Coffee Break Blogging
May 04, 2022 by Ann Coffee
Since this is my “intro” blog, it will be short and to the point.
I am excited about meeting new friends who love reading to children!!!
Creating a brand-new story through both words and illustrations has been a dream of mine since childhood, when I was allowed to immerse myself in fantasy, surrounded by beautiful set designs created by my best friend’s dad, Peter Wolf, in Dallas, Texas.
We would be the characters in all the Summer Musicals sets which he built, first through lovely illustrations, then oil paintings to the final set designs for the great American Musicals that came to town: Brigadoon, Oklahoma, The King and I, West Side Story, Hello Dolly, and a multitude of others. It was pure heaven as we embellished even those magnificent stories with our own - play-acting. My dear friend Peggy would invite me to the openings of many of these productions, and after the show, we were invited to go “back-stage” where we met the “stars”. Well of course, we pretended then to be one of the stars after each show. My favorites to play were usually Carol Burnett, Shirley Jones, or Rosalind Russell. I was a child of the ‘60’s, where the Great American Musical thrived.
Because the sets were brilliantly visual and always based in a musical story – it was all quite fantastic for a kid to absorb. We would learn every song from every show, singing them repeatedly all summer long, inventing new routines in dance, and dressing in costumes from our mother’s closets while “playing” the albums of each Broadway production continuously, singing at the top of our lungs to be more dramatic.
As an adult, I entered the fashion world after graduating from college, and for the next 30 years was involved with buying and personal shopping for the loveliest clients and for the poshest shops in Dallas. I know Peggy conquered the world of photography; thus, both of us took a bit of that original theatrical “eye” with us into adulthood.
I am now “retired”. I am now a grandmother of three with two on the way. My goal is to share special stories for my grands and readers who love to hear, read, and see picture stories. Most of the tales will be about a main character who might have some challenges, but learns to explore these by helping others, thus freeing themselves from too much self-pity. I love heroes, all kinds -especially kid-heroes….and there are many!
Hope YOU Enjoy!
Ann Coffee
I am excited about meeting new friends who love reading to children!!!
Creating a brand-new story through both words and illustrations has been a dream of mine since childhood, when I was allowed to immerse myself in fantasy, surrounded by beautiful set designs created by my best friend’s dad, Peter Wolf, in Dallas, Texas.
We would be the characters in all the Summer Musicals sets which he built, first through lovely illustrations, then oil paintings to the final set designs for the great American Musicals that came to town: Brigadoon, Oklahoma, The King and I, West Side Story, Hello Dolly, and a multitude of others. It was pure heaven as we embellished even those magnificent stories with our own - play-acting. My dear friend Peggy would invite me to the openings of many of these productions, and after the show, we were invited to go “back-stage” where we met the “stars”. Well of course, we pretended then to be one of the stars after each show. My favorites to play were usually Carol Burnett, Shirley Jones, or Rosalind Russell. I was a child of the ‘60’s, where the Great American Musical thrived.
Because the sets were brilliantly visual and always based in a musical story – it was all quite fantastic for a kid to absorb. We would learn every song from every show, singing them repeatedly all summer long, inventing new routines in dance, and dressing in costumes from our mother’s closets while “playing” the albums of each Broadway production continuously, singing at the top of our lungs to be more dramatic.
As an adult, I entered the fashion world after graduating from college, and for the next 30 years was involved with buying and personal shopping for the loveliest clients and for the poshest shops in Dallas. I know Peggy conquered the world of photography; thus, both of us took a bit of that original theatrical “eye” with us into adulthood.
I am now “retired”. I am now a grandmother of three with two on the way. My goal is to share special stories for my grands and readers who love to hear, read, and see picture stories. Most of the tales will be about a main character who might have some challenges, but learns to explore these by helping others, thus freeing themselves from too much self-pity. I love heroes, all kinds -especially kid-heroes….and there are many!
Hope YOU Enjoy!
Ann Coffee
