Ten Two Studios

Design team member Carolyn Brady was inspired by the snappy bracelet instructions in the October 2007 issue of The Monthly Muse when she made this necklace. She used Skull Beads and Halloween Mini Dominos to decorate it.

I made these bottles using images from the Creepy Labels collage sheet. Instructions for making the bottles are posted here.

Design team member Livia Hajovsky made this book, based on Poe’s The Raven, using an assortment of Halloween collage sheets, faux postage, and a piano-hinge bag book from Ten Two Studios.

Design team member Carolyn Brady made this quartet of witchy artist trading cards using images from Witch Which, Metal Tin Witches and Bordered Creepy Sayings.

Design team member Deirdre Attaway made these party hats using images from the Charmed, Candy Corn and Pumpkin Spice digital sheets. They match yesterday’s party invitations!

Design team member Deirdre Attaway made these invitations using images from the Charmed, Candy Corn and Pumpkin Spice digital sheets.

Design team member Peace Schuyler used pieces from Wicked Doll Bodies to make this feathered ornament.

Design team member Corinne Stubson decorated a metal tea tin with images from the Charmed digital sheet, and used it as a vase to hold some silk flowers, and a figure made from pieces from Wicked Doll Bodies.

Design team member Carolyn Brady made this pendant using a matchbox and images from Pretty Poisons Matchbox Wrappers and a mini domino and image from Halloween Mini Dominos.

Design team member Patti Monroe-Mohrenweiser decorated a metal paint bucket from the home improvement center with images from Strange Places and In Mourning.

Design team member Deirdre Attaway made this domino book ornament using Standard Dominos and the Winged Widows matchbox shrine sheet.

Design team member Carolyn Brady made these artist trading cards using images from the Halloween collage set.

Design team member Peace Schuyler used pieces from Wicked Doll Bodies to decorate these large matchboxes.

Design team member Livia Hajovsky made this easy book using Black Print Mini Folders. She decorated it with images from the Bordered Creepy Sayings and Spooky Bingo Cardsdigital sheets, Witches Brew faux postage and Witchy and Poisonous Labels.

If you were one of design team member Deirdre Attaway’s daughters, your lunch would come packed in one of these today:

Made using images from Metal Tin Witches, Which Witch, Scary Sayings and Halloween Inchies. Do you think she’d adopt me?

Design team member Carolyn Brady made these ATC-sized shadow boxes using tiny canvases, and images from the Leonardo’s Anatomy collage sheet.

Design team member Livia Hajovsky made the head of this pumpkin art doll from an image on the Boo To You faux postage sheet.

Design team member Peace Schuyler made this whimsical book using images from the Zombie Maries sheet.

Design team member Carolyn Brady made these Halloween charms using Mini Dominos, and images from the Mini Halloween Domino sheet.

Design team member Corinne Stubson made this 4×6 collage using an image from the Dead People collage set.

Design team member Patti Monroe-Mohrenweiser made this soldered glass wall hanger with images from the Poe collage set.

Carolyn Brady made this little book using Black Print Mini Folders and a whole bunch of Halloween goodies from Ten Two Studios.

Design team member Deirdre Attaway made these three postcards using Black Print Mini Folders and images from the Which Witch collage sheet.

Design team member Livia Hajovsky made this paper art doll using pieces from Wicked Doll Bodies and Color Me Twinchie Dolls.

Design team member Carolyn Brady made this ornament using Standard dominos, images from the Grave Standard Dominos sheet, a Swirly Wire Hanger and some Skull Beads.

Design team member Patti Monroe-Mohrenweiser made this reliquary magnet using images from the Poe collage set and Ravens & Crows sheet.

Reborn Books will show you how to take apart an existing book, and turn it into a true art object. This class will take you through the process, step-by-step, using over two dozen short videos. You’ll watch me put together my own books, learning all my little tips and tricks. On the classroom message board, we’ll discuss how to choose books, papers and binding materials, and how to prepare them to create a book that will be a treasure for many years to come.

$55. Class Fee

This is a self-paced class. Before registering, please read How Classes Work.

(more…)

I’ve spent all day today dealing with an epic plumbing disaster that cost me more in a few hours than I usually make in an entire week. I need to raise a little extra cash, and quickly, before the bill comes in. Sooo…

Until Friday, all new subscriptions to The Monthly Muse are just $12. That’s 20% off the usual subscription price, and just $2 an issue for a six month subscription. Those of you who are buying single copies are paying $2.99 each. Subscribing would save you $11.88—almost the cost of the subscription!

