Ooops. I used a duplicate layer to add gaussian blur & adjusted the opacity. That's what gave the ethereal quality to it. Didn't realize this was not allowed in Basic, as I was thinking only that Gaussian Blur was allowed ... Hard lesson learned as this was a PB at time of DQ.
Disqualification Details
You may use only Adjustment Layers (or their equivalent). An Adjustment Layer is a special type of layer containing no image data that lets you experiment with color and tonal adjustments without permanently modifying the pixels. Adjustment Layers must be applied in Normal mode.
DNMC...it's a trike not a bike! Ummm yeah...I bet you're only hearing that lame joke like a hundred times. Very cool and interesting colors, they have a very ethereal look to them. Well done!