Scrapbooking designs | Water Lilies and the Lotus Flower

Scrapbooking designs for the Water lily

Scrapbooking designs-Water lilies on the pond Anderson Park Townsville City

On a recent visit to Townsville City I visited the three botanical gardens. They were all so interesting. In particular the beautiful display of water lilies on the pond at Anderson Park caught my imagination. There are two ponds, one with both water lilies and the lotus flower, and a single pond containing Lotuses.

Focusing on the water lilies, I have displayed them as a double page scrapbook design layout;  kept it very simple with colored card stock , and a single mat underneath in the toning of the water lilies to highlight them.

Scrapbooking designs  for water lilies on the Pond Anderson Park Townsville City

I find the water lilies quite fascinating in their growth, as you can see the buds under the water pushing upward to the surface as they develop. The lily pads are also beautiful, the new leaves a deep bronze red as they emerge. They turn to green as they age on the surface, but when a leaf curls upwards you will see the underside remains a deep wine color (the color of a good Merlot or Shiraz).

Scrapbooking designs -vibrant pink water lilies on the pond Anderson Park Townsville City

On the second page of this double feature I have used the same color scheme. However, I have placed a loose border of water lilies along the bottom of the page, simply by cutting out the individual blossoms from different photos. I have placed the water lilies intermittently with 3D butterflies in a pale green shade. The color of the butterflies compliment the lily pads.

Scrapbooking-designs – water lilies on the Ross River, Riverway, tropical Townsville

The next page features the pale mauve water lily that grow along the banks of rivers and lagoons. The photos were taken along the Ross River at Riverway, tropical Townsville. This water lily is a very delicate shade of mauve with a bright yellow center.

I rather liked the design above of this scrapbook page from an Asian Design Range. It has dragonflies and bamboo against a deep pink background.The deep pink color of the page enhances the shades of green/blues in the photo.The dragonflies are very appropriate as they were in abundance along the river, in and about the water lilies. The design of the sheet is very pretty, but also unobtrusive against the subject matter. If you click on ‘scrapbook page‘ above you will see The K&Company Susan Winget botanical design paper pad has very pretty designs in mostly soft colors, which are easy to work with, and the botanical pillow stickers complement the pages beautifully. (Refer previous para under ‘butterflies‘, for view of botanical stickers).

Scrapbooking-designs: Water lilies Ross River, Riverway, tropical Townsville

Even more delicate is the tiny white fringed water lily (directly above on the left) with a bright yellow center.It grows in the same vicinity as the mauve water lily. This lily is known as Snowflake Lily or Water Snowflake. Its botanical name is Nymphoides indica. It is a very pretty, dainty water lily. The above design sheet is in a plain color complimentary to the Asian Design sheet, but with a single underlay under each photograph.

Subject matter for Scrapbooking designs

I always take my camera with me when I am out and about. There is nearly always something delightful and worthwhile in nature to photograph for ones scrapbooking designs and layouts. My Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W5 has served me well since 2006. Most of my complaints are about my photography rather than the camera. All the photo’s in my posts have been taken with this camera, so I feel that Sony produces a very good product.There has of course been many advancements in camera technology since then. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V has many desirable features with more pixels,  a wider zoom, bigger screen, and of course they are so light and small. Mine is quite heavy by comparison.The Sony DSC-HX5V  has other desirable features such as anti-motion blur and Intelligent Sweep Panorama mode, which would be very helpful when photographing some of the spectacular sights you see when traveling with a small group tour.

Scrapbooking designs -lotus flower Anderson Park Townsville City

Differences between a water lily and a lotus flower

Ever wondered about the difference between a water lily and a lotus flower. When you see them growing in the same vicinity it is very obvious, as the stem, leaves and flower of a lotus flower rise and sit 3-4 feet above the level of the water; the leaves of the water lily in comparison sit on the surface of the water. The lotus flower also has a large seed pod in the center of the flower.  When dried this seed pod  is often used in flower arrangements, either fresh or dried, and are quite decorative used in this manner. In ancient cultures there were many and varied uses for this seed pod.

The pink lotus flower   grows along the waters edge at Riverway in tropical Townsville, as well as the mauve and white water lilies. They make a very striking display. Both the water lily and the lotus flower make a delightful subject to use in scrapbooking designs, or as a decorative element .

The lotus flower, a revered plant in ancient literature, art and religious beliefs.

scrapbooking designs -water lilies and the lotus flower

The beauty of the lotus flower has been revered since ancient times in literature, art and religious beliefs. The lotus flower has been immortalized  by poets and artist in many countries, including Greece, Egypt, India and South East Asia for thousands of years. One of the ancient beliefs is that the lotus blossom can be compared to life and circumstance, as although the lotus grows in slimy mud and stagnant pond waters, despite this, it develops and grows  into the most beautiful flower. (So remember this when life is difficult, you can still get through it, just think of the beautiful lotus flower!).

Scrapbooking-Designs – Water Lilies and and the lotus flower

 From my Travel Japan Scrapbooking Designs

Above is a photograph of the Golden Pagoda (Kinkaku) at Rokuon-Ji Temple grounds in Kyoto, Japan. It is an enlarged print on white card stock, a double underlay in brown and black  scrapbooking paper, accentuated by a single dried lotus flower and verse.

Until next time, enjoy your scrapbooking!

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