Stash Studios

Overheard

I'm not the only one raving about Warrenton.

For a final fix, check out my friends Blue Yonder Girl, Garden Antiques, and Urban Prairie.

creative communion

The weather cooled down and cleared off for one last stroll through the fields. One last acoustic set at the hall. One more swing around the dance floor.

One last meal with dealers and friends. Thanks so much to Hector and Susie for a generous and delicious spread.

Most everyone is dog tired. Packing and ready to hit the road. Ready to embrace home for just a bit.

The air holds a mix of exhaustion and inspiration. Already many of us are looking forward to the next show. To come together. To catch up. To indulge our inner carny, our magpie tendencies. To seek those opportunities we might have missed. To reunite. But for now, we drift off into the night, carrying a light from our experiences here.

Peace out,
Cheryl

Road Warriors

Thursday I added my dear friend Jerry to the Stash Studios road crew. We started out with no particular plan other than to go and be.

We ended up putting in a full 15-hour day scouting the best of the best new ideas for old things. We met artisans that rocked my design world.

We gave shop till you drop a whole new meaning.

And then we hit the bubble lounge and finally ended up unwinding with the rest of the gypsy souls at the Junk Prom.

We swayed to rockabilly John Evans Band under twinkling lights.

Thanks to all the generous souls I crossed paths with on this day.

Namasté,
Cheryl

Field Fashion

Not sure I could or should be called a fashionista but I love an occasion to pull on unique and creative clothes. I see it as an opportunity to express my personality, my mood, my vision.

I'm a huge misplaced fan of Seaplane and my regulars know that I have been known to risk a limb for pulling studio inspiration from Anthropologie.

As much as I love an artisan article of clothing or jewelry, I am equally enamored with a fabulous pair of worn jeans and t-shirt and boots. Last year at Warrenton, I was thrilled to find a few local gals selling their wares. We met Judy Masliyah, Millicent M, Tupelo Grease Co. and Lucky T's. And I am now the proud owner of one of Judy’s Frieda Halters (above). Woo hoo!

Junk trips usually net me at least one vintage piece. I can never leave without a new - old vintage slip. There is a mother-daughter team (I've forgotten their names but I know exactly where they set up) and they have the best candy colored selection I've ever seen.

I also look forward to seeing Casey and Jamie with Rogue Relics as well as Barbara from Little Black Dress along with many others.

Road trips and junking exploits are a great time to pull together an outfit that looks like you just walked out off the set of an album shoot. At that place you are neither mom nor manager. You are a rockstar, a roadie, a genuine cowgirl, an artist, a dreamer, someone who thinks outside the box - whatever you want to be. No one knows you here so there are no expectations, just blank pages to fill....

Give me a sign

I want to tell you about my mom. If I could only tell you one thing about her, I would tell you about the time when we were moving into this great old house with the kind of peeling paper wallpaper that had the cheesecloth on the backside. I was about 5 or 6 and she handed me our big shoebox of crayons and told me to fill the walls with whatever was in my head.

Now, being a mom, myself, I realize she may have just been hoping for a few minutes of peace while my brother napped. But she gave me this great launch to my creative endeavors and small though it might sound, it was big and will always be big to me. If I could go back, I imagine that I had a moment of disbelief and then another hesitation as to what on earth to do with all that space but I vaguely recall filling it up.

Now, my mom is pursuing her own creative endeavors with Cat Spring Woodworks. She has built a thriving business from her home which has included generating intricate replicas of historic buildings and homes - bird houses - hand-carved cedar pumpkins - toad abodes for customers around the country.

Recently she scaled her business to focus solely on hand-painted signs. You can find her work exclusively at Mustang Alley Antiques where she works on many Saturdays. You can also find her sharing a booth with Mary at Warrenton in Renck Field.

The signs are very affordable and make great gifts. She frequently does custom order signs, as well. All her work is done by hand. It is done with great care and most importantly it is not outsourced to some sweatshop in a foreign country.

So if you are in Warrenton, give mom a shout and make sure to pick up a sign. If you're not in Warrenton, just shoot her an email and she can make all your sign dreams come true.

Cheryl

Mustang Alley

Mustang Alley Antiques is located in downtown Cat Spring in what once was the town's general store.

Cowhides and cowgirl curiosities. These are a few of the things you will find at Mustang Alley Antiques. Mary, purveyor of all things cowgirl and cool has a knack for finding uniques and antiques including furniture and a wide array of accessories to decorate your home and yourself.

In fact Mary was recently featured in the Barndominium article in  Houston House & Home magazine as a preferred dealer for local designers.

Her prices and quality  are outstanding and she will be set up on Thursday in Renck Field in downtown Warrenton.

If you go by, you might find Stash Studios cooling our heels there. But be sure to tell Mary and Frances (my mom) that you saw them featured here.

What is Warrenton?

For those of you who have been reading Stash Studios for a while, you have heard me sing praises of Warrenton, Texas. And if you are new around the studio, go check out our Warrenton link for more story and history and links to info that will make your trip a success.

The ten-day (plus some) show which is a mecca for collectors, decorators, and designers is kicking up its heels this week.  Although the show doesn't officially kick off until Thursday, the fields are filling with tents and trailers as dealers have begun to move in their wares.

This year Stash Studios will be introducing art-e-ology to the show and hoping to help Jamie find the goods to add to her astounding collection of ephemera.

I am also very excited to be working with Chris Brown of Urban Prairie as a contributing features editor for his new magazine REFUELED; Alt Country Style+Design.

So don't touch that dial because down here in Texas we don't do small adventures.

Buck It

Stash Studios is psyched to be teaming up with Urban Prairie to cover collecting and inspiration Warrenton-style for the debut issue of REFUELED.

REFUELED, is a twice-yearly online zine, produced by Urban Prairie, your number one resource for Alt Country Style + Design.

Even if you are not antiquing Texas, come along for a ride with us to visit Warrenton, Texas . Meet some of the colorful characters that make us return year after year and keep up with the latest Found Style, where maverick designers don’t follow the trend, they buck it.

The artists and collectors you meet along the way are making and breaking trends - giving you alternatives to mindless, copy cat styling so prevalent in the blog and mag world today.

Cheers,
Cheryl