Too much EGG-citement

This story goes all over the place, from here to New Mexico to Seattle -- and France, of course! -- so buckle up and hang on!
First of all, I've had this antique encyclopedia page for some time. I loved the bird eggs BUT ... Who would have thought to include on the same page shark eggs (that corkscrew thingie) or cuttlefish eggs (No. 58 -- looks like blue berries!) I knew I was in for a challenge to eliminate all the non-bird eggs and accompanying text and then move that all up to square things off all the while keeping the background in tact. After much gnashing of teeth (I forwent the sackcloth and ashes) I managed to come up with this: At 8 inches square, it's not a standard size BUT ... it's got lots of potential, don't you think? That huge egg in the center is from a Greak Auk, or I should say "was." Everything one can say about the Great Auk must be said in the past tense because it became extinct in the 19th century. And that's all I'm gonna say about that because I've got other tangents to follow and I don't want you to be any more confused than you will be now that we're dashing down to New Mexico.
That's where Linda lives, aka Paper Seeker on Etsy. She asked me to create a banner for her. Linda and I met through the Pacific Postcard Club (no, New Mexico is not close to the Pacific ocean or the Pacific Northwest BUT who cares:) So it was really fun to meet her in person at a postcard show in Portland when she visited family and friends last month. We have so much in common -- it's crazy:) When she asked me to create a banner for her, I was very honored but even more nervous. However, I got into that artsy-fartsy mode, lost in the creative process, one "accident" lead to another and it all came together. I'm not gonna show you what I made for Linda. You just gotta go see for yourself because you're gonna wanna look through all her stuff. Postcards, cabinet cards and vintage snapshots galore. This one Linda calls "Designated Driver." Here's "Party Girl." Too cute or what?! And most all are in the $2-4 range. Maybe I shouldn't have told you that -- don't run there yet. I've got more egg-citement to tell you.
While looking for 'foreign' [English] postal cancellations to use in Linda's banner, I came across a real delight: a peacock! You know that feeling you get when an image just GRABS you and you gotta use it? Well, I had started a little gift tag, using mostly the blue eggs from the encyclopedia page. And I just knew I HAD to put that peacock in there somewhere. Then I got all wrapped up in various hues, playing with the color, adding an assortment of frames. Before I knew it, my eggs had multiplied to a baker's dozen and more! By this time, my egg-citement and heady rush from Linda's kudos had began to dissipate. I started second guessing myself and all sorts of negativity rushed in. Have you ever experienced this on a project?
The peacock comes part and parcel with a Seattle cancellation mark. Seattle? On a French collage?! Does the peacock even show up? Can someone really make it out or does it just look like an egg is missing in that spot? I know it's a peacock cause I put it there, but can you see it? I started to blog about my dilemma and ask for your input. Does art have to make sense? Can't it just be pretty? I started, I sputtered. Then I realized that a French postcard could indeed have a Seattle postmark, bien sur! French folks wrote to relatives and friends in the States or mailed postcards home while vacationing here. So, easy enough to connect the dots on that one even if it is a circuitous route. I will refrain from combining my peacock and Seattle cancellation with the Eiffel Tower. That might be stretchings things too much:) But in the meantime, I'm offering my egg gift tags as is, Seattle, peacock and all. I've put 4 tags on one digital 'sheet'. And if you buy the encyclopedia egg page, you can pick out one of the egg gift tags set for free! So, the next time you're out running errands, drop by to see Linda and then come by my place and pick up a dozen eggs:)

http://www.zibbet.com/FrenchKissed/artwork?artworkId=666803
http://www.zibbet.com/FrenchKissed/artwork?artworkId=666799