The Ink and The Story

For those that want to see the completed project, you can click here...don't worry there's nothing there that will make ya blush, I promise.

Now the story behind the ink. As of this very moment, the picture holds only a ball of tiger lilies and a sweet potato vine. Interesting choices for the most part, both have a deep meaning for me which is the reasoning behind the choices. Tiger lilies are pretty common in the ink world (most flowers are). Here they stand for something along the lines of "dare you to love me". Sure, okay...not for me though.

You see, the tiger lily (or ditch lily) is my flower. As in the one that makes me melt...no roses for this chick...it's all about the tiger lily. Strength, wealth and prosperity (there are more things to wealth than just money). Fierce and dedicated friendship. Tiger lilies are prolific, they SURVIVE just about anywhere in just about any condition. Promising, isn't it?

There is an old Asian legend about the tiger lily...here ya go: A Korean hermit helped a wounded tiger by removing an arrow from its body. The tiger asked the hermit to use his powers to perpetuate their friendship after his death. The hermit agreed and when the tiger died, his body became a tiger lily. Eventually the hermit drowned and his body was washed away. The Tiger Lily spread everywhere searching for its friend.

A dedicated survivor regardless of the hardships...plus they're just too darn pretty for words.

Now the sweet potato vine...that's a whole 'nother ball of wax. Beautiful despite its roots (face it, sweet potatoes are not the prettiest things in the word). Takes root easily but still survives transplants. They aren't fussy and don't demand a lot of time. Easy on the eyes and easy to nurture.

There is a second bit of symbolism to it for me though...the spouse. He's stood by me through all my nuttiness these long years, held me when I've cried and turned me loose when I needed my space. I may not always like the man, but I do love him. I don't do the whole name in permanent ink thing, so I chose to get the vine. You see, the spouse was called by the nickname of Sweet Potato when he was a little fella. Fitting, don't ya think?