A few years ago I found our family crest and name history online and had a scroll printed and framed for my father-in-law. I was looking for ideas for a title page for my most recent 12x12 scrapbook and I realized that our family crest would be perfect. Unfortunately I didn't scan the crest before the scroll was framed. So here I am, with this great idea (the crest framed out by an 8" chipboard "O" for our last name) and no way to get it.
But then it occured to me that I could make the crest myself on my computer. Here it is. I used bits and pieces from all over the internet to create this, I LOVE it and it looks awesome printed on vellum. From the research I did, I was able to figure out the shield is a chief -- which is determined by the way the field is divided. It means dominion, authority, wisdom, achievement in battle. Ours is white on top and green on bottom. The green means hope, joy and loyalty in love. The white means sincerity and peace. The griffin means valient soldier, to the death. The sheep either mean gentleness and patience under suffering or authority. depending on whether or not they are ewes or rams. I don't know which. The lions are rampant lions -- depending on the direction they face they are called different names -- and they mean dauntless courage. The helmet means wisdom, strength or invulnerability. Pretty cool, I'd say.
I wanted to do a freebie kit with heraldry elements so everyone could easily make their own, but there are so many different things that go into a crest with countless variations, that I just don't think I could have done it justice. Here is a good site for learning more, and there are countless sites on the internet that can help you research your own family's crest.
