Barrel Tasting in Sonoma County 03/08/2010
Living in Northern California's wine region has its perks! This last weekend we enjoyed an annual "barrel tasting" event with over 100 wineries opening their doors to come in and taste right out of the barrel with the option to purchase "futures." I was the designated driver, which is a very honored position around this area, and was treated like royalty by each winery with special treats (like dark chocolate, coffee, tea, etc.) The best part remains the wonderful views. On Sunday we had a warm, sunny, wonderful day... so I had to share this photo. As they say, if this doesn't inspire you, nothing will!  The view in Healdsburg from Raymond Burr Winery Barrel Tasting in Sonoma County is the best! But being what it is, it also brings out some interesting humor. Besides the group of women wearing flower headbands and carrying Mrs Potato Heads (yes, you read me right!), I saw these fun wine related sayings: "Wine a bit, you'll feel better." "I spent most of my money on wine and women... ...the rest I've just wasted." Oh no, and artist taking photos! 02/26/2010
Well, it is that time of year again to come up with some super photos to submit to show juries... ok, I love doing the shows and meeting all the wonderful people who are interesting in my coin jewelry. Taking photos is something I have to work at, however. Fortunately, if I take 1,000 photos with my digital camera, I will get something that looks good.... anyway, that is my philosophy. For my website, as long the the photo is in clear focus and you can see my product, we have a win. For show applications, it is best to do something a little more "art-sy." That can make me anxious. Good news, however, I did play around with all kinds of crazy ideas, and then with a little software help cropping them, got some good results. I guess you could call me stubborn, I really wanted to do this myself. Love to hear what you think! Ann    Just finished new coin, and I love it! 08/19/2009
 Some coins are NOT created equal. That is how I felt when I decided to paint this coin. I was at my local coin club last month, and we had a little coin "flea market." Harold was telling a few items at his table, and one of them was this coin. Ok, so it doesn't have any animals on it, but I couldn't resist. So, I took it home and just went with whatever I felt like... and this is the result. Did I ever share that that is the secret to all "artistic" people, in my opinion anyway. We throw caution to the wind and go with it. No planning, just see what happens. That is when I usually get my best results. Maybe it is like taking tests in school... go with your instincts because if you think too much you will talk yourself out of the right answer. Anyway this is a German coin, 1975 5 Mark. It is made of silver and it is for the European Monument Protection Year. Speaking of animals.... 08/16/2009
I found this card at the store, and just had to share it with you. I have 3 younger brothers, and I always thought I was pretty nice to them. They, however, seem to think I treated them more like this: "We've had a lot of great memories, brother.... Like the day your were born and Mom and Dad brought you home from the vet. Stuff like that." Do You Love Turtles? 08/16/2009
 Cook Islands Coin I have a young friend, age 13, that is crazy about collecting turtles. So when I hear constantly about turtles, pretty soon I end up watching for turtles too. So, in honor of her passion, I am featuring 4 different turtle coins that I have painted. The coins come from interesting places from around the world! The first coin on the left is a 1992 50 Tene coin from the Cook Islands. The Cook Islands issues a lot of very interesting coins, I suspect in the hope that collectors will buy them and help their economy. In my case, their plan is working! The country is located about 2,000 miles north east of New Zealand. It consists of 15 islands with only a population of about 17,000 people, and depends on New Zealand for money and military defense.  St Helena & Ascension coin The coin at the top right is a 1984 50 Pence coin from Saint Helena & Ascension. They only made this coin one year, and it featured a Sea Turtle. If Staint Helena sounds familar at all, it might be because this is the island that Napoleon was exiled to. Also exiled here was several Zula chiefs, and an ex-sultan of Zanzibar. The island is only 47 square miles is located about 1,150 miles from the west coast of Africa. Obviously it is out in the middle of nowhere, and a good place to exile people.  Papua New Guinea coin The coin at the bottom left is from Papua New Guinea. It is a 1975 5 Toea coin and features a Plateless Turtle. This coin is small, about the size of an American nickel. Papua New Guinea is populated by about 7,000 Tribes, and has over 700 mutually exclusive languages... communicating has to be a problem there! It is near the equator and north of Austraila.  Cayman Islands coin The last coin at the bottom right features a Green Turtle and is a 10 Cent coin from the Cayman Islands. This one, as you might guess, was an 8th grade graduation gift for my young friend who collects turtles. I think the interesting design and small size of the coin made it a perfect pendant for her. As you would imagine, I enjoyed painting these coins and turning them into jewelry that can be 'enjoyed. I also loved researching each coin's story so I could share it with you. A Tribute to Sandy King 08/16/2009
 Angel Medal/Token I painted this and I gave it to Sandy, who is an active member of our local coin club. She has been valiantly fighting cancer, and still managing to get her teenage son to the meetings. I have remained a member of this coin club, I think, mostly because there are so many good people there.... and Sandy is one of them. Made me feel good to wish her luck this way, and I hope she enjoys it as much as I did making it for her. By the way, the coin club has a member auction at the end of each meeting, and Sandy's Dad has this medal for sale. I thought it was significant that he put it up for sale about the same time I started painting coins. And if you are wondering why I called this a "medal" rather than a "coin" that is because for coin collectors, a coin is issued by a government and is legal tender, while a medal is issued by anyone else. Postscript: Sandy died the first week of August 2009. Many of us, including me, were quite stunned that she didn't make it... she was such a fighter and had survived for 4 years after she was given 6 months to live with stage sour colon cancer. My heart goes to her son, Jerry, who is going to now live with his aunt, and to Sandy's father Dan. As he put it, parents don't expect to outlive their children. Sandy was 47 years old, and touched many of our lives with her determination and love for life and the people around her. I will miss her, and will give her son a hug everytime I see him...just for her. So this is the "new" math.... 05/26/2009
"Women know the weight of every item of clothing they own, so we don't have to get on the scale naked. We just deduct. For instance, I know that my sweats weigh in at exactly twenty-one pounds." (quote from Christina Irene, weight watcher) My first Animal Coin show.... 05/17/2009
It seems fitting, somehow, that my first time selling my Animal Coins is in the town of Paradise, California at a Chocolate Festival. Two of my sisters moved to this pretty town a couple of years ago, and I decided it would be fun to participate in the craft show, do some visiting, and eat some very delicious chocolate. I must say I was pleased with the reaction and attention I got. I found it wonderful that people stopped at my booth and spent quite a bit of time exploring the countries and animals I had on display. I surprised myself and had about 100 different coins on display, most of them as pendants, which gave us plenty to talk about. Wild Women save me again.... 05/15/2009
I was reading a little fun piece called "Wild Words from Wild Women" and I finally found something that explains why I have to excuse myself from the world and paint... | AuthorAnn lives in Santa Rosa, California. She has collected World Coins with animals on them for over 15 years, and now also hand-paints them to create unique jewelry. Besides this blog, you can also follow her on Facebook, just search for "AnimalCoin" within that site, or use the "Follow-me" page on this website for a direct link. Categories |
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