Hi Friends!
It was my favorite kind of day! We jumped into the car very early on Saturday morning. I could feel a touch of Autumn in the air and excitement building as we left behind the busy suburbs, near the bustling city, and headed southwest to the friendly, little town of Morris, Illinois. Time moved at a more leisurely pace, as we drove along fields of golden corn and yellow, roadside wildflowers, under beautiful, blue skies, accented with puffs of white clouds. It’s the kind of drive that just begs for country music on the car radio. 🙂 If only I knew the lyrics to those country songs, I would have been singing along!
Our destination was the 3 French Hens French Country Market. This popular event, held on the second Saturday of each month, from May through October, draws visitors from near and far. The friendliest vendors and shoppers gather here in a quiet, little park early in the morning… and the excitement begins!
There was a nip in the air, as we walked to Canal Port Park, along the banks of the historic I & M Canal. Over 130 booths of antiques, upcycled vintage treasures, and beautiful, handmade wares filled the park. Inspiration was everywhere!
Join us for a stroll through the market…
Signs of Autumn filled the air on Saturday morning!
Amy, at Plaid Umbrella Studios, displayed beautiful handmade wares. Plaid Umbrella Studios is a cooperative of antique dealers and artists who run pop-up stores each month. One of their treasures just *might* have come home with us!
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Angela, of 13th & Olive Designs, followed her passion for flowers as she created beautiful pendants filled with pressed flowers. Her work was truly lovely!
Angela’s one-of-a-kind pendants can also be custom-made with meaningful words and pressed flowers from life’s cherished moments. I really enjoyed our conversation about our shared passion for flowers, their Victorian meanings, and old book pages.
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Signs of Autumn were everywhere at the 3 French Hens Market.
Gorgeous mums and yummy baked goods from Shipshewana, Indiana were very popular!
Finding a patch of sunshine warmed us up,
as the brisk winds filled the air with an early morning chill.
A cup of Pumpkin Spice tea was also a warm welcome,
to both hands and heart,
as we wandered among the antiques, vintage treasures,
handmade jewelry, herbal soaps,
c0lorful Autumn perennials,
baked goods, and farm fresh produce.
Anderson’s Pumpkins shared a wonderful variety of locally grown pumpkins and gourds. We look forward to ‘picking’ our pumpkins at their booth in a few weeks, during the October market.
Have you seen anything that catches your fancy?
Jennifer, at Olde Farm Creek, brought her popular signs stenciled on tobacco lath. Check out the large Scrabble tiles! Olde Farm Creek is also featured in Country Sampler magazine.
There were smiles around every corner at the 3 French Hens Market!
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So happy that you could visit the market with us today.
We are already looking forward to
another morning in the country
at the 3 French Hens French Country Market,
in Morris, Illinois,
on Saturday, October 10th.
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I am always filled with inspiration
after spending a morning here with all of the creatives, makers, and doers!
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Heartfelt thanks for taking the time to visit today!
Where are you finding Autumn inspiration?
I love, love, love your comments…
Cherish the day!
♡ Dawn
Petals. Paper. Simple Thymes 
Beautiful, Dawn! I must get there one day! Fall is a perfect time for an outdoor market like that! There’s nothing like the scenes of Autumn to warm the heart! Thank you for sharing your pictures! I don’t see a picture of your purchase, though…. 😉
Hi Karen! I think you would enjoy the 3 French Hens Market, too! I found a great upcycled treasure for the garden. I will share it soon! 🙂 Did you see any treasures here that you liked? Wishing you a great week, Karen! ♡
Thank you, Dawn for taking me to 3 French Hens. What a lovely day filled with Autumn inspiration. I just love this time of year as the weather cools and we usher in a new season. I saw many things at the market that would be lovely to bring home. The little barber pole post was really cute and the jewelry with pressed flowers sounds nice. We are now getting some of your cooler temps and I’m enjoying this time so much. Hopefully the days of 90 degrees are behind us. Thanks again for sharing the lovely market. ♥
So happy you could come along, Martha Ellen! Walking through the 3 French Hens Market, often feels like walking through Pinterest boards. So many good ideas around every corner! I fell in love with the pressed flower pendants. Hope they will be there next time! So happy that you are cooling off this week. Milder days are on the way again soon. I always love your visits, Martha Ellen! Hugs! ♡
Hi Dawn,
I love the little town of Morris Illinois, although it holds a special tug at my heart from living there when I was in Kindergarten and first grade. I still want to get back for a visit!
When you describe this it makes me think of Hayward Wisconsin, where our cabin is located. They have a great fall festival in a little town near by called Stone Lake. Check out cranberry festival of Stone Lake…you will be amazed at the number of people that attend this event! The best news is we are renting our cabin for this weekend through VRBO ….http://www.vrbo.com/753172
Enjoy the season! ❤ Julie
Hi Julie! We still have to visit Morris together. Let’s invite your mom, too! There is a sweet tea room in town. I know you would really enjoy the 3 French Hens Market. The Cranberry Festival sounds like such fun, too. Hope all is well and that your school year is off to a great start! I’m so happy that you stopped to visit today, Julie! Big hugs, dear friend! ♡
That would be my kind of day too Dawn!!!!
Hi Jodi! We would have great fun walking through the 3 French Hens Market together! I have a feeling that we would like a lot of the same treasures there! Wishing you a happy, creative week, Jodi! ♡
So much to love! In the first picture there is that fabulous wheelbarrow full of pumpkins that gave me a bit inspiration. I recently acquired one almost exactly like it from my mom and dad’s garage and this looks so cute! Might have to put it out in the front yard with mums and pumpkins. Love what I can see of those necklaces, too. Love it all!
