Let me be the first to wish you all a happy and relaxing Thanksgiving. We have lots of exciting news and events coming up over the next few months, so I thought I would share a sneak-preview of an event coming up next week.

Friday, December 5, 5:00-8:00 p.m.
353 Cumberland Avenue, Portland, Maine

Mark you calendars! The sale will feature drawings, oils, pastels, posters, prints, and watercolors donated to Goodwill stores. Come see the incredible pieces of art community members donate on a regular basis and learn about Goodwill’s Workforce Solutions and other programs that lead to independence.

We are a part of First Friday Art Walk in Portland, so it is a great chance to come to the city and spend an evening checking out holiday sales and new art exhibits. We will have over 200 pieces for sale and there is something for everyone.

Here’s a preview of some of the paintings:

I also recently read two great posts about affordable art and decorating:

RecoverGirl in Portsmouth, NH inspired me with her plate decorations–look how great this looks!

I also liked a post on Design for Less for some affordable art options. This reminded me that Etsy is a great place to find handmade art, crafts, jewelry, and gifts. Check out the Etsy sites for Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

Finally, we have lots of great holiday gift ideas in store for you next week, but for now I compiled a list of Holiday Fairs in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

Maine

- New England Craft Fairs has a listing of holiday fairs in the state

- A blogger on Raising Maine wrote a great entry on Maine craft fairs

New Hampshire

- Foster’s Daily Democrat compiled a listing of holiday fairs in New Hampshire

Vermont

- Radio Pine Tree list craft fairs happening throughout Vermont

- Vermont Vacation also has a search engine so you can look up craft fairs in the area

Enjoy! Thanks for reading and see you next week.

About the author: Michelle is the Communications Coordinator for Goodwill Industries of Northern New England. She lives in Portland and loves thrift store shopping, food co-ops, New England history and finding people to write posts for this blog. Read more from this author