At first she thought the voice message she received was a practical joke being played on her by a friend, but listening closer she realized the invitation was real.

The invitation had come from the Royal Canadian Mint asking Kendra (Smith) Dixson to submit designs for the minting of collectible silver coins.

Just to be on the safe side, Kendra sent five different designs for the mint to choose from and was thrilled when two of her designs featuring alpine skiers in wooded winter settings had been chosen.

Ironically she says neither of the selections were the one she expected to win.

Two of her scenes were engraved for the 2014 Fine Silver Coins O Canada collection. One design appears on the one-ounce $25 silver coin and the other appears on the half-ounce $10 silver coin.

Growing up in the Williams Lake area, Kendra says that in high school she might have been voted the least likely to become a snowboard bum, but that choice in life is exactly what led her to become an artist and ultimately being invited by the Royal Canadian Mint to submit designs for the coins.

To read the complete article, see:French, to snowboard bum, to artist: Kendra Smith designs collector coins(www.wltribune.com/community/256260331.html)