Kelly Latevola

August 25, 2015
by Kelly Latevola 10 Comments

Rainbows and Goodbyes

Hello Crafters!

It’s Kelly here and sadly this will be my last post for A2ZScrapbooking.

While I am extremely grateful for the opportunities I have had here I feel like it’s time to move on. Thank you so much for visiting me here at the blog and an even bigger thank you to all the girls.

You’re lovely and I adore each and everyone of your talented little souls.

I decided to do a video for my last post.

This is a technique I’ve been asked about quite a few times. I hope you enjoy!

I did add a bit of white gel pen after I had turned off the camera to fill in the black space.

Thank you so much!

Supplies:

Butterfly and Flower Stamp set

Stamp and Cut Thanks

Distress Ink

White Embossing Powder

Sakura White Pen

August 10, 2015
by Kelly Latevola 7 Comments

Get Well Soon

Hello Crafters!

Happy Monday! Nothing like a glittery flower card to kick off the week right? Added bonus it fits in with our current challenge: Embossing!

When I sat down to make my card I was rifling through stamp sets I love but haven’t seen nearly enough ink. I really wanted to use the large outline flower from Hello Flowers but the outline is so bold. I was looking for something a little softer. After looking some more I decide maybe I could make it fit what I wanted. Turns out, I could 🙂

I used second generation stamping in Pale Tomato. I outlined the image with a Copic Multiliner and colored it with copics. I added a few detail lines and some dots for fun. I fussy cut the flower out. The leaf image in the set is a solid stamp and I wasn’t really feeling that. I have a love/hate relationship with solid images 🙂 I decided to use the swirl stencil as faux leaves in the background. I smooshed some Lime Green ink onto my craft mat to color my embossing paste. I was pretty generous with the amount I applied to my stencil. Before it was dry I sprinkled on some crystal glitter.

The card felt a bit empty so I used a black circle to bring it together. I trimmed the circle out from behind the flower because I just didn’t like the way it looked. The sentiment was stamped on some white and popped up with dimensional adhesive. I decided to add a few gold sequins as an accent.

Thanks so much for visiting today!

Don’t forget to get in your entry in for our embossing challenge!

Supplies:

Hello Flowers

Hello Sunshine Daisies

Swirl Stencil

Lime Green ink

Pale Tomato ink

July 25, 2015
by Kelly Latevola 5 Comments

Thank You: Zig Watercolor

Hello Crafters!

It’s Kelly here and I’m sharing a simple watercolor card today.

I finally got my mits on the Zig Clean Color markers and I had to put them on a flower. I had to. Our challenge this month is Clean and Simple so I had to do that too. Just cause I love it 🙂

I started off by stamping the bell-flower from the new Lia Griffith collection on watercolor paper with archival black ink. I used only one mask to get all of them stamped. Super easy. One of the big elements with Clean and Simple cards is white space. Now it doesn’t have to be white but there should be a large area of blank space.

To get the color I wanted I added some light blue where I wanted the flowers to be the darkest. I went right over the light blue with a light purple but didn’t take it all the way to the tips. Next I blended the two over the entire flower with a paintbrush and a very little bit of water. If you get too much water you can soak it up with a dry towel just like regular watercolors. I love how some are more blue and others are more purple. Pretty!

After the flowers and leaves were colored in I used the same light blue and a bit of grey to create a soft background. I laid the color down right next to the flower and then pulled it out with my paintbrush. Anything that was too dark I just blotted off.

Once it was all dry I stamped my sentiment in the same black ink and trimmed my panel down. I adhered a strip of Navy to my card base and then added my stamped panel on top with dimensional adhesive. The finishing touch was a healthy coating of clear Wink of Stella on the flowers.

Thanks for stopping by!

We hope to see you playing along with our monthly challenge. You don’t want to miss your chance to win $25.00 to the store!!

XoXo

Supplies:

Tea Flowers stamp set

Friends By Lia

Zig Clean Color Markers

Bazzill cardstock in Gumball

Clear Wink of Stella

WPlus9 Pure Color Black Ink

July 10, 2015
by Kelly Latevola 9 Comments

Clean and Simple Cacti

Hello Crafters!

