Monday, December 31, 2012

Statistics 2012…



Published comments: 2

Posts: 243

Followers: 7

People from 68 different countries have visited this site.

Newest country: Cambodia

Last new visitor: Belgium

New unique visitors record: 37 on July 24, 2011

Top five countries: United States, Portugal, Belgium, United Kingdom and Germany

New Year 2013

I want to wish you all a wonderful new year 2013!
That 2013 can bring you all Good Health, Happiness, Success and Joy.

Sunday, December 30, 2012

A Pink Charity Stamp



In many parts of the world, October is pink.
This is the month when various organisations arrange fund-raising activities to benefit breast cancer research and to promote awareness about the disease. 2012 sees the first Åland charity stamp.
The Åland Cancer Society receives part of the selling price.
The stamp is issued in connection with the Pink Ribbon awareness campaign in October.
Åland graphic designer Carina Sommarström, previously a breast cancer patient herself, has created the stamp.
The Åland charity stamp sells at €1.20, €0.20 of which is awarded in full to the Åland Cancer Society.
Also available on the day of issue are other Pink Ribbon products such as postcards, pins with the pink ribbon logo, a pink model car and a stamp watch.
More products will appear in the Post's web shop at www.posten.ax in October.
A specified percentage of the selling prices of these products will be donated directly to the Åland Cancer Society.
Carina's stamp motif holds a great deal of symbolism, featuring an Amazon, a female warrior without her right breast.
The woman's right breast has been replaced by a tattoo with many different symbols representing important issues to consider when going through cancer treatment.

Technical Details
Issue Date: 01.10.2012
Designer: Carina Sommarström
Printer: Joh. Enschedé Stamps
Process: 4-colour offset
Colours: 4 Colours
Size: 31.5 x 36.25 mm
Values: €1.00, €0.20

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Sea-inspired Christmas



Finnish artist Minna L. Immonen created this year's Christmas stamp, combining a traditional Christmas motif with typically Åland features.
Minna L. Immonen has been drawing since childhood, focusing on painting since her senior school days.
Having completed an education as a graphic designer and attended various art schools, she started her own company Minna-Kortti in the 1980s.
Minna's watercolour paintings are today familiar to large parts of the Finnish population, her illustrations distinguishing themselves by the individual story told by each illustration. In addition to cards, stamps and paintings, Minna has designed China ware for Arabia of Finland, including a children's series with teddy bears and Christmas mugs and jars with traditional Christmas designs such as pixies, apples and gingerbread biscuits. In 2008, she designed the cover of a Fazer's chocolate box, and she has also illustrated a number of books. Minna describes the Åland Christmas stamp in this way: "Inspired by the sea, the motif still has a Christmassy accent.
The motif on the first day cover symbolizes the arrival of Christmas mail."

Technical Details
Issue Date: 09.10.2012
Designer: Minna L. Immonen
Printer: Cartor Security Printing
Process: 4-colour offset
Colours: 4 Colours
Size: 35,4 x 26 mm
Values: €0.60

Friday, December 28, 2012

Nostalgic Architecture In Booklet





Stamps booklet
First Day Cover with stamps
This year's booklet represents high level nostalgia! The three stamps feature memorable and beloved buildings all to be found in Mariehamn in past times. Former town architect Folke Wickström has drawn the motifs.


The first stamp shows the Badhotellet (spa hotel). Launched as a spa resort at the end of the 1800s, Mariehamn was to become one of the most modern resorts in Europe. At the turn of the 20th century, the establishment was at its largest with facilities for hot baths and swimming, a restaurant with assembly room, a medical centre, a gymnasium, a doctor's house and a spa hotel. The end of the 1914 season also saw the end of the spa era as World War I broke out. The hotel burnt down to the ground in February 1916, probably due to an overheated heater.

Originally, Societetshuset (a club house generally known as Socis) was a school building that was dismantled and moved to Mariehamn in 1870. From the start, the building served as a hotel, town hall and restaurant. During Socis' more than 100 years of existence it had several periods of golden days and many different owners. Regardless of many protests, the demolition of Socis was carried through in June 1975, the then town architect and current stamp artist Folke Wickström being one of the protesters.

Miramar was erected in 1890 as a summer house for Nicolai Nyström, son-in-law of Nicolai Sittkoff, a well-known tradesman in Åland. Commandeered by soldiers during both World Wars, first by the Russians and later by the Finns, Miramar was turned into a soldiers' gambling home. In the 1930s, the house served as a dance palace and meeting place and was later to become a restaurant. Inspections performed by the authorities found inadequate fire security as well as spa and sanitary defects, and the house was demolished in October 1973.

Technical Details
Issue Date: 23.08.2012
Designer: Folke Wickström
Printer: Österreichische Staatsdruckerei
Process: 4-colour offset
Colours: 4 Colours
Size: 52 x 23,83 mm
Values: €1,00
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