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Our local garden club has started meeting for the 2017-2018 year and we received our directories to decorate for the contest in November. My mom always has me do hers for her and this year she requested something with an octopus so that one is for her. I really like flamingos so thought I'd try my hand at that for myself. Both backgrounds are distress ink on watercolor paper.

Wow! Both are absolutely stunning! Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!

Those are both beautiful, Rachelle.

Oh gosh I love them!

Gorgeous Rachelle!

Terrific! Surely one will be the winner

These are beautiful. I predict the flamingo is the winner.

Wow, I see TWO winners here! They are both outstanding. I'm leaning towards your flamingo and not just because it's a bird, LOL. The composition, details and elements really caught my eye. Plus your background...awesome.

Thanks everyone! What's really funny is, we joined 2 years ago, so this is our third time entering the cover contest. The first year we actually took both 1st and 2nd place, but I admit there were only 6 entries and not a lot of enthusiasm. Last year, somehow a spark was lit. There were 12 entries and all of them were fantastic. I was so happy to see the creativity and enthusiasm and that someone else won, yay! Hopefully, we will have even more entries this year. (we have about 50-60 active members) Not only has the contest brought the creative juices out, but it has actually spilled into other aspects of garden club. Instead of just plants, we now include decorative projects for the garden as part of our interests. I joined just to be supportive of my mom, but it ended up being a fun way to share my own creative spark with people who maybe didn't know they had it in them.

Rachelle I've no doubt that anyone with or without that spark will be inspired by hanging out with you.

Jaw-droppingly gorgeous Rachelle, both of them. For some reason I'm partial to the Octopus, although as a species I prefer Flamingos. Go figure. My garden club doesn't do anything like that as far as I'm aware from my short association with them. Although at this point I'd just be happy to be able to get to meetings regularly; working 2.5 hours from home plays havoc with my social life.