Winston & Pixie's Page!

Hey everyone! My name is Rebecca Parkes and I am the new Sales Manager for Design Memory Craft. I’m excited to be part of the Design Memory Craft team, and to be sharing my very first blog with each of you.

Not only am I new to Design Memory Craft, but I am a newcomer to the world of paper crafting. Thank goodness we have such a great Design Team! I have spent a lot of time watching their videos and reading their blogs to see all of the beautiful projects that can be created using Design Memory Craft products.

During my first week here, we went to our local Archiver’s store, and I felt so overwhelmed! It was hard for me to absorb all of the wonderful products, patterns and colors that fill the store. The best way for me to overcome this was to get hands on, so we headed to the Minneapolis for Scrapfest for two days of cropping and workshops.

Going into Scrapfest, I didn’t know what to expect. Our first event was the kick off crop, and I didn’t even know where to begin with my project. But, with a little thought, LOTS of time at the Archiver’s store, and my arsenal of Design Memory Craft products, I planned out my very first scrapbook page. Here’s a picture of my first creation!

The technique I used to make the tags is very easy and gives a really cool look.

I used the Stamper’s Big Brush Pen and the Gelatos to achieve this look. First, I colored the tag completely with the Stamper’s Big Brush. I used Light Cobalt Turquoise for Winston’s tag and Pink Madder for Pixie’s.

After the ink dried (which didn’t take long!), I smeared some Gelato over top. I used the Silver Gelato for both tags. Then, I used a wet paintbrush to dissolve and spread the Gelato over the entire tag to get a more transparent, but still very shimmery look. To get a richer look, you could just smudge the Gelato with your finger or blending stump. The nice thing is, they can be used with our without water to get very different looks! The Silver Gelato is available in the Metallic Gelato 2 ct pack (Gold & Silver) and also in the Mixed Media Metallic set.

Because the India Ink in the Stamper’s Big Brush is permanent, I didn’t have to worry that the color underneath would be harmed. I love that you can layer Design Memory Craft products on top of each other. As a new crafter, this really gives me confidence to mix and match.

For the border, I used 4 small clear stamps together on an acrylic block and inked up each with a different color of the Stamper’s Big Brush. I used Pink Madder, Orange Glaze, Nougat and Light Cobalt Turquoise. These colors are all available individually; Orange Glaze is also available in the Stamper’s Big Brush Pen 3 ct Set: Yellow. The entire line of Design Memory Craft products is available online at Archiver’s Annex (www.archiversannex.com)

I love to use the Stamper’s Big Brush for stamping. I find it so much easier to color directly onto my stamps. The nibs are really strong so I can control exactly where I am coloring. The markers are so inky too that you can really tell if you’ve put too little or too much color on your clear stamp. When it comes time to stamp, you can actually see the ink transfer from the clear stamp to the paper. For a novice stamper like me, this is a huge help!! Another way to use the Stamper’s Big Brush is to use multiple colors on the same stamp. I didn’t for this project because my stamps were small, but typically I do. The inks naturally blend together for a multi-color coordinated look.

I hope you like these quick and easy techniques using Design Memory Craft Gelatos and Stamper’s Big Brush Pens. The possibilities for mixing & matching Design Memory Craft products are truly endless, and while I won’t master them all, I am definitely going to have fun trying!