Poooot! It's the Love Train...

G i v e a w a y still on. Scroll to post below!

A bit late on the old G I V E A W A Y this month but here it is. Sleeping Tree is a new piece printed on gorgeous museum quality Hahnemule German etching paper.

Each month (usually around the beginning of the month, ahem) we play the giveaway game and all you need to do is leave me a comment - this month I'd love to know what you think the subject matter of one of my new prints should be - and you might be the one to get yourself a snazzy print in the mail!

Now that I'm back in good old Canada I get the chance to enjoy a delightful, chilly spring followed by another summer (I've been in the southern hemisphere for the last 4 months) which means 2 summers practically back to back! Sweet.

It's good to be reunited with the old computer and art supplies again, I'm gonna be whipping up a bit of a storm so watch out!

G I V E A W A Y draw date? Oh, let's say a couple of weeks from today shall we.




And I know what you're thinking about this one. You're thinking this should be called Jelly Bean Birds Gone Bonkers or something. Right? It's good and juicy loud. I like me the Jelly Bean Birds. I Like it so much I decided to rework it with an even feistier colourway. Roawrrrr!

Happy Spring/Autumn!

Stay tuned, G I V E A W A Y coming soon...

Victoria Bennett Beyer
C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S!
Some Jellybean Birds will be on their way to you shortly...

As always, thank you to everyone for participating in the giveaway game, all your comments were gems to read.

Have a great week...

Late for the G I V E A W A Y but it is still on! I'm running low on things to offer but I do have a lovely "Jellybean Birds" print which needs a good home. It happens to be a big one (13" x 19") so if you have a big bit of boring wall which needs some colour, play the giveaway game!
Just leave me a quick comment and be in to win!

Things I've been doing. Yes, more socks...

A view of Kiwiland

I tried to weave a basket out of flax.

I took a ride on a steam train!

Some green ferny goodness.

My favourite swimming hole.

A bit passed the 15th but C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S Anna Lloyd! Thanks so much for playing the giveaway game.

GIVEAWAY!


I'm really trying to keep up with my monthly giveaway, but I don't know about all this working whilst on holiday business! I kid.

If you fancy this sweet lass and her big weeds leave a comment and I'll do my best to pick your name. She doesn't come framed I'm afraid but a nice frame like the one pictured above can be got for next to nothing from our lovely Scandinavian friends at Ikea. I think you can click on the image for a bit more detail.

I do the draw on the 15th so good luck all!

Okay, back to the beach...

Hey guys! Thanks for your comments and warm wishes for 2009 - this year will be a fantastic one for sure!

We are having a wonderful holiday (so wonderful that we have decided to extend our stay), the weather has been treating us very nicely and I am happily rediscovering that this place rocks! Home really is very lovely, very green and very clean and yes, Anne, all this mood enhancing sunshine is making us feel chirpy and healthy and turning our wan North American skin a lovely biscuit brown.

I'm delighted to announce that Miriam, Martin and their infamous chair collection will be finding their way to Ann and Sam - hope you both enjoy your new friends and congratulations!

You'll notice that stock in my Etsy store needs a bit of "fleshing out" as it were. I hope to do a bit of art stuff while I am over here - lots to inspire - and to restock upon my return.

January GIVEAWAY!

Please excuse all this spotty blogging! My excuse? Being on holiday for a couple of months in the South Pacific. It's a hard life...

If I had a wire thingy to connect my camera to this computer thingy I could send you a picture. I'll try to get that sorted. In the meantime the giveaway print for January is "Martin's Chair Collection."

Say "hi" and win yourself some chairs and fowl.

And, Happy 2009!!!

L y s a, for you, some "Birdland" goodness! I like the giveaway and I don't 'cos I want everyone to win! I love that you all stop by my little blog and say "hello." Thank you, it's always awesome to hear from you.

Ta daaaaaa! Can you see it?!!

I got me a copy of the latest Canadian House and Home magazine so that I could be all overcome by my little Birdabies in print. It's a small thing but it makes me feel chirpy.

Today marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Zip on over to the Amnesty International site and take a peek at the amazing results when we fight for human rights for all.



If you're anything like me today, sitting at a computer (possibly eating a piece of chocolate) you can be pretty grateful, we've got it good as compared to many in the world. I get a bit teary when I think about how we humans function, at one moment with such gentleness and kindness and then in another moment with such violence. Even in our own lives we can be so hostile with the one who is most important to us - ourselves. Especially today and especially at this time of the year, I hope we can remember to be gentle and kind.


