Have a child? Have them join me for a Class this summer!

This summer find me teaching art camp here at the Grebinger Gallery!

Grebinger Gallery is excited to offer our

2009 Summer Kid’s Camps

Featuring Lancaster Artist Maggie French!

Week 1, Kid’s Camp…July 14th, 15th and 16th from 9:30 a.m.—11:30 a.m. OR

June 23rd, 24th, and 25th from 10:00 a.m. –12:00 noon

Felted Wool and Hand Spun Yarn Barrettes, Design and Make your Own Barrettes! we'll use left over handmade felt from an Idaho hat maker, vintage buttons, and hand spun yarn from a local Indie yarn spinner. All you might need to know is how to sew on a button (buttons are optional though)!

Create Your Own Modern Art for your Bed Room! Create a Set of 6 Painted Wooden Art Squares. Bring in 3 of your favorite things for inspiration! (a favorite shirt, a favorite bracelet, your favorite pillow, etc) Create art to match You and Your Room!

Time permitting… Make a Bohemian Inspired Pen Cup with Hand Made Felt! We'll use tin cans, the cuffs of wool sweaters, and handmade felt from an Idaho hat maker to create one cool Pen Cup!

Cost per student is $125.00, save $25.00 when you enroll 2 children from same family plus $15.00 material fees. Class sizes to be kept small– no more than 6 children. Fee is due at time of registration to hold your spot! Call Cindy at

(717) 569-9335 to register!

Week 2, Kid’s Camp… (for August-date to be determined…)

Paint your Own Fabulous Folk Art Chair! Using a new wooden chair from IKEA we'll paint and decorate our chairs however we like! Use your chair in your bedroom, at your desk, or even at the kitchen table!-and- (while the paint dries...!)

Make a Bohemian Inspired Pen Cup with Hand Made Felt! We'll use tin cans, the cuffs of wool sweaters, and handmade felt from an Idaho hat maker to create one cool Pen Cup!

Cost per student is $125.00, save $25.00 when you enroll 2 children from same family plus $35.00 material fees. Class sizes to be kept small– no more than 6 children. Fee is due at time of registration to hold your spot! Call Cindy at (717) 569-9335 to register!

You can also learn how to make barrettes and pen cups with me at classes I'm offering through the Lancaster Yarn Shop! I'll have a class downtown at the Prince Street location, and a Saturday class at Kitchen Kettle Village!

Saturday Aug 8 10:00 and 12:30 Kitchen Kettle Village Store
Friday August 21 at 5:30 downtown Lancaster, Prince Street

check out www.lancasteryarnshop.com for more information!

Ann's Indie Arts Baby Shower...

at my house Saturday...it was SO fun! so great to see everyone, to see Ann's baby bump...great food, the neatest baby gifts EVER, and check out our collaborative art projects we completed for her (instead of playing baby shower games). They match her "Bali" baby bedding!

So what's new?

So what's new with you out there? I know...you haven't heard from me really, since my bday.

Admittedly, I have been feeling sort of out of it. I had an upper respiratory tract infection from taking apart my 50's bar with a sledge hammer. weird dust was flying everywhere, so that did it for me. After a trip to the dr for antibiotics, I ended up having all kinds of blood work done.

For the last couple weeks I've been working in the yard. I borrowed my dad's heavy duty clippers and clipped enough trees and bushes, etc, that we filled FOUR truck loads overflowing with debris. I'm a maniac.

I am hosting a baby shower for Ann Kimmich and the Indie girls on Saturday, so tomorrow I'll be tidying the house, and wrapping gifts! and shopping for food, and cooking a little bit.

i've had a crazy past year, but I feel that the tides are turning a bit now. I was asked by the Lancaster Yarn Shop to teach a couple of classes for children, and I got an email today from another gallery that would like to chat about classes too.

I think this summer is shaping up to be different than the past two summers. Less shows, teaching some classes, oh...and did I mention I'm looking for part-time work? Like the kind regular people have:-)? I thought that might be a nice change for me.

Don't I sound so lighthearted in my blogs? Really, I'm stress girl lately, with frequent calls from knittydirtygirl helping me along...that RM, she's turned out to be a real good friend.

