NY Gift Show 2010 February 10, 2010 12:29 3 Comments

The Wanart booth at NY Gift Show 2010. It was nice meeting everybody who stopped by!

Book and Buttons Giveaway! February 4, 2010 11:30 33 Comments

To celebrate the release of our new kiwi and pear buttons I am having a drawing to give away one signed copy of the book Greetings from Kiwi and Pear along with a set of 12 little buttons featuring kiwi and pear and their friends including sweet treats, fig, a birdy buddy, lychee, coco, flight, ruby, kokeshi, a fruity friend, and a babushka sister! Buttons are 1" in diameter and are great for adding just a little cuteness to your life by pinning to your clothing and accessories! Just leave a comment below to enter. I will randomly select one winner a week from now and announce the winner on the 12th. Good luck!

 

UPDATE: Since I received SO many nice comments - I'm going to extend the deadline for the giveaway until Monday, February 15th and select not one but THREE winners!! Happy Valentine's and Chinese New Years! Wishing you all a year of love, luck and prosperity!

 

UPDATE: Winners announced here: http://wanart.com/?p=648

 

xo ~Joyce

 

New York Gift Fair January 20, 2010 17:57

Gearing up for the New York International Gift Fair at the end of the month. I will be debuting new Kiwi and Pear designs among other items! Please stop by and see us in the Wanart booth #1848 if you will be attending. Take a sneak peek at our new gift enclosure collection!

 

Meet Kiwi and Pear's Friends January 12, 2010 20:04 1 Comment

Just added! Click image below to meet some of Kiwi and Pear's many friends:

 

Happy New Year -- Happy New Website! January 2, 2010 23:32

Hope everyone had a nice, peaceful holiday full of smiles and good times! As you can see we launched a new website as we have some big things planned for Kiwi and Pear for 2010. Please sign up for our newsletter so that we can keep you up-to-date on the latest Kiwi and Pear news and give-aways.

 

Here's a cool commercial I saw that shows how cute little faces can appear in everyday objects in the world around us! ENJOY!

 

 

The First Snowfall December 20, 2009 01:52

It snowed here in New York City tonight - it snowed a ton (by New York City standards anyway). It was like Mother Nature's last hurrah before the end of the year. I couldnt wait until the next morning and went outside to experience and enjoy the spectacle first hand. There's something about the first snowfall of the season that always churns up feelings of childlike wonderment and excitement. What is it that's so magical? Maybe it's the way the snow blankets the world in white and everything seems so fresh and new. Or perhaps it's the warm childhood memories of unexpected days off from school and all the hijinks that would ensue - sledding, snowmen, snow angels and snowball fights galore. In the back of my mind I know this feeling won't last long. Soon enough I'll be yearning for the warm breezes and long, sunny days of summer. But let's not think about that right now. We should all just enjoy the moment, welcome the first snowfall of the season and seize the opportunity to get back in touch with the child that is in all of us. Happy holidays everybody! - Joyce

Mention in National Geographic December Newsletter December 15, 2009 02:32

I was excited to find that Greetings from Kiwi and Pear was mentioned in National Geographic's mywonderfulworld.org December newsletter and was touted as  "A great gift for budding geographers!" My Wonderful World is a National Geographic-led campaign—backed by a coalition of national business and non-profit organizations—to expand geographic learning in school, at home, and in communities. Their desire is to give kids the power of global knowledge. Since the campaign launched, more than 80,000 people have signed up to show their support. Click here to view the newsletter. Hope everybody is enjoying the holidays!

