Although many would argue the fact that the fleur-de-lis was created by the New Orleans “Saints,” the truth of the matter is that it is one of the oldest symbols in history.

What it Means

The fleur-de-lis is a beautiful and popular symbol worn by both men and women.Derived from the French word for fleur “flower” and lis “lily,” it is a stylized version of the actual lily flower. It has been used throughout time in all cultures and time periods.

Heraldry

This symbol has been used in heraldry over the centuries on many Europen coat of arms and featured in the Crown Jewels of England and Scotland. However, it is mainly associated with the French monarchy and has been used on Frnech postage stamps though it has never become an official symbol of the French republic.

The continued association with France carried over in North America were the symbol was associated with areas settled by the French such as St. Louis, Louisville, Louisiana and Quebec.

One theory is that the 3 leaves of the fleur-de-lis represent the three mideival classes: the workers, fighters and prayers.

Religious Affiliation
The fleur-d-lis has also been seen as a symbol of purity and chastity as well as female virtue and spirituality. The Virgin Mary was often depicted holding a lily and the fleur-de-lis was seen as a decorative element in the image either in a sceptre or within the ornamentation somewher in the painting.

Similar to the Irish Shamrock, the French fleur-de-lis depicted the Holy Trinity with the three petals and the band on the bottom symbolizing the Virgin Mary.

Architecture
You will often find the fleur-de-lis symbol at the top of iron fence posts. It is a symbol of defense warding off intruders. It has also been used as patterns on tile work, and as finials and the point on gables.

Scouting
The fleur-de-lis has also been the symbol for scouting thanks to Sir Robert Baden-Powell who adopted it from the reonnaissance specialists who wore it as an arm badge in the British Army.

The Stars and WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear Fleur-de-lis accessories
The stars show off their WATTO DMW accessories!

Kaylee Stroh of Highschool Musical with WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear gold fleur on chain http://www.etsy.com/listing/55957239/coppery-gold-metal-fleur-de-lis-charm-on

Shantell VanSanteen of “One Tree Hill” with WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear fleur-de-lis charm on chain http://www.etsy.com/listing/55957239/coppery-gold-metal-fleur-de-lis-charm-on

Actress TAnia Gunadi with WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear silver fleur-de-lis charm on chain http://www.etsy.com/listing/55961493/silver-fleur-de-lis-charm-on-gunmetal

Stacey Oristano of “Friday Night Lights” with WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear purple charm on chain http://www.etsy.com/listing/55968137/purple-metal-fleur-de-lis-pendant-on

Ryan McCombs of the band “Drowning Poo” with WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear silver fleur-de-lis charm on chain http://www.etsy.com/listing/55961493/silver-fleur-de-lis-charm-on-gunmetal

Harvey Guillen of “Huge” with WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear silver fleur-e-lis charm on chain http://www.etsy.com/listing/55961493/silver-fleur-de-lis-charm-on-gunmetal



Isabelle Fuhrman of “the Orphan” with WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear Copper fleur-de-lis belt buckle http://www.etsy.com/listing/49930069/fleur-de-lissmall-copper-fleur-metal



Piggy D of the band “Rob Zombie” with WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear fleur-e-lis distressed metal belt buckle http://www.etsy.com/listing/55006561/fleur-de-lis-bucklelarge-silver-fleur

Sameer Bhattacharya & Ames Culpepper of the band  Flyleaf with WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear  iron cross and fleur-de-lis belt buckle http://www.etsy.com/listing/61971098/fleur-de-lis-bucklesmall-silver-fleur

Sam Trammell of “True Blood” with WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear distressed metal fleur-de-lis belt buckle http://www.etsy.com/listing/61971098/fleur-de-lis-bucklesmall-silver-fleur

Morgan of the band “Sevendust” wiath WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear gold fleur-de-lis charm on chain http://www.etsy.com/listing/55957239/coppery-gold-metal-fleur-de-lis-charm-on

If you would like to read further about the fleur-de-lis visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleur-de-lis.
All information was adopted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleur-de-lis.

