Balzer Designs

Julie + Ronda

When I knew I was going to Colorado, I arranged to have a play date with my friend and fellow stencil designer, Ronda Palazzari.  

Little did she know that I'd end up staying at her house for three nights (thanks to the storm).  What a lovely place to be stuck!  Ronda is great.  Her family is amazing.  Her house is fantastic.  Her studio is just gorgeous.  In fact, it's so nice in her studio that the whole family hangs out there!

Check out the extra folding tables.  Most nights there were five of us in there -- working, talking, watching movies.  Lots of fun!

Ronda and I spent a lot of time making art.  In fact, she introduced me to Liquitex's low-odor spray paint, which I promptly ordered online.  I used them on this canvas:

The colors are bright and it dries super fast.  Here's another example:

You can see how bright and opaque that yellow is over the purple.  I can't wait until mine arrive!

I also did several sketches with a Stabilo Water Soluble Pencil.

Practicing and practicing -- trying to get better with every drawing.

I taught Ronda how to carve a stamp.  And she made this gorgeous feather:

I made a little abstract design, which can be used to create a flower:

You can read all about our stamp making adventures on Ronda's blog.

The day before I left town Ronda took me to a crop where I got to hang out with all sorts of cool ladies including Emily, Arleigh, and Vivian.  I met a whole bunch of awesome crafty Coloradans, including Nancy, who made me feel like a real celebrity when she said, "You look an awful lot like Julie Fei-Fan Balzer."  :)

The crop was held at Archiver's.  I had never been and I have to say I went on a little shopping spree!  I was also delighted to discover some of my stencils hanging up for sale.

Seeing them like that makes me feel so proud.  Sometimes I feel like this whole art job of mine is not real.  This was a pinch-me kind of moment.

Honestly, it was the best canceled flight experience of my entire life.  Ronda is a great friend, a talented artist, and a fantastic hostess.

I hope to get stuck in Colorado again!

Thanks for stopping by!

--

P.S. There's a cute photo of Ronda and me creating side-by-side in this post on her blog.

A Visit to Colorado

On Superbowl Sunday I flew from NYC to Denver, CO.

I spent three days and four nights in Fort Collins, CO.  Most of my time was spent at the photography studio, doing the step-out photos for my upcoming book on stamp carving (to be released by Interweave, Fall 2013).

As you might imagine, there were lots and lots of stamps...

And lots and lots of carving...

I had been a little worried when I left NYC that I was underprepared for the shoot.  I wondered if I had prepared enough step-outs and packed everything that I needed and all that jazz.  The good news is that the shoot went smoothly and my preparation and organization paid off!

But, it wasn't all work and no play.  I managed to sneak in some thrift store shopping...

...a dinner with Lori and Lorri from Art Camp for Women (btw: better picture on their blog)...

...saw an amazing sunset...

...when dining alone, I managed to find a way to entertain myself with some crayons...

...and there was even a mirror in the hotel elevator so I didn't have to miss my daily selfies:

On Thursday morning Ronda picked me up in Fort Collins and took me to her beautiful home and AMAZING studio just outside of Denver.  And due to Snowmageddon, I ended up being her houseguest for an extra 2 nights.  But, that's a story for tomorrow....

Thanks for stopping by!

The Weekend Five: Seven Girls and a Photobooth

My sweet friend Kelly Purkey is leaving New York City.  She held a little gathering at a restaurant with a photobooth in the basement.  The photobooth took about five minutes to process each strip, so we were there for quite some time.  

Technically, the photobooth is just outside the men's room.  Seven ladies lurking outside the men's room.  Good times.

Seriously, though, with so many scrapbookers in attendance, we had to memorialize the event!  (Also the white sticks you see are not cigarettes, they're lollipops.)

Photos are always a good idea, don't you think?

Thanks for stopping by!

