2-Days Early... Ribbit!

My mom surprised me today with an early birthday present; needless to say it is one of the best cakes for my personality.  It is vanilla chocolate swirl with butter cream icing.  I’d offer a piece, but I can’t guarantee that it would survive being posted. 

Look

Things are not always strictly what they appears to be when you first look at them. It takes further inspection to look into things and see more of the details that exist within. We often forget to look, and truly see. We are all guilty of this sin… I challenge you all to look at something you see everyday, really look at it. You may be surprised at things you forgot were there, or you never noticed before.

This frog is an interpretation of the Froggie that is on my foot. It is a line drawing in the style of few I have done in the past, they are very time consuming.

This is Postcard Postcard: US-909504 on Postcrossing.

Coat of Arms

Heraldry is a tradition passed down for many generations in many different cultures, the most well known being the Traditions of the British Isles. That very tradition has passed into American Culture as well, and I have always been fascinated with Heraldic tradition. I have many times in the past been mesmerized with the Family Crest associated with my family… however I know enough to know that the crest is presented to a person and can pass from male heir to heir… but that in most cases does not represent an entire family.

Using my limited artistic ability, and my fascination, I have designed a personal Coat of Arms for myself. Though it is not as elaborate as most, it does contain elements that fully represent me. The Crest is that of a moon going through phases, symbolising that throughout life, we do indeed transform. The Mantle is that of the Magnolia, my favourite flower, and a symbol of my home. The Motto is Latin for “By wisdom and courage.” Within the shield itself you have the two flags representing heritage, the union jack and the American flag. You have three blue stars representing the three stages in human life (Male: Warrior, Father, and Sage… Female: Maiden, Mother, and Crone.) The stars also represent the Heavens divided from earth by a red chevron, chosen because it is my favourite colour. You then have three symbols chosen specifically by me… an Ankh representing everlasting life… a frog representing my animal totem and once again transformation… and the Eye of Horus symbolising protection and power.

I believe that while tradition is important, it is also just as important to be yourself and to represent yourself in unique ways. While I am not by any means an artist, I tried to accomplish my own sense of individuality… I feel I was successful, and whilst it is not perfect… it does represent me.

Constant Companion

Over a year ago, I decided to do something that I never thought I would do… Get a tattoo. I spent time looking at many designs and variations before I decided on what I wanted. At the time I knew I wanted a tribal design, but I was not sure from there what exactly I wanted. The frog is my favourite animal, I knew this, it is also my Native American totem, which is when it became obvious… I wanted a tribal frog. I then searched many places for a design I liked, and doing a random online Google Image search (Tribal Frog) I found the one below. I immediately fell in love with it, and saved it with a few other designs I had found. For six months I looked at it, trying to decide if I really wanted to go through with the process. During that time I looked at more designs, and I would delete ones in the folder that I no longer liked, soon just one remained.

I talked with a few friends about where to put it, and after much deliberation on my two requirements, (I wanted to be able to see it and I needed to be able to cover it if necessary) I decided on the top of my foot. Then on 1 May, 2009 I was riding around with my friend Jessica, and I mentioned to her my plans, and since I was present for her first tattoo, she and I decided to go get it… and we did.

Since then I have looked at the Tattoo as a visual representation of my Native American Spirit Totem, and it has become sort of a companion to me. I am really pleased with the design and I am very happy to show it off. The only thing I regret is that when I saved the image the first time, I did not think to mark the site or see who the artist I was… and I have never been able to find it again.

Froggie

My world is filled with frogs, and I am not kidding. I have frog everything, including a pet Golden Tree Frog named Georgia… and a tribal frog tattoo on the top of my foot. This particular frog or toad, depending on your point of view, came from my great grandmother when I was really young. She had it for many years, so it means a lot to me. It has a space on the inside where it once held a light; the light would illuminate the marbles imbedded in the frog itself. I have never seen another one in my life, and I feel blessed to have this one.

For looks into the world of others please visit: My World: Tuesday