Wow, that is old…

The PNE prize home lottery started in 1934 making it one of the oldest home lotteries in the world. The PNE management of the day just decided to raffle off a home which was unheard of at the time, probably the 1st ever home give away in North America. The winner of that home was a mechanic from Vancouver named Leonard Frewin, and you could say that dream home helped him marry the woman of his dreams. At the time he was dating Emily Leitch and her father insisted that Leonard could not properly provide for his daughter Emily. When Leonard heard his name called over the radio as the winner, he drove to Emily’s home and proposed on the spot. They raised their family and lived in that home for 60 years until they had both passed away in the 1990′s. The children have since sold the property, but I am sure the PNE prize lottery held a special place in their hearts growing up and the story of Leonard and Emily’s engagement will be passed on for generations.

Where does it all go?

The PNE is actually a registered charity, this allows them to use the proceeds for fair programs that do not generate any revenue. Some of the programs include: The family stage where free performances take place, the Miracle Mile Athletic Bursary which provides bursary to a B.C. amateur athlete each month of the year and the popular PNE 4-H program which is the largest in the province. If you are a Vancouver resident you are probably familiar with the many threats to move or cancel the Pacific National Exhibition, so come support the event, buy a ticket and help keep these family events alive.

How things have changed over the years…

1934- Tickets sold for 25 cents each

2009- 5 tickets for $25 or 15 tickets for $50

1934- Grand prize was valued at $5000

2009- Grand prize worth over $1,301,471

1934- The home 800 sqft and was transferred a half a block away from the fairgrounds by a team of Clydesdale horses

2009- The 3000+ sqft home will be relocated to Kelowna BC on Kirschner Mountain

1934- The most exciting feature of the home was the electric stove

2009- The most exciting feature of the home … Beetling Giraffe and Tree of course! Really there are too many amazing features to pick one.

Come check out the home and visit our exhibit at the PNE this year August 17th – September 7th. Keep this Vancouver tradition going strong and build some family memories at the fair, it is much much more than roller coasters and mini donuts.

As parents we search relentlessly for those revolutionary toys and DVDs guaranteed to stimulate babies brains, but is it possible to achieve the same results through decorating? I have done some research on this and have found many articles describing how different colours and textures affect mood and brain development. Primary colours stimulate cognitive processing and development and babies can perceive bright primary colours long before pastels, does that mean those powder blues and soft pinks aren’t a good choice for the nursery? Not necessarily, bright red, blues and yellows are fun and stimulating, but babies also need a calm comforting place to ease them into that deep sleep which is also very important for brain growth. Don’t get discouraged, I have found some simple tips on how to achieve the “perfect” balance between sleep, work and play.

Sleep

This area will usually consist of the crib, night table and a nursing chair and is very well suited for those soft pastels we all love. A baby or toddler needs to feel safe, comfortable and secure in their cribs and it is important to inspire the mind to dream. It is a fact that babies feel comforted by faces, whether it is mommy, daddy or their favourite animal, so this is the perfect spot for wall decor that is lifelike, well visible and still maintains that soft colour pallet. A couple good examples from our collections would be, our Baby Giraffe or our Hey Diddle Diddle nursery rhyme set.

Work

The work space is probably better known as the diaper station. This spot will need to be safe and functional for you and your baby, and a great place for some bright accents. This would be a perfect spot for a mirror to visually entertain or something with texture and dimensions for baby to play with. I think a perfect example of this is our monkey mirror. It is one of our newest additions and it has all of the nurturing qualities a baby needs at the change table: bright faces, texture and of course a mirror to discover themselves.

Play

This will probably be the most important part of the room because it will have to grow with your child for years, and will probably become the most used area in the home. This spot is perfect for bright contrasting colours and fun decor. Babies learn and develop by using their senses so it is important to use safe products that are engaging and at eye level. Imaginative play is proven to play a major role in brain development so this space is much more than just toy storage. Decorate this space to inspire your child and bring life to the room. Our Safari Series is designed with all of the ingredients necessary to create a fun and educational environment that will grow with your child.

