This morning I went to Nebraska Furniture Mart and bought a jewelry armoire with part of the money I made at the sale yesterday. I had to assemble the little legs and screw the hinges for the top piece. I loaded it up. I just love it and have so much more room in my dressing room now that everything is off my vanity. I made my TAD 7 during half time. I am from Louisiana so of course I have to cheer on the Saints though Patton Manning is from New Orleans. I made a flore de les which means flower lily. It is a symbol that Cajuns know very well and the New Orleans Saints adorn their jerseys with. I antiqued it during commercials and then baked it again. Apparently too long and burned it. That's okay as I will perfect it when I make it over about 20 times. I so very proud of the Saints! The Flore de les has been seen in Kings armors, French monarchic rule, such as Louisiana. The design can be found in many places long before heraldic times, as far back as Mesopotamia. It is essentially a stylized flower, and served as a decorative element and became associated over time with royalty, especially in the High Middle Ages. As a heraldic charge, it dates from the 12th c. It is first adopted as a semis on a field by the French king Philippe II (1180-1214) with certainty, perhaps already by his father Louis VII (1137-80). At a minimum, the arms "azure, a semis of fleur-de-lis or" are associated with French kings from 1200. The fleur-de-lys, as emblem (as opposed to heraldic charge) appears on coins and seals from the 10th c. at least. Typically, it forms the end of a scepter, or decorates the rim of a crown, or is held, over-sized, by the king along with a scepter. So there is, by the 11th-12th c., a strong association with royal sovereignty. In fact, coins of the Emperor Frederic I show him holding such a scepter. Moreover, supposing that it was already called a fleur-de-lys at the time, the lilly flower had strong religious connotations, especially with the Virgin Mary, and later (in the 14th c.) with the Trinity. I love the flore de les shape, I always have. This is the first time I have tried making it. Geaux Saints….
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