is going to be weird. My sisters family is going to utah to be with Jordan and Kristine, and my mom is staying in Folsom...and i am staying in vegas. We have never been like totally into thanksgiving, and we will be all together next month so its not a huge deal, but its going to be weird. All of my roommates are gone too. But im working at Anthropologie and have a million paintings to work on so i will be busy and it will actually be a really nice break to myself. Im excited for this weird independent thanksgiving. And dont worry, a turkey dinner will be had, im going to Lucilles BBQ with Kayla and Blake. Ha.
-Last weekend i was bored (my roommates were gone) and it was just a quiet weekend...and since gas prices have gone down SO LOW, i hopped in my car on drove down to Huntington for just 24 hours. It was fun. I was just there for Sunday and it was really nice to be with my friends. I love that place.
-Last Saturday i met up with Kayla and Mark (anthro manager, remember, i did a pug painting for him?) to Cafe Rio for lunch and was reminded that Cafe Rio, although it is delicious, means i immediately feel sick. But the Lemonberry cupcake at the Cupcakery that we went to after lunch, made me feel a lot better.
-Also on Saturday after the lunch date Kayla and i (i finally have a friend in vegas! can you tell?) met up with my sissy megan, Michelle and Alex to see Twilight. Oh man. That movie. Oh man. I dont really have much to say. I thought the books were lame-o and written for babies and i thought the movie was basically the same thing. But i did love Bellas hair and it made me want to have long hair again even more. Also i watched it last night bootlegged online again as i fell asleep and it was even more ridiculous the second time.

i love gmail

if you know me well, this is no surprise to you. I'm always in your chatlist (unless of course its a day when im invisible...LOVE THAT FEATURE, so smart). I have been told that it is comforting to know that i will be on gchat from the hours of 9-5. Now i dont want everyone to think this is the go ahead to constantly talk to me. Its not.

Anyway a week or two ago, gmail introduced a new feature...VIDEO CHAT. This, by far, is their greatest addition.chatting with michael and randy who are in San Diego....my cuz who is in Barcelona...and good old Daniel aka the Rook, who is visiting Mike in Boston...

I did all of this before 10am. PRETTY impressive huh? And look how much fun im having!

Thank you gmail!

Collaboration

Last night Megan's friends threw her a birthday dinner of the most delicious chicken tacos, and kayla and i made this delicious milk chocolate and dark chocolate birthday cake for the festivities...

Kayla made the frosting and it was the most delicious and buttery chocolate you have ever tasted. Shes good. She orders her cocoa...thats how good she is. I just use kroger brand everything.i brought in a few slices to work and there is one left and i may just sneak a few bites from it? DONT JUDGE ME.

im good with my hands

remember how i said i like obnoxiously BIG HUGE hair accessories? Wellllllll still completely true, just now sometimes i make them. Well on sunday i made some. Still buying them, dont get me wrong...im not trying to be one of those people who relies on themselves for all things...im not a pioneer, im still going to be contributing to society.
they turned out pretty good and i got my supplies from the dollar store and megans fabric scraps. HOLLA!

hey Megan, its your birthday...

Megan is one of my two lovely sisters. Its her 29th birthday today and i thought i would take us all on a little stroll of the life of Megan from the time i was born until she was 20...for comedies sake i am not putting any pictures up that show her in the 2000's.
i'm guessing that ever since i was a little baby bird, Megan was my best friend.
we have always shared a love for bangs and disneyland
This picture is hilarious to me for a few reasons, first of all....for the last couple pictures-mom, whats with the hair? You have us get perms and then you just brush it out? Gross. Erin, your hair in this Christmas picture is absolutely hilarious. Also Jordan went through this weird phase where he was a total weirdo (turkey hat, bad boys dancing, etc)...and i am still me, and Megan is still trying to always keep a straight face cause she is and always has been the easiest person to make laugh. I can get her to laugh at anything, its pathetic really.

Freshman year (megan's senior year)....we shared a love for Old Navy (obviously, the hat, the overalls) but not a love for accessories...Megan never wore any jewelry (unlike me, shown here wearing a really darling handmade by myself, hemp choker) . My mom MADE her wear a necklace to junior prom and she took it off right after her picture was taken cause she felt like it was choking her. She has since gotten over this and actually has had her ears pierced for almost a full year now. WAY TO GO MEGS!
I'm not really sure what this is, but i know its when Megan left for college so i had to of been a sophomore. This was in the middle of my bull-dyke phase where i hung out at the gym and could be found at anytime wearing some basketball shoes or my all-time favorite, a performance fleece vest. Once Megan graduated high school she moved to Provo and dyed her bleached hair DARK brown and started hitting up the tanning bed like obviously everyday. She loved to go to "the bay" in salt lake or "club omni." I'm guessing she was teaching me some dance moves that she picked up there...we were probably dancing to "Say my name" or something by Destiny's Child (loved them).
I cant be sure but i think this last picture is right before she left on her mission? I think that's when she cut her hair into a bob (we used to dye our own hair...obviously. Nice brassy tone, gold...lovely...you can barely see my skunk stripe that i sported for a while)...anyway aren't we cuties? Thanks mom for scrap booking over the years and cutting up all of these pictures...ha

Megan, along with my two other siblings, is my best friend. We shared a room all my life until she went to college, we shared closets (not so willingly on her side), the artistic gene (we were the art nerds in HS, Ms. Gilbert's favorites), and a love for Janice Kapp Perry. Now that we are adults, and especially now that we are living in the same place and get to spend so much time together, I really don't think there is another person that knows me quite the way she does.

