TENseconds Studio

BOO

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year, I love decorating the house full of all the things I've collected over the years relating to Halloween and Thanksgiving.

I promised I would show what we've been creating with our Gelli Art Plates and this is one of the pieces I did with metal behind it.

 

 

 

It was really hard to control the flash but I thought this gave a cool quality to the piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a closeup up the same image. We will be making these techniques into a video class that we have in the works. The first class video is being edited now and as soon as it's ready we'll announce the details.

The Gelli Art Plates will be the second video class. There are so many cool things you can do with these plates and our metal and molds...it just boggles the mind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Saturday's PMC class has a couple of openings in it. Girls, this is probably the last PMC class for this year, so if you're thinking about making gifts this year, this is the one to do. Who wouldn't want silver jewelry for the holidays...unless it's blingy and sparkly jewelry!

Call and get registered for this asap before its filled up and you miss out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since everyone is all abuzz about tags, we're re-showing our tag ideas in our Tuesday Video. Metal and tags really go hand in hand and what better way to use up all those bits and pieces of stuff you have lying around in your studio than to do gift tags and personalize them. 

You literally can use every technique you've ever learned on tags.

I hope this inspires you this holiday season and you can't say you don't have a head start.

Our blog comment winner from last week is Jenny Booth. Jenny email me your address within a week of this posting and we will get your prize out to you. Hope you have a happy one don't pig out on candy.

Ornaments Made Easy and Metal Class

I love making ornaments for the holidays. Today's Video we show how to transform some plain glass ornaments into metal/glass ornaments.

Seen here are some wood ornaments with metal and a metal plaque that I wrote "peace" on the top.

Our new metal colors would look great on these projects and we've been blasted with orders since we released them.

What we have really been blasted with are orders for our new Ver-Day. You girls are lovin' that effect on metal. I'll try and do a sample this week as an ornament and post it for everyone to see.

Post a comment to this blog posting and on Friday I'll pick a winner and someone will get to win their own bottle of Ver-Day. Hope everyone is enjoying the end of October and the cooler temperatures, I just love this time of year.

We've also added a class this Saturday "Metal Made Easy" 2pm-5pm. If you've ever wondered how to emboss on metal this is the class for you. The class includes the tools, metal, adhesive, cd and frame. We are offering this class for just two more times. Call or email for more details.

Ver-Day

As everyone on this planet knows, if you're from Texas you tend to make up your own words...case in point George Bush. People in our studio are no different. In fact we really crack ourselves up making up names for things. The funniest ones never make it past our sensors. I just got through playing with my newest best ever patinaing liquid, we call it Ver-Day. Now as you're reading this you have to imagine Megan and I saying it in our best Texan accent y'all!

This fabulous stuff only works on PURE COPPER METAL. Here you can see what it looks like after several hours.

You need to brush it on with a clean brush and let it dry, as it dries you can add more depending on how much Ver-Day you want on your piece.

It doesn't smell but you will want to wash your hands and brush with soap and water when you're done.

Sanding off the high points after 24 - 48 hours will show off the patina.

 

 

 

So of course, I had to try it on my favorite mold of the moment and see how the patina would react with the skeleton.

You can use as little or as much as you want.

I think the antiqued look it creates with this patina is spectacular.

I had added the patina to the background of the shrine and then used my brass brush to take some of it off.

After this is done, you could even add a little black acrylic paint and rub it in certain spots to really age it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is that same sample from the top. We did the right side first and the the left side had a little less of the Ver-Day applied to it.

You can see the right is a little bluer than the left.

This is something I would recommend to just play with a piece of metal and see how you like it for your own work.

I sanded and brass brushed the base to get the copper to come out with the color in the recesses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are also excited about our new metal colors that we just got in...just in time for the holidays. Back when I had my store in Dallas (Private Collection) I sold metal and embossing supplies and these were a few of the colors I carried. We decided to bring them back only in rolls.

We have them in 3', 10', or 25' rolls. Now some of you are wondering what would you do with 3' of one color. It cuts beautifully into whatever size you need, can be used on large projects without piecing the metal together and who wouldn't want to use these colors all year. This red is beautiful for winter holidays but also Valentine's, and a host of other events and holidays.

