Balzer Designs

Balzer Designs Stencils 2021: Unboxing!

I've been designing stencils for The Crafter's Workshop since 2011, but I haven't released any new designs for almost eighteen months (let's call it maternity leave). I'm so excited to have NINE fabulous new designs available in both 6x6 and 12x12. Yay! Come with me as I see the new designs for the first time in this unboxing of the new 2021 Balzer Designs Stencils! Lots more stencil videos to come. Also: Be sure to click through this link to set a reminder for my live stencil party on August 23 at 8pm EST. You can buy these stencils at... Read more →

Scrawlr Box: July 2021 Unboxing Video

My third Scrawlr Box arrived last week. I opened it up and tried it out and ended up making this: I had the camera running, so you can watch the video if you want all the details: I was delighted to open the box and find alcohol inks instead of pens! Yay! Here are a few more pros and cons: PRO: Yay for Yupo paper. It's a great surface for many kinds of mediums and if you haven't tried it out yet, you should. CON: I wish that they had included (a) instructions for opening the alcohol ink bottles, and... Read more →

Around Here: July 2021

Hello, friends! Here is a little bit about life around here right now: What are you working on? I'm about to launch "ScanNCut Club" on YouTube. I'll have more details once everything is in place. It's something that I've been meaning to do for a long time and I finally made the time to get things started! What are you loving? I have been marathoning Say Yes to the Dress and I find it fascinating! I never had that wedding dress salon experience and I find it both tempting and frightening. Also, I need to know more about these people... Read more →

From the Archives: What Mister Rogers Taught Me

This post was originally published in August of 2012. I recently watched the auto-tune remix from one of my favorite childhood TV shows, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood: I had forgotten how much of the show was about using your imagination. I actually teared up a little watching this video. The lessons of kindness, courtesy, responsibility, and respect that Mr. Rogers espoused on his show, not to mention his encouragement to dream and imagine and play make believe, have stuck with me into adulthood. A day or two after watching the video I was still hearing two phrases rattling through my head.... Read more →

#30Grids: Days 11-17

I've got seven more abstract mixed media collages for you! I constructed all of these pieces using a grid design, and following my "Art Parts" theory of construction. I'm in the middle of this series and I can feel that I'm entering into a more experimental -- and slightly more uncomfortable -- phase of creating. It's a good (and scary) feeling. Do you have a favorite among these mixed media collages? I have a few, for different reasons. :) Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

5 Paint Colors I Cannot Live Without

I loooooove all the colors, but here are five that I just keep reaching for. I like them because they're beautiful. But also because they're flexible. They mix well. Here are my faves: Quinacridone Magenta - It's pink. But it's kind of red. It can go purple or light light pink. It's like the sophisticated older sister of hot pink. I'm all in on Quin Magenta. Here is a bit of color mixing I did with Quin Magenta: As you can see, you can get a real range of pinks and some gorgeous purples. Pthalo Green - It's how I... Read more →

Fiber Artist Erin Wilson

I stumbled across Erin Wilson's work on Pinterest and it was love at first sight. I like all of her work, but her works on paper are the answer to so many questions I have about my voice in quilting. From her website: 8” x 10” paper dimensions 5” x 5” approximate artwork dimensions hand-dyed cottons pieced and stitched onto archival paper I loooooooove it. I love piecing. I love the art and architecture of piecing. But I haaaaaate the quilting part. This feels like such an elegant solution to that problem. (Also, I love that it isn't square and... Read more →

Offset Vehicle T-Shirt

At the moment, my son is 100% obsessed with vehicles. His happiest moments are when we stand on the sidewalk by a busy street and watch the traffic go by. He points at every single truck and car that passes and says, "caaah." It's adorable. To celebrate his deep love of all vehicles, I decided to make him a t-shirt. Here it is: I used some leftover scraps of colored Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV) for the colored bits in this design. HTV can be a bit expensive, so I always try to minimize waste and I keep all of my... Read more →

#30Grids: Days 3-10

As I mentioned last week, I recently issued a personal challenge to myself to create 30 mixed media collages based on "the grid" design. Here are eight of them: Do you have a favorite? I am amazed how one simple design idea can take so many disparate forms. It's rather exciting, isn't it? I think I could probably create piles and piles of artwork over many years using this one simple design! If you'd like to learn more about how to use "the grid" design, sign up for my live online class on August 14. Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

Altoid Watercolor Palettes

Back in 2014 I wrote a tutorial on how to make a watercolor palette in an Altoid tin using an empty gum wrapper. Thanks to evolving technology, lots of folks on Etsy are now offering 3-D printed watercolor palettes that fit inside an Altoid tin. They range in price from $8-20 and they fit the tin perfectly! Here are three that I bought to try out: There are lots of different kinds of configurations and features. Some have a single layer and some have a double layer. When you're using the palette, you can place the second layer in the... Read more →