Snowmen Christmas card by gigiphillips

Arren Williams, a freelance stylist, editor and trend reporter, was kind enough to give me a nice post over on his Design Lab blog on Monday. Apparently my work is "storybook cool." How do you like that!! I'll have to remember that one. For those of you in Canada, you might like to grab yourselves a copy of the January edition of Canadian House and Home and take a peek at the bit about Arren. And, this is for you, mum - I believe there is a little picture of my "Birdabies" print in that piece. Wheeeee!



Birdabies goes out and about in the world and gets itself all famous.

Don't forget to play the GIVEAWAY game below, I'll be drawing a name out of the hat thingy in just a few days time. Details in the post below.

December GIVEAWAY!



No, it's not December already is it? Well, no. Not for another 2 hours but close enough. So it's the monthly giveaway time. Seeing as it's supposed to be a merry, joyous sort of month for a lot of folk, I've decided to give away a large print of "Birdland." I know I just blogged about it recently but it's the one that got me thinking about home and it might just be on television at some point in the nearish future and that's all I'm saying...

Leave me a little commenty goodness and win yourself some feathered goodness! Draw date: 15th December

Best wishes everyone!


Thank you again for supporting my work and by extension the amazing work done by the folks at Amnesty International.


No, not the frame too! Just the print, yeah.

I'm pretty happy.

I now get to put my knitting in this styling knitting bag from Sew Bendy instead of ye olde crumbling plastic bag. Melissa and Jenn at Sew Bendy are exceptionally friendly and professional and my bag, a "knit tuck," (I think they might be fans of the show) has a little pocket for DPNs and a snap loop for the yarn to feed through. The design of the handle means you can slip it over your wrist and knit in a department store while swaying to muzak and feigning interest in the toy section. I truly think this bag is improving my knitting maybe even my life!


I hereby dedicate these socks to Raina from Raining Sheep. If it weren't for you, Raina, I'd still be on the other side of the fence, the side without wool, where you think knitting is for people that don't get out enough.

And as promised, some socks. They're my second and third borns. Yes, they're pretty rugged looking but it's winter so they can be 'boot socks'! I can hear you wondering what my problem is, c'mon, admit it you're thinking 'life's too short, why would I knit a sock?' but I'll have you know it's pretty satisfying. They knit up quickly, self striping yarn is AMAZING and you can think about all those knitters from da olden days knitting up socks through necessity in front of the fire or wherever it was they did a spot of knitting.


Old Breton woman knitting - Image from a vintage postcard
Check out those knitting hands!



This yarn, "Holly" is a bit festive but in retrospect maybe not quite bright enough. I promised Rosemoo fuggly sock pictures if she would show me her great hat knitted up in some of Rivulettecraft's beautiful, popping bright yarn. So Rosemoo, ta daa!



I really had better get some of this. It is too beautiful.

And speaking of Rivulettecraft, I received my delectable glass bead from her the other day. It's wonderful and I'm very pleased but I had to laugh when I saw the size of the box that it arrived in...





Lovely, lovely handmade glass bead from Rivulettecraft.

Snow. It's pretty neat stuff. Snowflakes? Amazing!

I was 26 when I first saw it snow. I had just arrived in Canada (a lot of snow comes here) and my need to frolic and dance in the snow was very strong; terribly amusing for the people I was with at the time.

One of my favourite things is still a nice walk at night in fresh snow. The insulating effect of snow makes for an enchanting, quiet walk and when there's a bit of light around and the snow's all sparkly I feel like I'm adrift in a sea of tiny jewels.


Baby Snow Bears - limited edition print

For those of you in the north, stay warm!

This is not what it looked like today. This is last week. Today looked all grey like THIS. Now all these trees are, according to my son, "naked" and they've gone and left their fricking clothes all over my everywhere!! Grrrr.


eeeeeeEEEEK! I missed my own GIVEAWAY! For shame. Is it the 16th today? Yes, I think it is.

Oh well, without further ado: is there an Elizabeth Sullivan out there in the audience? Would Elizabeth please come up to the stage? We have some wee bears and YOU are their new mummy!

Thank you all for participating in the monthly giveaway and thank you to those who sent me emails. As always, I wish we could have an Oprah moment where they'd be bears under everyone's chairs!



Here are some new bears in the works. Yep, it's all gone to bear around here! All bears, all the time.

In other news, I have been strutting around feeling very powerful of late and the reason? I have birthed my first sock!

I'm going to have to show you a picture of it soon, just as soon as I can figure out a flattering way to photograph it... I know, I know, the anticipation is... is... Not there. But I'm going to show you anyway.

Beautiful people, have a wonderful week!