Bird is the word: A week of giveaways

Today marks day five of the Wee Birdy blogiversary giveaway, and I’ve got some very special prizes from London design legend (and Wee Birdy favourite) Rob Ryan.

As some of you may know, I’ve posted extensively about Rob Ryan’s work over the last two years, so it’s a delight to welcome him back to the nest. He’s very kindly donated two of his bird-themed tiles for a Wee Birdy giveaway, valued at a total of £48.

Rob is a prolific designer and illustrator, and his paper-cut designs (and heart-felt prose) have appeared on collaborations with British Vogue, Liberty, Fortnum and Mason, Paul Smith and Earnest Sewn.

A shopping trip to London isn’t complete without a visit to his Columbia Road store, Ryantown, which opened just last year. All of his work is produced nearby in his East London studio, and it’s packed with his screenprints, tiles and t-shirts, as well as an ever-changing selection of gifts. A recent addition, for instance, are these cute sailor-print t-shirts. (Check out my full Wee Birdy shop tour here.)

To be in the running for this very special prize of two Rob Ryan tiles, simply leave a comment telling me what you favourite Rob Ryan print, product or collaboration is - and why. Don’t forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!

Please note that the winner will be chosen at random (either picked out of a hat or by a random number generator – TBC) and all competitions close on Friday 24 July at 6pm (British Summer Time). Winners will be announced on Monday 27 July.

Thank you Rob! If you’re as big a Rob Ryan fan as I am, why don’t you:
- Check out his Etsy shop;
- Read my full shop tour of his shop, Ryantown;
- Check out his blog here; or
- See what’s new in Ryantown via the blog here.

Comments

[jen]

love rob ryan so much! especially love the prints, the 'other planets....' one is gorgeous! hopefully one day I will own one. he has inspired so many other designers, so many copies out there

[Alma]

The umbrellas for some department store!!

[holly]

I love the Everything that is in Heaven print... such a true sentiment. His stuff is just so amazing.

[nath]

okay, so everything he touches ends up beautiful, right? but one of my favourite things he has done was the cover of John Connolly's novel The Book of Lost Things. have you read it? a spiky dark fairy tale, it's a wonderful book and a wonderful cover.

[Betty Sioux]

Rob Ryan's collaboration with Tatty Devine was just wonderful. If only i could have afforded a beautiful necklace to make my neck a message for love for the world to see. His book though set my heart on to him. I finally found it, after hunting high and low all over Manchester in Urban Outfitters. It's very well loved and any visitor that comments on my bookshelf has it thrust upon them in a matter of seconds.
It is simply marvelous.

[Linda]

Just adore the green cushion Rob designed for Earnest Sewn. So so beautiful.

[Laura]

I love the little birdy print featured at the top...I have a pic of it pasted into my day book. I embroider for a living, so it made me smile...my brains in fact quite big though..

[Flora]

I love the "why are you so naughty?" prints /tiles. Reminds me of my 2 girls and makes me feel better when they are being cheeky little minxes!

I'm off to look for that book now, Nath! Sounds right up my street x

[Mette]

I love this years valentines print.

We don´t celebrate valentines day at all, and I think all the valentines stuff is rather tacky. But not this. It is lovely.

Makes me want to give a valentines gift. To my boyfriend, so I will end up on my wall anyway, hehe...

[jennifer]

Definitely the ClothKits skirts for adults because, well, how cool is a skirt printed with a Rob Ryan cut out!!!

Best wishes,
Jennifer

[Gemma]

My favourite collaboration of Rob Ryan's was also with Tatty Devine, in particular the 'Our Adventure Is About To Begin' necklace. I was lucky enough to receive that gorgeous necklace as a gift from my fiance as an engagement present. I will be wearing it on our wedding day and I can't wait - as well as it being a beautiful piece of craftsmanship it also obviously carries a wonderful meaning for us! Gemma x

[Cath W]

My house is starting to look like a Rob Ryan gallery! My fav is the print my husband gave me for xmas - the one he made for "If You Could". Stunning.

[Make Do Style]

I loved his Valentine's card I bought in Paul Smith this year for Mr MDS - it was lovely to buy a card that was stylish, well designed and beautifully romantic.

[Ali]

I adore my Rob Ryan packing tape - it's the little, unexpectd things which always please me most.

[Ebony]

Rob Ryan's work is beautiful. My favorite has to be a card I have on my desk from the collaboration with Roger La Borde:

"Can we shall we? one day, very soon, let us go away together, just you and me, call in sick and go to the sea and hold hands all day, eat our sandwiches on the train, get drunk on fresh air and come home tired and never tell anyone...ever"

It reminds me of the little devil that sometimes sits on my shoulder!

[Delicious Industries]

Do you remember the paper-cut dress he did for Vogue last year? Well it was divine. Definitely my favourite example of his work.

[Alice]

Oh, I love Rob Ryan! My favourite, if I had to choose, would probably be the cover of 'This is for you' as that is the first thing I saw of his. I was converted!

[Polly R]

I love every beat of my heart!

[caroline]

Can We? print and Bird Lady print :) I was very luck to get both last year :D

[Sarah Bell]

I feel I should say the print with the birds and the bell, just because of my surname, but for me it is the print with the couple and the verse about running away together and not telling anyone. It makes me pause every time I see it and in the best way possible makes my veins feel full of ice-cream.

[Abi Thomas]

I love his shop. Its so cool!

[Bri]

I like the "these bells will peal" print. The colors are fantastic and its really a great example of paper-cutting. There's something about it that's very whimsical and lovely.

You've got some great giveaways going!

[London plinth]

I have to say I particularly enjoyed the Easter egg boxes Rob did for Fortnum and Mason this year.

[elle]

I love the shoe: "Since I Have Been Alone Time Goes By So Slow"

[Stéphanie]

Oh ! so nice !

[Fabric Nation]

This week has been so exciting!! Bird has been the word every day! I bought a Rob Ryan print for my husband when we got married "can we shall we". I love his images, but it's the words that make them for me, summing up simple feelings, in this case the joy of a day out with a loved one.

[Page Smith]

I love Rob Ryan's "Every Beat of my Heart" screenprint. Kissing birdies, sweet tweets . . .

[Naomi F.]

Oh my! I love his work.
I've got a 'you were in my head' card that I bought for my husband and just had to frame because it's such a work of art! I would love to get it as a full size print at some point- as it is definitely my fave!

[Rhianne]

oh wow! I love the You Were in My Head print!

[F]

I loved the limited edition Valentines card from this year. I wish I could have found and sent it in time.

[Lauren]

i love the "you can still do a lot with a small brain" print! so funny.. and inspiring too :)

[J.T]

I love Rob Ryan,
I went to his Book signing in Fortnam and Masons. I have got the Green Bird tile " You can still do alot with a small brain". I think that might be me.x

[veronique]

i love the nest one.
it just says it all.

[Gourmet Chick]

Love, Love, Love all his stuff but hard to go past his collaboration with Vogue - that dress!

[natalie]

Great work! I love the "Simplify Our Love" tile from his Etsy shop. Genius!!

[KatieBee]

ohhh I think the 'i love you more than sleep' papercut i think i saw somewhen somewhere. i do love sleep, do to love someone more than sleep is pretty amazing, non?! x

[Fionnuala]

My favourite would actually have to be the "You can still do a lot with a small brain" tile featured above. It was my computer wallpaper throughout a really pressured exam period this year and it was sentiment I so needed to hear - it says to me that there is so much more to a person than their brain (kindness, decency, friendliness and the like).

[Anna]

I love all of his book cover designs - they always make the books seem more alive and say exactly what the book is trying to tell you!

[suse]

Im very inspired by all of his work, one favourite is the book this is for you, it is a beautiful book.

[Gemma]

My boyfriend gave me the 'Can we? Shall we? One day, very soon. Let us go away together just you and me. Call in sick and go to the sea and hold hands all day. Eat our sandwiches on the train. Get drunk on fresh air and come home tired and never tell anyone... ever.' card. We've had quite a tough year so far so this, along with the words inside, had me in tears (good tears) on the morning of my 30th birthday.

[Siany]

The Tatty Devine necklace was how I discovered Rob Ryan so I really love that piece. But everything he does is stunning. Such an amazing designer.

[AnnaV]

"Maybe in this city or in a field, a thousand miles away
But you must be patient
And never despair
For surely one day you shall surely find eacother"

Pure romance and hope, tinged with sadness. Stunning!