I'll leave you with a pic from Easter Eve, minutes later art teacher Maggie realizes she forgot to lay newspaper on the table first, and as you might have read from previous posts this is my "newly acquired" gem of a table, complete with old family history etc!!!...oh Grandma and Grandpa are laughing anyway:-)

Happy Earth Day!

My Earth Day Barrette sells this week on Etsy with free shipping. Check it out (and my other barrettes too). www.maggiefrenchfolkart.etsy.com

36 Birthday Candles

Today was my 36th birthday...I had a lovely day with Max, and a party tonight with BB, Matt, Max, RM, Jerome, and Occy.

Yesterday we had dinner and cake at my Mom and Dad's....check out the candle box. Yikes! Guess you don't want to get any older than 36, or you'll need TWO boxes of candles!

What a lovely basket I received today from RM, Maggie Mowery, and Wendy from the Lancaster Yarn Shop. Socks knitted by Wendy, buttons, magnets, gnomes, and a pin cushion from Mags, notebook, blogging book, yarns, needles and a notebook from RM...so lovely. I was so surprised!

Here's my big, but little boy, helping with my candles yesterday...

today, Max and I made cupcakes and I applied "Uppercase Living" wall words around my house...I didn't realize two "sayings" were supposed to go together..."Dream" was supposed to be where this picture is...I guess I got creative, but now the "Dream" bit looks great in the bedroom:-)
I have had all my personal artwork that was around the house in my solo show at the Muhlenburg Gallery, so I've had a month of empty walls. It was awkward at first seeing my house so barren, but after a few weeks, I started to imagine other things, in places where the art had been. Before I could adhere these word things I was a bit mortified to realize that I needed to repaint a bit and patch about a dozen nail holes. and that was only in three small areas! Next on my shopping list is a very large plastic container to file my art pieces in. I just can't keep wrecking my walls.
Of course it's nice to display your own work, but if you plan to take it down and run it around town, your walls can really take a beating quick. especially if you have plaster walls, like me.
these wall words are really cool to see put up...although a little bit of a bugger trying to "burnish" the letters to the backing paper...it took a long time, but measuring was easy, and I like the finished look. It makes the house in those areas look more decorated, but clean too- it's just nice and tidy and I like that.

Yesterday we started out the day with a hike...we skipped stones in the river. Now that's what life's all about. Rocks, simple things, friends, family, and cake!

a Colorful Couple of Days

Yesterday, Rachel-Marie (www.knittydirtygirl.etsy.com) and Vicky Gertenbach (www.sillyboodilly.etsy.com) and I went to the Quilters' Heritage Celebration at the the Lancaster Host Resort- one of the biggest quilt shows in the country.

Above is one of my favorites from the show, "Paisley Passion" by Susan Purney Mark.

Here's another favorite of mine, "Fairy Dust Recycling Plant" by Maria Weinstein.

and here were the most colorful and cutest pants at the show! gotta love them paired with Footprints Mary Janes...

Tonight was First Friday April in Lancaster, and I set up at Building Character. Here was my booth tonight...

and it was Max's first art show! at age 3.5 he showed four small works. Three of them sold. He was very excited but tried to give his money to a random customer:-) He ran up to me and gave me a great big hug when he saw me.
The artist Wil Mowery bought a piece that looked liked a painting of a pink egg. Sorry there aren't more pics of them, they went fast!


Here are my Etsy magnets, out on the town...


The evening ended at Building Character with dance music and flame throwers. Tony and Marty know how to draw in a crowd. The day and evening was quite stormy but the night time turned out to be rather mild and windy- so a nice start to the spring art season.

My Indie Baby Shower, Baby Banner

I am getting reading to host Ann Kimmichs' (www.annkimmich.etsy.com) baby shower at the end of April. I made this banner for the shower the other day, with fabrics I had, vintage buttons, interfacing, and ribbon.
I LOVE it when I can whip up something, and not have to go to the craft store at all. admittedly, that's just the best.
Ann is having a boy. We are all so excited, as there are a couple of young boys in our Indie group (my Max and RM's Occy)....the colors I'm using for the shower are red and baby blue. I think it will refreshing to use those colors for a shower, and they match my house!