Subscribe here. Sorry, this sale has ended! And now, I’m going to go wash all the wet towels…

The September issue of The Monthly Muse, Cover Me, is now available for single copy purchase via digital download. This issue gives instructions for four simple styles of book covers. It’s time to finish those altered books with covers that are worthy of them!

Are you a subscriber to The Monthly Muse? No? What the heck are you waiting for! Subscribers save 20% over single copy purchasers. Grab a free trial copy, and get the details here.

Just added: a sheet of Skull Matchbox Shrines, complete with all the pieces and parts you’ll need to turn a little matchbox into a scary work of art.

You’ll find the sheet here, along with all the other sheets and sets for dressing up your matchboxes. Don’t have any matchboxes? That’s OK—you’ll find those on the same page!

Thanks to the lovely Janie, who sent me the mother lode of little metal tins, I’ve put together a very reasonably priced Watch Tin Pendant kit. The first round of these kits sold out in hours, with folks buying two or three at a time. I’ve just posted the second bunch, and will continue to restock as long as there’s a demand for them (or until I run out of tins, which I think will take a long time).

There may be a bit of a lull between bunches, because I’m waiting for my bead source to restock the perfect beads. Kits are posted here.

I’m trapped inside, hiding from the ridiculous North Texas heat—staring at my garden, wishing I could go out. Instead, I’ve designed some new garden-themed digital items.

First up, this new Garden Tea Cup set. I designed the sheets so you can print the basic cup pieces twice, and the accessories once to get two different cups from the same two-sheet set:

Also new today is this Garden Marker Tag sheet. Punch the markers to use them as tags, or leave them whole to slide onto a card or garden-inspired altered book layout:

You’ll find all the garden-y stuff here.

New today: a two-page digital set to create this pretty blue tea cup and saucer. Use it as a decoration, or fill it with goodies, attach the included tag and circular sign, and use it as a gift box!

You’ll find the kit here, and instructions for assembly in the projects section.

Inspired by Carolyn Brady’s clever use of Color Me Twinchie Dolls to create a flip book, here’s a new twinchie doll flip book digital kit:

This digital kit contains all the pieces and parts to decorate your book and covers. Grab yourself a copy here. Project instructions are posted here.

Design team member Carolyn Brady made these artist trading cards using images from Photo Booth Babes.

Design team member Peace Schuyler made this card by combining Duchess Doll Bodies and Sirens Paper Dolls.

Design team member Livia Hajovsky dressed up a living room lamp with this garland made from Spring Garden Paper Dolls.

Design team member Patti Monroe-Mohrenweiser made these bookmarks using paint sample cards, and some Fiesta Skellie Paper Dolls. I love the way their arms hang over the book pages when in use!

Design team member Deirdre Attaway used turned her Spring Garden Paper Dolls into simple plant markers.

Design team member Carolyn Brady made these artist trading cards using images from Photo Booth Babes.

I’ve been playing with paper dolls again—and the new Divas Paper Doll Series is the result! The basic doll set contains corseted bodies, legs and an assortment of arms in different positions for six, count ‘em SIX dolls of varying skin tones and hair colors. The Divas Basics Add-On Set is two pages of skirts, belts, shawls, gloves, hats, corset fronts and sashes to dress up your paper dolls in style. Oh, and did I mention they’re digital?

Go get yours here.

This poll helps me to understand who is visiting Ten Two Studios. Please take a few moments to fill out this form, and tell me about yourself and your creative pursuits. Your answers will help guide which products I work on next, and which creative areas to explore. Thanks!

Thanks to those who participated. The poll has ended.

Design team member Peace Schuyler put together this collage using pieces from Wicked Doll Bodies and Strange Specimens Tags.

Here are more journal pages from design team member Livia Hajovsky, decorated with Color Me Twinchie Dolls.

Design team member Corinne Stubson decorated the cover of one of her recent altered books with images from the Sirens Paper Dolls Series.

Design team member Carolyn Brady made these pretty ornaments using Angel Doll Bodies and some silk flowers.

Summer’s coming, and just like last year, I’m in kit mode. You seem to like kits. I like making them. It’s a good deal for both of us.

Kits are a tricky business. I have to buy lots of things to make them. Unlike collage sheets or digital goodies, which only require a little bit of time for me to assemble, kits require a significant investment on the front end. I’m spending money in the hopes that you’ll like what I’ve come up with. Most of the time, it works out: you like the kit, you buy it, and by the time it’s sold out, I’ve more than recouped my initial investment. Sometimes, it doesn’t work: I put together the kits, you don’t buy them, and I end up eating my investment.

Kits require me to become a mad ninja shopper. Once I come up with a design, I have to purchase enough of all the supplies that project will require, at a price that is reasonable. Coming up with kits that you’re willing to buy at $9.99, and still leaving myself some profit on them—well, let’s just say it’s an art unto itself. Many a good kit idea has gone into the circular file because one of its components could not be acquired for a price we can both live with. I like $9.99. It’s not so much that folks on a limited budget are priced out of playing, but not so little that I can’t be creative in my designs.

Kits take time to assemble. Once I’ve shopped and purchased all the pieces and parts, picture me, sitting on my sofa in the living room, with my coffee table covered with supplies, counting out 18 beads, 12 long dominos, 4 crimps, 4 jump rings, 2 clasps, 2 generous yards of cording, and 2 generous yards of wire, and bagging them with a sheet of instructions and four sheets of images I printed earlier in the day. Multiply that by 12, and there’s my entire afternoon gone.

Now, sometimes, a whole bunch of you really, really like a kit I’ve put together, and it sells out in hours—and those who aren’t quick on the mouse buttons don’t get a chance to purchase it. Often when this happens, I take a little Dickensian beating for it through site comments and emails. Pleeeeeeez, Lisa, can we have some more?

If it’s possible for me to go back around and acquire all the supplies for a second round, and purchase them at the same prices, and pack up another bunch of kits, I try to schedule it in around other things, like time spent assembling The Monthly Muse, or developing digital things so those of you who are overseas get to have some fun.

But that’s not always possible.

There are times when I base kits on something I find on the fly. I buy up all I can afford that day, and when I go back, there are no more. Not just no more at this store, but no more in the entire chain of stores. Because I ask them very nicely to check the SKU number (this is where I’m glad I put in all those hours on the sales floor at MJDesigns, and know the retail ordering process) against what’s in the warehouses, and what’s on order with their vendors.

There are times when a crucial element of kit I’ve been making for ages suddenly becomes unavailable. Or is no longer being manufactured. It simply no longer exists on this planet.

There are times when I use something that suddenly becomes popular—and the price goes up, beyond what is reasonable to use in a kit. So, while I could purchase more, the price for the formerly $9.99 kit would now be, oh, $12.99, or $15.99. From experience, I know that if I do this, the second round of kits will sit there, unsold, no matter how many folks asked for more. I don’t blame you. I don’t like paying more for something that I could have had last week at a lower price either.

So, trust me when I say I’m not holding out on you. If I can make assemble more of a certain kit, and I’m confident it will continue to sell, I’ll do it. But if I can’t acquire the right supplies for the right price, no amount of begging or pleading will produce more of that kit. It’s gone.

But that’s OK, because tomorrow, there will be a new kit for you to fall in love with. I promise…

Design team member Livia Hajovsky turned Duchess Doll Bodies into cupcake toppers.

Design team member Andi Mulholland used pieces from Sirens Paper Dolls to make this little garden fairy pot sitter. She simply attached the finished fairy to a small dowel, and slid it into a pot of herbs.

Design team member Peace Schuyler decorated a hat box with images from Fiesta Skellie Paper Dolls. I love how the figures are holding their enormous hats!

Design team member Corinne Stubson used some Jumbo Craft Sticks and pieces from Tropical Garden Paper Dolls and Sirens Paper Dolls to make these bookmarks.

Design team member Carolyn Brady turned the Color Me Twinchie Dolls digital sheet into this clever flip book, with a little help from this lesson from longtime Ten Two Studios friend Julie K in Taiwan.

Design team member Deirdre Attaway used the Spring Garden Paper Doll sheet to make this clever journal.

Design team member Corinne Stubson used an image from Metal Tin Geishas in the center of this iris folded altered book page.

Design team member Carolyn Brady made these garden-inspired artist trading cards, using images from Paris Hats faux postage, Garden Flowers cigarette cards and Garden Words.

Design team member Livia Hajovsky decorated these journal pages with Color Me Twinchie Dolls.

Design team member Corinne Stubson made these artist trading cards using images from Japan and Geishas.

Design team member Carolyn Brady used images from Edwardian Beauties Image Collection CD and Purple & Butterflies faux postage to make these journal pages.

Design team member Corinne Stubson made these fabric postcards using an assortment of collage sheet and collage set images.

Want to learn how to make fabric postcards? Check out the April issue of The Monthly Muse, Fabric Goes Postal.

Design team member Carolyn Brady made these playing card artist trading cards using images from Photo Booth Babes.

Design team member Deirdre Attaway made these spring seed packets using images from Red Things, Little Red Things and Litle Orange Things.

