Cynthia Shaffer

A little of this and a little of that!

After putting the finishing touches on my next book, Stash Happy Applique I took some much needed time off and did some spending on a little bit of this and a little bit  of that! First it was The Farm Chicks Antique Show where I found this fabulous step stool. I couldn't resist and scooped it up right away. 

While it was a bit too large to stuff in my suitcase, the good folks at Blue Canoe, here in Tustin, transported it home for me in their trailer! Thanks Tim and Lisa!

This vase is my next favorite purchase of the summer. Believe it or not, I found it in a tack and feed store in Ojai, while on a mini vacation with my mom, sisters and niece. Love, love this vase, especially on my new/old step stool!

What's so great about it? Check out the holes in the lid, this makes it so easy to use just a few flowers and make such a whimsical arrangement ... Ice burg roses and fading hydrangeas.

And some of my favorite flowers in my garden are my hydrangeas. I love to watch them change from vibrant pinks and lavenders to this dusty rose and melon color. In a few weeks or so they will be faded away to taupe and tan and even more beautiful than ever.

But probably the purchase I get the most comments on ... these many fabulous pieces of jewelry I purchased from artist Lisa Souers. Apparently Lisa has been a vendor at the Farm Chicks Antique Show for several years and always has something new and different to sell. Love, love her art!

Last, but certainly not least ....

A stack of vintage hexagon quilt blocks. Love, love the old 1940's fabrics!

So my summer spending has come to an end (Oh wait, the Long Beach Quilt show is coming soon!) and now it's time to get back to work ... After I clean and organize my studio, that is! 

 

Farm Chicks Fun

So much fun, so much to see and so many new friends to meet. Needless to say Jenny and I had a wonderful time ... seems like just yesterday we were wondering through the packed fair grounds up in Spokane Washington. Serena Thompson really knows how to put it all together with her down home farm chick way.

Here's a quick photo I took of Jenny and Serena at the book signing they had for Signature Styles.

And Jenny and I signing away ... well actually I was just the money person but had fun chatting with Jenny's fans.

Here's Heather Bullard of Flea Market Style magazine and her BFF Kimberly ... super sweet, one in a million type of gal!

And here is Serena again, signing magazines with Catherine Strawn, Senior Associate Editor for Country Living magazine.

Here's just a glimpse of what we experienced for two short days!

Jenny purchasing her treasured find of the show ... a super tiny and super old dictionary.

Stacks of really old quilt blocks ... I'll share my finds in another post

Beautiful old laces.

Fun old car being used as a photo opp!

Pretty sure my mom has a collection of these in her laundry room.

Typerwriter keys that just happened to spell out 'Cam'.

I was most inspried by the use of the rusty old box springs.

And of course the lilacs were in bloom everywhere.

As you can see ... the antiques ranged from old cow posters to tiaras and everything in-between. I'll share with you in a few days, some  of the treasures I purchased ... one piece is still in route, thanks to the good folks at Blue Canoe!