September Catch-Up from Kristin Nicholas Designs
Hello Colorful Friends!
It has been many months since I have written to you. Here at our Leyden Glen Farm we have been weathering the Pandemic and adjusting to all that it has thrown at us. I wonder how you have made it through and have adjusted your life to the new normal. I have spent the summer and now early fall trying to stay focused on my family, my garden, our farm, and creating new pottery designs.
Not a lot has changed for us as we live in a rather isolated area of rural western Massachusetts. In the beginning of the Pandemic, we were flooded with folks who wanted to purchase our Leyden Glen Farm Pasture Raised Lamb. That interest seems to have subsided. We are back at the Amherst Farmers Market and have met many new customers. Hours are 8-1:30 every Saturday until mid-November. The Amherst Farmers Market is a safe place to shop and it is really the only place we get to each week.
I have had to adjust my normal marketing and selling channels as all businesses have. Sadly, I WILL NOT be having my annual Holiday Sale this year at our farm. Instead, I will be selling my ceramics and tea towels on my website and at the Farmers Market. I have made A LOT of pottery this year so look for a Shop Update within the next 2 weeks.
Today, I would like to share with you some links I have been saving up for you all. The links seem to be the most popular part of this newsletter. You can read them below.
BUT FIRST, I want to share an upcoming ONLINE EVENT that I will be joining and watching. This Thursday October 1st at 2 p.m. EST, Annie Sloan, the Author and Creative Force behind the Annie Sloan Home Chalk Paint Line, is hosting a Virtual Tour of Charleston Farmhouse in Sussex, England, UK. Charleston was the home of artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant and their family and friends in the 1900's. The home is exquisitely hand decorated with their wall and furniture paint treatments. I had the opportunity to visit Charleston several years ago and can't wait to revisit this beautiful home - even if it is virtually. The home is not supported by any public funds and as with all institutions, it is seeing a crisis. Tickets are sold in UK British Sterling and you can pay 20, 30 or 40 British pounds. I hope some of you might like to check it out and support a place that has been incredibly inspiring in my artwork and life for many, many years. It sounds like the video will be available to watch for a week after the event for all those who pay for a ticket. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO SIGN UP.
Okay - onto today's links......
• I found a new podcast. It's called The Modern House. I especially like this interview with Lucinda Chambers.
• Mark has found a new YouTube Channel that he is enjoying called The Sheep Game. This video is about shearing sheep on an island off the coast of Orkney Island in the UK. Love the accent.
• James Rebanks has a new book coming out called English Pastoral. Read a review here. It won't be out in the US until 2021 but you can buy it from the UK if you enjoy his books and don't mind paying expensive shipping costs.
• This podcast episode from the BBC called Stitching Souls is about the Gees Bend Quilters. Really interesting. Listen here.
• This article about Why a Perfect House is overrated.
• I discovered a YouTube Channel with old British Antique Road Show episodes on it. As a ceramicist, I love how revered ceramics and pottery are in the UK.
• Happy to mention that my Crewel Embroidery Class Stitch It With Wool is once again available on Craftsy.com. If you didn't hear, Craftsy was almost a goner. The original company had been purchased by NBCUniversal. Putting their "big company" magic on it and renaming it Bluprint evidently didn't quite work out. They were going to close it down and then the class structure was purchased by TN Marketing out of Minnesota. Happily all the crafting, baking, etc classes are now once again available. I sell the supplies to support my class on my website here.
• I shared lots of photos of Sunflower Season at our Leyden Glen Farm on my Instagram feed here. Here is a video of a walk through the sunflower patch.
• I wrote a new blog post. The first one since May.
That's it for today. I will be back shortly with the announcement of my pottery shop opening. For knitters, I've included photos below with links to my World Knits Collection PDF Downloads. It's about time to start knitting again - wouldn't you say?
Yours in color and creativity,
Kristin Nicholas
Inspired Interiors Blog Post Here
Purchase from my website here
or on Ravelry here
Ethnic Gift Collection Blog Post HERE
Purchase from my website here
or on Ravelry here
Moroccan Fedoras blog post here
Order from my website here
or from Ravelry here
Wild Wooly Headgear blog post here
Purchase on my website here
or on Ravelry here
Brilliant Bags blog post here
Order on my website here
or on Ravelry here
Magnificent Mittens Blog Post here
Purchase from my website here
or from Ravelry here
Outlandishly Happy Gloves blog post
Purchase from my website here
or from Ravelry here
Warm Wooly Wraps blog post here
Order on my website here
or on Ravelry here
Vivaciously Vibrant Vests
Order on my website here
or on Ravelry here
Whimsical Tea Cozies
Order on my website here
or on Ravelry here
Magical Mocassins blog post here
Order on my website here
or on Ravely here
Ferociously Funny Socks blog post
Purchase from my website here
or on Ravelry here
Marvelous Mukluks blog post here
Purchase on my website here
or on Ravelry here
Peruvian Ch'ulla blog post
Order from my website here
or from Ravelry here
Andean Inspired Dolls blog post here
Order on my website here
or on Ravelry here
Here is a video of my Talk at Google. I went to Cambridge, Massachusetts and spoke at their offices there in late June.
A fun video of our farm, our farmhouse, and my family. Our farm is located 2 hours from Boston and 3 1/2 hours from NYC. We are at the northern most part of western Massachusetts bordering Vermont. Our farm is 15 minutes off of Route 91, the north/south highway connecting Montreal to NYC.