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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 20h

Ooooh, our calendar has an ISBN!

ISBN: 2471759204731

If you're in Wellington, there are a few copies some already available at Schrödinger’s Books, and if you're in Whanganui, 10 copies will be arriving at eightyeight Putiki in the next day or two.

A montage of the Bird and Beach 2026 Calendar cover (Oriental Bay), back page (thumbnails of the 12 illustrations of landscapes from across the motu), May - Lake Wakatipu, and December - Rangitoto Island. The calendar is wire bound, with a loop for hanging in the middle of the binding.

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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 21h

Elisabeth has a long history of working adjacent to IT teams. She has learnt that cookies are a powerful way of making sure systems always work how you need them to.

(Nutella-stuffed brown butter sea salt caramel chocolate cookies are especially efficacious.)

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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 21h

Making sure we've got all those important policies pages in place on the website in preparation for an imminent launch.

From the cookies policy:

"In case you're wondering, Ryan's favourite cookies are soft chocolate chip, and Elisabeth finds it hard to resist most of the Pams Finest range."

a cartoon character with a bow tie is holding a basket and an easter egg

Alt: Ralph from the Simpsons is holding a basket he sees an easter egg on the ground, picks it up, puts it in the basket, but it falls straight through. The gif repeats this over and over.

media.tenor.com

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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 11d

But wait! That’s not all!

There is of course, not one, but two box of bird sets!

Two boxed sets of native bird coasters propped against my drawing tablet. One has a tūī at the front of the box and the other a kākāriki.

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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 11d

Here's all the designs in the set of 4 Wellington Coasters. These are all Ryan's art work, and I've been working on the display images that will go on the website so you can clearly see what's in the box!

Blown Away coaster is an illustration of the Wellington sign by the airport, with a plane flying overhead and a bank of fluffy clouds.

Illustration of Oriental Bay on a sunny day, with the fountain playing, shown on a coaster.

An illustration of the Wellington Waterfront at dusk with the Bronze Solace in the Wind sculpture in the foreground, and a two people in a kayak paddling across the water.

An illustration of a typical urban scene in Wellington, with the entrance to the harbour, a ferry sailing by, and houses clambouring over the hills.

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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 11d

What I’ve been working on today…

A boxed set of Wellington coasters propped up against my Wacom tablet. On the screen is a mocked up image of the front coaster, which is an illustration of Oriental Bay.
Illustration copyright Ryan Nielson.

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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 12d

They were quite magnificent!

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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 12d

Bird and Beach.

A seagull soars over the beach at Pito One above an extravagant cloud formation lit by the last rays of the already set sun. The colour is reflected in the calm water, and the horizon above the Wellington hills is clear, but glowing.

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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 14d

You forgot the two tubs of Antiflamme, a coaster with watermarks and the alarm clock that you’ve had since 1982. 🤣

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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 14d

There will be shots with just the lamp as well. Trying to work with what we have already, and while we do have a lighter bedside table, it’s deeper but no wider, and an awkward height with the tripod. I’ll have a try with it tomorrow though, see how I go.

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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 14d

It may have been cleared, moved out of the bedroom, polished, and then staged, but shhhh, nobody needs to know that, right?

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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 14d

😅

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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 14d

Trying to decide on a relatable “life” shot for my bedside lamp photoshoot. Does this hit the mark? Are the books distracting? Too few to be realistic? Ryan usually has one to two, Elisabeth forgets how many are in her pile and adds more…

A kea lamp with a lozenge-shaped open wooden base on a bedside cabinet with a pile of books (all authors from Aotearoa) topped with a pair of spectacles.

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Reposted by Bird and Beach

Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 17d

I think this is my favourite month… and Ryan has just informed me that it will be available as a print too.
Now, who can tell me where it is?

The May page from the calendar, showing a lake with foothills and a snowy peak in the background. The illustration is framed in with silhouette leaves, a bird perched on a branch.

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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 17d

Yesterday’s excitement! The calendars have arrived!

Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 17d

Look what’s just arrived!

Ryan’s hands holding a Bird & Beach 2026 calendar so you can see the illustrations on the back cover. On a table behind it at two big piles of calendars.

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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 17d

We’re hoping to get the website launched very soon! Elisabeth just needs to take some photos…

(This is Elisabeth admitting she’s the hold-up.)

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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 17d

I think this is my favourite month… and Ryan has just informed me that it will be available as a print too.
Now, who can tell me where it is?

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Reposted by Bird and Beach

Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 17d

Look what’s just arrived!

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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 17d

Look what’s just arrived!

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Reposted by Bird and Beach

Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 21d

Hi!

It’s wet. It’s raining. I’m out running errands right now, but I guess this means when I get home there is no excuse for me to not knuckle down and do product photography.

These lamps will finally be available online when we launch.

I need photos that don’t look like NZ was left of the map!

A table lamp with a stylish wooden base and a shade made with my kea fabric. In the background is a world map.

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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 21d

Hi!

It’s wet. It’s raining. I’m out running errands right now, but I guess this means when I get home there is no excuse for me to not knuckle down and do product photography.

These lamps will finally be available online when we launch.

I need photos that don’t look like NZ was left of the map!

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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 25d

I think this one is as eagerly anticipated as waiting for the bucket to drop!

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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 25d

Starting to like what you see in our posts? Subscribe to our email list now so we can alert you when we go live!

Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · Sep 10

There's still a way to go on getting the website set up, but if you'd like to get an email telling you when we go live, you can now subscribe to our mailing list. You'll find it right there on the home page, easy as!

birdandbeach.co.nz

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Reposted by Bird and Beach

Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 25d

Sneak peak of something new for the next, um, our first tea towel pre-order as Bird and Beach.

Bucket Fountain will be Ryan's first ever tea towel design to be offered for sale, and there are more regional ones in the works.

A tea towel printed with an illustration of the Bucket Fountain in Cuba Street, Wellington, displayed hanging on a clothesline on a balcony overlooking the Hutt Valley.

Artwork copyright Ryan Nielson.

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Bird and Beach @birdandbeach.bsky.social · 25d

Soon, soon!! There’s an email sign up on our website if you want to make sure we tell you when it’s available.