Oh, Karen, such a great idea! It would look lovely in your yard! I used to put an antique wheelbarrow filled with Summer annuals, and later Autumn mums, in our front yard, too. It’s really easy to wheel it around, as needed! This year, I’m going to try something new! 🙂 (Actually, something very old!) More soon… ♡
Loved strolling along with you. Your pics capture the visit beautifully. Our long heat wave has finally broken. We even have clouds above!
Anne, it would be such fun to stroll through the 3 French Hens Market together! I hope, hope, hope the clouds will sprinkle steady rains over your garden, and heavy downpours over all of the terrible wildfires that are ravaging so many areas in California. Our thoughts are with everyone there. Sending hugs across the miles, dear friend! ♡
Dawn, you captured the 3 French Hens Market exquisitely – and I feel as if I were walking in your path. (Actually, I WAS walking in your path, a few hours later 🙂 ). The very first item that caught my attention, and the eye of my camera, was that typewriter. I loved the signs at Olde Creek Farm. We came home with some produce and honey.
Thank you for your touching words, Penny! We just missed one another by two hours! Wasn’t it a wonderful market? We found a few treasures that truly ‘spark joy’ for the garden. 🙂 That was really a gorgeous typewriter! I just loved talking with the artisans there. One kind lady shared, in great detail, how she makes her primitive penny rugs. I’m so inspired to do some stitching this winter while the garden is sleeping! Be prepared, my friend… 🙂 I’m going to need a l-o-n-g winter to work on all of my ideas! ♡
Dawn,
How wonderful to have this fall tradition to enjoy each year. We were mired in heat this past weekend, but it didn’t stop me from setting my dining room table with its usual fall items. I love this time of year. Thank you for sharing such a fun shopping trip. I believe I first found your blog this time last year! 😀🍁🍁
xo,
Karen
Hi, Karen B! What a great memory you have, my friend! 🙂 You are so right! I really do look forward to kicking off the Autumn season at the 3 French Hens Market! Kindreds can definitely understand! We’ll be waiting to see photos of your lovely Fall table soon. Hoping that you will cool off and have gentle rain showers on your California garden. Praying that the areas affected by the horrible, horrible wildfires will have no wind and enough rain to put the fires out! Our thoughts are with everyone there and all of the brave firefighters!! Thanks so much for visiting today, Karen! Big hugs! ♡
oh, how I wish WordPress didn’t hold posts back from me, as I always feel late to the party. But what a party to be late for! I hope there are some treasures left for me as I sit, languishing with a beastly head cold.
Pumpkins make me go weak at the knees, don’t you know? Especially such a wonderful, knobbly and gnarly selection of so many shapes and colours ~~~ up off your fainting couch now, my dear! Oh! and those Chrysanthemums too. Last year, I placed a special order for rust or orange coloured ones for my fall decoration and ended up with the teeniest one yellow and one white. Boo hoo hoo.
Well, unless I missed it {skittish screen} and I did go back a couple times to see, what did you bring home? I would just have to give that typewriter a good home!
No worries, Deb! The party never starts until you arrive from Across The Pond!! 🙂 We always arrive at the 3 French Hens Market at the opening hour, when the crowds are small. I always wonder if there is anything left by closing time. You would LOVE the variety of pumpkins offered by Anderson’s Pumpkins, Deb! Each one is so unique… and seems to have its own personality! We will choose one pumpkin (and a collection of cute, little gourds) there next month. We don’t carve them, so they will last through Thanksgiving. Isn’t that typewriter just beautiful? We came home with a few treasures that definitely ‘spark joy’ to use in the garden! I’m getting them ready now. More soon… 🙂 Feel better soon, dear Deb! Sending you hot tea with honey and big hugs! So glad you made time to come visit from Wales today! ♡
I would have been so excited to wake up with this on my plans for the day! What a perfect day, and it looks like there were several “treasures” worth a second look!
Hi, Julie! This pretty, little riverside park was filled with so many treasures… and inspiration around every corner! I just LOVE finding new ideas for the antique treasures that I already have! It was such a perfect day, and we enjoyed every moment. So happy that you stopped to visit today, Julie! ♡
Thank you Dawn, you too!
I wish I knew of a market event like that around here. Looked like so much fun.
Marcia, you would really enjoy this little market. It would be such fun to walk through the 3 French Hens Market, in this pretty, little park, together! Hope you are enjoying your garden this week! ♡
Hi Dawn! Thanks for sharing all of the treasures that you saw at the market—I would love that typewriter, and I adore gourds, both for decorating with and for eating. Hope all is well with you ❤
Good Morning, Chris! So happy that you stopped to visit! Isn’t that typewriter gorgeous? The talented artisan was using it to display her beautiful handmade pendants. Hope you had a wonderful last weekend of summer! We took a long walk together in a very peaceful place on Saturday. I spent the whole day in the garden on Sunday.:) I’m really not ready for summer to end this year. We had such a cool, rainy start that it didn’t feel like summer arrived until July! So, I’m s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g and savoring these last summer days as much as I can! Wishing you a great week, Chris! Happy Almost Autumn! ♡
I hear you, Dawn! I’m not ready for summer to end yet either. Luckily we still have some 80-degree days in the forecast here this week, so I’m going to enjoy those as much as I can. Your weekend sounds nice and relaxing—the best kind! Mine was busy: I put up all of the autumn decorations in our apartment 🙂
Wishing you happy Autumn days in your new apartment, Chris! How wonderful to begin making new traditions in your new home! So excited for you, Chris! ♡