shanna murray

auld lang syne

January

I remember the surge of inspiration I felt. 

creative highlight: launching Hello Handmade's valentines for 2010 - one of my all time favorites of our projects.

personal highlights: contributing at Habit, a closer relationship with my sister after our holiday visit.

 

February

I remember sand in my toes. I remember my father's hugs and laughter.

creative highlights: collaborating with my friend Vicki on a little line of vessels, testing out reaction to my decals at a local craft show.

personal highlights: visit with my family in California, meeting my new nephew, Samuel.

 

March

I remember being on the verge, just shy of realizing. I remember a particular long walk with Ollie. 

creative highlights: working hard to pull together a dream, help and encouragement from friends.

personal highlights: learned there's great value in taking time to do something right, and asking friends for help (a big step for me). 

 

April

I remember tears of joy and relief. I remember feeling humbled. I remember magic.

creative highlights: launching my decal line, the support of friends and the creative community leaving me speechless, grateful, shocked.

personal highlight: being able to share the magic of that month with C, my favorite person.

 

May

I remember Ollie's joy in hitting the road, and mine.

creative highlight: feeling possiblity

personal highlights: road trip to Vermont with C & O, reading my grandfather's biography in small chapters via email.

 

June

I remember having lots of happy plans. I remember his phone call.

creative highlight: feeling a creative surge of ideas the likes of which I'd never experienced before.

personal highlight: my amazing assistant Caitlin comes into my life.

 

 July

I remember that first hug from him when he picked me up at the bus. I remember him telling me how glad he was I was there.

creative highlights: long chats about ideas and projects with my dear friend Nikole, working on the logo for Little Winter, the opportunity to share so many beautiful memories and photos friends sent in of their grandparents - it was an honor.

personal highlights: long drives with my grandfather, knowing i was exactly where i needed to be, making my grandmother's famous potato salad and the smile on his face after he took a bite, that first hug.

(photo for July: Tracy)

 

August

I remember coffee with my brother on that back porch. I remember the joy on my grandfather's face when he walked out in that black track suit he had always wanted.  I remember walking rows of berries in the warm sun with a friend.

creative highlights: collaborating with Brian on the desktop calendar for the month, picking up an issue of Martha Stewart Living with my decal in it - crazy.

personal highlights: learning to play cribbage with my grandfather, a visit with Molly and the well wishes of so many dear friends she brought with her, shopping for that track suit.

 

September

I remember that last trip to the coast. I remember our last dinner, his courage to say the tough stuff. I remember holding his hand all those hours.  I remember everything.

creative highlights: taking pictures with my grandfather's camera of the coast, taking pictures of him.

personal highlights: having the courage to look my grandfather in the eye and tell him I would miss him, hearing him say he would miss me too, feeling that he could hear me sing to him while he was in a coma, holding his hand all those hours.

 

October

I remember my sister's care for me. I remember flying home. I remember Ollie running to greet me in the airport.

creative highlight: Betsy comes to visit, working on the calendar together at our little retreat was pure magic.

personal highlight: coming home.

 

November

I remember the hugs of good, good friends.

creative highlights: launching the Hello Handmade calendar, collaborating on a ceramic line with Lisa of Pigeon Toe Ceramics - a total dream, the beginnings of my new stationery line, Little Winter was amazing - a joy to be part of such a magical event, Second Storie over Thanksgiving weekend was wonderful.

personal highlights: meeting lots of wonderful, amazing folks I'd known online for years blew my mind a little, spending time with dear friends after months of it being mostly just my grandfather and me was just what the dr. ordered, getting to see Abby and Mackenzie two separate weekends in one month, a hug from Nikole.

(photo for November: Jenny) 

 

 

December

I remember great talks with my friend Rachel - one of my favorite people. I remember the beauty of finally catching up on sleep. I remember Christmas Eve at home, just our little family.

creative highlight: working on big plans for 2011!

personal highlights: learned to take a nap, made some big decisions, dreamt about the future with C.

 

* * * 

Dear Friends, It has been a year of rich, deeply challenging, deeply rewarding, important, full-of-love moments. It's not easy to write about this year, but I wanted to be sure to get something down to look back on, and to say thank you.