Book Review and Author Interview on WanderingEducators.com December 8, 2009 22:20 1 Comment

I recently had the great pleasure of being interviewed by Lillie Forteau and Dr. Jessie Voigts of wanderingeducators.com for my book Greetings from Kiwi and Pear. Wandering Educators is an amazing resource for discovering extraordinary travel destinations, fascinating people, and global artists and photographers, among other articles as well as being the largest source of travel guide reviews on the internet. Here's an excerpt: Book Review: Greetings from Kiwi and Pear "I am so happy to share a great picture book for kids today! It is called Greetings from Kiwi and Pear, and it is a great book for kids to learn about the world. I liked it because it is adventurous and the art is so cute. This book is best for young kids, and they can learn about different places around the world. Kiwi and Pear are two adorable monkeys. When they travel, you can put matching stickers (one of childrens favorite things!) on the world map. I enjoyed reading this book and thinking about traveling to all these wonderful places." Click here for the full review and interview on wanderingeducators.com. Thanks Lillie and Jessica for the opportunity! I'm happy you enjoyed the book!

Meet Us in Brooklyn this Weekend! December 7, 2009 17:08

NYCreates’ Sixth Annual Holiday Crafts Fair Saturday December 12 & Sunday December 13 at the Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont St.

The work of over 50 NYC artists and artisans, representing diverse mediums, will be available for purchase at NYCreates’ annual Holiday Crafts Fair, returning for the third year to the Brooklyn Historical Society.

The Fair features high quality and creative hand-crafted gifts – ceramics, jewelry, apparel for adults and children, organic cosmetics, glass works, and home goods – at affordable prices. The Holiday Crafts Fair is free and open to the public on the weekend from 10 AM – 5 PM.

We'll have a bunch of Wanart goodies for sale and I'll be signing Kiwi and Pear books and prints.

Hope to see you there!

Signed Copies of Greetings from Kiwi and Pear by Joyce Wan Available on wanart.com December 1, 2009 05:48

Signed Copies of Greetings from Kiwi and Pear by Joyce Wan Available on wanart.com

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Hug a Friend Today! November 18, 2009 17:53

"Build bridges instead of walls and you will have a friend." - author unknown

An Inspiring Evening at the Society of Illustrators October 29, 2009 01:15

Tonight, I was very fortunate to attend a workshop hosted by the Society of Illustrators (www.societyillustrators.org) called:

The Art of Children’s Books with Selina Alko and Sean Qualls

Sean and Selina are an amazing husband and wife duo who are successful children's book author/ illustrators. They gave plenty of handy tips and information about the industry as well as shared with us their own personal stories from how they got started to what their process is when they are working on a book. Thanks Selina and Sean for an informative and inspiring evening!

Sean Qualls | www.seanqualls.com

Selina Alko | www.selinaalko.com While I was there I also had the chance to check out the Society of Illustrators latest exhibit: 2009 Original Art: The Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration. The exhibit runs through November 25th and is definitely worth checking out for those interested at getting a snapshot of all the wonderful talent in the world of children's book illustration right now. Looking at pictures printed in a book is one thing but there is nothing like seeing original art right before your eyes. Some of the pieces were breathtaking! Makes me wish I had more time to experiment with mixed mediums or even paint. Overall, it was a great evening. I can't wait to get to work on some new story ideas I have been developing.

Halloween FUN! October 26, 2009 20:50

New Kiwi and Pear Halloween printable coloring page, greeting card and face masks have been posted at the link below for some crafty fun! ENJOY! :D http://www.kiwiandpear.com/fun.html

Another Rave Review for Greetings from Kiwi and Pear on L.A. Parent Magazine October 13, 2009 02:15

I have google alerts set up for my book so that I get notified through email any mentions of my book on the web and was excited to find another glowing review about my book today from the blog Good Reads with Ronna for L.A. Parent Magazine. Here's an excerpt: "I can’t say enough about the importance of books like Greetings from Kiwi and Pear. This book introduces children to travel and geography in a fun and educational way. Parents and grandparents will thoroughly enjoy sharing it with their loved ones. It’s never too early to teach your kids about the world, and Greetings from Kiwi and Pear is a great place to start!" You can read the entire review here: http://bit.ly/NkpZZ Thank you Ronna Mandel and Debbie Glade for the wonderful review!