Viola!

You can combine decorating and nurturing together to develop a room that will stimulate your baby’s brain by designating specific a spot for each of your baby’s needs. More important than this, you can give life to the room that brings you and your baby together for affection and play time, and in my opinion, that is real organic parenting. But is this as effective as the latest DVD or flashy toy? You decide!

Inventions:

1. Basketball Invented by James Naismith in 1891
2. Chocolate Nut Bar Arthur Ganong made the first nickel bar in 191
3. Electric Light Bulb Henry Woodward invented an electric light bulb in 1874 and sold the patent to Thomas Edison
4. Zipper Invented by Gideon Sundback in 1913
5. Television System Reginald A. Fessenden patented a television system in 1927
6. IMAX Grahame Ferguson, Roman Kroitor, Robert Kerr (1968)
7. Five pin bowling Thomas E. Ryan (1909)
8. Stanley Cup (Canada’s Governor-General) Lord Stanley of Preston (1893)
9. Superman Joe Shuster and Jerome Siegel (1938)
10. Gingerale John J. McLaughlin (1904)

Famous Canadians:

1. Jim Carrey – Actor, Comedian (Ace Ventura, Liar Liar)
2. James Cameron – Director (Titanic, The Terminator)
3. Neve  Campbell- Actress (Party of Five)
4. Michael J Fox – Actor (Spin City, Family Ties)
5. Phil Hartman – Actor, Comedian (SNL, Newsradio)
6. Lorne Michaels – Producer, Writer (Kids in the Hall, SNL)
7. Keanu Reeves – Actor (Johnny Mnemonic, Speed)
8. Kiefer Sutherland – Actor, Director (A Few Good Men, A Time to Kill)
9. Matthew Perry – Actor (Friends)
10. Cirque Du Soliel - The troupe was founded by Gilles Ste-Crois. In 1984 member Guy Laiberte proposed a show called Cirque du Soleil

Kristy Ilic, now a proud mother of 3, dedicated many years to her love of business and art before starting Beetling Design. Growing up in suburban Vancouver, she always longed to travel the world and own a successful business. Studying business economics at SFU while enrolling in art classes at Emily Carr led Kristy to attend the prestigious JAK Berufsfachschule in Hamburg Germany where she studied art and photography, particularly drawn to photographing ornamentation on buildings, the kind that leaps out at you. Returning to Vancouver she accepted a position with an investment firm where she gained 10 years of experience in the finance industry analyzing and funding start up businesses. Kristy knew her experience would lead her to success as an independent business owner, she just needed that eureka moment to happen, and it did.

EUREKA!!

The creation of Beetling design started as an artistic impulse to redecorate her kid’s bedrooms. Kristy wasn’t satisfied with just paint, she wanted to bring life to their rooms and inspire imaginative play with characters literally jumping out of the walls. After many hours creating paper maché creatures with gallons of glue and endless amounts of shredded newspaper, she decided there had to be a better way, and what a business concept that would be. Following extensive research, Kristy stumbled across an incredible foam based material used to design the props on a movie set where her sister was working, and instantly knew she was on to something.

Time to get to work…

The most important part of the design process was to creating easy decorating for moms and that instant WOW effect in the room. Every item was designed with great thought and detail, it had to be lightweight, non toxic, easy to install, lifelike and most importantly, FUN! Kristy achieved all of these goals and more, creating an innovative product sure to bring a smile to any face, all she needed was a name.

Definition

Where did the name Beetling come from? Kristy searched through countless books looking for the the perfect fit and then she came across this in the dictionary:

BEETLING Adjective, Verb

Adjective: Projecting; Overhanging

Verb: to project; protrude; jut out; overhang

Mission accomplished…

Beetling Design Corporation, created in 2006 by Kristy Ilic, designs, manufactures and distributes unique handcrafted 3-dimensional wall decor for children’s spaces. We introduce a new way to decorate, transforming the room into a whimsical wonderland guaranteed to WOW anyone. Take a peak into The World of Beetling and see what we have created.