A Quick Note...

I am loving the flower hair clip that the beautiful and talented Celia gifted to me for Christmas!

Her crafts are too cute! Love it!

Pretty, Pretty Pictures

I feel like I have been working non-stop the past few days. I have applied for approximately ten billion jobs (tedious, boring work), finished and photographed three paintings, and taken my first ever yoga class (ouch!) No rest for the weary!

I really enjoyed these most recent pieces, and am planning several more for the near future. What do you think?

Punctuation Power

Taco Nom

The Saddest Little Wish

As always, they are available on my etsy site. Tell you friends! Tell your family! Tell your priest! 2010 is going to be the year for Shertown Studios, and I need everyone's help to get the word out. You guys are the best!

A Short Christmas Recount

I must not tarry long in blogland before working on ye olde resume, but I wanted to share a few Christmas photos.

Handmade owl ornaments

Me and C in front of my mom's beautiful tree

Holy crap, it was a white Christmas in Texas!

Brothers at my in-law's

Corban hanging out with Kimo

Pretty photography by the father-in-law

We had a lovely Christmas, and are extremely ready to welcome 2010! Let's keep our fingers crossed for some awesome new paintings and a brand new shiny job para mi!

The Worst Little Blogger

I have been terribly negligent of my little corner of the internet, but I will try to be better. Things have been happening, oh yes, they have, and sometimes there is just not time for the narcissism of blogging.

Hopefully I will have time later this week to share some recent projects, but for now, here are some graduation photos. Yes, I graduated. It happened and is shocking.

So bored! It was boring!

The Thackers

The Johnsons

So very educated. Can you see the education?

I may be more educated, but he is definitely the one with charm.

Lunch @ Babe's with the families.

Also, I went to Corban's office Christmas party and things got, as they say, krunk.

Time to go be super productive.

Artistic Updates

I have been so glad to be able to get back into my art! Here are the first two pieces to be completed since the move:

Candy From A Baby

Zombie Wedding

These are done on some some cool vintage canvas panels that my great grandmother found in her garage. Very awesome! I have a couple more pieces in the works, as well as some brand new canvases just begging to be painted upon. Also, I have started a small sewing project that I am hoping to share in about a week!

Medication

Hello, everyone! I need you (yes, YOU) to go check out a recent short film that I acted (?) in titled "Medication", which was created by the talented director Daniel Johnson, and shot on the best camera known to man. Follow the link to watch the film and read all about the equipment used.

Go now, go now! Watch! Enjoy! Leave comments! Be amazed.

Dreaming about Providence and whether Mice and Men have second tries...

And now for a recount of the moving process!

47 boxes (43 of which were pack by moi) ...

Then a flooding incident at 9pm on the night before the move (which also happened to be Thanksgiving) ...

Which lead to a Shop Vac purchase ...

After which, we were rewarded with a pretty new apartment ...

Which then became full of stuff ...

Then painted and organized (kind of) ...

(notice the awesome DKNY shower curtain that I registered for when we married, didn't get, then found a few days ago on clearance...score!)

We had to say goodbye to the old place (we will miss you, golfers!) ...

Then went to Sherlock's a few times too many ...

And at some point there was some very meaningful abstract trash art ...

All of which leads to Chelle being a very happy lady ...

Ready to start scheming. :)

Kenny's Woodfired Grill- The Experience

Friday's date night was had at Kenny's Woodfired Grill in Addison. The meal was really great, and a well-deserved distraction from life in general.

Here's a run-down of my meal:

Appetizer: Tenderloin Crostini, sliced filet, béarnaise, demi glace

A very nice dish, we both really enjoyed it. My only critique is that the beef was a bit overdone and a little tough. The béarnaise and demi glace were delicious.

Salad: Caesar Salad, shaved reggiano, polenta croutons

The most *meh* component of my meal. The dressing was good, but nothing special, and the croutons were fresh, which was nice, but doughy, which was not.

Entree: Chilean Sea Bass, pan seared, sundried tomato pesto crust, basil butter (side of sauteed spinach)

Yowza, this was a great dish! The fish was cooked to perfection and seasoned well. The basil butter was really more of a cream sauce, and it was fabulous. I was all but licking my plate. The spinach was cooked well, but slightly under seasoned.

Dessert: Crème Brûlée

The best I have ever had. And, I have had many a crème brûlée in my life. I wish there was fruit with it, but that is more of a personal taste. Perfect perfect perfect.

The service overall was very attentive and prompt, though lacking a tad in professionalism. Kenny himself inquired as to our satisfaction. The ambiance was nice, what you would expect from a mid-range steak house- not at all intimate, a little generic, but definitely fun and comfy, a place to go and have a good time with friends.

All said and done, we had a wonderful, satisfying meal at a very reasonable price ($120, including several drinks.)

Corban and I agreed on three and a half stars! We will definitely be returning to Kenny's Woodfired Grill.

Only when I stop to think about it...

I am so sad today.

I am so sad today because last night I was online, ready to purchase an item from Skunkboy Creatures, a long-time favorite shop on etsy,

I've never had the opportunity to purchase any of these items because they are a little expensive, and, well...I am unemployed.

Then there was for sale a sweet little girl bunny ornament.

It was $20.

I have $20.

I LOVE stuffed bunnies.

I added the item to my cart, plus a few items from another shop (fabric), answered a brief phone called, poised my curser over the "Buy Now" button...and the bunny was gone.

Someone bought her right out from under me.

The KNAVE!

I was terribly, terribly upset. There was much gnashing of teeth.

Anyway, here are my favorites from her shop at the moment! All of her little creatures are just amazingly adorable.

Sweet Baby Jackalope

I love the idea of a Jackalope. I don't know why. I don't know who came up with it. And I don't care...I just love it.

Frank the Floppy Bunny

Can you tell that I like stuffed bunnies? Only preceded by stuffed penguins. Penguins of all shapes and sizes (inanimate, of course) are welcome in my home.

Go check out the shop, it has some really creative stuff...including stuffed wedding cake toppers! How sweet is that!?

But a man is carnivorous production...

Wolfgang-Freaking-Puck has opened a restaurant in Reunion Tower! *squee!*

Antares was a very special place for Corban and I, and we are sorry to see it go, but excited to try all the new and exciting cuisine at Five Sixty.

It's a little expensive for Friday's date night, but we plan to go for one of the many upcoming special occasions! I have another restaurant in mind for date night, but I can't tell yet, so shh! Hopefully we love it and I will be able to post a positive review this weekend. :)

I am feeling better than I have all week (as you can tell from all the exclamation points!) It's amazing what a good night's sleep will do. Homework this afternoon, then a little packing. Chicken and broccoli stir-fry tonight to go with a new episode of Top Chef! Go, Kevin!