TENseconds Studio

Winners & Updates for Classes

This is our canvas class that we have had to reschedule for April 10th 1:30-4:30. The center has a niche that is 4" square. Overall it's 12x12. We are taking sign-ups now. You will be able to make this whatever color you want and use all our latest colors of metal.

That same morning (April 10th) we will also have another Sawing 101 with Geoff from 9am-12pm. All supplies are included in this class and you can call us for more info. 

Our latest video created lots of emails with questions so I thought I would take a moment to address some of the thoughts.

Some thought we were bleeped too much and wanted to "read our lips". Actually, we didn't say anything bad. Our "Nerd Boy" thinks it's funny to bleep us whenever. We didn't even know he was going to do the intermission on the video because we were just sitting there arguing back and forth and I thought he would just cut it all out. We watch these videos for the first time with most of you and crack up.

A lot of you want to know about the copper and the potato chips...girls, I can't help you if you eat the freakin' chips before you get a chance to antique the copper. You need to watch the process every couple of hours. It took about 1 1/2 hours for the base of the copper to be antiqued and overnight for the center of the piece. I also found that if you let the chips dry out you could use them several times...that makes you think twice about eating them!

Some of you had real issues about doll heads. I guess you probably have issues about clowns too???? We didn't do a video on my stories about my heads but I will when Megan isn't around. She really gets weird.

After this week I take back anything I've said about snow in Hell. If you're on the East Coast you are in Hell! I just hope ya'll dig out ok. I would be a raving maniac in that kind of weather.

Now for our winner....Karen Pilcher for her comment:

I wanted to share something with you my Daddy used to say, you reminded me of it when you referred to it snowing in hell. Here it is, "If God owned two places Texas and hell. He would rent out Texas and live in Hell." :)

Please please please pick me. Did I say please? I love everything you have made.

Karen that cracked me up. Email me you address and we'll send you your dress form. Hope all of you have a great weekend, it's First Monday here and I'm debating going to Canton for some treasure hunting....but, only if it's nice. I'll keep you posted.

Hell Froze Part Deaux

There is seriously something wrong when Hell gets this much snow twice in two weeks.  If this keeps up, I'm going to have to order a snow shovel because no one in this area even sells snow shovels.  This will just become my stock photo of all snow in Texas!

But, you know that may make for a really cool video...us decorating a snow shovel. **Actually, we didn't get this much snow and it melted by the time I got to work but I love this photo.

Until we get a snow shovel, I hope you enjoy today's Taco Tuesday Video. Megan is back with us and we decorate spools. I know, you're probably wondering "spools?" but the idea behind skinny cylinders is too freakin' cool.

I like to call this my Head on a Stick, so we show how to do dowel shaped objects. I know I mention the head story video but Megan wouldn't let me do a video. Since, I don't listen to her that much (what mother does), I'll do a video later about my stories. They're very funny.

 

Post a comment about this week's video and on Friday afternoon (2/26) I'll pick a winner who will receive this dressform done in pearl metal using various molds. This piece is made of wood and is about 9 3/4" tall.

I hope all of you stay warm, it's snowing like crazy south of here today and I know those guys don't have snow shovels.

And the Winners Are....

Ok, I'm bad, but I couldn't just pick one winner from all the lovely posts. I would say from reading all of them that the top mold picks were:

Gears/Bam

Words

Time/Poem

Keys

well let's just say all of you like all of them. Y'all are right, it's like picking your favorite child and that is just impossible. So, do not tell Megan that I picked three winners because she is gonna kill me.

From Brenda: All those samples are so fabulous. Lots of creative people out there. My favorite mold is the BDAD06A. I like to call it "crazy lanes". I also love the quad motif and the gears. Actually, they all are great. You guys did an awesome job!

Here's a little RAP from today's show...
Yo! Yo! Yo!...What do ya knows...
New molds and ideas from the "Darrows"!
You want us to choose.....But it can't be done...
I LOVE 'EM ALL!!! And not just one!
Your "GEARS" must have been rollin when yuse created these new designs...
They sure are amazing and are blow'in our minds!!!!!
So Thank You C and M at TSS.......
ALL your stuff is truly THE BEST!!!!!
FI - YA!

