Okay, so I have a new obsession and that’s Instagram. Instagram is yet another social media network, sigh, BUT… this one is all in pictures! I can snap a shot with my phone anywhere and y’all can see it instantly! Currently it’s an app for the iPhone only (I hear that is going to change soon) and since I am an equal opportunity sharer I find that wee bit hard to swallow. I have decided that since not everyone has access to Instagram I am going to randomly share the highlights here so everyone can be included in my picture madness. You know how much I hate to keep things from you. So here goes…

1.A magnificent little cross stitch gift I received from my friend Kaye Prince. She replicated my Modern Alphabet pattern in cross stitch! What?!?!?! Amazing is what!

2.The students of Missouri Western State University presented me with a cake all decked out in Parisville when I lectured there last week. Fabric + Dessert = Also Amazing!

3.The day I realized that my my bulletin board had been swallowed up by graph paper, fabric swatches and pencil lead. Snapshot!

4. A self gratuitous photo of my colored pencils, because many little colorful items all in a row makes me happy!

5. My new phone dock from Jonathan Adler. Get it? It’s a phone on a phone which is funny.

6. The half zebra half donkey (Zedonk) that lives next store was giving me the stink eye that day

7. That’s me in my favorite pink cat hat. It was cold outside.

8. A picture of my grandma, dad and two uncles. She was one hot mamma. I think I have those same glasses.

9. My back porch view at sunset because I was feeling all warm and fuzzy and romantic that evening on the back porch with a cocktail. Everything is lovely at sunset dontcha think?

Today is the day! Barnes and Noble Booksellers is practically giving away books! Just for today, one day only, they are selling my book at a whopping 50% off. Which is totally insane! I know. It’s pretty awesome that they are doing this for y’all. As my special little gift to you I have made a little wallpaper that you can use for your desktop, twitter, what ever your fancy is. The wallpaper might also be a little tiny sneak peek at what I have coming up in fabric as well. There may be some reference to a print in the next collection, wink wink. I know nothing slips past your eagle eyes so keep a look out! If you post the wallpaper on twitter let me know so I can check it out @tulapink, tag it with #TulaBN.

If you want to show Barnes and Noble a little love for offering my book at $12.50 today then be sure tweet them at @BNBuzz or hashtag your love on twitter with #TulaBN. This is one of those rare occasions where we can keep more stuff like this coming from big booksellers like Barnes and Noble just by letting them know that we are paying attention and we appreciate the effort for crazy little niche crafters like us. We are a small but powerful community! Go team!

Go HERE!

Something awesome is brewing over at Barnes & Noble for my book release. If what I am hearing is true then it’s gonna be a pretty big deal for anyone who hasn’t had a chance to pick up a copy of Quilts from the House of Tula Pink. I would like to think of it as a big sloppy kiss and a hug for everyone who is supporting this tome of pure Pinkishness! I am supplying a little sneaky peek surprise for all of you in addition to the promotion that B&N is putting together in the form of a brand spankin’ new wallpaper for your twitter pages and what not. It’s a pin-up pic of me! Just kidding, it’s even better than that. So be sure to check back in with me on March 6th to pick up your prize and see what Barnes & Noble has in store for you and to get a little taste of what I have coming up at Spring Quilt Market. Just a taste mind you, it’s still a teensy bit too early to spill the beans on that one.

Check out this super awesome shout out in Mollie Makes Magazine! You know, when I wrote this book I was thinking only as far as making a bunch of cool stuff and sharing it with other people who like to make cool stuff. I never thought about what would happen after it was printed and out there in the world. Then I get emails like the one I received from Mollie Makes that says “hey! we loved your book and gave it a great big page in our magazine because you are rad!”  That may not be exactly how it was worded but that was what I got out of it. Their mantra looks like a page out of my own personal mission statement. For everyone who ordered the book from my shop, they are on their way to me right now! Then on their way to you!

This issue (#11) of Mollie Makes is on the shelves NOW in the UK and the US. I love it when I stumble on awesome new resources for inspiration. It always amazes me how much creativity is floating around out there. It’s mind blowing!

Here’s a little bit about Mollie Makes:

‘Mollie Makes is published thirteen times a year. We curate the best craft from around the world into a tactile, collectable and totally irresistible magazine.

We love to make – handmade is more than just a hobby for us, it’s in everything we do.

We can’t resist hunting down treasures in thrift stores, then customising, re-covering and embellishing our finds with our endless stash of ribbons, buttons, fabrics and felt.

We’re forever on the lookout for new inspiration. Whatever we do, we’re living and loving handmade.’

♡ Making ♡ Thrifting ♡ Collecting ♡ Crafting

You can subscribe here

Download the iPad version here

And get their newsletter here

Y’all have seen the cover now it’s time to take a little peek inside my new book Quilts from the House of Tula Pink! The photos in this book are totally blowing my mind. I have to give a great big huge digital hug to Elizabeth Maxon for scouting, styling and photographing all of this (check out her blog here). She totally got what this work was about. It’s about fun and humor and fantasy and the little details that bring a story to life. Love it! Love her!