This month’s challenge theme is Clean and Simple and since that’s kind of my deal I thought it would be shameful if I didn’t make a clean and simple for you guys 🙂

I did some stamping and masking to keep my card one layer with lots of white space. Your “white space” doesn’t have to be white I just prefer mine to be. I stamped the smallest cactus first knowing I wanted it to be in the front. With one layer cards you stamp back to front to create some depth. I also masked the pots to make sure I didn’t have overhang when I stamped the cacti. it probably wasn’t necessary but I didn’t want to have to start all over again.

After I stamped my potted Cacti I added some doodles of Southwestern designs I found on Google to give the pots some interest. I colored with my copics using a different combination of yellow-greens and green for each cactus. After the coloring was done I outlined my images with a copic multiliner and added little dots with a white gel pen to help the needles stand out. The sentiment is from the same set.

Thanks for visiting us today!

We hope to see you playing along with our Clean and Simple Challenge!

XoXo

Supplies

Stamp Your Own Cactus

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Copic Markers

Copic Multiliner

Sakura White Gel Pen

June 25, 2015
by Kelly Latevola 7 Comments

Happy Birthday Step by Step

Hello Crafters!

It’s Kelly here and I’m sharing how you can change your card up just by adding little details that make a big difference.

I started by stamping my sentiment on a white card base. I did this first because I knew where I wanted it to go. It makes placement of the next part a bit easier. I laid down the Triangle Pattern Stencil on top and taped it down to my work surface so it would stay put. Using a Copic multiliner I outlined random triangles until I was happy with how they looked. You can lift up your tape to check and see if it’s full enough as you go. Just be careful to line it back up before you re-tape it. After all my triangles were outlined I colored them in with Copic markers in rainbow shades. I feel like this is a fun and gender neutral birthday card. Pretty quick and easy to do and pop in the mail. But if you have a bit more time you might want to add some extra oomph.

By outlining your triangles it helps the card feel more full. Normally, I don’t outline my sentiment too but for this card it just felt right. The outlining also helps your colors stand out a little more and hides any boos boos where the marker may have bled out of the lines. I’m all about covering those mistakes. Nobody wants to start all over again because a marker couldn’t keep to itself 🙂 I usually use colors in the blue-green family because I feel like they match everything. Maybe they don’t but in my head it works! I start with my darkest shade and work out to my lightest. If you’re not a blue-green/aqua lover try grays. You can basically use whatever color combo makes you happy but I’d keep it in the same color family. I actually ended up switching the card from a one-layer card but if you’re happy with how this looks stop here. It’s pretty as is. I just wanted something a bit bolder.

I trimmed the card down to a 4 X 5.25 panel and mounted it with craft foam onto a black cardbase. I just felt like it helped the design come together a bit more. I also added some striped doodling to some of the triangles for interest. If doodling isn’t your thing try adding glossy accents or glitter to a few random triangles just to break it up. A few black sequins finished the card off.

Before I go don’t forget we are holding a Design Team call. The cut off to apply is tomorrow, June 26, 2015 at 11:59pm. We’d love it if you’d apply! Also, our current challenge is New Beginnings and you still have plenty of time to play. It closes on June 31!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

XoXo

Supplies:

Triangle Patterned Stencil

Happy Stamp and Cut

Copic Markers

Copic Multiliner

Memento Tuxedo Black ink

Black Card Stock

Black sequins

June 10, 2015
by Kelly Latevola 8 Comments

Thinking of You Watercolor

Hello Crafters!

It’s Kelly here and I’m sharing a very simple watercolor card with you guys today.

I started by adding walnut stain distress ink to only the right and bottom edge of the pot stamp. I didn’t ink the top because I knew I wanted the flowers to over hang the front of the pot. I added in my flowers only inking the areas I wanted to add. One of the many wonderful things about stamping with distress markers. For the flowers I used spun sugar because it’s dark enough to give you a guide but light enough that it won’t show after the watercoloring.

