I put together a quick edit of an instagram live video I did earlier this month. It's all about 5 art supplies I'm currently loving! Here's the list: Paint Puck Dynasty Stencil Brushes Listo China Markers Plastic Funnel Mesh File Box You'll note that almost everything on the list is something that makes my arting life easier. I'm at the stage in my art supply purchasing where the things that thrill me are usually little things that simply make creating easier and/or more pleasurable. What's on your list of current favorite mixed media art supplies? I'd love to know! Read more →

Hello, friends! Here is a little bit about life around here right now: What are you working on? The hardest, most difficult, and most stubborn project on earth: me. In all seriousness, pandemic fatigue has set in around here and I'm trying to figure out how to prioritize my own self care while still giving as much as possible to my child, my partner, my clients and students, my friends, and my family, and so forth. If you have any tips, feel free to share! What are you loving? I bought refills for my tape runner for the first time... Read more →

I hosted a wonderful live online workshop a few weekends ago. It's part of a series of "Composition Classes" that I'm offering. This one was about "The Grid" and these are the three demo pieces I created during class: I looooove them! I think they're some of the best pieces that I've done in this series -- and that's not something I usually say about demo pieces. But I think there are a few reasons that they're good and they're things I want to remember: Limited palette. I've said if before. I'll say it again. I even taught a class... Read more →

In case you missed out on all of the stencil fun, here is the replay of Monday's live stencil event: And just to recap, here are the nine designs, which will be available on September 1: And here are links to all of the stencil posts I've done this month: Unboxing Embossing Paste & Embossing Powder Stencil Rubbing Using a Gelatin Plate with a Stencil to Fix Ugly Papers Baby Wipe Removal Understanding Different Mediums Using a Stencil Brush Distress Spray + Stencils 2 Ways to Foil How to Use Watercolor with Stencils Stencil Storage Whew. That's a lot of... Read more →

I have hundreds of stencils and in this video I'm sharing how I've stored and organized them for over a decade. Page protectors and book rings are such a simple and inexpensive solution. No tangling, no getting lost -- this system keeps all of my stencils 100% contained! SUPPLIES: 12x12 Page Protectors 12x12 Cardstock 8.5x11 Page Protectors 8.5x11 Cardstock Book Rings Permanent Marker How do you store your stencils? I'd love to know! And if you still want more stencil know-how, you can check out my free email course: Stencil 101. Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

One of my favorite uses for stencils and the gelatin plate is to make ugly things pretty. In this video I'm sharing how you can quickly print an overall pattern and magically make things look so much better! Check it out: SUPPLIES: Gelatin Plate Speedball Brayer Liquitex Basics Acrylic Paint "A Year of Gelatin Printing" Online Class I used TCW935 aka "Secret Garden" for this video and it made me fall head over heels in love with this stencil. Even after a decade of designing stencils, I still get surprised when I actually start to play with them. I knew... Read more →

Did you know that you can stencil an entire sheet of paper in less than 30 seconds? The trick to this technique is using thin papers -- copy paper, tracing paper, deli paper, washi paper, book pages, etc. To get a great rubbing you want to make sure that you're using a paper you can feel the stencil through. In the second half of the video, I share how you can use a water based colorant, such as spray ink or watercolor, to add a background color to your paper. The oil pastel (and a crayon would do the same)... Read more →

If you're a texture junkie, you're going to want to try out this technique: Heat embossing with modeling paste and stencils creates the coolest dimensional designs! Watch the video for the how-to: SUPPLIES: Light & Fluffy Modeling Paste Embossing Powder Embossing Heat Gun And the stencil I used is TCW939: There are lots of different mediums that you can use for heat embossing. Embossing powder will stick to anything that's wet. Have you ever tried heat embossing with paint or spray ink or another non-traditional medium? I'd love to know! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

I don't know about you, but I am LAZY. And the easiest way to quickly stencil a large area is with a baby wipe. As you can see the results are fantastic! Here are some detail photos: In this tutorial video I share two different examples of media you can use with this technique: water soluble crayons and acrylic paint. In the video I'm using a stencil I designed for The Crafter's Workshop called "Tulip Hexagons." It's designed to seamlessly repeat. I show you how in the video above. It's so easy! I hope you'll give this technique a try.... Read more →

Yes, you 100% can use watercolor with stencils. In this video I share several different techniques for applying the watercolor as well as cleaning up your stencils. SUPPLIES: QoR Watercolors Palette Watercolor Paper The stencil in the video is one of my (Balzer Designs) designs for The Crafter's Workshop. It's called "Garden Tile." The holes are small on this stencil and you may have to knock out a few of the "hanging chads" as I demonstrate in this video: Here are a few of the examples from the video: Have you tried using watercolor with your stencils? How did it... Read more →