My Book Reading at the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center October 5, 2009 05:30

Despite the crazy pouring rain in Boston on Saturday, my book reading at the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC) was a success! I'm so thankful to the people who braved the stormy weather, especially with small children, to see me read my book Greetings from Kiwi and Pear.

 

I made the event more fun and interactive by hanging up the map from the book and having someone from the audience place a sticker on the map after each place Kiwi and Pear visited. Kids LOVE stickers - they were jumping at the chance to "play" with stickers and it definitely kept them engaged. It was such a delight for me to see their faces light up when they placed the sticker on the right location on the map. SO cute!

 

I have to say I was a little nervous the day before the event but once I got in front of the audience it all flowed naturally. I hope I get the chance to do it again! Special thanks to my little helpers - Ian, Jason, Julie, Amy, Jennifer and Victoria, to BCNC for inviting me and to my family for always being so supportive. Here are some pictures from the event:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Reading in Boston September 23, 2009 05:39 1 Comment

I recently booked my first reading for my book Greetings from Kiwi and Pear. I'm really excited because it will be in my hometown of Boston. Also, this event is somewhat personal to me in that with the event being held in Boston's Chinatown, there will be some children attending who come from a similar background I did -- Chinese American with immigrant parents. I hope that I may inspire them to achieve their dreams despite any odds that may be against them. The Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center also got the organization Families with Children from China - New England to co-sponsor the event which is wonderful because many people who have purchased and appreciated my asian-inspired Wanart products (www.wanart.com) in the past are families who have adopted children from China. Here's more information on the free event: Please join us for a book reading with children's book author/illustrator and Boston-native Joyce Wan. Joyce Wan will be reading and signing her new children's book, "Greetings from Kiwi and Pear." The book follows two jet-setting monkeys as they travel around the world visiting famous landmarks. A fun and thoughtful way to introduce young children to geography and foreign places. The reading will be co-sponsored by the organization Families with Children from China - New England. DATE: Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 TIME: 10:30am LOCATION: Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center 38 Ash St Boston, MA 02111 www.bcnc.net I hope you can join if you're in the area!

The 25th Annual Brazilian Day Festival September 6, 2009 23:11

I went to the 25th Annual Brazillian Day Festival in New York City today - it was a gorgeous day and it was PACKED with people! It was on on 6th Ave. from 42nd to 56th St. & on 46th St. from Madison to 7th Ave. Lots of foods and the usual vendors. What really caught my eye was the Colombian style bbq we discovered there: The banner read carne a la llanera which I found out later means "meat flat plain style" This traditional way of cooking meat is specific to the region of Los Llanos meaning the flat plains situated at the east Andes in Northwestern Colombia & Venezuela. Since colonial time this region is famous for herding millions of heads of cattle. Their cowboys are called los llaneros. I believe the technique used above is made for street cooking situation. In rural settings it looks like a fire is made on the ground. Then large pieces of beef are skewered to large sticks that get planted into the ground. photo linked from: www.llanera.com  The meat was served with roasted potatoes, plantains and a spicy, raw cabbage & cilantro salsa-like side. It was SOO juicy, tender and delicious. We washed it down with guarana flavored soda. It was the best street fair food I ever had! The vendor is from a restauarant called Rancho Mateo and they have locations in both Patterson and Elizabeth, New Jersey. Looks like I'll have to pay a visit sometime very soon....:)

