Another quilled flower: making it up as I go!

Sometimes I find that one thing just leads to another where quilling is concerned.

I sold an 80th birthday card at the market last Friday and needed to replace it, with no particular idea of what to do - except that it should be a feminine design. So I started by printing a card with a pink panel and lace border (yes, I know, it's lace yet again - but these borders look so good!!)  Then, inspired by my friend Suzana's wonderful quilled orchids, I thought I'd start constructing a fantasy flower with flattened 'eye' shapes pressed together to form the bloom.  That looked OK, so I added some yellow stamens and a little green calyx - and then I went a bit crazy making leaves and tendrils with the green (just love that bright lime colour!). By this time, there was far too much green, and very little symmetry in the design - so I added another flower bud, and then two more just to balance everything up! I could still be quilling it now, but the whole design was starting to grow out of control and sometimes you just have to STOP, don't you?

So finally I did stop, and mounted the flower on the card with all its attendant buds and tendrils. And here it is: