A Photo Says it All - Noel Mignon Layout

I'm playing with the fabulous Soda Shoppe kit again from Noel Mignon!  Noel has a few more left, so grab one while you can here.

A Favorite Moment is what I named this layout...it could have been My Heart too...honestly, I was speechless.  This photo was not taken by me, but by a professional photographer in Florida on a beach trip re-union with all of the other Chinese Adoptive families we traveled with.  I decided to change it to black and white and have fun with some colors from the kit and some ink and mist.

For me being in a photo with my daughter is priceless...I have tons of photos like this with Emma and her Dad, but hardly any of me.  This is a treasure.

 I wasn't sure where I was going with the layout at first, so I just started cutting the pattern paper.  That will usually get me inspired more than a full sheet will.  I knew I wanted to use that gorgeous Glitz bokeh paper, the sticker frame, and that little piece from the My Mind's paper with the yellow flowers.

 Once the pieces of paper were smaller, I started placing and seeing what I liked...and I was finally seeing the layout come together.  Then I used some Distress Ink with a blending tool and masked lightly over the background.  I've been so inspired to use that old tool that has collected dust from Christin's amazing work.  Mine was so old, I had to use Zip Dry glue to re-adhere some velcro to it.  Then I've been inspired by watching Corrie Jones and Janna Werner using mists.  Corrie's idea was to unscrew the mist, and use the inside tube as a paint brush.  Janna's was to spray the mist in the cap and then let it drip onto your layout.  Two new things I've never tried with mists before, and will use again.

 I put all the papers and photo back, added some stitching, then put twine through the straw and adhered to the layout.  I've been using this design on a few layouts lately...the asymmetrical design...I really like it.  The black and white photo, pops of pink and coral and splatters balance out the papers on the other side of the straw, but not exactly the same.

This is one of my favorite layouts...more because of the photo...I was so reluctant to like it...I never like myself in photos...but I don't care about the double chin anymore...I just see a very sweet favorite moment.