Wanart at the New York International Gift Fair 2009 August 21, 2009 06:18 1 Comment

ahhh...the Jacob Javits Center - designed by architects I.M. Pei and partners back in 1986 and named after the US Senator who died that year - it's also where I hawk my goods about three weeks out of the year for the National Stationery Show every May and for the New York International Gift Fair which occurs both in January and August. As promised, here are the pics of the Wanart booth from the New York International Gift Fair which just ended today: You may recognize the backdrop from my booth at the Licensing International Show. It was my first time using such a graphic backdrop for a wholesale show but it was quite a success. It was definitely eye-catching, made the booth look bigger and created a feeling of good cheer and whimsy. One lady walked by and exclaimed "It's really fun and happy where you are!" Here are some closeup pics of products in the booth: This is a product I introduced this year - pins featuring both my zodiac zoo (chinese zodiac animals) and my brand new lil' zodiac (western zodiac) art. I even gave away pins during the show - it was a great way for me to break the ice with prospective customers. There were a lot of rats and aquarius' at the show!! Wonder what that means... These are my zodiac onesies packaged in little takeout boxes - always a hit. Mark your calendars people - the Lunar New Year falls on February 14th next year!! That should be easy to remember considering it's Valentine's Day!! Can you believe it? How shall we celebrate this year? A romantic dinner in chinatown? hehe At least the color schemes go together....red, red and more red!!! Next year the color will represent both luck and love! ^_^ Here are pics of my section at the Javits to the left and right of my booth: This is only a tiny glimpse of the show. Apprently, there were over 3,000 exhibitors displaying their merchandise to wholesale buyers and store owners! People showcasing everything from apparel, to housewares, to jewelry to toys - you name it - it was there! Eco-friendly products were definitely the trend at this show and which I'm sure it will be for awhile. It's always an inspiring show - so much creativity and innovation under one roof! I don't know how buyers stay within their budgets - there are always so many amazing products at the show. This is my booth after breakdown. It's always kinda sad to breakdown and to say goodbye to all your booth neighbors but my mind was also racing with new ideas for the next show. Overall, i'm happy to report that it was a good show for me - most of the orders I took were from new customers. I can tell people are optimistic and are starting to spend money again which is good news for everyone! I'm also happy that it's the last show of the year for me - this was my fourth tradeshow since May - and i'm looking forward to switching gears and having more time to work on some new creative projects.

Chronicle Books Friends & Family Sale August 3, 2009 20:04

Hurry! Final 3 days of Friends & Family Sale! Use promo code "FRIENDS" and receive 35% off + free shipping on every purchase at ChronicleBooks.com.

Get your Kiwi and Pear Book and Travel Learning Cards at reduced prices while you can: Greetings from Kiwi and Pear: http://bit.ly/eyQRD Kiwi and Pear Travel Learning Cards: http://bit.ly/geVL4

And the winner is... August 1, 2009 15:25

Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing - there were 32 entries! I loved hearing from all of you and it was fun anticipating the winner. I printed out all the entries, dumped them into a container and shook it up. What fun! And the winner is.... Drumroll please... Congrats Phebe B!!! Don't be bummed if you didn't win...I will be doing another drawing later this month for the Kiwi and Pear Travel Learning Cards! I'll let you all know when all that happens.

"Greetings from Kiwi and Pear" Book Giveaway!! July 19, 2009 00:13 32 Comments

Well, it's starting to feel like summer here finally but I thought I'd heat things up a bit more by offering one signed copy of my book "Greetings from Kiwi and Pear" to one lucky reader! Thanks to all of you who have already purchased the book!! If you'd like to enter for a chance to win, simply leave a comment at the end of this post. The contest will close on July 31st, and I'll announce the winner on August 1st. I hope everybody is having a great summer!! Leave a comment to enter! Good Luck! :) Joyce

