Fox Hollow Cottage is the brainchild of mom and wife Shannon. She describes herself as loyal, whimsical, nostalgic, adventurous and ferocious, to say the least. She loves sharing tips on organization, DIY and crafting, holiday entertaining and decorating, and much more.
The blog also chronicles how Shannon and her family are slowly but surely turning their 1920’s cottage into their dream home. Find out more about Shannon and her design aesthetic in our Q&A section below.
BH: What do you love most about blogging?
Shannon: I love the sense of community I felt immediately when I began blogging, both with other bloggers and the readers. It’s been a joy to have a creative outlet to share my passion for decorating, and connect with other people who are enthusiastic about it too.
BH: Tell us a little bit more about your decorating style in general.
Shannon: This one is hard, because I don’t know that I have one per se. I buy and create what I like, and smoosh it together regardless of trend! I don’t fit in one category. I live in a cottage, and like decor from traditional to glam, with some good thrifted junk in between. I also like raw wood & glitter. So I’ll choose “eclectic.”
BH: How would you describe your holiday decorating style? And how has it evolved through the years?
Shannon: It’s always changing, depending on my mood. Some years I go all out and it looks like Christmas exploded in my house. Others are simpler with a lot of natural greenery and small vignettes sprinkled about the cottage. I guess I’m favoring the simpler these days, with areas of controlled explosions.
BH: What holiday decorating do’s and don’ts can you share with our readers?
Shannon: Do what you love, how you love to do it! If you like simple, don’t force elaborate decor. And if grand is your style, start early so you can enjoy more of the holiday once the halls have been decked. I’m all about the less stress, the better. However that works for you.
BH: Is there a holiday memory that left an impression on you from your childhood or recent years?
Shannon: When I was little, we always got new Christmas jammies to wear to bed on Christmas Eve. We also got to open a small gift on Christmas Eve. I love that tradition, because it’s hard to wait when you are young. We adopted that one and did the same with our son when he was little.
BH: What is your must-have ornament or piece of Christmas décor, and why?
Shannon: That would be our Santa Key. We used it with my son when he was small, and it’s definitely my most treasured Christmas item.
BH: How did you go about choosing your Balsam Hill tree and ornaments?
Shannon: My tree was selected for pure ease of use. And boy, did I choose right. I have never in my life had a Christmas tree up and ready to decorate faster than the Blue Spruce Flip Tree I decorated this year! As far as choosing the ornaments, I started with a top hat tree topper and after that, I think they selected me.
BH: What do you like most about your Balsam Hill tree? How do you plan to decorate your tree?
Shannon: I love that in addition to it being easy to set up, it was also pre-lit! And pre-lit well. My lights are perfect. I love that I didn’t have to spend a day getting it ready to decorate. My tree will be showing off a Wintery Snowman look, with lots of traditional Christmas red!
BH: Are there any holiday traditions that you enjoy doing with your loved ones every year?
Shannon: We live close by Shore Acres State Park here on the coast in Oregon. We visit the light display every year in a big family group. We also enjoy watching ELF every year, the girls in the family usually get together to make handcrafted Christmas cards and we shop for and wrap our gifts for the Tree Of Giving, along with traditional things like making cookies.
BH: What can we look forward to on your blog this holiday season? Do you have exciting new holiday decor or party ideas?
Shannon: I’ll be co-hosting an annual Christmas party and will be doing the traditional holiday home tours, as well as sharing some budget friendly DIY decor and Christmas crafts. I kind of went Christmas crazy and got a few new things for the holiday, so lots of pretties to share for sure! I’m super excited to be sharing my beautiful full-size tree this year. It’s the first time since I began blogging that I’ve decorated something other than a table top tree.
BH: Can you tell us in a sentence what Christmas is to you? (Christmas is…)
Shannon: Christmas to me is a celebration of life, faith, family, and everything joyous and wonderful.
Here’s a sneak peek of Shannon’s BH Blue Spruce Flip Tree. For more photos, drop by Fox Hollow Cottage today.