Heartfelt thanks to all of you who have offered your support, encouragement, love and kindness in this space throughout 2010. Truly, words could not express the immense gratitude I feel for all of you. You have made me feel heard - an invaluable gift I am beyond grateful for. Being able to write in this space, to share my thoughts with you has been a joy and an honor. I'm so glad you've been here. Thank you. 

Here's to the beautiful, magical year that lay before us, and all that's to come.

Love & Cheers! S 

settling in

How are you today, friends? I hope very well. Life has begun to slow down a little here, at least for a couple weeks. This feels amazing and so needed. When I look back to a few weeks ago, a few months ago, the type of busy I was now seems like a foreign land, a different me. I think the time has come to sort of settle into some feelings I've been wishing for time to process. Time to embrace that I'm sad my grandfather is gone, time to embrace that I'm nervous and excited about this coming year, time to listen to myself, time to stop making lists, time to nap.

Posting here might be a little light for the rest of the year but I will be posting for the rest of the month over at Habit, along with everyone that's posted there this year. It's a sort of magic to share that space with so many wonderful folks. I've really enjoyed reading through the posts for December so far. I'm happy I now have some time to share my thoughts there, too.

Have you seen this? I originally found it via my friend Nikole, and have since watched it several times. Good stuff. I hope your day is a wonderful one, with a bright spot or two.

xo, S

good cheer

 

Hi friends!

It's a winter wonderland outside and I'm happily, cozily tucked inside working away on some special holiday orders. I've been thinking an awful lot about the bounty of 2010. It's been one of the fullest years on record for me, so many chapters to this year. Lots of great time with friends, some very beautiful memories with family, my share of sadness but inspiration by the handfuls, too, and the friendship and lovely support you, dear friends. What a year it has been. I've got a real thank you letter coming in a couple weeks but for now I wanted to pass along my gratitude and thanks with a little holiday sale.

Now through December 12th enter the code "goodcheer" to receive 15% off your entire purchase from my shop. I hope this little thank you sale will help you to cross a few things off your list!

Wishing you a cozy day, wherever you may be. xo, S

o tannenbaum

We're forecasted to have snow for days. I doubt it will come true, but both fingers are crossed. I'm looking forward to tucking in for the weekend, after I head out for some much needed groceries. I think I'll pick up my Christmas trees, too. Will be nice to do a little tree trimming in between some weekend work projects on my list. I'm planning to keep it simple this year by just getting table top trees. Love them. I've somehow acquired lots of gorgeous, vintage tinsel and pom-pom garlands in the last month or so, can't wait to string them up! 

If you're doing any wrapping this weekend, I wanted to remind you (if you're interested, that is) that Betsy and I have a free holiday tag download in this month's issue of Rue magazine, it's on page 60.

Wishing you all a cozy weekend. What do you have planned? Love, S

home again

Hello there, pals.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, if you were celebrating, and a wonderful weekend just the same, if you were not. My weekend was very full. Though I was feeling the absence of my immediate family pretty keenly this year, time with C's family and time in the kitchen cooking my grandmother's recipes was meaningful to me, and a quiet sort of good. 

Second Storie was just as wonderful as ever. Time with dear friends was beyond words. So difficult to capture the magic of what it means to be surrounded by friends that make you feel loved beyond measure, understood without words, and who fill the room with laughter. Magic.

This weekend marked sort of the crescendo of months and months of buckling down, working hard with no breaks, all while carrying a heavy heart. To those of you that know what I speak of, my arms reach out to hug you. Though I wouldn't change one stitch of all the months since July, when I went to be by my grandfather's side, these have been some of the most challenging days of my life. And without a doubt the most beautiful. But I am tired, and a little weary, too. And now it is time to rest. Time to be home...it finally feels like I am.

As work winds down in the next couple of weeks, I will be nesting to my heart's content. I also plan to try to learn something new. I'd like to learn to nap. I know a couple fellas who could teach me a thing or two. And I'm so glad they're near me now.

Love, S

* * *

It makes me smile to be collaborating with one of my dearest pals, Abby Powell-Thompson for December. Abby's photographs are always dream-like, always colorful, always beautiful. They have that rare ability to transport. I have such admiration for her ability to take me out of a moment, to show me where she's been. Over the years her work has continued to surprise and delight me, inspire me. Thanks so much Abby, sweet friend, for joining me during this special month. This month's calendar really comes from the heart, I hope you'll love it as I do. xo