Did you know that I still scrapbook? It's true. I no longer make the big 12x12 scrapbook pages, but I do try my best to keep up with Project Life aka pocket scrapbooking. I've been a Project Life participant since 2012! (You can read my very first Project Life post here.) After 7 years, I still love my Project Life albums. They're super fun to flip through because they're packed full of memories. It will not surprise you to know that I approach my Project Life albums slightly differently than other people do. Today I thought I'd share some recent... Read more →

On Tuesday night, I hosted the monthly livestream for Balzer Designs YouTube Channel Members. We discussed a wide range of topics from quilt binding to time management. I also did a bunch of art demos and thought I'd share the pretty papers that came out of those demos - showing how different mediums react under the same circumstances. Check them out: For all of these art experiments, I used plain old copy paper. I think we often get caught up in thinking that we should use or buy "art papers" but copy paper works great for lots of stuff (and... Read more →

Hello, friends! Here's a little bit about life right now: What are you wearing? This Marimekko mumu dress. It has pockets and I love swishing around in it! What have you bought? I bought this dress from Amazon: My original plan was to paint it for the MFA Summer Party, but I like it so much I'm wondering if I should just leave it alone? What are you reading? I recently finished How to be Good by Nick Hornby and was very disappointed. He's a good writer, but it was such a deeply depressing take on the world that I... Read more →

You've managed to clear a few hours in your busy life to actually make things. Yay! You sit down and...nothing. Sigh. Or perhaps you're generating stuff but it just stinks. Ugh. Creative block is a super annoying thing. I have developed lots of strategies for dealing with creative block over the years, but after a while you know when you're tricking yourself. So, I turned to Facebook and Instagram to ask for some advice last week. The advice I got back was sooooo good and so helpful that I wanted to share it with you here today. I took all... Read more →

Today is Memorial Day in the USA. It's a day to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. There are often parades and barbecues to mark the day. I'm sure you'll agree that any get together requires a certain amount of crafting. I have three super easy crafty ideas for you that shouldn't take more than an hour to pull together from supplies you already have on hand. Perfect for last minute patriotic crafting: American Flag Mason Jars: Fantastic simple centerpiece for a lovely table. Find the instructions here. You probably have the paint... Read more →

Today I'm sharing more photos from my visit to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Lots of lovely paintings to see today. I tried to take a lot of close ups so that you could really see the hand of the artist. Enjoy! I am mildly obsessed with this George Bellows painting of two men boxing. Personally, I have a lot of trouble watching boxing in real life. Two people hitting each other in the face isn't my idea of a good time. Nonetheless, this painting is done with such mastery that I must have stood and stared at it for... Read more →

While I was in Cleveland, I stopped by the Cleveland Museum of Art. This was my second visit to the museum and I got to see a bit more of the museum this time around. In fact, I saw enough of the museum that I've divided my pics into two posts for you. Today is part one -- lots to see and enjoy and be inspired by! These next few images are from an exhibit on Scandinavian Textiles (swoon): I find fabric design absolutely fascinating. I can spend hours scrolling through Spoonflower and thinking about how clever and talented other... Read more →

Lately I'm obsessed with monoprinting! I've been creating lots and lots of Composed Prints. I created this one right after I made all those paper stencils: Understandably, it is therefore packed with stenciling! I'm a more-is-more kind of girl, so I like this kind of vibrating pulsating image packed with color and shape. For my next attempt, I decided to break my own rules. Originally, I had decided that these pieces had to be 100% just monoprinting. But I decided to scribble all over this one: I haven't decided whether I like the scribbling or not. Going to have to... Read more →

While I was in Cleveland to film the new season of Make It Artsy, I spent about an hour at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. While not an art museum, the Botanical Garden offers a great deal for an artist to take away. For me, the top two take aways are: Inspiration for drawing: leaves, flowers, animals, and more. I find myself especially drawn to plants, flowers, and animals that I don't often see around me at home. Color Palettes: Mother Nature is a wonderful artist and puts together fascinating combinations of colors that work in harmony. It's tempting to scroll... Read more →

This weekend, I helped my Mom with a quick sewing project. She bought a super cute bathrobe, but didn't want to use the tie that came with it. She prefers a button. I told her I could add one for her and here it is: I took the lazy way out and stitched it with my sewing machine and I figured I'd put together a short video for you showing how lazy a choice that was. This is a real time video of the process, and even with all the talking, it takes just 5 minutes! My Sewing Machine: https://bit.ly/2EjtkfY... Read more →