Happy Thursday! I'm shockingly busy these days. But that's the way I *love* it, so I really can't complain! I'm heading for Cleveland this weekend. I'll be on the set of Scrapbook Soup (can't wait to see the new set!) all next week. I'm hoping to blog from the road, but we'll see how that goes.... In the meantime here is a quilt I completed recently (isn't my Mom so cute being a human quilt holder?): I say completed because I made most of it about two years ago when one of my best friends had a baby. It's for... Read more →

It was so fantastic to read all your comments on yesterday's post! I really was surprised at the layouts that people seemed to love. Really, really interesting! Thank you so much to all of you who took the time to comment! I appreciate it so much! Mwah! And now for today's post... Announcing a new class at The Ink Pad: Mixed Media Paintings with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer April 16, 10am – 5pm (with a one-hour break for lunch) at The Ink Pad's Westbeth Classroom: 55 Bethune Street (between Washington & West) Contact the store directly to register: 212.463.9876 Even if... Read more →

I know that I mentioned this before, but I'm saying goodbye to the Pencil Lines design team! It has been a wonderful year, but I'm finding the need to free up some time for other endeavors. I've had a few awesome opportunities come my way that I want to pursue. I have so enjoyed working with Anna's and all the talented guest's sketches! Thank you, Pencil Lines! Here is this week's sketch: And my interpretation: And now here's a look back at a little more than a year's worth of layouts inspired by Pencil Line sketches: Some hits and some... Read more →

Today is the first day of my new online class It's Sew Easy! And I'm sew excited! I've been thinking about teaching this class for a long time. And really, I have to thank Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine. When I was named one of the five finalists in the "mixed media stitch" category of their Artisan of the Year contest, it really gave me a big confidence boost. Almost immediately this class bounced from the "someday" category into the "right now" one and I am so glad! (a detail photo of a project from class) I've had a lot of... Read more →

Thanks for all the guesses about what Nat and I are up to! Now I can tell you! Your two favorite goofballs are going to be teaching two days of mixed media classes in Germany! Woo Hoo! Here's the official event poster: And check out our event blog for all the details! It's going to be awesome! --- P.S. Here's my third Gauche Alchemy guest post! Thanks for all the nice comments on my last two projects! Mwah! P.P.S. I've also got a guest post with some cool fabric ATCs over at the 365 Days of Craft blog! Read more →

One of the first questions that people ask me is what notebook do you use to journal in? The choice of notebook is super personal to each artist. Right now I'm art journaling in four notebooks: a super large watercolor Moleskine, a Strathmore wire bound visual journal, a Hand Book watercolor journal, and a coptic bound watercolor journal I bought from Elvie Studio on Etsy. Why so many? Well, I've been trying to find my perfect journal for a while and so I bought a bunch of books to try out. Have you found your perfect book? Well, I'm so... Read more →

I am a busy busy busy bee right now. My life seems to be going a million miles an hour and time is just whooshing past me! Here's a peek at what I'm up to: Prepping lots and lots of projects for the taping of Scrapbook Soup! The image above is for a segment on art journaling! (Still going through project submissions, by the way!) I was invited to particpate in a fundraising art sale to benefit Japan. Above is a peek at a small quilt I made that's going to be for sale in a few weeks. I'm putting... Read more →

My new online class It's Sew Easy starts next Monday! I'm super excited and I've been making so many colorful and lovely projects that I just have to share! One of the first projects we'll be making are these cool tags (layers of pretty paper and fabric): Just practicing sewing forwards and backwards while also learning about hand dyeing lace, spattering paint, and having a really good time! Remember that all the techniques from this class translate to lots of other different kinds of projects. For instance, I used the technique from the white tag to create the background of... Read more →

The prompt over at Creative Therapy this month is: Describe a family keepsake you have or hope to have. I made this painting in response to that prompt: I couldn't think of a physical thing that I really wanted and that stood head-and-shoulders above anything else. But I am very clear on an emotional gift from my family that I hope I carry with me every day and pass on to my future children: be unique. In a way, I do carry it with me every day because my middle name (Fei-Fan) means unique in Chinese. Being unique is about... Read more →

I did something good for my soul (and my studio space) this week. I weeded out my stash just a bit and gave away two big cardboard boxes full of stuff. And you know, it felt so good to get it out of my space and send it off to two happy homes. I do keep a lot of stuff for "someday" but at a certain point I find the clutter overwhelming rather than inspiring. It was so wonderful to finally see the surface of my desk that I forced my husband to come in and admire it. (I think... Read more →