Design team member Corinne Stubson made these fabric postcards using an assortment of collage sheet and collage set images.

Want to learn how to make fabric postcards? Check out the April issue of The Monthly Muse, Fabric Goes Postal.

Design team member Carolyn Brady made this little matchbox with a book tucked inside, using Litho Beauties Matchbox Wrappers and images from assorted Little Collage Sheets.

Design team member Peace Schuyler made this pretty spring wreath using images from Little Purple Things & Little Aqua Things.

The April 2011 issue of The Monthly Muse was all about making fabric postcards. Now, it’s time to swap some! Yes, it’s the Spring Fabric Postcard Swap—and here’s how you can participate:

Spring Fabric Postcard Swap Guidelines

Sign up for the swap by April 30th, by downloading the Spring Fabric Postcard Swap Guidelines.
Sorry, this swap is now closed! The download will require you to provide your name and email address, which will sign you up for the swap. Leaving a comment on this post asking to sign up will NOT sign you up for the swap!

Make three (3) 4 x 6 inch fabric postcards Each card should be made mostly of fabric, and be mailable, with the appropriately designed postcard back. If you’re not sure how to make a fabric postcard, or what the mailing requirements and restrictions for postcards are, please check the April 2011 issue of The Monthly Muse. Your cards can be all the same design, or different—whatever you feel like making.

Please sign your postcards, either on the front face, or unobtrusively on the backing.

Print and fill in the swap form included in the document you downloaded. This will give me your mailing address (and give you mine), as well as permission to scan and post your work, and include it in a ‘zine that may be created later.

Put your finished postcards into an envelope with the filled out form. Mail your envelope to me at the address on the form, so they arrive by Friday, May 13th. No return postage is required for this swap, no matter where you are in the world.

Postcards must arrive in my hands by Friday, May 13th.

Please check the Ten Two Studios blog for updates on cards that have arrived. Cards will be swapped out and returned by Friday, May 20th.

Design team member Corinne Stubson made these fabric postcards using an assortment of collage sheet and collage set images.

Want to learn how to make fabric postcards? Check out the April issue of The Monthly Muse, Fabric Goes Postal.

I’m back from my long weekend in Houston, which I will have to write about somewhere—probably at LisaVollrath.com. Short version: saw tons of cool art, met longtime design team member Patti Monroe-Mohrenweiser, slept in a cabin in the woods, ate tons of yummy vegan food.

I’ve been listing old round robin books on eBay, to raise money for A Place to Bark, artist Bernie Berlin’s animal rescue. Other artists are joining in, including design team member Corinne Stubson, who has bunches of books listed with extremely low opening bids. Go get yourself some brilliant art by dozens of artists, and help a worthy cause here.

First, the vacation notice: I’ll be away from my computer from Friday through Sunday. I will be checking email daily from my phone. Orders placed now through Sunday will ship Monday or Tuesday. Digital orders will continue to be processed in real time, as soon as your payment arrives.

New today is a two page set of digital twinchie dolls. The Color Me Twinchie Dolls set gives you bunches of two inch square backgrounds, plus heads, hats, arms, legs, and assorted objects you can use for bodies. Mix and match them to create your own unique set of dolls. Leave them black and white or color them. Mount them on sheet magnets and play with them on your fridge.

You’ll find them here.

To celebrate this beautiful spring day, I’ve decided to give away this month’s issue of The Monthly Muse! Just click on the image to the left to download the April 1st issue, The Total Technique Guide. In it, I tell you absolutely everything I know: every technique, every project idea, every tip, and every product experience.

Enjoy this free gift from Ten Two Studios.

Design team member Corinne Stubson made this fabric postcard using images from Yellow Things collage set.

As promised, I’ve just added mermaid and bunny add-on sheets for the new Sirens Paper Dolls digital sheet. Each add-on sheet contains all the dress-up parts to make three bunnies (above) or three mermaids (below).

This week, I started working on a new set of paper dolls and add-on sheets. The basic Sirens Paper Dolls digital sheet comes with the dolls, plus some basic skirts, tops, shoes and stockings, just so they won’t be cold while waiting for their dress-up clothes.

The Flower Fairy Add-On Parts sheet includes three flower bodices, skirts, leggings, wings, and extra flowers, so you can turn your sirens into flower fairies.

You’ll find these first two digital sheets here. Look for a mermaid sheet to arrive shortly…

Design team member Corinne Stubson made this pretty birthday postcard from fabric decorated with images from Aqua Things and Blue Things collage sets.

