Quilt Show Week in Lancaster...Everyone's Flocking to Intercourse, PA

So the sheep I promised Wendy for the Lancaster Yarn Shop windows are now done! Thank you Dad for putting these together with me. It's hard to believe that these were a couple of boards and two dowel rods on Friday.
These sheep coordinate with Wendy's Yarn Shop signs (which are gorgeous!)...but I do think the yellow sheep looks like he's an escapee from Olive Garden.:-)

check out this fantastic sign Wendy had made to compliment her other ones...so cute!!!!
Visitors to Lancaster beware...this is one lovely shop!

So 12,000 quilters are on their way to Lancaster, PA for the Heritage Quilt Show at the Lancaster Host Resort. As I noticed today, many of them have already arrived, and they are ready to shop. I saw license plates from New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Virginia today. I am looking forward to attending the show on Thursday with great company, the rocking Indie spinner Rachel-Marie: www.knittydirtygirl.com, and master art quilter Victoria Gertenbach: thesillyboodilly.blogspot.com.

Here is the flock in the window of the Intercourse shop... (the flock of sheep that is!)

and here's the cutest pic of Max! This horse lives behind the playground at Kitchen Kettle Village. Cowboy Max was ready to meet'him and greet'him. Welcome to Lancaster everyone!

Be my 30th Etsy Sale and Get Free Shipping!

(plus a little something special!)

www.maggiefrenchfolkart.etsy.com

Mayor Gray Proclaims March 28 SWAN day, supporting Women Artists in Lancaster

I was excited to attended the Lancaster City Council meeting tonight, where Mayor Gray Proclaimed March 28 SWAN day, in support of the women artists of Lancaster. Liz Todd Lambert also gave a wonderful speech about the contribution that women artists make to the city. For more information about this day visit:

www.womenarts.org/swan

Lots of Signs!

We made a spontaneous visit this afternoon to Intercourse, after a morning of visiting the State of the Art Gallery and Framery in East Pete to drop off some art, and a visit to Dogstar Books. I was so surprised to see the huge!!!! new Lancaster Yarn Shop sign! it really fits in with the other signs on the street. Big and bold, and it will surely draw people in. I LOVE IT!

We parked behind the store, in a lucky spot (it was busy out there) and I was startled to see my little "We're Open" sign pinned neatly by the back door (oh I felt proud!) ...

and then I rounded the side of the building and saw these two of mine...

Max made friends fast at his favorite new playground at Kitchen Kettle, which is also home to goats and chickens...this playground has a playhouse with a slide and this cool train. he was so happy. We all enjoyed popcorn from the Kettle Corn maker.

And as we were leaving the Village headed to the car, I noticed a mother and daughter from Florida. They parked behind the Yarn Shop and immediately headed right in to the yarn shop...their first destination store, how nice is that?
This weekend I've made three of these little mushroom gnome homes. They are so fun to make!
My Dad bought me a big box of 144 wood blocks and I thought they'd make neat little houses of different shapes. I started with three mushroom homes, accented with atomicblue's (www.atomicblue.etsy.com) woolen felt...next on the agenda is country/city homes. and my Dad has added chimneys to my peaked roof design...so I'm psyched to get started on those and create a little village.
I listed the gnome homes in my Etsy shop, and will also be bringing my little town of houses to Building Character on First Firday April, in downtown Lancaster.

The Milliners Forest Home

$65 Etsy.
www.maggiefrenchfolkart.etsy.com

(named Milliners Home after Sayra (www.hatdiva.etsy.com and atomicblue.etsy.com...she is my wool supplier) and a wonderful hat maker!!!)

Out of this world handspun wools from: www.knittydirtygirl.etsy.com
a twig button from: www.thebuttonshop.etsy.com
spectacular wool felts from: www.atomicblue.etsy.com

measures 18.75 inches wide
10.25 inches tall

fitted with a hanging wire and signed and dated on the back by me.

I love to create art on salvaged cabinet doors. This new piece takes my doors to a new level with fantastic texture and workmanship from the above etsy artists.

