Look what's HATCHed!

Bethany Hissong's new Art School/Gallery/Studio opened last night....Hooray! Bethany just brought Indie art to suburbia in a very chic way...She's offering classes and summer camps for kids. To enroll or find your way there check out her website: www.hatchstudioandgallery.com
(she's not far from Penn Cinema)

Max in the reading area..

Max and Occy at the coloring table...

RM!

Bethany wrapping up the first sale...
and lovely lovely lovely things...

Win my Lancaster City Bird Chair 2-nite! at First Friday, Lancaster!

Hi everyone!

My Lancaster City Bird chair will be raffled off tonight in the Art Garden, at the LancasterARTS kiosk (corner of Prince and Chestnut, across from the Art College.) Stop by during First Friday while you're checking out all the events.
Donate $10 and you'll get one entry form. A $20 donation gets you THREE entries!
Drawing is at 8:30!

Support the Arts downtown, and take home my favorite chair!!!!

this chair is extra special to me. it was found abandoned on Lemon Street, in major disrepair...but my Dad rebuilt it, and now it's cooler than ever! check out the original wavy ladder back...speaking of backs...the back of this chair says, "So Much to See and Do"
where did the red paint come from?
it's leftover from painting my front door red!

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!

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.