The one thing to remember is, "YOU CANNOT PATINA THIS METAL WITH VER-DAY!"  Check them out and I think you'll love the colors also. We also have a lot of the pure copper in 3' rolls and it's going fast so if you haven't gotten any add that to your stash and Ver-Day your brains out!

Classes at our studio or in your studio

This is one of the transfers I made with the GelliArt Plates. I embossed the saying from our stamp line using black embossing powder and then mounted on a piece I had embossed using our Rock Star Black metal.

I finished it this weekend and promised I would show the finished product.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You get a better idea of the color in this photo.

I have to say I am having a blast with these print plates. We did so many samples over the weekend that we're doing a video showing everything that can be done with these plates. This won't be our usual videos but a class video. I came up with 14 different things to show and it would be way too long for a Tuesday Video that we usually do. For those of you who live in the boonies, sticks or just a spot that doesn't have high speed internet (trust me there are more of those areas than we think,) we will have this class on a DVD that you can watch on your TV or computer. So, in effect we are in your studio with you!

I'm putting all the techniques together now and hopefully we will have it ready for purchase in 30 days.

Speaking of classes at our studio, we have our woodburning class coming up on Oct 29 at the studio and you will not believe how cool it is to burn wooden objects. We will teach you how to incorporate metal, paper and color pencils on a wood frame. This is a great idea for the holidays. I used this one for a photo at the lake with my bff, Carolyn, or you can do a holiday motiff and frame your family's holiday photo.

 

 

 

 

 

We've also got our PMC class on the schedule so you can get a head start on the holidays and be totally ahead of all your friends. PMC is November 5th which is in 3 weeks. It seems like yesterday I was bitching about the heat of summer!

Today's video is about Lights. We've decided to showcase some of our past quickie gift ideas for the next few months. Hey, you can't say we didn't have the ideas for you.

Megan just sold her house, along with my folks selling their house at the same time. My folks are moving in with us and then we (hubby and I) are having lobotomies. So to say that the rest of this year is a whirliegig is an understatement.

I'll be doing good if I remember my name. So if you see me out and about please don't ask me if I remember you...cuz, I don't remember me.  Hope to see all of you at the classes and hope this gives you some inspiration.

It was so dope!

If you didn't come to the open house last night, you missed out. We had a blast doing transfers on all sorts of materials.

This one was done on bristol board, the square in the center with the squigglie lines (I made them with our large wide eraser) and cheap acrylic paint. I was looking at it this morning and thought I would write a saying in the positive areas which just seemed perfect for journaling.

Thanks to everyone who showed up, drank wine, ate chocolates goodies, got great deals on all sorts of stuff we had on sale and more importantly played with our new transfer plates.

 

 

We transferred onto tissue, acetate, paper, fabric, eco-board, did tape transfers.

I used our rubber stamps and embossed these two sayings on the acetate. This weekend I'm finishing them on metal and will show everyone next week how they turn out.

A lot of people have been asking for classes and I think we are going to do this as an online class, but my idea is it will be a project that we make. I've got the perfect idea and can't wait to share what it will be.

One of the dopest ideas was transferring onto fabric. I used our Day of the Dead mold and transferred it then while watching tv I stitched around the entire image.

This is very relaxing to me and took me about 4 hours to do it.

 

 

Notice the teeth! My plan is for this to be the center of one of our niche frames and I'll probably be putting it onto Etsy when I'm done.

I know I promised more photos but last night Megan was so busy waiting on everyone she didn't get one photo taken.

I was chuckling at the comments a lot of you made about the dope reference. Katina, Chiquetta and Lynne got it right. The rest of you girls know the cost, the weight, who sold it, who didn't from back in the day of dope dope and the good ole 60's. Back in the day I was more into tequila and 7/7's. Most of the dope's I knew drove cars.

The winner of this week's blog comment is Sheryl H. just because she raises pigs. Email me your address and we will send you a prize for posting a comment. I can't send you out that pig because Nancy Lorenz won it last year. Hi Nancy! Have a great weekend and hope you're enjoying fall as much as I am.

