“Christmas wishes from the folk school”

 
     The Villages Folk School board and staff wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas. As our thoughts turn towards the Christmas season we hope all of you will enjoy a safe and joyous time with your friends and loved ones.

     Our folk school classes slated for January 2012 may be seen by logging into our web site at www.villagesfolkschool.com and clicking on the calendar. Gift certificates are still available for those last minute presents and will be great stocking stuffers. We encourage you to experience a day with one of our artist instructors. Why not get some of your friends to come with you and spend the day learning the art of artisan bread making in Betty Printy’s historic Bentonsport home. If learning to quilt sounds like fun, Joy Hanson will teach you in her class at the historic Mason House Inn.

     Living the arts in the Villages of Van Buren County is not just a one-day experience, it’s a way of life for many of our folk school instructors.

January classes for the new year are as follows:


2012 Schedule

Hand Piecing, Appliqué & Quilting

7-Jan-2012 8-Jan-2012

Artisan Bread Making Made Easy

14-Jan-2012 -

7 Step Chair Caning

14-Jan-2012 -

Intermediate Knitting

14-Jan-2012 -

Container Candles

21-Jan-2012 -

Rug Weaving Workshop

21-Jan-2012 22-Jan-2012

Artisan Bread Making Made Easy

28-Jan-2012 -


Join us at the Villages Folk School as we share with you the thrill of living the arts by learning to be creative.

.

“Simple treasures bring lasting pleasures”

   

     A gift made with your own hands will bring years of pleasure to the recipient and become something they will treasure forever. The Villages Folk School has two classes that will still give you time before Christmas to complete that special gift. We want you to enjoy this season by joining our talented instructors in a class that will inspire you to complete a wonderful gift for your friend or family. Joy Hanson will teach you how to make a beautiful quilt while you enjoy a peaceful weekend at the Bentonsport Mason House Inn on Dec 17th and 18th. Another class you might enjoy is Jolene Tedrow’s “Beveled Glass Angels” where you will create an elegant work of art using beveled glass, solder and copper foil. This class will be held on December 17th at the Congregational Church parsonage in Keosauqua.

     Creating works of art can be fun for everyone and we encourage you to take one of our many classes here at the Villages Folk School or perhaps you would like to make it possible for your family to enjoy. You can do that by giving them a Villages Folk School “gift certificate” good for any class they might want to experience. Call us today at (319) 592-3700 or go to our web site at www.villagesfolkschool.com for information about purchasing a gift certificate.

Our classes for the remainder of December and for January are as follows:

Christmas Cards & Favors

8-Dec-2011 -

Hand Piecing, Appliqué & Quilting

17-Dec-2011 18-Dec-2011

Beveled Glass Angels

17-Dec-2011 -


2012 Schedule

Hand Piecing, Appliqué & Quilting

7-Jan-2012 8-Jan-2012

Artisan Bread Making Made Easy

14-Jan-2012 -

7 Step Chair Caning

14-Jan-2012 -

Intermediate Knitting

14-Jan-2012 -

Container Candles

21-Jan-2012 -

Rug Weaving Workshop

21-Jan-2012 22-Jan-2012

Artisan Bread Making Made Easy

28-Jan-2012 -



Come enjoy one of our classes as we celebrate the Christmas season.

“The Gift that keeps on Giving”

                                                                                                                                               
     This is the season when we all think about giving as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. His humble birth in a manger surrounded by cattle and sheep surely would not be that of a man who would bring such a gift to the world. But His gift stirred the hearts of shepherds and wise men and continues even today.

     Certainly we cannot give a gift of this magnitude but we can look for ways to share something with our friends and family that will endure for a lifetime. The Villages Folk School “gift certificate” will do just that as it starts them on a path of learning a new art form or just rekindles a love for art that has been buried for years. The opportunity to experience art hands-on with a gifted artist instructor will inspire them to follow their dreams and to be creative in a way that will encourage them to share the gift with others. Don’t miss out on this chance to give the gift that keeps on giving. Call the folk school office today at (319) 592-3700 for your gift certificates. Our website at www.villagesfolkschool.com is filled with information about our classes and includes a calendar of our class schedules for the remainder of 2011 and on into 2012.

     There is still time to register for Joy Hanson’s quilt making class this month. Spend a weekend with Joy at the historic Mason House Inn in Bentonsport as she teaches you the proper steps to completing a wonderful handmade quilt.

     This year we have added a new class, Christmas Cards & Favors, which will be taught by Sandi Dimmitt on December 8th from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Congregational Church parsonage in Keosauqua. Join Sandi for an evening making special cards and favors for this holiday season.

Only two classes left in 2011 and they are as follows:

Christmas Cards & Favors 8-Dec-2011

Hand Piecing, Appliqué & Quilting

17-Dec-2011 18-Dec-2011


     Our artist instructors are waiting to share their gift with you and your family so give a gift that keeps on giving by registering for a class or purchasing a gift certificate from the Villages Folk School. Call us today at (319) 592-3700 or go online to www.villagesfolkschool.com.

“Folk School adds a personal touch to your Christmas gifts”

                                                                                                                                                            
     If you want to add a personal touch to your Christmas gifts this year the Villages Folk School classes will give you the proper one-on-one instruction. Joy Hanson will teach you how to make a container candle in your favorite cup or mug that looks and smells like a cup of hot chocolate topped with marshmallows. Are you thinking about crocheting a special gift but don’t feel confident in your crocheting ability? Join Meg King for leisurely day learning to crotchet.

