There is a specific kind of afternoon that only exists in childhood, the kind where nothing is scheduled and the grass is warm and your best friend is right there and someone suggests leapfrog and suddenly an hour has disappeared and you cannot remember the last time you laughed that hard. Frog remembers. He is in the middle of one of those afternoons right now and he would like you to know that it is never too late to have one.
Frog and Toad
Arnold Lobel gave us Frog and Toad in 1970 and the four books that followed became something rare in children's literature, stories that do not talk down to their readers, that take friendship and loneliness and courage and joy completely seriously, and that somehow manage to be genuinely funny at the same time. Lobel once said that Frog and Toad were two aspects of himself, the optimist and the worrier, the adventurer and the homebody, the one who suggests leapfrog and the one who needs a little convincing before agreeing it is a good idea.
The books have won a Caldecott Honor and a Newbery Honor and have been adapted into a Broadway musical and an Emmy-nominated animated series, and none of that is the point. The point is that somewhere right now a child is being read these stories for the first time and learning without being told that the best thing in life is having someone to play leapfrog with in the tall grass on a warm afternoon when nothing needs doing and the flowers are blooming and there is nowhere else either of you would rather be.
Toad always needs a little convincing. He always comes around.
The Piece
Two mismatched twig teardrop frames, each one its own scene from a perfect afternoon. On one ear Frog is mid-leap inside his frame, jacket on, arms out, webbed feet lifting off the ground with the unmistakable energy of someone who has just decided to go for it completely. A spray of lily of the valley style blooms arches above him, and a tiny frog perches at the very top of the frame watching the whole thing with great interest. On the other ear a pair of large daisies fill the frame, the kind that appear throughout the books, their petals and centers hand carved and layered, leaves spreading outward in different directions the way garden flowers always do when they are growing somewhere they are happy.
At the top of each earring a teardrop shaped Sonoran Gold turquoise stone sits in a simple setting, that rich green threaded through with warm golden matrix and tiny flecks of pyrite that catch the light like sunlight through leaves. No two stones are alike, which feels exactly right for a pair of earrings that has never been interested in matching anyway.
Each earring is approximately 2 inches tall and 1.5 inches wide, with sterling silver posts and backs.
The Craftsmanship
- Earrings: mismatched pair, approximately 2 inches tall by 1.5 inches wide each
- Stones: Sonoran Gold turquoise teardrops with pyrite inclusions, mined in Arizona
- Material: sterling silver throughout, oxidized
- Style: stud earrings with twig teardrop dangles
- Edition: one of a kind
One of a Kind
There is only one Frog mid-leap and only one garden waiting for him to land in. This particular afternoon, these particular twig frames, these two stones that will never be exactly this combination again: they exist once. When they find their person they will never be made again exactly like this.
A Note from Tamara
I made this pair because I wanted to capture that specific feeling of a carefree afternoon that the Frog and Toad books always gave me, the feeling that the most important thing you can do on a Tuesday is go outside and play with your best friend and not come back until dinner. Frog is always the one who suggests the adventure. Toad is always the one who shows up anyway. I hope whoever wears these thinks of their own Frog, or their own Toad, and maybe sends them a message today just to say hello.
Shipping
Your Frog and Toad are finished, packaged safely, and will be on their way to you within 3 to 5 business days.