shanna murray

love note, of sorts

Bitter temps here again. Winter has not yet gone on so long as to reduce my enthusiasm for another excuse to tuck in. Right now, these things are perfect to me: the sweetness of having my love home for winter after so long apart, thoughts of dreams and happy plans, an abundance of ideas, long but wonderful to-do lists, a busy kitchen, inspiring stories, mini road trips, the steady company of a good friend, stark landscapes, new music, the warmth of Ollie nestled in my lap as I work, the shortness of days - and a heartfelt effort to make each minute amount to something good. All together, these things swirl around like magic. My most favorite winter thus far.

A happy new week to you, dear friends. S

steady on

What a week!

I'm in a funny space these last few days, emotions of all kinds rolling through. Maybe it has to do with extremely cold temps here in Rochester leaving us mostly house or coffee shop bound. Maybe it has to do with family, and more illness discovered. I know it certainly is partly to do with giving all I've got to a few big projects in the works, and partly to do with being in shock when the valentines sold out in a little more than 24 hours. That's just crazy! This week has made me weary tired, and when I'm weary tired I become a sappy, tearful, nutty person. So, today it's all about fresh air and hitting the road - always good for clearing away the crazy.

But first, I need to announce the winners of my little give + receive giveaway. My apologies for the delay in announcing the winners. Thanks so much to all of  you who left thoughtful contributions. I was excited to read a few suggestions that I already had in the works, and inspired by many of you. More than ever, I'm looking forward to sharing the collection with you this Spring! Here are the winners, chosen from a random number generator (please email your addresses to [email protected]): 

decal #1: Stephanie Caldwell 

decal #2: Jessica

decal #3: Nina

decal #4: Jennifer

decal #5: Lisa

Wishing you all a happy, inspired weekend. S

p.s. The heartiest thank you I can muster to everyone who scooped up a valentine or offered a kind word about Hello Handmade's last project, you've left me speechless for days. It feels pretty great to go out on such a happy note. Thank you!

last dance

Good morning!

Today is a happy but bittersweet day. The Hello Handmade Valentines are here! I'm so excited to share them with you all. I love the way they came together and hope you will too! Each valentine includes a 5x7 folded card in creamy egg shell, featuring my ribboned laurel illustration off-set printed on creamy 80 lb. matte stock in black ink, with room for a couple's monogram, a sweetheart's name or initials in the center, as well as a personalized, customizable note penned with jet-black sumi ink in Betsy's hand inside.

Inner envelopes perfectly match the cards, sealed in black wax and addressed with the recipients' first name. Outer envelopes are a rich shade of eggplant addressed in creamy white ink, hand-mixed from gouache. Each valentine will be sent using vintage stamps as the perfect finishing touch!

It the perfect last project for Betsy and I. This will be our last project together as Hello Handmade. We've each decided to focus on our growing, individual businesses as they require our full attention these days. It saddens us to close up shop, as we've loved sharing our collaborative efforts with you but we've both got some exciting projects in the works.

I can't wait to share with you what's to come. Hard as it may be sometimes, change is good. I'm so grateful for the best part of embarking on this adventure with Betsy three years ago, our friendship. She means the world to me, and that, at least, remains the same. I think I'll send her a valentine. 

Love, S

cleaning shop

Hello!

This month I'm smack dab in the middle of pulling together my spring decal + stationery line. Lots of fun!  Part of this process includes weeding out what stays and what goes from the current line, as well as cleaning up my drawers of stock to make room for new designs. I've come across a few wounded soldiers (decals that, though perfectly good and usable, are not exactly in retail ready shape) with dog-eared corners and the like. Seems a shame to let them go to waste, so I thought I'd offer them up to you!

In return, I would really appreciate your two cents. It'd be great to hear from you what decals you'd love to see in the new collection. Would you like to see more text, larger decals, smaller ones? Any animals you'd just love to have for your nursery? Is there a spot in your home perfect for tucking in a little message? What would that message be? Though the new collection is nearly busting at the seams already, I think there's room for a couple more designs - and I'd just love to include a few suggestions from you, friends!