Nov 16, 2010





WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear Green Shamrock Belt Buckle

WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear Silver Charm Moneyclip



WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear Handmade Distressed Shamrock Belt Buckle

The Druids
One of the first to be linked to the Shamrock were The Druids. They were and indigenous people of Ireland and their Celtic religion held the number three a mystical number. The three petals that formed a triad led the Druids to hold this little gem as sacred.
       

Shanon Larkin of Godsmack with WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear green Shamrock Charm with Gunmetal Chain

 St. Patrick



Perttuu Kivilaakso of Apocalyptica with WATTO Disitnctive Metal Wear silver Shamrock charm on gunmetal chain



Who would have known this little green plant had so much power. In the 19th century the shamrock was seen as a sign of rebellion against the English. If caught wearing the symbol, it was rumored that an Irish man could be hung. Since then it has been used as a symbol in Irish pubs to show the warmth and welcoming of the establishment.

WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear silver shamrock charm with gunmetal keychain

Emma Anzai of Sick Puppies with WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear green shamrock charm with gunmetal keychain

Why is the 4-leaf Clover considered Lucky?
Well, the 4-leaf clover is still the rare one, and so finding one in a clover patch would be considered lucky. Remember looking for those as kids and making clover necklaces? Or, maybe we only did that in the Midwest.

The four petals stand for: HOPE, FAITH, LOVE, and the 4th petal for LUCK!

WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear Green 4-Leaf Clover Belt Buckle

WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear now has Shamrock designs in:
Handmade belt buckles ($55):

• distressed metal http://www.etsy.com/listing/62194172/shamrock-metal-belt-buckle-distressed
• green http://www.etsy.com/listing/62195985/shamrock-metal-belt-buckle-green-and

Handmade Charms on Money Clip ($15):

• silver http://www.etsy.com/listing/62066367/metal-shamrock-moneyclip
• green colors

Handmade Charms on gunmetal chains ($30):

• silver http://www.etsy.com/listing/49542225/metal-shamrock-charm-with-gunmetal-chain
• green http://www.etsy.com/listing/55876673/green-metal-clover-pendant-on-gunmetal

Handmade Charms on Key chains ($15):

• silver http://www.etsy.com/listing/58394765/metal-clover-charm-on-gunmetal-keychain
• green

WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear now has 4-leaf Clover designs in:

• distressed metal  http://www.etsy.com/listing/31155902/clover-buckledistressed-clover-metaland green http://www.wattoonline.com/4-Leaf%20Clover-123CVR.html

Charms for chains, key chains and money clips available upon request.



The Best Little Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Convention in Arizona

Nov 6th, 7th & 8th
InnSuites Hotel Tucson, AZ

Visit their site at http://home.earthlink.net/~basfa/
Wow, never been to anything like this before and didn’t know what to expect! The dealers were all put in a hotel meeting room so we didn’t get to enjoy all of the activities, but I can assure you there were some interesting things going on.
Wish I could have attended the Ghost Hunting Techniques and Equipment discussion – could come in handy some day. You never know. The discussion on Star Trek: Heresy or new revolution wouldn’t really be my thing, but apparently it was a lively banter. What I would have loved to hear was the talk on time travel. Where would you travel back or forward to? I think I’d like to visit Victorian times, but just for a day and only if I were a wealthy princess!
The guest speaker was Weston Ochse (http://www.westonochse.com/) who won the Bram Stoker Award which is equivalent to the Oscars, but for horror writers. I purchased his book Scarecrow Gods and got him to sign it! My first ever autographed book by an author.

Jon and I took a trip into the unknown and had our Tarot cards read by Lady Marretta. Watch out world! Looks like we’re in for some good stuff comin’ our way, so keep your eyes on WATT0!

There was a small but fun costume contest. Check out some of the images. Sorry, they were moving around too fast for my amateur photographerness (is that a word?)

Finally there were my neighbor vendors. I’ve included a few images, but check out the video of all of them.

This convention was probably not the best venue for us as it was more of a sci-fi gaming crowd, but we had a lot of fun. We’re looking into doing the big Fangoria Horror convention in CA, Will keep you posted…

For a mini convention experience check out the slideshow below!

