Evening Waterlilies

I'm spending more and more of my time out on the balcony in the evenings. There's a sweet spot of time where it's not as hot and, actually, being outside is cooler and fresher than inside our flat! 

I'm behind on working on these waterlily ATCs. The full theme is Waterlily Pond and I hadn't at all intended mine to resemble Monet's Water Lilies, although now I'm closer to finishing I suppose that's kind of what it looks like - aside from the Willow tree tumbling down in front which I don't think he has in the painting. 

I'm really chuffed with the trees actually, I didn't like them initially and, to be truthfully honest, I'm still not all that keen on my bridges! But I didn't have another idea of how to make them so I've stuck with it in the hopes that they will grow on me. The willow though, I feel is a success! I've used a jute twine which I think I purchased as part of a hand dyed bundle of goodies, stripped it and untwisted it so that one or two whole strands became seven or eight branches and couched down those strands in an as tree-like higgledy-piggledy fashion as I could. Over the top of the strands I've then made lots of individual fly stitches to resemble the leaves, varying their size and angle, and also mixing up a couple of colours through the whole tree. It's quite fibrous so there are strands and flakes all over the place but I quite like it. It gives me that waterfall feeling that the weeping willow tree has, dipping its leaves into the waters below. 

The two bottom fabrics I think look like water lilies already so I'm not planning on adding much to them really. Some pads have been picked out in felt and I've stitched them down, and I'm just adding chain stitch flowers over the top in pinks (maybe yellows?), then I might fill in some of the other pad shapes with a satin stitch. 

Something does need to happen to these bridges though. It doesn't look quite natural and I'm slightly at a loss of what to do to make them more loveable. I'll ponder on it in the evening sunshine!