---

P.S. I'm headed to Colorado tomorrow for the photo shoot for my upcoming book!  I've got blog posts pre-scheduled for the week to keep you entertained.  But, be warned: e-mail responses will be even slower than usual.  :)

The Weekend Five: From My Thirty-Fifth Year

Today is my birthday and birthdays are always a time for looking back at the year that was.  So, I thought I'd share five photos of myself, on five favorite moments, from my thirty-fifth year.

January 2012:

At CHA-Winter.  About to give my very first presentation ever to a room of 200 people.

February 2012:

With my Brother, my Mother, and my Cousin at a surprise birthday party my Husband threw for me.

April 2012:

On the set of Scrapbook Soup!

August 2012:

My last outing with my friend, Riv, right before she moved across the country.  :(

December 2012:

Mailing all the projects for my book off to my publisher!  

It's hard to sum up a year of life in just five photos.  There's so much left out.  But choosing these photos was a great exercise in determining what the truly important things I want to remember from my thirty-fifth year are: career success, family, and friends.  Who could ask for anything more?

Thanks for stopping by!

---

P.S. I'm hard at work editing the final videos for my new online class "Getting Started with the Gelli Plate."  

Class starts February 1!  It's just $15!

Adventures in Arting Podcast: Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

I'm delighted to bring you another episode of the Adventures in Arting Podcast!

If you do not see the player above, please follow the instructions in this post.  You can listen to a podcast anywhere and at any time.  It is a recording that is available to you whenever you'd like to listen.  If you'd like to download it to your iTunes library, click here.  You can also pause and rewind or fast forward as you desire.  I like to listen to podcasts while I'm making art.  It's a little like hanging out with friends while you art.

Today's guest is me!  (Due to a personal matter, our guest for today's podcast was not able to make it. So, I ended up being the guest instead.)  I'm going to give myself the full guest treatment with a headshot, bio, and some images of my work:

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer is a mixed media collage artist. She has been making art for as long as she can remember and loves the process of creating. “I believe that mistakes are creative opportunities and hold fast to the notion that enjoyment of the process is just as important as the finished product! I like to think outside of the box — experimenting with paper, paint, and fabric — always trying to find a way to push my supplies further and see all the possibilities.” 

Julie has had artwork and articles published in many magazines including Cloth Paper Scissors, CPS Pages, CPS Studios, Quilting Arts Gifts, Quilt Scene, Creating Keepsakes, Better Homes & Gardens’ Scrapbooks Etc., Memory Makers, Scrapbook Trends, Somerset Memories, Somerset Digital, scrapbooking m.m. (Sweden), Scrap Art Zine (Germany), Scrapbooking & Beyond, Simple Scrapbooks, Histoires de Pages (France), books by Leisure Arts, F&W Publications, and Lark, as well as multiple e-zines. She writes the "Adventures in Arting" column for Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine.

Julie is the co-host of Scrapbook Soup TV (PBS) and has appeared several times on Quilting Arts TV (PBS) and hosted the “Artist to Artist” segment on Scrapbook Memories TV (PBS).  She has also appeared on Crafting at The Spotted Canary (PBS).  Julie’s hour-long instructional DVD “Collage Fast & Furious” was released in July 2010 by Interweave.  She released two new hour-long instructional DVDs in 2012: All About Faces and Stamp-Making Adventures.

Julie's yet-to-be-titled book on stamp carving will be released by Interweave Press in Fall 2013.

Julie designs stencils for The Crafter's Workshop, stamps for Impression Obsession, and has several other products in the works with other companies.

Julie lives in a tiny apartment with a big art studio in the middle of New York City.  She is a graduate of Brown University.

On today's podcast we talk about my career trajectory, where I hope the craft industry will go, and my teaching philosophy.  I hope you'll give the podcast a listen!  And be sure to leave any comments or questions in the comments section.  I know that Mom and I love hearing from you!

Thanks for stopping by!

All podcasts are archived here.  Find the show on iTunes here.