     Creating a beautiful quilt can be a challenging endeavor but with the help of our folk school instructor, Joy Hanson, you will be amazed at how quickly your task is completed. Spend a weekend with Joy at the historic Mason House Inn in Bentonsport as she teaches you the proper steps to completing a wonderful handmade quilt.

     This year we have added a new class, Christmas Cards & Favors, which will be taught by Sandi Dimmitt on December 8th from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Congregational Church parsonage in Keosauqua. Join Sandi for an evening making special cards and favors for this holiday season.

     For a look at what is happening at the Villages Folk School go to www.villagesfolkschool.com and see our class calendar. You may reach us by phone at (319) 592-3700 for any additional questions or help with class registration.

The following is a schedule of our remaining 2011 classes:

Container Candles

3-Dec-2011 -

Beginning Crocheting

3-Dec-2011

Christmas Cards & Favors 8-Dec-2011

Hand Piecing, Appliqué & Quilting

17-Dec-2011 18-Dec-2011

     Let the Villages Folk School be a part of your holiday planning by registering for a class or purchasing a gift certificate for your family and friends. Call us today at (319) 592-3700 or go online to www.villagesfolkschool.com.

“Thankful in the Villages”

                                                                                                                                                                                 
     As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving in the Villages of Van Buren County it offers us a chance to reflect on what seems commonplace and come to a realization of not only what we are thankful for but why we are thankful. The Villages Folk School board and staff want to wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving and our hopes are that each of you has time to reflect as we do and enjoy this special time with your family and friends.

     Our few remaining classes in this year will give you a chance to think of those friends and family as you prepare something special, made by you, that will be a gift to serve for years as a reminder of your love and friendship.

     Join us here at the Villages Folk School and make a gift for that special someone in your life. Our artist instructors will guide you through every step. You will be amazed at what you can create as you ‘live the arts’ with a folk school instructor.

     We have a new class, Christmas Cards & Favors, which will be taught by Sandi Dimmitt on December 8th from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Congregational Church parsonage in Keosauqua. Join Sandi for an evening making special cards and favors for this holiday season.

     For a look at what is happening at the Villages Folk School go to www.villagesfolkschool.com and see our class calendar. You may reach us by phone at (319) 592-3700 for any additional questions or help with class registration.

The following is a schedule of our remaining 2011 classes:

Container Candles

3-Dec-2011 -

Beginning Crocheting

3-Dec-2011

Christmas Cards & Favors 8-Dec-2011

Hand Piecing, Appliqué & Quilting

17-Dec-2011 18-Dec-2011

Register for one of our classes and put an added spark in your holiday season.

“Location, Location, Location!”

     Folk school artist, Gin Lammert, has recently released a series of pastels entitled “Along the Mormon Trail” and I believe it is some of her best work ever. She didn’t have to travel far for her subject because the Villages of Van Buren County that she travels through each day provided the fall palette from which she drew her inspiration. Her work will be on display at the Burns Gallery & Tea Emporium in Bonaparte through December 4th.

     Coming to the folk school to take a class allows you to experience the villages in southeastern Iowa and discover why so many gifted artists have chosen to live the arts in this pristine Des Moines River valley. This fall has been an incredible display of nature as the turning from summer to winter continues its colorful array of ever changing scenery. Soon we will see the landscape covered in a blanket of white snow and enjoy yet another season here in Van Buren County. All of this can be experienced by coming to this southeastern Iowa paradise and enjoying a stay at one of our peaceful B & B’s while partaking in a class at the Villages Folk School.

     This season why not make plans to take a class in an art form that you have always wanted to try. Our folk school artists will guide you through as you learn to create your very own masterpieces. Our class calendar can be found online at www.villagesfolkschool.com or call our office today at (319) 592-3700. For those of you without internet availability here is our schedule for the end of the year:

7 Step Chair Caning

19-Nov-2011 -

Hand Piecing, Appliqué & Quilting

19-Nov-2011 20-Nov-2011

Container Candles

3-Dec-2011 -

Beginning Crocheting

3-Dec-2011

Hand Piecing, Appliqué & Quilting

17-Dec-2011 18-Dec-2011


Join in the fun at the Villages Folk School!

“Create your own holiday gifts”

     As we approach the holiday season the thoughts begin to turn towards giving and those special people in our lives. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could create something made especially for them with our own hands? Our talented artist instructors have scheduled classes for this season that will help you create a holiday gift for that special someone in your life. Call our office at (319) 592-3700 or go to our web site at www.villagesfolkschool.com and register for one of those classes. Each class is designed to help you complete a project that is ready for use or for giving. Whether it is Shaker Boxes, Container Candles, Chair Caning, Crocheting, or Quilting the folk school has a class designed just for you.


Here are the dates for each of those classes:

Shaker Boxes

12-Nov-2011 13-Nov-2011

7 Step Chair Caning

19-Nov-2011 -

Hand Piecing, Appliqué & Quilting

19-Nov-2011 20-Nov-2011

Container Candles

3-Dec-2011 -

Beginning Crocheting

3-Dec-2011

Hand Piecing, Appliqué & Quilting

17-Dec-2011 18-Dec-2011


     The work of folk school artist, Gin Lammert, will be the feature exhibit at the Burns Gallery & Tea Emporium in Bonaparte, Iowa from November 5th through December 5th. Stop in to see her wonderful collection of pastel paintings entitled “Along the Mormon Trail”. Meet this gifted artist at a special reception to be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday, November 11th.

     The Villages Folk School invites you to “live the arts” with us here in scenic Van Buren County. Make this holiday season a time to enjoy the arts “hands on” by taking a class at the folk school or by visiting the Burns Gallery & Tea Emporium where you can see paintings by Gin Lammert and bronze sculptures by Chris Bennett.