Kevin McLeod – Music- “Dark World” found on incompetech.com
Bad Moon Books liz@badmoonbooks.com- also found on ebay
Richard Draude- author of  The Adam Eradication- rdraude@interplex-net.com
Silver Sea Jewelry- Elizabeth Mead- 330 N. 4th Ave Tucson, AZ 85705  520-624-9954
Bruce Davis-author of sci-fi e-books- http://www.akwbooks.com/
Lady Marretta- tarot readings- 602-354-8585
Bear- Scaramasax@aol.com – keltic armory, forge & the Fraisian Marketeers
Hadrosaur Productions- David Summers- publisher- http://www.hadrosaur.com/
Sherrie Holbrook- tupperware & vintage toys and trading cards- SherrieHolbrook@my2.tupperware.com
ProfessorChedwick Cornelius Atlerbury-Gary Hayes- graphic design – - valkyriearts@q.com
Astarte Imports & Gifts- Rhonda Staggs- astartenarghiles@myway.com
Massoglia Books- Marty & Alice Massoglia- used books- http://www.massogliabooks.com/
Ruth Bollerud- jewelry designer
Nora Rankin- head of dealer’s room
T-shirt Dealer-Scott & Jane Dennis-Fo’ Paws Productions http://www.fopaws.com/

It’s time for our monthly talk about blog with our Etsy group team “Handmade Division”.

This month’s topic is IF THERE WERE A MASTER ARTIST YOU COULD STUDY UNDER, WHO WOULD THEY BE.

I’m writing this one for both Jon and myself since we are both artists (though my artistery has been limited lately to running the business).

JON:
Jon would love to study under an artist and cartoonist named “Big Daddy” Ed Roth. Jon has a passion for motorcycles and custom-anything-that moves. Ed was a custom car builder who influenced the hot-rod movement of the 1960′s.

Although best known for his wacky character Rat Fink, Ed also was a huge influence on the hot rod movement turning these vehicles into works of functional art.

You can see his creations at http://www.ratfink.com/.


MARY:
As I wrote in my previous blog, I went to college for graphic design and painting. My favorites always have been and always will be post-impressionist painter Paul  Cézanne who bridged the gap between 19th century Impressionism and 20th century Cubism. Although Matisse holds a high second to  Cézanne for me. I’m drawn to their both painterly styles and graphic breakdowns of objects and forms. You can see more of the history of this great master and view some of his works at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_C%C3%A9zanne.

Another painter with whom I’d love to study with for technique is John Singer Sargent. Although I guess he is considered under the movement of Realism, I still consider his Impressionism influence to be what I love the most. His rich juicy use of paint and his exquiste drawing ability wow me. I do not myself choose to or want to paint in this manner, but I would like to have the knowledge and skill level to do so in order to translate it into my own style. I also love how he captures the romantism in every painting he does. They look mysterious yet beautiful. You can find out more info on him or read about his works at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Singer_Sargent




Please visit our other team members to see who their favorite mentor would be:
Andes Cruz: http://andescruz.wordpress.com/

Nancy Dale: http://nedbeads.blogpost.com/
Tosca Teran: http://nanopod.wordpress.com/
Rickson Jewellery: www.Ricksonart.blogspot.com
Beth Cyr: http://bCyrJewelry.blogspot.com
Lisa Hopkins Design: http://lisahopkinsdesign.blogspot.com
Sand Fibers: http://sandfibers.blogspot.com
Purified: http://purifiedart.blogspot.com
Emily Watson http://nocoloratall.tumblr.com/
Thomasin Durgin: http://metalriot.blogspot.com
Pink Crow Studio: http://pinkcrowstudio.typepad.com/



and combat motifs on their buckles.

The Cowboys actually wore buckles they found from the military. It wasn’t until the Western films were made that the stylists at that time felt a more decorative buckle was needed to spruce up the cowboy’s appearance and hence the Western buckle was born and is still popular today.



All buckle images are designs of WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear.

 

 

After a few more years of bouncing from job to freelance to design firm, he got bored of sitting behind a computer. At the time I (Mary Spencer-Watson) had a very good job making a decent income, so I told him to shoot for his dreams. Do whatever he wished. He toyed with lots of different ideas including being a landscape designer.



