My first idea for bringing Voltaire's words to needlework involved playing with fonts and a few simple images. If you look very closely, you'll see a strangely-shaped object to the right of the 's' in the first line... this was an early attempt to somehow convey the word 'canvas'. Although most of the ideas on this page were abandoned, a few elements remain in the final piece...

... the Tiny Blue Flowers and Butterflies still appear throughout 'Love Is...". As does the Little Rabbit. The basic concept of the word "Imagination" has also remained... similar font; "I's" dotted with stars; beads scattered above the word. However, "Imagination" in the final design is stitched in a rainbow collection of threads; shimmery, metallic "A'S" are dropped into place by a Hot-Air Balloon and a Kite; a Dandelion Seed-Head replaces the "O" and the entire word is pulled into the picture by a shiny White Unicorn with Multi-Coloured Reins.