images next to ads

[Soliloquy]

I'm trying to get a better idea of which images next to ads are considered acceptable and which are not. I've been integrating ads into some of my sites by trying to make them part of the overall graphic design, and up till now Google has always given them the green light. (My theory is to try and make them look cute and harmless.)

My first attempt at this was on Ice Cream New York, where you can see how I added wrought iron bars to make it look like the hanging banners popular here. Then I made a balloon graphic that enclosed an ad for another site, which Google also approved. Then I read this thread in which someone said they got approval for an animated ladybug image crawling next to their ads, but someone else asked if they could have a blinking red dot but was denied.

So, I ran this past Google and it was denied:


Figuring it was probably the horn, I then asked their opinion on this:

but got a form letter:

Publishers may not implement Google ads in a manner that disguises the ads in any way, for instance, by formatting neighboring content to look
similar to the ads, or by making ads look like games or forum posts.
Additionally, publishers may not attempt to associate specific images with
the individual ads appearing on their sites. Such an implementation may
confuse users who assume that the image is directly related to the
advertiser's offerings.

We encourage you to review the policies and use your best judgment to
determine your site's compliance. If you suspect that an implementation
may violate the spirit of one of our policies, we'd recommend you err on
the side of caution and modify the implementation.

Please also be aware that due to the large volume of emails we receive, we can't accommodate individual requests to review publishers' sites.

Thanks for your understanding.

Well, I don't think I'm implementing them in a manner that disguises the ads, but now I'm not sure. Can anyone show me examples of images they've got approval from Google to use next to the ads, or even ones that have been rejected?