Posted by: susan socotch |

From Erica: I think they are all awesome!
But my fave is definitely the Gears & 4 Tile Patterns - I see endless possibilities with it!
Thank you for answering the questions and sharing the samples and also for bringing Geoff back - it would be nice to see some more of his work too!

So girls, email me your addresses and we will send out the four new Big Daddy Molds to each of you. FYI, I truly try to get these prizes out as fast as possible. But sometimes something gets put on top of the mess that is called my desk and once it's buried, it's buried. If you don't receive something from me in a couple of weeks, PLEASE send me an email to remind me. You will not hurt my feelings. (Andrea in France you will still be getting your's I haven't forgotten)

We just did another group of videos and will have some cool giveaways in the coming weeks. We should be caught up with CHA orders in the next couple of weeks and then we will have the new stuff on the website. If your favorite store hasn't ordered the new molds, go and bug the heck out of them. Peace out!

Certification's coming up

I've been getting a lot of emails lately regarding the certification class we have coming up on March 18th-21st. Everyone wants to know more about what it is, where it is etc.

We started this workshop several years ago for stores and teachers who wanted to immerse themselves into the world of Metal Embossing.  Now, just about anyone who wants to learn all the tips and techniques, and different projects can sign up. 

We do 5 intense projects. That means we are working non- stop on the projects so they're completed, and you get as much as possible from hanging around me in a weekend as possible. Having said that, the last group we had never got out of their jammies because the event is held at our BRAfree retreat...with me cooking...yes    I    do cook!  The five projects include PMC, flat surfaces, curved surfaces, techniques in painting and of course the TEST. Yes, there is a test but it's a cool test.

So, if you are interested in learning everything I know, eating great food, meeting new people, making some really cool projects and, of course, never getting out of your jammies call or email me and we'll sign you up. I'll post the winner of our contest tomorrow so if you haven't posted a comment you still have time. Have a great weekend and metalize your world.

Great Ideas

On today's TT video, Geoff and I show all the cool card ideas that Trisha Conlon, Lisa Patterson and Tracy Pounds came up with for CHA. They did a great job using the new molds and in a very timely manner. Thank you girls for coming through at the last minute and really creating some awesome cards.

I hope these ideas spark your creative juices and ya'll get into a card making frenzy.

We're busy planning future videos and we've got some cool ideas for all you cool people.

Let us know what you think of the new molds and which one is your favorite (I can't choose a favorite), and some lucky winner  will win a set of the new Big Daddys. The winner will be picked on Friday evening (Feb. 19th). Good luck! 

Questions & Answers

The most asked question last week after the video.....Where do I get that paint????

We couldn't find anyone in the US who carries this paint (Viva) but one of our viewers Tricia Dewey responded and even did a sample.

 

"For the tags I used gold art metal (aluminum on back) embossed with various textures from your line and cuttlebug. Glued that down on part of the tags and antiqued with black acrylic paint (Liquitex Basics). Then used DecoArt Texture Fierroin Gold and DecoArt Texture Terra Cotta in Sahara. I stamped into the Fierro, but I would recommend cleaning your stamp immediately afterwards-quite a mess. After it dried (used a heat gun as I totally lack patience) I used metallic acrylics in gold, copper, and turquoise, and a little silver on one tag (the cheap ones as I was playing around). I have not put any of the glimmer mists on, but I bet that would look great too. These mediums will also work  on wood, too. 

I don't think it matters what colors of Fierro and Terra Cotta you use, as you can always paint over it, so it won't show. The textures are about $8-9 a jar at Michael's over by the wood pieces.

Thank you for those Taco Tuesday videos! I would never have known about this if you didn't show us!"    Tricia

This is what the paints look like and I imagine you can purchase them at most art/craft supply stores. Remember to just play around with them and experiment with the different shimmery products you probably already have in your stash of "stuff". I'll have to go out and get some and play with it and probably turn it into a future video, but til I do, just experiment. 

 

Quite a few of you wanted to know how long we left our potato chips on the copper piece for the framed heart. The small heart was left overnight. The background of the entire piece was about two hours. You just look at it every so often and when you like it, just remove the chips and buff with a clean rag. Try not to lick it as it will still smell like vinegar potato chips...which I might add are very tasty but evil.

