Dear wonderful readers,
We’re back from holiday, and as always, straight into the whirlwind! From flea market treasures to finishing the Mapperton book, launching The 400, and preparing to film in Paris, there’s so much to share this month.
In this edition, you’ll find:
• The Gilded Heiresses launch (and The 400!)
• Countess Corner goes Italian
• Sprained ankles, spinning, and future races
• Mapperton book: almost finished!
• Tapestry filming with Emma Telford
• A fashion pilgrimage to Paris
• A new gardening course begins
Before we get going….notice anything new?
If this newsletter looks a bit different, that’s because it is!
We’ve moved our regular newsletters over Substack. This won’t mean anything different for you…unless you want it to!
You’ll continue to get these newsletters right to your inbox as usual. But, if you want to go back and read old newsletters (starting with this one), you’ll be able to visit the archives at: americancountess.substack.com.
There’s a nice little About page there if you want extra reading!
Introducing… The Gilded Heiresses and The 400
It’s here! I’m so excited to finally launch our brand-new site: The Gilded Heiresses.
It’s an online platform where I’m publishing articles, vlogs, interviews, and research, all to do with the Gilded Age.
And with it, I’ve introduced something special: The 400—our nod to the original “who’s who” list of New York society.
But ours is a little different: it’s for those curious, generous, history-loving souls who want to go deeper with us. You can join The 400 as one of the founding subscribers here:
Treasures from the Italian flea markets
Because we drove to France and Italy this summer, I was able to bring back some incredible pieces from local antique and flea markets, and I’ll be sharing them in a special Italian-themed Countess Corner collection soon!
The Countess Corner has done so well recently! Thank you for all your support!
I’ve sold so many treasures that I need to keep restocking. I’ll be filming a new vlog this week to show you what’s coming. I’m especially excited about this latest batch… stay tuned!
A sprained ankle in France (and future running plans)
While on a long run in France, I managed to sprain my ankle—not from twisting, but simply from the steep incline! I didn’t realise how bad it was until I got back.
But I’ve been wearing a compression sleeve, doing lots of yoga, and I’m still lifting weights (yes, I packed dumbbells for the trip!).
Spinning and strength training have both been fine, and I’m slowly easing back into running.
What’s next?
• Jack (who ran the Milan marathon) has just signed up for Florence
• Emma is running it too!
• I’ll be doing the 10k (hopefully!)
• And next year, I’ve got my eye on a half marathon in Rome...
Mapperton book: final section coming in!
This week, I’ll be submitting the final sections of the Mapperton coffee table book to my editor at Frances Lincoln.
There are four main sections in the book: two are complete, and I’ve just finished the third and nearly all of the fourth.
I’ll have a couple of weeks (until mid-September) to tighten everything up before we go into final editing. I’m so proud of how it’s coming together!
Filming with Emma Telford
On Monday, I’m heading to Hereford to film with Emma Telford, who’s been restoring Mapperton’s Peacock Tapestry.
It’s such an important part of our story, and it will also feature in the upcoming Mapperton TV series.
I’ll be filming an update for those of you supporting on Buy Me a Coffee as well—so watch for that soon!
A flying visit to Paris for fashion history
On Tuesday, I’m off to Paris—just for the day—to visit the House of Worth exhibition at the Petit Palais before it closes. Worth, of course, was one of Alberta’s preferred designers, so this is both research and a personal pilgrimage.
I’ll also be filming a vlog for American Countess, and I’m so looking forward to sharing what I discover.
(P.S. fun fact: it takes less time to get from London to Paris than from London to Mapperton by train!)
Gardening through the seasons
Next week, I begin something I’ve been dreaming about: a year-long course called Gardening Through the Seasons.
As I begin to take on more responsibility for Mapperton’s gardens—especially the kitchen garden—I’m thrilled to deepen my knowledge. I’ll be sharing updates with you throughout the year, and I can’t wait to see where it leads.
With love and gratitude,
Julie
Substat seems to be a great app I love all of Julie's channels they're always informative and entertaining and I love history thank you for everything that you do for us
Amazing! I find your energy and enthusiasm for literally ALL things so inspiring ✨ How do you do all of these things AND still find time to document them? I feel lucky if I can squeeze an hour of working on my book in here and there between business and chores. Any tips most appreciated 🙏❤️