Now for the fun part!

I scribbled some distress ink onto an acrylic block to use for painting. For the flowers I used worn lipstick, seedless preserves, broken china, and chipped sapphire. I added more water to some petals or laves than others. This is what gives the beautiful variation that watercolor has. I added a bit of ground under the pot and stamped a simple sentiment to finish it off.

Here’s the same card but with a butterfly added in.

I didn’t really “Love” the way the butterfly turned out but that’s okay. You can’t be head over heels for all of them!!

Have you played along in our current challenge yet, it’s New Beginnings. Births, birthdays, weddings, there’s all kinds of options 🙂 If you haven’t joined in don’t worry you have all month long!

Thanks for stopping by today

XoXo

Supplies:

Hello Stamp and Cut

Stamp Your Own Cactus

Sunshine Hero Arts/Basic Gray

WPlus9 Pure Color Black Ink

Distress Ink Markers

Canson Watercolor Paper

June 5, 2015
by Kelly Latevola 2 Comments

OWH Memorial Day Blog Hop Winner

Hello Crafters!

It’s Kelly here and I’m just popping in real quick to announce the winner of the $25.00 gift card for the OWH blog hop.

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:5

Congratulations to Cheryl L!!

Cheryl please email through our contact page to receive your gift card.

I’m sure you’ll be able to find lots of goodies in the store!

Thank you to all of you who visited and commented. We love hearing from you!

Happy Friday

May 23, 2015
by Kelly Latevola 54 Comments

OWH Memorial Day Blog Hop

Hello Crafters!

Even though Memorial Day isn’t until Monday w are kicking off the weekend with Operation Write Home’s Memorial Day blog hop! Unfortunately, this is also their last one. Thankfully, our troops are coming home and the demand for cards just isn’t there anymore. Need some guidance regarding their closing . . .In Sandy’s own words

“Operation Write Home, a charity that has supported heroes with handmade cards since 2007, will be closing later this year. All cards need to be sent in by August 1st, so I’m helping to get the word out!”

If you’d like to spread the word or view those projects that are you can link up at the Operation Write Home blog. As an added bonus we will be giving away a $25.00 gift certificate to one random commentor from this post so be sure to leave some love! You have until 11:59pm on May 25th to leave your comment!

They were looking for Red White and Blue cards in specific themes. I chose thank you because it’s Memorial day and I am thankful to all those who have served especially those who have given the ultimate sacrifice.

I decided to do a bit of emboss resist with watercoloring.

I started by stamping the stars included in the Thanks Stamp and Cut set. I mounted all three onto one block and it actually went pretty quick. They were stamped in Versamark and heat embossed in white. I added distress inks in a red, white, and blue gradient. I used distress inks and love the way it turned out. I die cut a star out of my background then added some vellum with my white heat embossed sentiment.

The great thing about die cutting is it always leaves you with two pieces 🙂

Same idea just much simpler. I think they’ll make pretty awesome any Hero cards!

Feeling inspired to pick up some OWH goods? You know they have the cutest stamps. We have several in stock and you can get 15% off your order of $25.00 or more with the coupon code KELLYL15. Happy shopping 🙂

Don’t forget to leave a comment for your chance to win a $25.00 gift certificate to the store!

Thanks for visiting!

Supplies:

Stylish Stars Frame cuts

Thanks Stamp & Cut (This super popular set is out of stock right now however you can CUSTOM Order it in the Store. Just click on the REQUEST CUSTOM ORDER form on the store HOME Page!)

White Embossing Powder

Versamark

Distress Ink: Chipped Sapphire, Salty Ocean, Festive Berries, Aged Mahogany

Copic Multiliner

May 10, 2015
by Kelly Latevola 5 Comments

Happy Mother’s Day

Hello Crafters!

Happy Mother’s day! If you are not a Momma, Happy Sunday to you 🙂

I felt like it wouldn’t be right posting a card today without celebrating. It just seemed weird to me haha, so a Mother’s day card is it!

