GUILFORD — The public is invited to visit the Green River Road weaving studio of Carol Schnabel as she and seven other area artisans participate in the 16th annual Guilford Holiday Studio Sale on the Friday and Saturday before Thanksgiving, Nov. 20 and 21.
Retired Guilford School teachers Margaret Dale Barrand and Nancy Detra are creating whimsical pop-up puppets, using the cardboard yarn cones that were accumulating in Schnabel's studio, and some of the fabric scraps left over from Barrand's Morris dancing costuming projects. Having taught together for many years, Barrand and Detra are pleased to have found a new collaborative venture.
John Dimick will display his watercolor and oil landscapes. Dimick, another retired teacher, first began mentally collecting landscape images while he ran cross country in the 1980s and '90s. Dimick sells original paintings as well as high quality reproductions of some of his images. He also crafts wooden picture frames for his pieces.
Mary Ellen Franklin and her family offer maple syrup in glass bottles in a variety of sizes, as well as maple butter, Zesty Blend salad dressing, and eggs from their Guilford farm. The Franklins are proud of the new arch and pan that they installed this year, which makes twice as much syrup in an hour's time, using 40 percent less wood. This new energy efficient, clean-burning system produces syrup with the same old-fashioned delicious taste.
Vicki Houghton will offer a colorful display of beaded necklaces and earrings. She spends her weekdays preparing food at Brattleboro Union High School and moonlights as the Vermont Bead Whisperer.
Lois Pancake captures the bugs, birds and flowers of the natural environment in her quintessentially New England photographs. Her product line will include calendars and cards.
Susan Rosano makes murals and mosaics using a variety of unconventional materials. She recently collaborated with BUHS students to produce an oil drum art project that makes a statement about climate change. Rosano will bring small mosaics, notecards and jewelry to the sale this year.
Schnabel's work will include bamboo scarves and shawls, as well as tencel scarves, chenille scarves, placemats, and journals woven from recycled newspapers. She will also have a generous spread of free refreshments.
The Holiday Studio Sale has become a traditional destination for many area and out-of-town shoppers. It always takes place the Friday, from 3 to 8 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., of the weekend before Thanksgiving at Schnabel's weaving studio.