Houzz TV Comes to Leyden Glen Farm
Hello Colorful Friends:
Today is Father's Day in the U.S. I miss my Dad everyday. He has been gone for 10 years now - almost 11 this coming December. Yesterday Julia and I went to New Hampshire for a Celebration of Life for one of his best friends who passed away in December. It was a remarkable day spent with "Uncle Dave's" five daughters and one son and their entire extended clan which includes grandchildren and great grandchildren. It brought me back to the shared family vacations we used to take at the Jersey Shore and to the many loud and fun family events that were such a big part of my childhood.
I feel fortunate to have such a supportive immediate and extended family and it is holidays such as this that brings it all back to me. I hope you are enjoying memories of your father today or celebrating the many men who have been important in your life - whether family or not.
This week has been a big one here at our farm. Tuesday was Launch Day for an internet video called HOUZZ TV: A NEW ENGLAND FARMHOUSE EXPLODES WITH COLOR.
A few weeks ago, a film crew from California arrived here at Leyden Glen Farm early one morning. The four men spent two days filming me, my family, our animals and our colorful farmhouse for a 7 minute video feature. It was a very interesting experience and I learned a lot about on-site video production. They brought a DRONE with them and did lots of aerial footage. I wrote about the experience on my blog here. The header photo is of 3 of our cats watching all the progress. Pretty cute.
You can check the video out here. I hope you enjoy the little look into our home and lives. On Tuesday it will go live on YouTube which will be fun to watch and monitor the numbers.
Thank you to the folks at Houzz.com for featuring our colorful home, my artwork, and family. Hop on over and leave a comment if you have time.
The Fabric Printing Retreat on July 18/19 is filling up. There are still two spaces left. You will make your own printing tools, learn about paints and inks, and print a canvas bag and fabric for a tea towel or pillow. On Day Two we will experiment with other techniques including block printing and fabric painting. TWO DAYS $375. Includes lunches, snacks and beverages. Check it out here. For where to stay, see this page. THERE ARE ONLY 2 SPACES LEFT. Hurry, hurry.
There is still some space in the Crewel Embroidery Retreat August 8/9. Check it out here.
Have you checked out my new Pottery Shop yet? Here's the link to see some more things I have been making and adding to the shop. Above photo by Rikki Snyder.
Here are some interesting things I found on the web this week.
• My friend Lucy Fagella is an amazing potter. Her creative home was featured on the Houzz website this week. Check it out here. Lucy has done lots of re-purposing and clever things to her family's farmhouse that have not cost her a lot of money. It is a beautiful place including the coolest chicken run.
• And you thought I was the only one who dressed up lambs in clothes. This artist has an ETSY shop filled with her illustrations of all kinds of animals, including sheep, in clothing. Check it out here.
• I tried this recipe from Food 52 with some greens that were past their prime. It is almost like a pesto - without the oil. Totally tasty and I have two ice cube trays worth of magic sauce stashed in the freezer for stir fries this summer.
• Jeff Kinney, author of The Wimpy Kid series of books, movies and all kinds of off-shoots has built a bookstore in Plainville, MA. Read about it here and watch a video! And they say the bookstore is dead.
• According to Alice Fisher of the UK's Guardian, patchwork is back and all the rage in fashion. Read about it here.
• Here is a fun sewing project to make an insulated bag for a Mason Jar. Could be a good sewing project for kids this summer.
• I posted this photo of peonies, feverfew, lambs ears and ladys mantle in my mother-in-law Betty's Victorian lemonade pitcher on Instagram. It got the most likes I have ever had! Over 230. Wow. Follow me on Instagram here if you like.
I hope you all have a fantastic week. Happy Fathers Day to all the DADS out there.
With colorful wishes,
Kristin Nicholas
My new book Crafting a Colorful Home reached #1 in Best Sellers in the Embroidery, Knitting, and Decorating categories on Wednesday! Wow - the power of video and the Houzz.com website.
Thank you Houzz!