Wanart at AmericasMart Atlanta July 18, 2009 02:01 1 Comment

Just got back this week from the Atlanta Gift Show - I was not originally planning to do this show this year but my friend Meredith Lee of The Rare Orchid (www.therareorchid.com) was going to do the show and asked me if I wanted to share with her. She is one of the hardest working people that I know and has a passion for her work that I admire and can relate to. I met her on the tradeshow circuit about a year ago and since then we have become good friends. I found an amazing deal on Orbitz and we stayed in Buckhead at the Atlanta Buckhead Hotel for like 60 bucks a night! It was only like a 4 minute walk to the MARTA station and then a 20 minute MARTA ride downtown to the convention center. The hotel was in the middle of being renovated but the room was new and clean and even included complementary wi-fi - something an entrepreneur on the road always appreciates! We used Meredith's booth display since her stuff had to be shipped from California and eventually end up at the New York show in August. We ran into a lot of little bumps when setting up as this was the first time this booth was ever constructed. We even stayed up till 3 in the morning the night before the show started - but the booth turned out beautiful. The show was just ok for me - I'm not sure if my products really fit the market down there - i saw a lot of flowers, bows and swirls - and TONS of green and pink. I do better at the New York shows in terms of actual sales taken at the show. People who have been doing the show for years say that the January show in Atlanta is MUCH better. I did pick up a bunch of leads and some new customers so we'll see how that all goes. It's a HUGE show - three-buildings large with multiple floors in each building - so it's a bit overwhelming! This was just our building! Although tradeshows can be exhausting - we did manage to fit in some fun time. I met up with a childhood friend of mine who now happens to live in Atlanta. I've known this girl since the 4th grade and we hadn't seen each other in 5 years! But we got to catch up and also reminisce about old times - we all had a good time - thanks Jackie! Geisha House in Atlantic Station in Atlanta. Fun decor, creative sushi and good sake selection. Ask for Will (third from left) he is one of Jackie's friends and one of the nicest guys and best waitors ever! Meredith and I also went out to dinner one night with the guys from Viz Art Glass (www.vizartglass.com) Atlanta Fish Market in Buckhead Overall, it was a great trip. Despite a slow show -  one thing I do love about tradeshows is that I always get to meet so many creative and passionate people - exhibitors and buyers alike. I am always inspired by the creativity that surrounds me at these shows, from the booth displays to the products, and I always learn so much. It motivates me to keep creating.

"Greetings from Kiwi and Pear" in Publisher's Weekly! June 29, 2009 20:07

I received an email today from Blue Apple Books with some wonderful news - a nice review of my book "Greetings from Kiwi and Pear" in this week's Publisher Weekly, the international news website of book publishing and bookselling including reviews, bestseller lists, commentary and more. Here's the review: Greetings from Kiwi and Pear Joyce Wan. Blue Apple (Chronicle, dist.), $12.99 (36p) ISBN 978-1-934706-59-6 Complete with a fold-out map to track their progress and stickers that resemble stamps, this compact book follows two cute, affectionate monkeys (rendered in a vaguely manga style with chunky outlines) named Kiwi and Pear as they jet around the world. Postcards with rhyming text explain how the pair have spent their time, followed by fold-out illustrations of their activities: “We paddle down the Amazon,/ then hike the Andes with backpacks on” (the fold-out shows Kiwi and Pear leading a friendly llama). In Paris, sporting red berets, they “bike for an hour,” then “climb the Eiffel Tower.” Their final voyage blasts them into outer space on a rocket before they return home. A sweet and rather cuddly introduction to some noteworthy global locations. Ages 4–8. (July) Here's the link to the page on the site with all the reviews: http://bit.ly/97hEK YAY! :D

Kiwi and Pear Travel Word Flash Cards June 21, 2009 16:47

My Kiwi and Pear bilingual (English/Spanish) flash cards are finally available on amazon.com!  http://bit.ly/sTKVt  Like my book "Greetings from Kiwi and Pear" these flash cards are also published by Blue Apple Books and distributed by Chronicle Books. These 20 colorful flash cards, shaped like little suitcases, are the perfect complement to my book "Greetings from Kiwi and Pear". Each card features pictures with travel words (such as airplane, suitcase, telephone) in English on one side and Spanish on the other side. The cards are held together by a ring on a spiral cord that can be clipped on a child's backpack. They are a valuable language tool for families, or for parents who want to talk to their children about foreign languages and places. Includes a clip-on luggage tag!