Design team member Carolyn Brady made these artist trading cards using images from the Cherry Delight Bits & Pieces digital sheet.

Just added: a new kit with all the pieces and parts to build two little 7 inch altars. This kit comes complete with all the wood pieces, tons of images and words, glass bottles, punched paper flowers, and step-by-step instructions filled with ideas for finishing. Grab your kit here.

Design team member Carolyn Brady made these Asian-inspired soldered pendants using images from Beauties of the East.

Need a lesson on soldering, including safety tips, and my super-easy way of attaching rings? Try the Metal & Glass Jewelry CD.

Design team member Corinne Stubson made a little journal focused on sewing and fabric, and decorated the inside of the front and back covers with images from Stitch in Time and Micro Single Needle Cases.

Design team member Patti Monroe-Mohrenweiser made this card using an image from Butterflies faux postage. I think it would make a pretty handmade book cover, too.

Design team member Carolyn Brady made these pretty soldered pendants using images from Fashionable Jewels and some French text pages.

Design team member Carolyn Brady made these little soldered inchie pendants using images from the Little Collage Sheets collection.

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! Here are all the lovely valentine projects made this month by design team members Andi Mulholland, Carolyn Brady, Corinne Stubson, Deirdre Roberts, Livia Hajovsky, Patti Monroe-Mohrenweiser and Peace Schuyler:

Design team member Deirdre Attaway made these pretty valentine rosettes using images from Metal Tin Homespun, Bordered Valentine Sayings, and Made With Love. She used them to decorate some treat bags. Very sweet!

Design team member Livia Hajovsky decorated a pink gift bag with images from Tattered Hearts faux postage, Sweet Pink Bingo and Chocolate Raspberry, and a red one with Heartfelt Standard Doms and Rounds and Valentine Words.

Design team member Carolyn Brady made this lovely set of nine zombie valentine artist trading cards, using images from Zombie Maries and Metal Tin Zombies.

Design team member Livia Hajovsky made this little book of hints to win her over, using images from Goddesses Standard Dominos, Chocolate Raspberry, and Sweet Pink Bingo.

Hey, Mike, I think Liv wants hugs, kisses, chocolate and roses for Valentine’s Day!

Design team member Patti Monroe-Mohrenweiser decorated the covers of a black paper book with images from the Gummy Spiders Bits & Pieces digital sheet.

Design team member Livia Hajovsky made this little romantic triptych using images from White Wedding and Sweet Pink Bingo.

Design team member Patti Monroe-Mohrenweiser made this pin using an image from the Shadow Life collage sheet. There’s that sheet music background paper again—hmm, maybe the design team is trying to tell me something?

Design team member Livia Hajovsky made these pretty valentines and matching envelopes using images from the Homespun Hearts collection.

Design team member Peace Schuyler made these black and white valentines using images from the Shadow Life collage sheet. These make me think I should start carrying sheet music pages…

Design team member Deirdre Attaway dressed up some of her favorite chocolates in these pretty Valentine-themed wrappers, made using images from the Homespun Hearts collection.

Remember those new heart-themed matchbox shrine sheets I posted a few weeks back? I designed them because I’m participating in a Valentine matchbox shrine swap—and here are my finished shrines, ready to be wrapped and mailed:

I used the Filigree Hearts Matchbox Shrine sheet for these, and framed them with some paper doilies. They were so sweet and romantic when assembled that I had to balance them out with some skulls and spiders! While I was working, I noticed that the X-shaped bone pieces have little shading sections on them that look like hearts, so I suppose it was meant to be. A few punched paper flowers, and a little glitter glue, and they were ready to go.

Design team member Deirdre Attaway made these variations on envelope corner bookmarks using images from Metal Tin Homespun, Valentine Bingo, and Valentine Words.

Design team member Peace Schuyler made this clever playing card garland using images from the Tattered Heart faux postage sheet.

Design team member Livia Hajovsky used images from the Angels & Madonnas standard domino sheet to make these soldered microscope slide ornaments. She likes working with the shorter domino images on microscope slides, because they leave a little more space above or below for decorative papers or words. That Livia—she’s so clever!

Design team member Andi Mullholland made this moo card triptych using images from the Lacy Lingerie collage set.

Design team member Carolyn Brady made these sweet little soldered inchie pendants using images from the Little Collage Sheets collection.

Design team member Carolyn Brady used images from the Edwardian Beauties Image Collection CD to create these lovely journal pages.

Design team member Andi Mulholland made this artist trading card using images from Storyville.

Design team member Livia Hajovsky did these journal pages, using images from Fashionable Jewels.