Shes funny, talented, so giving of her time and talents, a great mom, a voice of reason, trustworthy, loyal, beautiful and....OLD.

Happy 29th Birthday sissy!

its FRIDAY!

Alisa thinks my blog has gotten boring. It's true. It totally has. Its because my life is boring. I haven't done anything "FUN" since i went to Huntington a few weeks ago...so here is a brain dump.

-I cant sleep. I am two weeks sober from Ambien. The reason i started taking Ambien in the first place is because I cant sleep. I have never had an easy time sleeping. I lay in bed for at least an hour every night frustrated, before i can even get sleep enough to stop concentrating on keeping my eyes closed (kind of like how you tell a child to close their eyes for prayers...they concentrate really hard and are squishing their eyes shut so tight...its like that. Not very comfortable or relaxing). But if i take Nyquil, or Tylenol pm or any other sleeping aid, the laying in bed awake gets cut in half (or my restless legs go into overdrive and my brain is asleep and that is the worst). So enter prescription sleeping pills and 20 minutes after taking one I'M OUT. No matter where i am. No matter what lights are on, who is around making noise...I'm asleep. Its AWESOME. But i don't want to become dependent on it (and my sister has been taking them every once in a while, so i have 2 left and my refill isn't for another week...Ive been hoarding those two pills for the last 2 weeks. Not taking them, just waiting). So yeah. I cant sleep. Is anyone out there familiar with sleep studies? Does insurance cover that? I really think i need one. This 3 hours of restless sleep a night+13 hour work days=just not cutting it.

-Last night i worked at Anthropologie. I am really glad i didn't quit. Its become so fun, and the people i work with are hilarious and its just really enjoyable. Anyway, last night i was working in the fitting rooms and Thursday nights don't usually mean CRAZY BUSY. So, my coworker mentioned she liked my hair clip. Its a cute little felt hydrangea clip that i bought off Lou&Lee on Elsy. So i was rummaging around some scrap material and buttons and whatnot and found some thick cream wool felt pieces, red thin yarn, and some green linen. So after about 20 minutes of light sewing, I was able to present Estella with her very own hydrangea clip. And i have to say, hers is cuter than mine. Its probably (OK i know it is) totally poorly made, but the materials are HIGH END. Its very cute. Anyway we were twins for the last hour of work, and all i have to say is, if you're stuck on a deserted island...choose me to be your only companion because i am REALLY resourceful. I'm just saying.
(don't i look so cute on 3 hours of sleep and 12 hours straight of work with no shower? lovely.)

-I went to lunch the other day with my friends Mark and Kayla. It was sooooooooo nice and so fun to just eat a good meal with people whose company i enjoy. I like Vegas, but i miss my friends and have kind of hated that i have no social life here. So I am so glad i finally have some friends who are hilarious and great people. Those two are just a cute little pair of tender mercies for me.

-How come i haven't always watched Survivor and The Biggest Loser? I have the last 2-3 seasons of both, but they have been around for a while and they are GREAT shows. Really entertaining, not slutty. Good television. If you are not watching these shows...figure out a way to watch them next season. Also Vicky from the Biggest Loser, if you're reading this...I think you're a terrible person.

-Its November. Well its MID November and its in the 70s today. I know everyone in Utah and the east coast and everywhere else cold is going "lucky!" but i don't feel that way. I have worn tights and long sleeves everyday this week out of defiance to the weather. Today its actually a turtleneck. DAMN YOU WEATHER! Give me something chilly, will ya? I look like a fool.

-I went to FHE this week. CRAZY I KNOW. My roommate Candace told me i had to go cause it was a commandment. RIGHT. But i decided that maybe i should make an appearance at least once a season just so i don't look like the inactive girl who never goes to ward activities. Let me just say this-Crab Soccer wasn't fun in elementary school when it was rainy and we had PE and its still not fun. My wrists were shot, but i am glad i went and participated. BABY STEPS PEOPLE. Cant promise i will be there this Monday. The church is still true though.

Unimagined Experience

Every season or so we have a meeting at Anthropologie to get up to speed with the company and where we are at as a store, as well as eat each others treats and have an excuse to hang out together. They are actually pretty fun, considering its work and we are getting paid.

Last night was no different than meetings past. We went over the new holiday gift wrap, the top sellers and of course, it wouldn't be a true Anthro party without a little bit of Twilight thrown in (these people are obsessed, its kind of sick). Anyway, meet my work friends...Nicole (in red): Hilarious, teensy, great style...and she is OBSESSED with Justin Timberlake.
Ambre: She worked at Disneyworld! And has the cutest sweetest personality.here is Nicole again, with Lindsay! Lindsay is hilarious and is so funny and friendly. She was one of my first friends at the store. Love her.Louise in her Hooters getup. She is a waitress at Hooters and she is literally a hoot. We close alot together and its always a good time.Mark and Kayla (and Oscar). I love this picture, aren't they such a cute little family? Haha. Im hilarious. Kayla and her husband just moved from DC to Vegas and the last couple of weeks we become a pretty cute little pair of friends. We have a lot of friends in common from our Provo days so its always fun to hear the latest on them through her. Mark is one of the managers and is so unbelievably nice and honest. I love working with him we get in all kinds of random conversations...love him.

And there are many more of you that i love but you weren't in any pictures (tally, you were always blurry!).

Oh and i should report, I did in fact win the contest for the fall treats...Kayla and i tied. So we each get a cookbook of our choice. Holla!