shanna murray

mountains of joy

Hello there, friends! I hope all of you in the states had a cozy & happy Thanksgiving. I cooked my little heart out, felt so great to spend hours in the kitchen, reunited with my bowls and spoons. We had a quiet afternoon with family, which was just right.

A very heartfelt thank you to all of you who have cheered about or snapped up my holiday things, I am a little bit speechless at the response. As I pulled in the drive at home last night I was filled with a tremendous sense of gratitidue for all of you. All of you who allow me to live my dream every day. In the quiet in-between moments of a busy life I often think of this community, and the mountains of  joy you all bring to my life. Thank you.

Wishing you all a bright & beautiful weekend. S

*For my newsletter subscribers: This Friday's winner of the Holly Bough giveaway is Joanna Weekes. Congrats, Joanna! Send me an email with your address, at your convenience. 

simple is good.

Hello there, lovely people! I'm so excited to share with you today a few shots from my new holiday shop. I had a great time pulling this little collection together back in July, I'm thrilled the time has finally come to enjoy it! I hope you'll love it too, it's full of simple, almost sparse details. Just the right bit of cheer for your surroundings throughout the season, I think! Not too much fuss, but maybe just enough?

I've also listed a small collection of holiday stationery. Each style is a limited addition, only 100 of each design. I like working in small batches, especially since we hand apply each decal - there aren't enough hands to go around to make that process go quickly. But it's enjoyable, medatative work and I love wondering where each one will wind up. Maybe with one of your best loved friends?

Thanks for taking a peek! S

tonight!

Just loaded up the shop! Sorry for the delay, if you don't follow me on twitter you might not know that I encountered all sorts of technical difficulties getting photos taken and then loaded on the computer. All issues have been solved, phew! Can't wait to share everything with you all tonight. Listings will go live at 7pm EST. Cheers!

favorites

I'm trying to listen more to that little voice inside that says "It's glorious out, stop working." So, this past Sunday, Ollie and I took a little field trip to visit C at his latest project. We walked around the gorgeous grounds and Ollie chased the apples I'd throw that were laying about in the orchard. If I threw a really fresh one, he'd nibble on it for a little bit. Love.

Yesterday we took a long walk along the creek before work. Tonight I will actually cook a rell meal again. I'd say I'm turning the corner towards a bit of balance, twards a bit more time for favorite things. That little voice inside isn't fooling around, is it? Sure feels good to breath again. 

Hope you have a terrific day, wherever you might be. S

p.s. A few fun holiday things will find their way into my shop this Friday! Cue the Nat King Cole!

gathering

Another month passes, another month of hectic pace with little time for quiet. I am a bit weary around the edges. I feel frayed. I am missing family, friends, myself. November is a perfect time to reprioritize, to gather together with dear ones and reconnect, before the year has vanished. 

Though I am grateful to be busy (grateful beyond words) it has been a rough couple of months adjusting to fuller days. I can see the light though, I am close. In the quiet moments that have begun to return I find myself searching for ways to make more of them. I have a plan that is taking shape, I will share it with you soon.

Feeling isolated and wanting to draw nearer to those that I love most, I reached out to my friend Nikole to collaborate with me again (this is our 3rd calendar collaboration) for November, a perfect excuse to email each other more than time typically allows. This month is a bit different though, as her dear friend Michael Graydon has also joined us. That's his stunner of a photograph you see above, taken on a trip he and Nikole recently took out west. When it landed in my inbox I had to catch my breath. So beautiful. It's a bit of quiet, I think. Don't you? 

These busy days I've been inching towards finally launching the new stuff. I need only carve out a couple more days for photos and then it will be time. I am so anxious to share everything with you. Stay tuned!

Warmly, Shanna

P.S. Thank you dear Nikole, and Michael for such a spectacular contribution for November. xo