Open House 2016 Photos - for those who couldn't attend

We had a great weekend here at Leyden Glen Farm hosting our 2nd Holiday Open House. Saturday was a bit slow which was the complete opposite of last year. (And it made me very worried!) We had a great turn-out on Sunday - folks drove from far and wide and lots of lovely local people came too. We had a few folks that met up with sisters, family and friends and they made a day of the Farmhouse and lunch out at local restaurants. 

My self-guided tour of the farmhouse was a big hit. I had handwritten numbers hanging all over the place and it was fun to watch everyone explore all the things I have painted and made. It saved me a lot of talking too. Last year I couldn't remember who I said what to. 

Julia had a great time learning about commerce. She steadfastly stayed close to her booth (the couch) and tried to sell her wares to everyone. Pretty cute and I hope not too obnoxious. She was happy with her profits. It was a very good learning experience for her.

Charlie was the star of the weekend. He sat perched on the couch and let everyone pet him. He is head cat now and really seemed in charge. 

I took a lot of photos so you could see what you all missed. Next year, I will try to pick dates earlier and give everyone a heads-up instead of only 3 weeks before the event. I can't believe we pulled this off considering Deborah, Gail, Alicia and I didn't decide to do it until a month before. It is amazing what you can do when you join together with talented women to plan, promote, and host an event. Although Julia thought it was "creepy" (seems to be a favorite teenage word these days), I think both she and Mark enjoyed meeting everyone. I know I did.

Thanks so much to all of you who came out. We really appreciate your traveling and your support of our family, our farm and our neighborhood. And to the locals too - thanks for supporting your eccentric neighbors. 

This morning, we had a dusting of snow. We were so lucky it held off until today. 

Here are some photos from the Open House weekend. A wreath with pom pom decorations greeted everyone.  

Welcome. Please sign in and tell us where you came from. 

Julia's shop

More in the living room....

A lot of people wanted to buy my stockings. I had them displayed so that knitters could buy the pattern. I spent a lot of time explaining what a PDF download is. It is amazing how many people do not know anything about digital patterns. 

Our neighbor Debbie gave us this sheep last year. I dressed it up with a scarf and a pom pom.

It is really hard to hide all the things of life for an event like this. If you look on the bottom left of this photo, you'll see a stack of newspapers. They are actually the NYTimes Wednesday Food Section. I save them for my ex-BIL Fernando who lives in Brazil. Every year, I send him with a year's worth of reading when his sons go down to visit him. 

My giant swatch blanket made a nice throw for the couch. 

In the library, Gail Callahan was set up. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of the Open House with people around. She had a nice crowd and she sold a lot of her Color Grids. I heard so many people talking about how clever it was. Good job Gail. (Makes a nice Christmas gift - You can order it here.)

My leaning tower of magazines....

This week's project - more to come about it. 

I had my pottery set up in the dining room. I was afraid I didn't have enough but I had plenty. I have been making it in a pottery class that I have been taking from my friend Lucy this year. (BTW - Lucy is having an Open Studio Pottery Sale this weekend for all you locals.) I have quite a bit of pottery left that I will stock my Etsy store with next week. 

The kitchen was the check-out stand. Our friend Alyssa helped me out with that. Thank you Alyssa. I couldn't be a hostess and ring up sales. 

Some Christmas cards with sheep - of course. 

My Grandma Frieda looking over us all. She was a star baker (stollen and cookies) and this is her Sellers Pantry that I love so much. That is one of my vases. We have a bumper crop of holly this year. 

I didn't start the paperwhites early enough but they look pretty sprouting none the less.

Deborah was just off the kitchen on the porch with her gorgeous textiles. People were snapping them up. Can't wait to see what she has next year. 

Gail and I baked goodies and we served brie with crackers, coffee and cider. For the kids we had candy canes and chocolate kisses. 

I made this gingerbread and it was a real hit. The recipe came from the blog The English Kitchen and its claim to fame is that it is the world's best gingerbread recipe. I am definitely going to use this recipe again. I love gingerbread around the holidays. I didn't grow up with it but I wish I did. I think it is a more British tradition. Even Julia the chocoholic loved it. 

Kate is pooped. She did a few demos of her herding skills which are improving every day. She refuses to look at the camera! 

Thank you one and all who came out to support us. I hope you all have a chance to visit an Open House like this near where you live.