Dope Fall Party

If this doesn't scream out Fall Party, I don't know what does. We are all set for our Fall Open House tonight from 6:30-9:30. I guess we should have made it a virtual party because more people are overseas than in our little neck of the woods. We've got samples up for the classes that we have for the next month.

I've baked most of the goodies, bought the wine (had to ask the guy at the wine store what went with chocolate) so I bought those wines and a couple I like that probably taste yucky with chocolate, but who cares.

We will try and take pics tonight and I'll post those tomorrow. While all this has been in the works, Megan also moved out of her home which she recently sold. So it's been a hectic week. She's camping out in her car while she looks for another place to live.

If you're thinking we will also have dope at the fall party, then you're living in the 60's. Post a comment if you know what it means and I'll let you know tomorrow if you're right. No Googling. Gotta run and put the food out for tonight, hope I see you there.

Gotta love pigs

I've never particularly liked pigs, unless it was in a BLT, but when I saw this little piggy wall plaque last year it just screamed out "metal me."

Today's video we show how easy it is to repurpose stuff. This is such a simple way to add new life to something you may already have or if you spot something in one of your favorite stores.

On another note I've been playing with our Gelli Art Plates and OMG you won't believe what you can create.

If you want to join us this Thursday (Oct 13) at the studio at 6:30pm, we'll be demoing, playing, eating and drinking for a couple of hours. Yes, you can use metal and I'll show you the tricks for easy use but you can use so many other materials also. I'll have them all out and you can try your hand at a couple of techniques. I'm even making some of my favorite chocolate desserts for us to "pig out on."

Come join us for our Fall Party and spend a couple of hours having fun. This piggy was already won when this video first played but if you post a comment I'll be picking a winner and sending out something fab on Friday of this week. (For those of you who won on previous weeks, your prizes are going out next week) Last week's winner is Debbie Warren! Email me your address Debbie and I'll get your goodie out next week.

New Stuff....

We're having an open house/demo at the studio on October 13th at 6:30pm. We will be demoing the Gelli Art Printing Plates. If you haven't heard about these plates they are the latest rage in gell printing.

We've ordered a couple of cases and we are really excited to see how we can incorporate this art form with our metal. We invite everyone to join us that night and who knows you may even win one in our drawing that night.

These plates come in two sizes and we've got them in the store so if you would like to order one we will get it out as soon as they come in this week. Let me make one comment...you will want one of these. Someone brought it with her to Art On A Limb last month and all of us were playing with it and it was cool. My head is racing with what I'm going to do with it. Plus, this will be a good reason to have a little party with some food, some friends and a cool demo. Sounds like a good reason to get out of the house for a couple of hours. You must email me so I get a head count of how many are coming.

We also will have our new metal colors in, FINGERS CROSSED. We've listened to what our customers want and we aim to please. Knowing Megan she'll probably have a really great special going that night so don't miss out.

Today's video is all about quickie, inexpensive holiday gifts. I loved making this cute little joy train and I hope this inspires everyone who wants to make their own gifts this year.

It's so easy to add some paint, metal, buttons, trim, doo-dads (love the doo-dads).

This train was already given away but post a comment and on Friday I'll pick a winner and send out something special just for you.

Yeah...I'm talkin' to YOU!

If you were to ask someone to describe me they would probably not use the words "sweet, warm and fuzzy, quiet...shy" well you get the drift. They would probably use the words "intense, opinionated, funny and my favorite...utterly delightful." ...ok, that's what I call myself but wth!

So in my most utterly delightful voice I'm telling everyone "go out and get a mammogram."

Yes, it's that time of year again, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Unless you live under a rock, it's being talked about all over the place.

Yesterday I was watching the football game and asked favorite hubby why all the towels, shoes, cleats etc. were pink and he had to remind me. I think that's pretty cool that football players were wearing pink. I think they should do that more often.

It's been 8 years since I went in for my double boobilicous surgery...or as I like to call it "Altered Surgery." I made this cast of my body when I found out I was going to have the surgery and decorated it with all sorts of stuff I had around my little studio at home. It still amazes me at how many women still won't go and have their "girls" checked out.

I suggest you pull back from the computer, take off your top and feel yourself up for any lumps...ok that won't work if you're at work. How about picking up the phone and calling for a mammogram appointment. DO IT NOW. You won't regret it.