 

We survived the snow but now wish the sun would come out, turn 80 degrees and dry out the ground that now resembles marshland. I know I sound totally snotty and ungrateful, but if you had three dogs who go out and roll in the marshland and then run in and run all over the place like little two year olds on crack leaving a path of mud....well, I'm just tired of cleaning up after my little "grandkids".  With real grandkids you can talk and reason with them....ok, I now realize how stupid that sounds!

Thanks Tricia for the great tip and I hope all of you have a great mudless week.

OMG Hell Froze!

My favorite saying is "it will happen when Hell freezes" well, on Thursday Hell froze. We got a whopping 12" of snow. People that's TWELVE INCHES of snow. No one in the state of TEXAS knows what to do in 12" of snow. We are a state of snow idiots. We either drive like it's any other day and it's our constituional right to go 90 on the freeway or we huddle in our houses until it all goes away and then come out like bears after a long sleep.

This is our backyard at the warehouse. Luckily the dogs didn't come down today or this entire yard would be one huge slushy mud pit. Mocha, our sissy lab mix, for some reason loves snow and hates water. She went out yesterday and layed in it like it was a blanket and she had her own large snowcone.

We ventured out today so that we could do videos and Megan couldn't even get out of her driveway.

I know this isn't as bad as what the east coast got, but to us it's just as bad.

Geoff came with me and we did a quick video for this Tuesday and then we'll have to do more videos next week to get caught up. If you've been calling the studio for the last two days that's why no one is answering your calls. I'm going home to hybernate and drink hot toddies. Hopefully, Hell will defrost!  

Cool Technique

I love it when someone comes up with a really simple technique that makes it easy to emboss without filling your image with Spackle. This idea works with quite a few of our molds and the time you save in not filling your image is an added bonus. While at CHA we created today's video with our very talented UK distributor, Linda Brown, of LB Crafts. Linda does some of the most beautiful samples you will ever see and she always brings us a little something at this show.

If you look closely you'll notice that the tag on the right has our Big Daddy #4 Harlequin pattern. But, what Linda came up with is to "smoosh" the design down and refine the inside of the puffed out part of the design.

She also did the same technique on the sample to the left using the backside of Big Daddy #1 Checkerboard pattern. If I've totally confused you...don't fret...just watch today's TTvideoand Linda explains the entire concept. She also talks about how she created the very cool embellishment with the fluer de lis. That is our metal under UTEE. Linda doesn't like to fill anything so she came up with this "brilliant" way to keep the metal puffed out.

Linda and Leandra from Paper Artsy put on these really wonderful retreats in various parts of the UK. So, if you're thinking about popping over the pond to visit Merry Ole England why not take some classes, eat a lot of fish and mushy peas, drink a lot of hot tea, maybe see a castle or two and learn from two of the most creative women I've ever met. You'll have a blast with these two and create cool stuff. That sounds like the ultimate girls weekend/week getaway.

Post CHA

This is what Megan and I felt like when we got home last week from CHA. Actually, that's Roxie and our new little Chloe (who's not that little anymore) after a hard morning of running around in the backyard of the warehouse. Thankfully, we have a large backyard.

This was the piece I submitted for Ranger's Melt Art Challenge. I used Appletini metal on the background and then did a "mosaic" with the little pieces. The saying was done by my favorite son, Geoff. I can always count on him for a poem on the run.

Here's a better closeup of the pieces. They just looked good enough to eat.

There were days when I probably would have eaten them if I could get them off the backing.

The color on top is Perfect Pearls and I used some Stickles in some of the crevices.

This was really a fun project to make and I promise more projects with the Hot Pot in the future.

Today's TTV shows the booth and some of the samples. We had grand plans to do all these videos at the show and they basically fell apart when we got sick and could barely breathe. But we are back in the saddle and shipping stuff as fast as our little hands can wrap it up. If only we could get these dogs to work.

CLASS UPDATE: We still have some openings for Saturday's Intro to Sawing 101 and the cost includes the $50 kit.