[Emily]

Mr Ryan can do no wrong with his fat little birdies & poignant words! I had the honour of working with his work when he did a collaboration project for the Japanese Womenswear collection for Paul Smith. It was so lovely extracting the various little characters from his prints for various t-shirt placement prints & across a range of clothing & accessories.
My lovely boyfriend surprized me with one of his screen prints for Christmas which takes pride of place in my living room!

[fiona]

I like his greeting cards with Roger La Borde. Very cute!

[kelly]

Wow,a really talented guy!My fave is the "I Miss Being A Small Girl" tile from his shop on etsy.

[shukumei]

I love Rob Ryan! My favourite collaboration is the one he's done with Etude House (a Korean cosmetics company) called "I Can't Stop Smiling". It's just too adorable.

You can see some photos here: http://lotuspalace.blogspot.com/2008/12/etude-house-smile-artist-collection-by.html

[Spannerchilde]

OH I LOVE ROB RYAN!!! My favourite is the print of a little bird asking a girl 'why are you so naughty' and the girl answering 'because I'm so happy!!'

It cracks me up.... xx

[Char]

Definitely 'You can do a lot with a small brain' - such a cute print!

[Pinkbirdy]

I loved his collaboration with Tatty Devine. Especially loved the necklace of the eye with the tear drops - I thought the sentiment of each necklace was beautiful.

[Cara @ Turvys]

This week just gets better and better. It's like Christmas now :D My favourite 'thing' by the masterful Rob Ryan has to be those fantastic umbrellas that he's just created.

[dee]

Only just discovered the Rob Ryan Dress for UK Vogue and it blew me away

[spudballoo]

At the risk of repeating myself, I adore his Tatty Devine collaborations and especially the Every Type of Tear necklace which I stupidly bought for a friend an not myself. ARRGHHH!

What a great week of giveaways, they are all superb. Happy 2 to you again.

[Emily]

Love Rob Ryan, his fat little robins & poignant words. I had the pleasure of working with his work for his collaboration with Paul Smith for the Japanese W/wear collection about 3 years ago. I have since been an avid fan & am lucky to have an original 'I can't Forget' screen print on the back of an envelope he sent to me with a CD of artwork in. I have since been bought another of his originals 'You were in my heart' by my very lovely boyfriend. They both take pride of place in my living room.

[kat]

So much goodness and so many wonderful collaborations. We have some of his cards and book covers as well as magazine pieces he has done. If I picked just one it would be: My Home - it needs to hang over my bed in my home *sigh*

[Emmaline]

Oh i could talk about the visuals for a long time, but it's that little line about still doing a lot with a small brain that it so warm and hopeful and in the case of the birds, proven!

[Flora]

Oh too many to choose a favourite! The clothkits skirt or the valentine cards or.. all of them!! I have become a bit obsessed with papercuts.

[missy]

the paper cut dress he made is very very very clever. but everything he does usually is!

[helen]

what's not to love - everything he touches seems to evoke such beauty and sentimentality. his prints, cards and tiles - i can't choose a favourite. love them all!

[ellie]

I LOVE everything that Rob Ryan does, He can't put a foot wrong. I think my fave is the Tatty Devine collaboration, the necklace of tears was wonderful...

[Feebee]

Criminy! A favourite Rob Ryan? I have to nominate my clothkits skirt "hold me". I always wear it when I feel a bit blue and it never fails to make me smile!
Thank you!

xx

[Top Bird @ Wee Birdy]

Thanks for all your brilliant comments, this comp is now closed. Winners will be announced on Monday. Have a great weekend. xx

[Liberty London Girl]

I'm not entering lovey, but juat had to say that 'You can do a lot with a small brain' sounds like a motto for our whippets! LLGxx

[Lily]

Oh no! Gutted I missed this comp. I'm a huge Rob Ryan fan. My boyfriend bought me his 'Our Adventure is About to Begin' Tatty Devine necklace and I love it so much. I'm m=number 13 out of 25! :)

[Ruth]

J'adore Rob Ryan!!!Especially the tiles...

Ruth @ Matches

http://blog.matchesfashion.com/

[Thera]

It”s tough to even come up with an rational response to your clearly irrational comment