So, here's how this works: leave a comment with your decal suggestion and your choice from the decals above. On Monday I'll announce a winner for each decal, selected from a random number generator, and pop them in the mail to you. I promise, though they will arrive in less than pristine condition cosmetically, they're in perfect condition to put on your wall! I'm so eager to hear your thoughts! Thanks in advance for taking the time to share them with me.

Here's a key to the decals above:

#1 ribboned half garland & beloved tiding, 13.5x7.5, matte charcoal

#2 magnolia garland & loved tiding in cursive, 13x9, matte charcoal

#3 ribboned half garland & close to my heart tiding, 13.5x7.5, matte white

#4 ribboned half garland, 13x6.5, matte white

#5 ribboned half garland, 13x6.5, matte charcoal

Thanks a heap, Shanna

a bit of news

A little Hello Handmade news...

1. We're having a sale! Our seasonal calendars are now 30% off. There are only a few left - if you had one on your list now's your chance to scoop one up at a great price! Enter the code cheers11 upon checkout. 

2. On Monday, January 24th we'll begin taking orders for handwritten valentines. Hard to believe this is our third year! I can't wait to share year three's valentine with you! This year we'll only be offering 50 custom lettered valentines,  less than half of what we were able to accommodate last year, so be sure to check back next week for details if you're planning to have one made for your sweetheart. 

I'll be back Wednesday with something fun!

xo, S

cabin fever

It's been snowing, snowing, snowing here. I think we're on the fourth day straight? I've lost track. Though I've really enjoyed watching it fall outside the big window as I work, the last few home-bound days have left me feeling a little restless.

Yesterday, on the coldest day thus far in this new year, I decided to scoop up one of my favorite people and head somewhere new. There's a little conservatory tucked inside one of Rochester's beautiful parks that was calling my name. A place to be warm and amongst green things, yet surrounded by snow. Pretty great. And the perfect cure for cabin fever.

Hope you have a happy weekend. Any fun plans?

xo, S

the road ahead

Good morning, and happy new year!

I'm feeling great about the new year and a fresh start. How about you? I've spent the weekend writing lists and thinking about plans & goals for the year. There's a lot to look forward to, and to feel fortunate about. I've got some new collaborations in the works I'm excited to share this year, and a whole new line of work coming in the spring, as well as a bunch of new decal designs. I have my work cut out for me, that's for sure, but I'm pumped!

In order to stay on track I've decided that this is the year I bring a strong sense of organization back into my life. Truthfully, last year really got away from me in many respects. There are stacks of paper everywhere, drawers are full, the studio is full of boxes, and my mind in the last months of 2010 was super cluttered. If it wasn't for Caitlin I would have never crossed the finish line.

So this year I'm implementing a few rules, chief among them is to put things away where they're supposed to go the first time. I'm hopeful I'll spend less time on needless sorting and more time on being productive both in work and rest. It was my intention to organize things over my little Christmas break, so that I might start the new year off on the right foot, but it turns out I actually needed to just rest. I'm glad I listened to myself. As a result I feel great and ready to spend January getting things in order. You'll notice some small changes in this space over the course of the month, and some big changes on my website come the end of January.

To kick off the month I'm so excited to have collaborated with the amazing Marina Porter. She has a beautiful blog called Collected Stories. I love the little glimpses into her life that Marina shares, and her photographs are always stunning. If you haven't already, I hope you'll venture over and look through her posts. Thanks, Marina, for joining me for January. I'm delighted to kick off the new year with you! The year of the rabbit begins today, and I think it's going to be the best yet.

Hugs all around, S

p.s. If you click the calendar above you'll get the laptop size image. For larger screens, visit the 2011 calendar page and click on the image for January twice. There's also one without the calendar, should you prefer it.