New Studio Space!

well I thought the basement space I was making was neat...til I never used it, and kept right on painting at my oven:-)
then I remembered my Uncle Joe had my late Grandma's neighbors table (Peg McCluskey)...and I remembered it was crazy cool, and pink! and I remembered visiting her and she was always sitting at it, and I was totally enchanted by that table as a young girl, even though Peg scared me a little bit because she was a little gruff.
So Uncle Joe brought it up from Maryland yesterday, and JUST LOOK how cute it is in my kitchen! It fits perfectly.
Matt says it gives the kitchen a rosy glow. And we can eat at it, and set up buffets on there and I can paint there.
I love House Hunters International, and I kept thinking last night, "if I buy that flat in Paris one day, this is coming with me! and it's staying pink!!!!"
(this is the view from my back door now!)
So I'm thinking now that it's from the 1930's- if anyone has an idea let me know.
and what's so neat is that my Grandpa (i think) used to have some beers at this very table, and my Grandma would sit at it while she visited Peg McCluskey too:-)
IKEA shelves, with my emerging Milk Glass collection:-)
door has chalkboard painted inserts
Armstrong sticky tiles floor that I installed about 3.5 years ago, 6 weeks postpartum on my own:-)
am now in the market for a chair that I will paint to match.
the four chairs that matched this table are now folk art chairs, two in Liz Lamberts LancasterARTS office, and two at Maggie Mowery's house, one is the blue dream chair, one is the Etsy chair. Now that I have this table, the fact that I had previously painted the chairs hurts me a little bit, but I'll find something neat to use.
how I managed 5.5 years in our house with no little table on this side of the kitchen, I don't know:-)

check out www.maggiefrenchhome.etsy.com for some new listings:-)

Pen Cup

available in my new updated Etsy shop: maggiefrenchfolkart.etsy.com

Updated Etsy shop

check out my new updated Etsy shop with things "more in keeping" with what I'm up too lately. (If you need any of the old stuff, convo me.) I'm tired of looking at the same oh same oh...especially since I'm onto using all this fabulous fiber and texture with yarns from knittydirtygirl.etsy.com and handfelted wool from atomicblue.etsy.com
Max and I dropped off some things at the yarn shop today, and ran around Kitchen Kettle looking at goats and stuff! we are due for a day in tomorrow, for sure.

New Stuff for the Lancaster Yarn Shop

I like these, they took me longer than others I've made. They are pretty big doors, about 18 inches long. I added Rachel-Marie's yarn to them with a wood glue, my new favorite adhesive! it works great, I just let it dry for a few hours. I really love how the yarn looks- it adds a complicated interest:-). It reminds me of rope!

from The Reading Eagle Entertainment Section today

ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

Muhlenberg Art Gallery, Muhlenberg Township Building, 5401 Leesport Ave., Muhlenberg Township (610-929-1503)
Maggie French, artwork using salvaged materials; through March

Artist of the Month Muhlenburg Art Gallery

So not that I've been busy or anything: LOL!!!! So TODAY was my drop off at the Muhlenburg Township Building, I am artist of the month for March. Please read the cool description they hung up:-) I wrote it the other night at 2am.
Of course me and Max got lost on the way. UGH. I have so much trouble with the bypasses, etc around Reading. But we got there, thank you Karen! And everyone was so very friendly and it is so nice that they are having me there.
Max was SUCH a good little boy, being my helper, and playing with his Transformers as we set up. He glanced up when it was about half hung up and beamed. He likes my art, it's so sweet.
Tomorrow is the last day of the Home Sweet Home Show at Square One Coffee. I still have some things there so stop in and take a look before we pick up.
Many of these pieces are my own favorites, that I don't show anymore. That means they were hanging up in my house last night, and now they are not, and my house looks very empty of art!:-)
enjoy Muhlenburg:-)

Setting up Shop:-)

Rachel-Marie and I went to Intercourse, Pa today to deliver our goods to Wendy who is opening up the 2nd location of the Lancaster Yarn Shop tomorrow! RM works there Mondays now, starting tomorrow, so stop in and say hello!
Here is Wendy, RM, and me. What a beautiful old house, so well cared for...great woodwork!

Here's my pot rack/cabinet door/stair spindle table at the foot of the staircase...

and RM working on stocking the gorgeous yarns. check out the books!


Here is a gift I made for Wendy. Pen cup made from a tin can, the cuff of a purple felted sweater, handspun from RM, and handmade felt from Sayra www.atomicblue.etsy.com.

the stash of Lancaster magnets I made for the shop...

and a Knitty Girl plaque I made with Sayra's felt and handspun...

and finally, the Handspun and Folk Art nook.

After setting up, RM and I toured Kitchen Kettle Village (closed on Sundays but open all other days) and peeked in the windows, and took in the farmland that is the backdrop. The village itself is very well done, with brick walkways, like a little brick street, with a fudge shop, jam shop, little stores...it's a very well cared for area- like an Amish Disneyland...clean, pristine. Every time we turned around, a horse and buggy was trotting by. Buggies clip clop by the front of the shop through the windows above, as this is the "main street" or "high street" of Intercourse.

We drove through Amish country on the way to the restaurant reflecting on the changes taking place, and the spring and summer ahead. Then we had a girly dinner at Isaacs, with great big slices of chocolate cake for dessert!:-)