A Love that "Sparkles"

To be honest I am not much of a scrapbooker; although admittedly I do have all of the supplies right here in my studio.  Yes, I have done my fair share of layouts but usually when I am creating a layout it is for  a manufacturer, a publication or trade show booth.  Rarely do I create a layout to stick inside an album....I prefer to display my layouts especially when so much  thought and meaning goes into creating them.

 I received a box of "Crystals" from Connie Crystal the other day and when I looked at them I knew I had to create a special layout of my parents wedding picture and with the Get-It-Straight Laser Square I knew everything would be lined up perfectly too!  This layout would "Sparkle" just like their "Love" did.....

Supplies:
Connie Crystal: Assorted Crystalsin Blue & Clear
Get-It-Straight Laser Square
Tombow: Mono Liquid Glue & Power Adhesive Tabs
Kreinik Thread: Black
One 12" x 12" Decorative Paper
Cardstock: One each of Blue and Black
Scissor
Ruler

There was just something about this decorative cardstock that made me buy it several years ago,
although I knew it would never be used for anything to do with California.....
I loved the vintage feel of it and the flourishes....since it had blue on there I knew it was perfect
for this project because blue was my dad's favorite color and
still is my mom's favorite color!

 

I placed my decorative cardstock with the photo inside my laser square to determine where to cut it down 

 

 as I wanted to create an 8" x 10" layout so it could easily be framed. I wanted that hint of blue still showing to coordinate with the matting that would be done with the blue and black cardstock.

 I layered the photo onto blue cardstock using the laser square to get everything straight

on all sides.

I placed glue on the back of the photo

 

so that I could adhere my photo to the cardstock.

making sure it was aligned 

all the way around before pressing firmly in place. 

 I created two more pieces by cutting down the left over decorative cardstock 

then layering it on top of black then blue.

I gathered my crystals and  thread to create a strand  3 1/4" long

which I knotted at each end to hold into place.

I used the laser square to line up the strand of crystals  

then I used the power tabs to hold the thread onto the back side.

Then I used the laser square to align the crystal piece onto the layout.

I printed out "Mom and Dad" with the date on vellum and adhered to the decorative cardstock 

again layering with the black and blue cardstock.  

Using the laser square to find the right placement and then I glued in place.

I placed it into the only black frame I had to take the photo but

plan to go and buy a black frame for it before giving it to my mom!

I love how it turned out and will need to create something like this for my

mother-in-law with her wedding picture also!