I have my advance copy and am seeing this all in print for the very first time. I am so proud of this collection of work that I can barely express it in words except to say that I offer you the very best of me. I have never worked so hard or cared so much. Holding the final copy in my hands makes me excited to do more. Tear, sniffle, pride… sigh. Now back to work!

Available for Pre-Order and shipping very very soon! (February/March)

Amazon

Barns and Noble

Martha Pullen

Tula Pink Pattern Shop

Published by Krause Publications: Thanks guys!

So, um… I haven’t been around a whole lot the last month and for this I am almost really sorry. I wanted to say it’s because I have been writing a book but the truth is that I wrote this last year so that excuse is out the window. Hey, a book! That is a way better topic than where I have been.

So here is my book. Quilts from the House of Tula Pink. I was lobbying for the subtitle “Super Awesome Crafty Crap” but in the end everyone decided that the less offensive “20 Fabric Projects to Make, Use & Love” would go over better with the masses. So here is it: 10 amazing quilts and each with it’s own accessory project, fun for everyone!

The photography totally blew my mind. We are talking some serious quilt porn here. The photos were all taken in this crazy abandoned apartment. I like to call the style post-apocalyptic chic. It’s very cool if I do say so myself. The book should start shipping late February. You can pre-order it directly from me in my shop. All books ordered from me will be signed, I have a lovely signature I think you will like it.

GO TO SHOP

This is that super awkward time of year when I am producing an obscene amount of work that I can’t show you. By the time I can show you I will have moved on to some new top secret project and forgotten all about the stuff I was saving. Here in lies the eternal dilemma of this blog.

I am getting ready to tear down my Parisville booth from last market, which is currently living in my Mom’s Quilt shoppe (that would be The Quilt Shoppe in Stewartsville, Missouri). If you want to see it in all of it’s Parsiville glory then I suggest hauling your cute little butts down there before May 1st. While I was contemplating how I was going to redo the booth for Spring Quilt Market I realized I never really showed y’all what was on the back wall… I spent many hours painting hot pink hair on these vintage photos that I bought at a flea market several years ago. It was a good time.

I hope you enjoyed this little diversion. I promise to come up with good stuff while I am busy working on other things.

I recently spent the weekend on the Gulf Coast with my Dad and Grandma.  Some time was spent playing Black Jack with my Dad’s money, it’s a game we play often. Dad wins, I lose and it all comes up even in the end. He also tried to teach me about football, sorry dad, I still don’t get it. In between all of this family fun I decided to work on my embroidery skills. It’s pretty fun, if you like that whole not moving while poking yourself in the finger over and over sort of thing. I’m sure there is some kind of hand gadget that prevents this sort of fingertip mutilation, Idunno, like a thimble? So that’s what those things are for!

Anywhoo, I am mildly obsessed with stitchery at the moment. My friend Raechelle taught me how to make a french knot and now I am like totally pro. I’ve been going around my house french knotting eyes on everything. Fun! I probably need to get out more.

I know I have been away for a while but I am pretty sure that y’all will forgive me. I have about a thousand irons in the fire at the moment and every single one of them is freaking me out with excitement not to mention depriving me of anything that might resemble sleep. I think I may have forgotten where my bedroom is. Oh well, it’s in here somewhere.

So now on to the topic at hand. I am often asked how I start a fabric collection. Where to begin can be the hardest part. A crucial part of my process is the thumbnail sketch. It’s called a thumbnail because it’s small, I didn’t name it or anything, that’s just what it’s called.  I use a sketch book that’s for animators and film people. It has little boxes printed on the page that are supposed to be little TV screens. It’s super cute and saves me the time of drawing a box. I can draw animals, flowers, people and an infinite number of made up things but the square still escapes my talents, go figure. I suck at stick figures too.

I made a little stocking this year just for me. Even though Christmas is an agonizing two days out of my studio I though I might go ahead and get festive anyway. Anyone who knows me knows that my converse collection is extensive and pretty much the only thing I put on my feet except for my cowboy boot shaped slippers which make frequent appearances in and, unfortunately, out of the studio. I have casual cons and  shiny shiny dress cons. It’s a thing. I would like to point out that my feet aren’t actually that big but I needed the room for all of the wonderful gifts that I am anticipating this year. I haven’t behaved all that well but then again I never do and I always seem to get rewarded anyway so I’m not too worried.

I tried my hand at a bit of embroidery this time… It’s awesome. Look forward to seeing a lot more of that in future posts. I already have about a billion new projects brewing on that little sidetrack.

So on to the point of this holiday interlude… Merry freakin’ Christmas people! Enjoy the Holidays, laugh at dirty uncle whoever he may be, make sure to get pictures of aunt so and so after one too many dips in the party punch, brush up on your smile and nod skills and if you get an ugly Christmas sweater be sure and wear it like you mean it, it makes all the difference.