I'm super excited to share a sneak peek behind-the-scenes of all the filming fun we had on the Make It Artsy set. Episodes will begin airing online and on your local PBS station on September 29. You're going to want to tune is this fall! Follow Make It Artsy on Facebook and Instagram to get all the latest info! If you'd like to request that your local PBS station carry the show, you can find contact information for your local station here. First, a test: How observant are you? How many people do you see in this photo? If you... Read more →

Hey guys! It has been a while since I shared an update on my mola. It's definitely transforming into something else right now. I've been adding embroidery and it is transforming the mola into something new. I guess I'm adding a little bit of "Julie" to it! Still very much in progress: And here's a quick snap of me working on the mola at the doctor's office -- you can take stitching anywhere! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

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. 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, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek. Even if you're not on social media, you can see everything (from twitter, pinterest, instagram, and facebook) that uses that hashtag here. I'm delighted to share a video tutorial with you today! In this video... Read more →

I'm delighted to bring you another episode of the Adventures in Arting Podcast! If you do not see the podcast player above, please click on this link. 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 podcast is... Read more →

Knowing that I love binder clips and use them for everything, my Mom sent me a link to this brilliant video all about the cool things you can do with binder clips: I particularly loved the little phone holder stand that was demonstrated in the video, but I wanted to make it a little bit prettier! STEP ONE: I needed to widen the metal clips on the binder clips in order to fit my phone and case. I used a ring mandrel and raw hide hammer. STEP TWO: I decorated a piece of deli paper with stencils, stamps, acrylic paint,... Read more →

The MFA (The Museum of Fine Arts) Boston is currently showing an interesting exhibition called "The Idea of North: The Paintings of Lawren Harris." I had never heard of Lawren Harris before the exhibit, but I gather that's because I'm an ignoramus. I really liked his monumental, corpulent landscapes. Take a peek and see what you think: His paintings were exhibited next to a selection of work by artists who were his contemporaries. It's always interesting to see artwork in the context of its time. I really appreciate it when museums go out of their way to provide art education... Read more →

I'm delighted to be introducing a new video series to you today. The new "Art Tips" series will focus on super short video tutorials about art supplies, art techniques, even art organization. I hope to post lots of these short videos in the coming days! Today's #BalzerArtTip is about China Markers, often called Grease Pencils. Here's what they look like before: And the after: As you can see from the photos, I also discovered that you can put vine charcoal (which gets all over your hands and breaks like crazy) into these holders. Super cool! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

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. 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, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek. Even if you're not on social media, you can see everything (from twitter, pinterest, instagram, and facebook) that uses that hashtag here. I keep a lot of different types of art journals, including travel sketchbooks.... Read more →

As you might imagine, I get a ton of ScanNCut questions. Unfortunately, I can't answer all of them individually. But I do try to gather some of the common questions together and create videos that answer them. Today I'm sharing tips that answer two common questions: how to cut felt with the ScanNCut, and how to delete scans you've saved into the machine. I hope these videos answered some of your questions. If you have others, feel free to leave them in the comments section and I'll do my best to create more videos in the future to help you... Read more →

I am delighted to share some of the photos from my class, "Go Big or Go Home" in Byron Bay, Australia. You can read a student's point-of-view about the class HERE. You can see two short little video/photo montages of the class HERE and HERE (be sure to press PLAY). I do have some in-person classes coming up. I will share all the info ASAP. Just finishing up last minute details and all the travel has delayed things a bit. Hope to share next week! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →