Wrap-Up - 5th Holiday Open House

We had a fantastic Holiday Open House a couple weeks ago. I'm just getting time to process and upload the photos here to share with those of you who are interested in it and too far from here to visit. If you did come to the Open House THANK YOU! We had an incredible crowd and it was so much fun to meet many new folks and see old friends. This event is a huge amount of work in all ways - physically making things to sell, decorating the house, strategizing with the friends I invite to do the event, cooking treats to share and more..... I find it so worthwhile though to share our colorful farmhouse to folks who are curious and share my love of color and pattern. 

I was so busy that I didn't have any time to take any photos. Plus, my phone was being used to process sales. I really wish I had photos of the house filled with wonderful people. Over the last two weeks I have been reviewing the conversations in my head, trying to remember names and faces. 

If you are a creative artist and you have an interesting home or studio, throwing an Open House is a great way to get your message out there. It takes nerve to put yourself out there for people to judge you - because face it - you invite judgement when you invite strangers into your space. It is a great way to meet new folks in your community - whether virtual or local. I had so many lovely folks come who followed my 100 Days of Vases Project on Instagram this past year. It was so fantastic to meet the folks who commented and cheered me on. 

Another highlight of the weekend was meeting Eva who has been a loyal blog reader,  Facebook commenter and longtime follower. Eva's daughter Lisa brought her mom to the Open House as an 80th birthday gift! It was the actual day too! How special. I wish I had a photo of the two of us together. I was late getting set up (no surprise if you know me!) and Lisa and Eva arrived right on time. Eva sat in the wing chair and watched me scurry around getting things more organized. She was delightful and I'm so happy her daughter brought her to meet us. Eva had the best time exploring the handmade and handpainted decoration of our home. I'm glad we could be part of her 80th birthday - what a plus to a great weekend. 

Special thanks goes to my friends Alicia, Deborah, Gail and Juliana who added to the celebration by bringing their beautiful wares and helping to host the event. I couldn't do it without them. And thanks to Laurie B who did all the tallying of sales and wrapping. And to Cathy and Cynthia who came from Boston to help out. And lastly, thanks to Julia and Mark who put up with the incredible chaos of preparation, making pottery, figuring out the logistics, and me being in a frantic mood. This year we had the added drama of a massive snowstorm. Mark spent most of the day between selling our farm raised lamb keeping the walkway sanded and salted. Our neighbor Sid plowed the snow from the field where cars park - what a fantastic guy. I called the Road Crew to alert them of the event and Dave was here with the town truck sanding the road so people didn't get stuck. Many of the folks who came from far away had not had experience with a gravel road in the snow - that definitely added to the drama of the visit and the weekend! Many wondered how the heck we live here through the winter. The snow definitely made for an unforgettable weekend. 

Here are the photos - sorry there aren't any of the farmhouse with people in it. Maybe next year.  Thanks again to all who came.