I don’t usually use exclamation marks in the titles of my blog posts, but this announcement deserves one! (again with the exclamation mark!)
About a week ago I reviewed Vivian Swift’s When Wanderers Cease to Roam: A Traveler’s Journal of Staying Put. I was so taken by this beautifully illustrated journal, with its succinct hand-lettered prose and observations, that I wrote the author, asking if she would be interested in doing perhaps an author interview or a giveaway of a copy of the book.
Imagine my surprise and excitement when she offered an original watercolor that was used in the book! Now, there are thousands of copies of this wonderful book available, but this art is one of a kind!
Vivian calls this piece Song of Seasons. It’s a composition of four 1 3/4-inch square landscapes, signed by the author/artist, and matted to fit an 8×10 frame. All you need to do is to have it framed and decide where to hang it.
The watercolor will be mailed directly from Vivian. That way she can hand-address the package, and maybe add a doodle or two, giving you an additional keepsake. Plus, you won’t have to worry about me telling you “it got lost in the mail” while I hang it in my own little nook (only kidding! I’ll be incredibly envious of pleased for the winner, of course!).
I’ll leave this open for about two weeks, until midnight December 22, with the winner to be randomly drawn and announced on December 23. You’ll receive the watercolor after the holiday rush, when you can relax and really enjoy it. All you need to do to enter the giveaway is to leave a comment stating your favorite “pleasure of staying put.” If the whirlwind of the holiday season does start to get to you, take a moment or two to journey to that place, if only in your mind.
And go ahead, buy the book for yourself or for a gift. Click here to get to Barnes & Noble online.
truly magnificent i love to stay put and watch an old classic movie
[...] cozy, and friendly (well, that’s the vibe I got). After a bit of reading, I ran across a watercolor giveaway which caused me to to something I should do more often (in fact, everyone should do more often): [...]
Oh, how wonderful – what a prize! I am also a wanderer and lived many years overseas. Now I just wander at will and only for a few weeks at a time. I have come to love being in one place because of the friends nearby who have enriched my life enormously. I have enjoyed watching my children grow up and place their roots here. They love the idea that home will always be waiting for them, as they wander the world.
I thing Vivian and I are about the same age. I graduated from High School in 1976. I truly got the book in more that one way. First of all, bought it, read it, re-read it, got it for a friend (can’t loan my copy) and then read again! What a wonderful gift it would be to have an original painting! But the book itself is one of the best gifts I have given myself in a long time. Thank you Vivian for sharing your life with us!
Connie
I love art and I love books, so this is a great contest! My favorite pleasure of staying put this time of year is to be curled up on the couch with the cat in front of the lit Christmas tree and veg out watching a movie or reading. Thank you and Happy Holidays!
My favorite reason for staying put is learning to enjoy my surroundings. There is so much in a Neighborhood. I have gotten to photograph and sketch and look for the flowers each year. A new coat of paint, a rearranging of a garden. New Holiday ornaments. The increase of the Summer Thursday night concerts free to all that happen by on the Point which is on the North Atlantic and only a short walk for me.
This painting tells me a so much. It is a beautiful piece.
Sherrie Roberts
((( Circle of Staying Hugs )))
My faorite reason for staying put is being able to relax. Life is so hectic sometimes that if I don’t get “me” time I can’t relax. I spent many years travelling and relocating for work and now I can just take a deep breath, grab a good book, and relax.
[...] a winner? No worries – there’s still time to enter the giveaway for a beautiful original watercolor used to illustrate When Wanderers Cease to [...]
I’m a homebody pure & simple. I live in the woods and it’s a pleasure to see the deer, birds and squirrels do their thing through every season. I would L O V E to win this painting. Thanks for making this opportunity possible!
niteswimming at gmail dot com
~peace~
[...] and will post new giveaways after the holidays. Haven’t entered the drawing yet? Click here to head over to that [...]
My favorite part about staying put —- being surrounded by my books!
I love to stay put. My fave part of that is just sitting back, and watching life unfold around me.