Photo Challege to Applique

Have I officially lost my mind?! I am beginning to think so. This is more of a meditative thing for me than anything. I do challenge myself and take on way more than I should at times, but the great part about that is I am constantly learning. I am to create a bag using all scraps, using painting and stitching for details and accents. I hope this turns out and doesn't end up in the trash. So far I am liking it. The story on this challenge is that I received an e-mail this morning from National Geographic and photos of cherry blossom trees, I loved this photo the most and wanted to create something using it as a inspirational tool. I am still in the process of rearranging and cutting out the artwork so lots may change between this photo and the next. More progress photos coming soon.