Continuing the 4th Vacation and Grab bag at GingerScraps

I am continuing to scrap my way through our Fourth of July Vacation layouts.  One of our very stops in DC was the Natural History Museum to see the Hope Diamond. The Hope Diamond has been removed from its traditional setting and placed in a more modern setting to celebrate its 50 year anniversary of being on display at the Smithsonian.  While we were there we took in the rest of the mineral and gem collection which includes:

The Logan Sapphire, which at 423 carats is the second largest known faceted blue sapphire.

A gold butterfly set with 333 fancy-colored Montana Sapphires.

A platinum flower brooch made of tanzanites surrounded by diamonds.

A natural sandstone formation from Fontainebleau, France. 

The Portuguese Diamond, the largest cut diamond in the collection at the National Museum of Natural History.

A veritable rainbow of minerals.

An ore specimen from Bayard, New Mexico of Chalcopyrite. The large brassy crystals of chalcopyrite were covered with black sphalerite and white dolomite.

And a gold nugget from the Maxwell Land Grant in Colfax County, NM. 

All of these can be found in my layout below.

Rocks (click for larger)

Block Party Template by Unforgettable Moments from the GingerScraps Free With Purchase grab bag; 

Smile For the Camera by Unforgettable Moments from the GingerScraps Free With Purchase grab bag;  

Fonts: CenturyGothic, CKPirateHand

And close ups of the two sides:

I had photos cross the half-way point in this layout, which I have never done before. I guess I'll find out if it was a good idea after it gets printed!

I used the new September "Free with 10 dollar Purchase" for this layout. It's by Unforgettable Moments with Amy Peck and it is free with a 10 dollar purchase throughout the Month of September. Here is the product preview.

And here are detailed previews of what's inside! (Click for larger images)