Think Green: PPA color challenge

Can I just say that life with a two-year-old is never dull? My son seems to have turned a cranky corner since turning two in January, and I keep waiting for the clouds to lift. There are times when he is funny and lovely and so sweet, but right now I feel like my days are consumed with managing melt-downs and fights over what he will and will not eat. Oh the joys. I keep reminding myself that this is a phase, and it will pass. I only hope that by the time this next baby arrives (in less than two months, yikes!) he will be a bit happier more of the time.
Like many others who saw this particular color challenge, my first thought was to do a St. Patrick's Day type card (and then who would I send it to??...) but my husband asked me to make a card for a student of his that is going through a personal tragedy and I thought that the muted color combination would make a perfect sympathy card. I combined the color challenge with Mercy Kerin's Tuesday Sketch, which I really like this week. I was tempted to use it again on another card, but ended up using something else. I'll definitely come back to this sketch, though! This card is the result of a lot of tinkering, and all I can say is, remember to go with your first instinct.

I initially pulled out Thoughts and Prayers, decided it wasn't right for the layout and set it aside for Pocket Silhouettes (in part because I'm trying to use more stamp sets that I haven't used in a while). I made the whole card, including the stamped panel, and decided it didn't work. So I pulled off the stamped panel and started again with Thoughts and Prayers and this time it worked! I did have to add a little layer of kraft under the stamped layer after the fact because I thought it looked unfinished without it (hence the multiple dimensional layering on the stamped panel!) I also popped the whole front panel up on dimensionals to accommodate the rhinestone brads. I'm pretty happy with the card now, and think it will do nicely for my husband's student. I don't know if you can see it in the picture, but I used just a dash of dazzling diamonds glitter on the center of the flowers, which I think gives it just a little extra sparkle that complements the rhinestone brads nicely.

Supplies:
Kraft, Garden Green, Whisper white cs, Certainly Celery dsp
Thoughts and Prayers, Sanded stamps
Sahara Sand, Garden Green, Certainly Celery inks/markers
sponges
rhinestone brads/paper piercing tool/mat pack
two way glue pen/dazzling diamonds
green satin ribbon (non-SU!)
mini glue dot
dimensionals