Balzer Designs

Using the ScanNCut to Prototype Stencils

You may or may not know that when my prototype stencils arrive from The Crafter's Workshop, I sometimes need to make changes to them. Timeline wise that usually means that there isn't enough time between when I make changes and when sample artwork is due to get new prototypes. What to do?! How can I make projects without the right stencils?! In the past, I've hand cut new ones or I've just sucked it up and made samples with the wrong ones (which is often confusing to the buyer). Well, this time around I used my ScanNCut to cut the... Read more →

Brother Back to Business Conference 2015

If you listened to the podcast last week or follow me on instagram, you know that I spent seven days in Nashville for Brother's B2B, or Back to Business Conference. This is an annual conference that Brother hosts for its dealers. It's an event that's all about educating the dealers on the new products and accessories so that they can do the best job possible selling them. I attended the event for the first time last year and you can read all about my experiences here. The conference opened with a big reveal of all the new products! Lots of... Read more →

The Weekend Five: I See Yellow

Recently, I was walking around the West Village here in NYC snapping photos. When I got home and looked at my photos I noticed something of a theme: yellow. Everywhere I looked there was the color yellow! Take a peek at five random photos from that walk that all contain something yellow! When I took the photo of the statue I didn't even really think about that yellow van in the background. But there it is! I feel inspired to grab a tube of yellow paint and use in my journal today. How about you? Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

Art Journal Every Day: A Black & White Page!

If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, there is a short introduction here. All of the previous posts can be found archived here. There is a flickr group for sharing right here. Remember, it's just ten minutes of nourishing your creative self every day! No need to finish anything or even like it. If you've done some art journaling this week and you've blogged about it, or put it on flickr, please leave a link in the linky list at the end of this post. Thanks! Every now and then I'll paint a page in my journal black. More... Read more →

Adventures in Arting Podcast: Ashley Horton Cuts it Up

You guys are amazing. I am seriously overwhelmed and humbled by the enormous outpouring of love and support you left in the form of comments on yesterday's post. I'm absolutely delighted to know that what I create makes you feel happy too! I'm looking into perhaps producing a few items by myself or simply finding the right niche for me and will let you know my progress. Thank you! Thank you for being such a supportive community and for allowing me to share my artistic ups and downs with people who "get" me and my style. Thank you! Thank you!... Read more →

Some New Artwork

Several months ago I took an outrageously expensive licensing class that I had to create some artwork for. I thought I'd share some of that artwork with you today. Fabric Design with coordinating prints: Plates: Children's Book Cover: Wall Art: Gift Items: Licensing is definitely something that I'm interested in. However, I pretty much came away from class with the sense that my work is not really what people are looking for. I'm very proud of all of these pieces but I think my taste is not mainstream taste. C'est la vie. I will simply keep working on creating art... Read more →

iPad Subway Doodles

I feel like a super creeper when I do it, but I love sketching people on my iPad on the subway. New Yorkers are definitely not afraid to yell at you if they don't like what you're doing and I'm a bit scared of getting caught. Nonetheless, I find myself hiding my iPad in my lap and peeking at people in quick bursts. I've been using my finger more than a stylus because it's less obvious that I'm drawing when I just have my finger. Here are three recent sketches (you will see the sketch and then after it is... Read more →

Exploring Chameleon Pens

Okay, I had heard a lot about these Chameleon Pens, but I didn't really understand the hype. However, a sweet friend gifted me with a set of them and so I decided to do a little internet research before cracking the package open. I found this video on the Chameleon site and I got a little giddy: That's super cool, right? I eagerly cracked open the package and got experimenting. You can watch the video to see what I tried and how I feel about the pens after giving them a go: Here are some of the things I experimented... Read more →

Art Journal Every Day: Lost My Mojo

If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, there is a short introduction here. All of the previous posts can be found archived here. There is a flickr group for sharing right here. Remember, it's just ten minutes of nourishing your creative self every day! No need to finish anything or even like it. If you've done some art journaling this week and you've blogged about it, or put it on flickr, please leave a link in the linky list at the end of this post. Thanks! Lately I have not been happy with my art journal pages. I've been... Read more →

ScanNCut Project: Masked & Stamped Greeting Card

Today I've got a super cute card tutorial for you. The video is all about how to use your ScanNCut to create custom masks to match your stamps. It's a technique you can use in your art journal, on your scrapbook pages, or even on fabric! Here's the card from the video: It's pretty impressive how well the masking works. It really keeps the images crisp and clean and allows for some visually interesting layering. ScanNCut CM250 ScanNCut Standard Blade Holder ScanNCut Standard Cut Blade ScanNCut Standard Mat ScanNCut Scanning Mat Ranger Archival Ink 110 lb. white cardstock 8.5x11 Hand... Read more →