Grandma's Trellis

This is my example to the Pages In Time members for my July Pile It On Challenge.  I'm trying this new type of challenge to see if there is any interest among the PIT members. 

In addition to a randomly drawn winner for a prize, I'm also awarding a badge.  This is the first time I created a badge in Photoshop Elements 7, so it's simple but effective.   I wanted an image that demonstrated how to pile it on.  This lovely lady has pearls, a boa and a very large hat.  Having a highly decorated hat was important to me.  After hours of searching the web, I found this great image at Art Freebies.  I simply added text to create my badge.  But I figured out how to do it, all by myself!

About the photo in the layout:  This is my grandma in her garden.  It was a postage stamp sized garden in the city but it was filled with flowers.  Here she's standing in front of the trellis where she grew parsley and lettuce. My grandma (Babcia) came to America at the age of 15.

About the Pages In Time Challenge:  I chose 4 July challenges from the other Design Team members and added my own twist, to use a button.  Here are the challenges so you know what I incorporated into my layout:
Denise's Distressing: Inking:  I used Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Ink in China Blue to edge the photo mat, Tea Dye and Antique Linen.  Scissors: blades used along the edges of the tickets.  Crumpling: of the tickets, then inked the creases.
Lisa's Go Green: one hand made embellishment:  butterfly stamped on grungeboard and inked; pearl flower; 2 recycled or re-purposed items:  punchinella (the waste from punching out sequins), the wire connectors for the butterfly's antennae; the Prima Flower cardstock packaging for the mat behind photo; the two hatpins from my aunt's pin cushion.
Lacee's You've Got Style (shabby chic):  butterfly, flowers, incorporate pink (flower), white (flowers, pearls, punchinella), brown (brown alphas for title, brown tickets and ink, brown ink pen for journaling, brown dot in ribbon, brown cord on button); the shabbiness from distressing and having lots of embellishments on top of a busy pattern
Barbara's Pearl: I tried my hand at making Barbara's pearl flower; pearls on hatpins, added tiny pearls to flower centers next to butterfly; the 2 brad flower centers have pearls on them. Maybe we can also count the pearl gems on the punchinella?

I'm entering names a second time if a July Pages In Time Thursday Sketch is used.  Speaking of which, here is the sketch for this week, posted today:

Pages In Time also announced today the July Artist of the Month.  Congratulations to Lisa!!!!  She creates phenomenal layouts!

To see her work and participate in the challenges and groups, won't  you join me at Pages In Time?

Credits for the layout:  
I was inspired by a sketch created by Emily Hammann.
Butterfly is a Wendy Vecchi Studio 490 stamp by Stampers Anonymous
Prima Patterned paper: Cupcake from Strawberry Kisses Collection and Prima Flowers from a Pages In Time March 2010 monthly kit

Update  posted 7/3/2010:  I also posted this layout at Simply Scrapping Crafts where I found Emily's sketch.  Today I've been honored at SSC with this:

Thanks so much, SSC!!!!