Tickled Pink

Welcome to a world of fun...

...with Tula Pink!!

Hello my lovely friends!

I hope this cold winter day (or maybe not so cold for some of you around the world) is treating you well. Right now, a few flurries are slowly falling through the cloudy skies - makes me want to curl up in a beautiful quilt. How about you?

Well, I cannot think of, hunt down, or even begin to create any quilt that equals Tula Pink's talent and unique style. If you don't know this lady because you are thinking, "well I don't quilt," let me tell you that you are cheating yourself out of a tons of inspiration for whatever passion, craft, or hobby you may currently be engaged in. She is a fabric designer that creates fabrics like no other. I had the great privilege to photograph her for the current issue of Artists and Makers (Spring 2015 issue).

This is a great magazine that highlights artists and not just their craft, but as a whole person. Tula Pink has a fabulous feature with lots of info and of course, lots of pics that I shot for the feature. I thought you might enjoy a few pics and seeing her FABULOUS studio/home. 

If I didn't love Tula so much, I would be green with envy, but instead...I am just tickled pink! (I know, that was bad, wasn't it?)

Enjoy!

Is this a great space or what? I flipped when I first saw it. She lives in a very old renovated dairy barn!! How cool is that?

I love this chandelier and it came with the barn! Now, that is once fancy-schmancy barn, if you ask me...

Tula hand-painted this table as a reminder that while creating a new creation, we can be like tender fruit when others render their opinions - especially when they weren't sought. We artists don't really want to hear what you think when we are in the middle of creating, and especially when we haven't even formed our own opinion of our own unfinished work yet - yup - totally get that - thank you!

Okay, I really love Tula, but in her spare time she loves to sew by hand and sit in her favorite area to do it. I love working with photography, and yes, in some of my spare time, I will just shoot for fun...but Tula is fanatical about her sewing - which  makes her such an expert at what she does. Me, after a shooting gig, I will garden, cook, or whatever, but won't shoot for a bit to refresh. Sewing IS Tula's downtime/refresh time. I was just amazed at that. Would love to poke around in that head of hers to see how her wires are stitched together...could learn a lot from her, I am sure.

Love her fireplace with the deer head and her Tula Pink boat - which of course, she made herself. If I didn't love her, I would be sick by now - hahaha. But seriously, her talents still amaze me after knowing her since her first book.

I know, I know, I am dying too!! Can you believe her patio???? I swear, it looks like something right out of a little town in Europe. Those are the original barn doors-  L  O  V  E!  Okay, that's it, I'm finding me a darn barn next week, can't stand it...ready to pack up and live with the livestock! :-)

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of my photo shoot with Tula Pink. If you want to see more and read her story, pick up an issue of Artists and Makers - lots of great info and stories in this issue. 

Also, on another note, I am soooo waiting for warmer weather - I got my bike and all its fixins'!! I can't wait to ride it and of course, take pics of it and share with you my first riding experience n almost three years. Also, thank you so much for visiting my new Instagram site - I have had several friends over the years ask when I was EVER going to get on any social media? Well, a little over two weeks ago I decided to jump in and I received such a warm, warm welcome from other Instagrammers (I think that is a word?) and I so appreciate the reception!

Have a great, creative evening, even if it is just in your mind, while snuggled under a fab quilt, and staying warm!

from my house to your house,

The Business of Creating

Hello!

Greeting to you on this cold February day with warm thoughts (and pictures!) What? Fresh grapes in February? Well, sort of. I want to share with you a few pics from a photo shoot I did for Where Women Create Business. A fabulous, and I mean f  a  b  u  l  o  u  s magazine by none other than Jo Packham. It is such an honor to work with Jo and her staff. They truly put out great publications with great care and passion.

I had the honor and privilege to shoot Marsha Giambalvo and Melissa Mohr, owners of a very cool business called Backdoor Harvest, based here in St. Louis.  A very cool company that installs, maintains, harvests, runs a CSA (community supported agriculture), and even teaches about urban gardening. I so enjoyed my time with them, and thought I would share a few pics with you.

Here is Melissa and Marsha harvesting from one of their customers' gardens right downtown St. Louis. That cool building behind them is the alley - I love how they bring organic freshness right to the urban curbs.

How cool is it that they leave a basket of freshly harvested vegetables (either from your own garden or from others via CSA), right on your doorstep...I was tempted to nibble from this basket!

While shooting, guess who came to have a looksie? This adorable and really food-challenged caterpillar!(She's a chubby one, isn't she?) I would say she is only days away from flying away off to new adventures and new gardens.

Is this a beautiful eggplant, or what? Okay, the eggplant holder (Melissa)is pretty cute too... :-)

I was shown examples of how she plans out her clients' gardens and how they promote companion gardening. That is where certain plants benefit from being planted near others, be it attracting certain insects, scents, or nutrients that benefit the neighboring plants. 

And look at the very small sample of the many vegetables that their clients can choose to plant. There are 100's of choices but think how pretty the gardens must be right before harvest! To read more about Backdoor Harvest, their business process and their story, pick up the current issue of Where Women Create Business today. It is such a great issue with many talented women sharing their successes and what they would do differently if they could start again. Such a great resource for those who are contemplating going into business and turning their passions into profits!

I hope you enjoy this pre-spring time inspiration to start your own garden, or if not the gardening type, then join a local CSA and enjoy locally grown produce that is grown organically and by those who take pride in what they do. Who also work hard to provide a healthy food alternative to those vegetables that are either imported from other countries, or contaminated with fertilizers and pesticides. For more information regarding what you are truly putting into your body, take a moment to watch a couple of documentaries that you may or may not agree with, but should at least inspire most to seek out locally grown, organic small farmers:

Click here to watch: WATCH

Click here to watch: WATCH

I'm not suggesting these two documentaries as a means to spark debate, or talk politics. No, there are tons of great documentaries (on both sides of the fence) and I leave you to your own conclusions. I have watched probably 20-30 (or more) documentaries speaking out on food, agriculture, ranching, chickens, meat, fast food, chemicals and so on. Food and how it is processed, regulated, and distributed has been a long-time interest of mine that I don't talk about much on my blog. But I feel as time goes on, I need to speak out a little more about not so much the issues and problems (trust me, there are many!) but rather offer some solutions that is accessible to most. And CSA's, growing your own, and farmers' markets are simple solutions to these complex issues.

And before I forget...I am finally on Instagram! I have had such lovely friends tells me for YEARS to get on, and just now finally did it. I am totally addicted now to looking at all the great pics out there! Please stop by for a visit when you can - I have a badge on my right sidebar for you to access it.

I hope you find this week to be filled with joy and peace as you create the life you are meant to live.

from my house to your house