Californica 2023- February the California Poppy Finished

So I finished my poppy! This is my second poppy I've ever done, and I feel such pressure to do it right since the California poppy is so strongly associated with California. I don't think I've managed it yet, but I'll keep trying!

Here it is by itself.

And here it is with the California peony.

Often when you see a poppy, they seem to pop out from the background and at least I don't notice anything else, which is why initially I didn't have any leaves in the background. Now, however, I think it looks a little stark and lonely side by side with the peony. I've been thinking about whether or not to add some leaves to the background. (Imagine a thinking emoji here!) 

For now I've decided to hold off on changing/adding anything. My theory is that I might feel it looks good next to the others, and that if I don't, I can always add something later. Sometimes it's best to sit on things and ponder or ruminate before you take action. That's the course I've decided on here.

This is my first poppy from my Cutesy Craft phenology wheel.

Here is a link to Jessica's original phenology wheel! I wasn't able to pull of her great design, but that's okay. I learned so much from her phenology wheel and she was a huge part of the inspiration for this project!

When I started my project, I knew that I didn't want to copy her wheel because I wanted to stretch and do something new or different. However, when I look at her design, I think it looks so good! It's hard not to wonder if the squares were not as good of an idea as hers. Still, I can be pleased that I am trying to do something new-to-me! I'll make mistakes and I won't always think things look the best, but like so many things in life, you can't know whether or not you'll like the finished product until it's done!! C'est la vie; c'est la vie!