Balzer Designs

Make Art Because You Can!

I loooove art supplies. I keep buying art supplies. I hoard art supplies. I covet art supplies, But the truth is, you don't need anything fancy to make art. This is a sketch I did in a hotel room back in 2012. All I used was a ballpoint pen and a piece of paper. Nothing fancy. I 100% believe that whatever you think is limiting your creativity -- supplies, time, inspiration, talent -- is an excuse. Supplies don't have to be fancy. You can use any paper, any cardboard, any pen, any paint, anything you want! Lack of time is... Read more →

Adventures in Arting Podcast: Life Changes

On today's podcast I'm talking about two big life changes through the lens of art: moving into a new house and having a baby. 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... Read more →

Studio Bathroom Curtain Makeover

I needed a curtain for the bathroom in the studio. In a pile of linens, I discovered a single canvas curtain panel with a few holes in it. I decided that I needed to repair the rips and shorten the curtain (no one wants a curtain dragging on the floor right by the toilet). I stitched up the holes... ...and cut and shortened the curtain: As you can see, I tacked it up to my painting wall and then went to town with spray paint and spray ink: It didn't feel quite done at this point, so I added some... Read more →

Salley Mavor of Wee Folks Studio

Quilters Connection -- my local quilt guild -- recently hosted fiber artist Salley Mavor for a lecture about her work and career. It was fascinating. Her felt illustrations are magical. I snapped a few photos of the samples she brought with her: Note the hand, in the photo below, for scale: This next piece was extraordinary. Photos do not do it justice! The beautiful details are simply mind boggling!! Salley has illustrated many children's books, such as Pocketful of Posies: And written a how-to book, called Felt Wee Folks: Most recently, she and her husband -- a photographer -- spent... Read more →

Improv Curves: In Progress

A few weeks ago I attended a one-day quilting retreat with the Cambridge Modern Quilt Guild. It was just a few days after we moved, so I actually packed my bag for the retreat before we even moved! And it was a good call because I never would have found all my stuff in time to pack. That said, I kept it simple. I pretty much packed a sewing machine, a rotary cutter, some rulers, and a big bag of fabric scraps. In the days leading up to the retreat, I thought about what I wanted to make with that... Read more →

#Printinktober 29-31 & a Wrap-Up

I'm spectacularly happy that #PrintInktober is over. It was a tough slog this year. Some projects are like that. And that's okay. But before I get into lessons learned and things I'm thinking about, let's take a look at the last three days of prints. Below, I'm posting the process video, embedded from instagram (if you get this blog via e-mail you may need to click on the title of the post to view the videos online) and a photo of the finished fabric: And now, here is a look back at all 31 days of fat quarters: When you... Read more →

From the Studio: My Moveable Walls

In the new house, my studio is in the attic. It's a wonderful space with one big problem: low angled ceilings. Beyond the fact that this eliminates the ability to hang shelves for storage (a problem I am currently working through as I unpack), it means that I don't have a painting wall or a place to put a quilt design wall. I talked to my contractor about it and he built me two huge wooden walls on wheels! This means that I now that 4 flat walls (2 sides on each of these wooden "boxes") to work with! Yay!... Read more →

Two ScanNCut Cards

I haven't bought a card to give someone in years. I like to make the cards. It's a mini gift to the recipient! A few months ago I was invited to a family member's baby shower. I immediately knew that I wanted to make the card and so I went looking for inspiration! I was poking through some of the premium ScanNCut cut files and I found one called "SVG Cutting Files Baby, Steampunk and Skulls Pattern Collection." I immediately loved the elephant card (I have long had a thing for elephants): I decided to make it with a few... Read more →

Art Journal Every Day: A New Journal for January 2019

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 started a new art journal in January of 2019. These days my... Read more →