MARY’S STORY

 

Once I hit 30 I ventured off to Atlanta to pursue a freelance career. In what I wasn’t sure. I worked as a floral designe, graphic designer, prop artist and faux painter. That’s when I met Jon.

 

I then worked for a puzzle company “MasterPieces Puzzle Company” for over 5 years. I was fortunate enough to start their board game division as a Product manager and worked with game developers all over the country. This was too fun since I held focus grops with kids to play the games and see if they liked them or not. Plus I went on several trips to China and learned to work with foreign vendors.

Finally I moved to a Michigan based company that had it’s kid’s craft and stationery divisions in Tucson called Colorbk. I was the Senior Product Manager. This job was more about costing and workign with our China office and far less creative than my other jobs had been, but it helped me learn more about profit margins and how much my lines were actually making. I worked there less than a year when the company abruptly shut it’s Tucson office and I was laid off. This was in Nov of 08. I stuck around until Feb to help with their transition and it gave me time to consider my options.

Sand Fibers: http://sandfibers.blogspot.com/
Emily Watson/ Metal Emily: http://nocoloratall.tumblr.com/
Susan Moloney: http://susarto.blogspot.com/
Alice Istanbul: http://istanbuldesigns.blogspot.com/
Jewelry by Natsuko: http://jewelrybynatsuko.blogspot.com/
Tosca Teran/ Nanopod: http://nanopod.wordpress.com/
Bella-Bijou Jewellery: http://bellabijoujewellery.blogspot.com/
Beth Cyr: http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com/
Lisa Hopkins Design: http://lisahopkinsdesign.blogspot.com/
Metalriot/ Thomasin Durgin: http://metalriot.blogspot.com/
NEDbeads/ Nancy Dale: http://nedbeads.blogspot.com/
Tamra Gentry – http://www.jewelrydesignchronicles.com/
Rosy Revolver/ JJ Papke- http://rosyrevolver.blogspot.com/
Alisa Miller- http://alisamiller.blogspot.com/

As some of you may or may not know Jon and I began with our parent company The Metal Gardener in 2007 where Jon does custom gates, lighting, sculpture etc. We were asked at one of our gifting suites to be a sponsor for the City of Hope Bone Marrow Program by director/actor(Minority Report, Criminal Minds, Nip/Tuck, 24) – Patrick Kilpatrick. We decided to donate on of Jon’s beautiful sculptures seen here which will go up on the celebrity auction website.

 

 
The mood was festive with a patriotic/harvest theme.

The day included team shooting, breakfast buffet, lunch buffet, silent auction, live auction, awards, honors and happy hour.

  

Puppy that was in live auction. Was sold for $1000 + more for training. Purchased by Sandy Climan (Golden Global and British Academy-Award Winning Producer – The Aviator)



Asian American pop star Chelsea Emata  sang the national anthem. Seen here with a bunch of Navy guys.

 
Special guest Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds, The Godfather: Part III) was there.

 
Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters,The Secret Life of An American Teenager)sat down with us to have lunch. We’d met him before at several charity events. He’s super humble and said he wears our crown buckle often.He was there to hang with his son who was down from school.

 
Scott Bailey, and Adrienne Frantz also ate at our table. We’ve met them before as well. Adrienne filled me in on what it was like to work on a soap opera ( the Bold and Beautiful). Sounds like a sweet setup for an actress. a couple weeks on a week off and if your part is small that day, you may only work a few hours. Easy to set your schedule and plan your wedding. She’s engaged to Scott who was in Lifetime movie (Praying for Bobby)


Scott Bailey


 
Erik Estrada (Chips),  came over and hung at our table and signed a ton of pics of when he was in his early 20′s. He was such a character. His beautiful wife and kids were there as well. I believe he won one of the awards for shooting.

 

Then along came Roger Cross (agent curtis 24). He was too funny, cracking a bunch of jokes and bought a few pieces of art at the silent auction.



Phoebe Price



David Eigenberg Miranda’s husband in Sex and the City