This is actually the card I created for my grandmother. She was always planting, gardening, trimming, weeding. I remember digging through the garden with her to pick tomatoes, green beans, and cucumbers. My job was always snapping the ends off the green beans while we chatted the whole time. I definitely get my talkative nature from her 🙂 It always said “Kelly enjoys talking to her neighbors” on my report cards. I’m sure my teachers did not always think this was a good thing!

Anyway, today I made a planter full of succulents in various colors.

While my Grandmother was quite the gardener, sadly, I am not. I Googled succulents to see where I should go with my colors. Succulents pretty much come in every color ever. I just picked the ones I really liked and went with that. I kind of love that they do come in ever color under the sun, it makes coloring super fun!

I wanted to use the large planter on my card so I knew I was going to have to build up my succulents. I stamped the planter first but did not ink up the back edge of it. I cut my mask the same way. I started filling in succulents, stamping and masking as I went. I though the little pebble stamp included in the set was an awesome way to ground the image so I left my mask in place and stamped some of those in too.

I colored with my copics and added a few highlights with my white gel pen. I outlined the whole thing with a light warn grey then added a shadow in a darker grey to one side to give it some dimension. The “Happy” part of the sentiment was stamped in black and once that was dry I heat embossed the “mother’s day” in white. I used two different gel pens to help the sentiment stand out a bit against the coloring. The “Happy” was given a drop shadow in white and the “mother’s day” was given a shadow in black. I added a bit of Wink of Stella to the planter and that completed the card.

Our current challenges is Anything Goes and I do hope you’ll play along! You could win a $25.00 gift card to the store!

Thanks for visiting! I hope you have a wonderful day!

XoXo

Supplies:

Hero Arts Stamp Your Own Succulents

Hero Arts Happy Stamp and Cut

Wink of Stella Clear

Copic Markers

Memento Tuxedo Black Inkpad

Ranger Jet Black Archival Inkpad

Sakura White Gel Pen

Copic Multiliners

White Embossing Powder

April 10, 2015
by Kelly Latevola 3 Comments

Need Some Hugs?

Hello Crafters!

IIt’s Kelly here and I’m back with more Playful Animals. I love all the possibilities with these little guys! Endless, really!!

For today’s cards we will be using the cute tabby cat and all the things he or she aspires to be. 😉

This sweetie is so cute as is. I stamped and colored him in with some warm grays. I couldn’t just leave him floating in the air so I drew in a little background scene. The sentiment is from an older set called XO but I still use pretty much all my sets. I felt like the clean lettering went well with my simple card layout. Plus, it’s nice to have a few pick up cards on the ready for any friends having a difficult time.

So this tabby is cute but maybe she’s an outdoor cat or maybe she’s a bit more wild . . .Like a

SNOW LEOPARD!

How you color and detail your images can completely change their look. By just drawing in some spots my house kitty morphs into a sweet snow cub. I used my Memento Tuxedo Black marker to ink up the cat so I could leave off her stripes. I added some eyelashes and eyebrows to make her a girl but to me she looks like she is in a perpetual state of surprise. lol. You can’t win them all 🙂 Some snowy hills was all it took to complete the background.

Lastly our little kitty cat has decided to become an adorable

TIGER!

Isn’t he sweet? I just want to snuggle those sad eyes. I used my Memento marker for this one again but left the stripes on his sides. The background was super easy with just some leaf shapes and grass.

How do you change your stamps to get more mileage out of them? I’d love it if you’d share! Speaking of sharing your fabulous talent don’t forget to play along with April’s challenge to use a stencil in your project. You could win a $25.00 gift certificate to the store. Whoo Hoo!

Thanks for visiting!

XoXo

Supplies:

Playful Animals Stamp Set

XO Stamp Set

Bo Bunny Double Dot Soft Shades Paper Pack

Stamped Stitched Squares

Copic Markers

EK Success Writing Pen

Memento Tuxedo Black Marker

Jet Black Archival Ink

Tombo Mono Multi Glue