Balzer Designs

Yes, I'm Still Pocket Scrapbooking!

Pocket Scrapbooking is the generic term for "Project Life" -- a commercialized term coined by Becky Higgins. In essentials, it's a form of scrapbooking in which you use page protectors with pockets to wrangle your memories. I started doing Project Life and sharing the pages on my blog back in 2012: 2013: 2014: 2015: In 2016, I stopped sharing photos from my albums, but I did keep doing it. I took some of those albums off the shelves to snap a photo or two and here you go... 2017: 2018: 2019: And I just finished my 2020 album: So, why... Read more →

Some #CarveDecember Faves!

Today I wanted to share just a few of my personal favorites from the hundreds and hundreds of hand carved stamps that people made in December as part of #CarveDecember. (These images are embedded from instagram. If you don't see them, click HERE to view this post on the web.) At the moment, there are almost 20,000 #CarveDecember posts. If you're looking for inspiration, it's a great hashtag to visit. There are drawings/illustrations, patterns, color choices, style choices...so many things to inspire you, even if you never carve a stamp. Finally, if you haven't read the rave reviews for the... Read more →

Art Journal Every Day: Pages Without Journaling From March 2019

If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, the concept is simple: It's a commitment to take ten minutes each day to do something in your art journal. No need to finish anything or even like it. It's about making the time to nourish your creativity every day! If you have the time to flip through your phone, you have the time to Art Journal Every Day. If you'd like to share what you make, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek. You can find new Art Journal Every Day posts here on the blog... Read more →

The Adventures in Arting Podcast: Hello, 2021!

Mom and I are talking about goals and hopes and plans for 2021 on today's podcast. Give it a listen: If you do not see the podcast player above, please click on this link. On the off chance that you've never listened to a podcast or don't get why anybody would want to, here are some facts: (1) Podcasts are convenient. It's a recording that is available to you whenever and wherever you'd like to listen. You can pause, stop, start, fast forward, and rewind. Stream it through Apple Music or Spotify. (2) Podcasts are great for listening to while... Read more →

Some New "Composed Gelatin Prints"

During the process of designing some new stencils for The Crafter's Workshop, I created some new "composed gelatin prints" in order to test out the stencils. There are two things to note in that sentence: Composed gelatin prints are prints created with intention, thought, and a design eye. They are meant to be finished art to hang on the wall rather than collage fodder or backgrounds. (You can learn how to make your own in my year long gelatin printing class or you can purchase one of mine in my shop.) I test out all of my stencil designs to... Read more →

30-Second Tutorial: T-Shirt Headband

Have you got 30 seconds? Then watch this video to see how to turn any t-shirt into a super cute headband -- no sewing or glue required: In essentials, cut your t-shirt... ...and then fold it up! This example is super basic, but you can get fancy by painting/dyeing the fabric. I did that with this one: It's sun printed! So, grab a t-shirt that you don't want anymore and turn it into some super cute headbands! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

Sarah Bond Workshop: Coming Full Circle

Back in November I took a one-day live online class with quilter, Sarah Bond. It was called "Coming Full Circle" and it was all about making different kinds of super cool circle designs, as in this photo from her instagram: Or this one of my laptop during class: I decided to use fabrics and rules from the Modern Quilt Guild QuiltCon Together Floral & Vine challenge while learning how to make these circles. I figured that way I could kill two birds with one stone: learn something and make something for the challenge. It didn't quite work out that way,... Read more →

Art Journal Every Day: Sketchbook vs. Art Journal

If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, the concept is simple: It's a commitment to take ten minutes each day to do something in your art journal. No need to finish anything or even like it. It's about making the time to nourish your creativity every day! If you have the time to flip through your phone, you have the time to Art Journal Every Day. If you'd like to share what you make, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek. You can find new Art Journal Every Day posts here on the blog... Read more →

How to Navigate Monthly Membership

I sometimes get asked about how to find certain things in the membership classroom, so I wanted to put together a video that shows you exactly how to navigate the monthly membership: I hope you found that video helpful! If you need to find it on a later date, it's on the membership page of my website. Here's a peek at a few items from recent monthly livestream demos: Honeycomb Christmas Ornaments: Water-Soluble Crayon Performance Comparison: Here is a screen shot of a demo I did in November on how to use watercolors with Art Foamies (all livestreams are recorded):... Read more →

My "Extra" #CarveDecember Stamps

Will it surprise you to know that I carved more than 31 stamps for #CarveDecember? Today I thought I'd share a few of the "extras." For the most part, stamps that pattern will always be my fave! I also have a bunch of tessellating stamps that I made but didn't share. I'll plan on sharing those next week! Let me know which of these "extra" stamps is your fave. I'd love to know! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →