Balzer Designs

Around Here: October 2018

Hello, friends!  Here's a little bit about life right now:

What are you listening to?

I have Buddy Guy & Junior Wells on repeat at the moment.  You can get a taste in this YouTube video:

What are you wearing?

Winter has come.

And yes, my mittens are attached to my sleeves with clips like a five-year-old.  

What have you bought?

I'm actually trying very hard NOT to buy things.  In fact, I'm in the process of throwing things away, donating things, and trying to clean out some of the clutter.  That said, I did buy a set of Russian Piping Tips.

But, more on that tomorrow!

What are you reading?

Steve and I are taking turns reading chapters of What On Earth Evolved out loud to each other.  Reading feels like it must be a solitary experience.  But, most of us are lucky enough to start out being read to.  And then that experience stops.  But there's no reason it has to.  Reading out loud is a slower process but I find it very enjoyable.  And I find being read to to be quite a treat!  In my twenties, my Mom read one chapter of Away to me -- over the phone -- every night.  I have remembered that book -- and that experience -- for many years.  It has stayed with me in a way that other books haven't.

Who are you stalking...er, admiring from afar?

The whimsical pictoral collages of clover_robin make me happy!

She has a book called Cut Paper Pictures, which I haven't bought yet.  But, it's on my wishlist for sure! 

So, there you have it!  That's the scoop on life around here at the moment.  If you'd like more behind-the-scenes real life fun, you can always check out my vlog.  I post a new vlog to my YouTube channel every Wednesday!  This is the most recent vlog:

Thanks for stopping by!

Around Here: September

Hello, friends!  Here's a little bit about life right now:

What are you listening to?

My current favorite podcast is "Stuff You Should Know."  I just listened to an hour on patents.  It should have been boring, but I was fascinated.  Hosts Chuck and Josh dive deep on stuff that we all sort of know about but really ought to have a stronger working knowledge about.

What are you wearing?

Black on black on black.  It's my favorite color to wear.  It mixes and matches and allows you to wear obnoxious earrings.  ;)

What have you bought?

Can we talk about something that I haven't bought yet, but I've been shopping for?

I'm trying to figure out the flooring in my future studio space (the attic of our new house).  I'm thinking this hardy laminate from Home Depot is the way to go, but I'm wondering if anyone has experience/advice?  From what I've read, it's supposed to take a beating and clean up easily.

What are you reading?

I'm heading back through Jane Austen -- a ritual I take on every decade or so.  I'm always amazed that I can be surprised by books I've read a million times before.  The truth of the matter is that I know the plots inside out but depending on where I am in my life, different details strike me each time I read the books.  

Who are you stalking...er, admiring from afar?

Susana McDonnell aka linocaveprints. Her carving and printing on yards and yards of fabric is fabulous geometric perfection. I swoon over her work and I think you will too:

 

So much yummy geometry.  So impressive!

So, there you have it!  That's the scoop on life around here at the moment.  If you'd like more behind-the-scenes real life fun, you can always check out my vlog.  I post a new vlog to my YouTube channel every Wednesday!  This is the most recent vlog:

Thanks for stopping by!

--

P.S. I will be hosting a Facebook Live event on my Facebook page tomorrow (Wednesday, September 26) from 1-1:30pm EST all about the **new** ScanNCut.  If you've got questions, I've (hopefully) got answers! 

Around Here: August 2018

Hello, friends!  Here's a little bit about life right now:

What are you listening to?

I've really been enjoying the NPR radio broadcast: Only a Game -- also available as a podcast.  I'm a casual (rather than rabid) sports fan and I find the reporting and discussions on this show fascinating and informative.  I believe in having a little bit of knowledge about a lot of things and Only a Game helps me stay up to date with sports.

What are you wearing?

Spanx.  Lots of Spanx to smooth out the bumps!

What have you bought?

Flowers!  I love having flowers in my house!

What are you reading?

My Mom gifted me a subscription to New York Magazine.  Even though I no longer live in NYC, I still really enjoy the magazine.  I don't think you need to be a New Yorker to like it.  It's full of great articles, a touch of celebrity gossip, and a crossword puzzle that is much easier than the New York Times, but still a challenge!

Who are you stalking...er, admiring from afar?

David Shillinglaw is amazing.  I love the mask-like faces, his murals are AMAZING, and he does disorganized yet organized so well!

  

 

Swoon worthy!

So, there you have it!  That's the scoop on life around here at the moment.  If you'd like more behind-the-scenes real life fun, you can always check out my vlog.  I post a new vlog to my YouTube channel every Wednesday!  This is the most recent vlog:

Thanks for stopping by!

Around Here: July 2018

Hello, friends!  Here's a little bit about life right now:

What are you listening to?

Marissa turned me onto the "Yacht Rock" channel on Spotify.  Perfect background music for happy painting.

What are you wearing?

Summer dresses and a smile!

What have you bought?

This eye mirror insisted on coming home with me from France. 

I think it will fit perfectly into the new house!

What are you reading?

My Mom e-mailed me this wonderful story from The Washington Post about the bond between a man and a crane.

Who are you stalking...er, admiring from afar?

Jen Hewett.  She's a printmaker and a clothing maker and a stitcher and now has a line of fabric with Cotton + Steel and a book that I want!

So, there you have it!  That's the scoop on life around here at the moment.  If you'd like more behind-the-scenes real life fun, you can always check out my vlog.  I post a new vlog to my YouTube channel every Wednesday!  This is last week's vlog (this week's vlog will be up on my YouTube channel tomorrow):

Thanks for stopping by!

Around Here: June 2018

Hello, friends!  Here's a little bit about life right now:

What are you listening to?

I am *obsessed* with a multi-part radio series from the 1930s called "The Airmail Mystery."  I listen a podcast called The Great Detectives and they've been dripping out the episodes and I listen to them as soon as I see them download to my phone.  I've always loved those old radio plays, but this one has me hooked.  Hard core.

What are you wearing?

Oh, besides this dress I made?

How about a super glam flower gown!

What have you bought?

A house.  My first house.  I've always lived in apartments.  After months of looking and so many rejected offers, I finally bought a house!  The deal hasn't closed yet, so I'll save the photos until it's really real.  But wow!  I'm beyond excited.  And nervous.  And excited.  And nervous.

It needs work, so you'll probably be reading a lot of posts from me about renovating....

What are you reading?

A book gifted to me by my brother's girlfriend: The Sleepwalkers Guide to Dancing by Mira Jacob.  I'm only a chapter or two in, but it's good!

Who are you stalking...er, admiring from afar?

I am loving all of the intense embroidery -- and especially embroidered clothes from @lisa_smirnova.  Check her out:

 

🌿🌿🌿

A post shared by Лиза Смирнова (@lisa_smirnova) on Jun 1, 2018 at 6:52am PDT

 

#adalanguage collection✨ @giocondaandaugust / @world_of_february

A post shared by Лиза Смирнова (@lisa_smirnova) on May 16, 2018 at 10:00am PDT

 

Вот смола кругового терпенья и совестный деготь труда. Новая коллекция из 5 ярких курток "Embroidered Maps» от Мастерской Современной Вышивки – это мечты о путешествиях и выдуманных ландшафтах. Каждая куртка декорирована ручной вышивкой на первый взгляд напоминающей абстрактное полотно, но присмотревшись можно увидеть картографию несуществующих миров с людьми и растениями. Все вышивки выполнены шерстяными и хлопковыми нитками в единственном экземпляре, на создание каждой ушло более 60 часов работы. Коллекция доступна для продажи, прайс лист по запросу на почту: lisa-smirnova1992@yandex.com. Стоимость от 50 000₽. За помощь с пошивом и мотивацию огромное спасибо @erohina, а так же @alicestarob и Катерине Ореховой🌿 New collection of five bright jackets «Embroidered Maps» from Studio Modern Embroidery of Lisa Smirnova this is dream of traveling and fictional landscapes. Each jacket is hand embroidered and look like abstract canvas, but if watch carefully you can see cartography of non-existent worlds with people and plants. All embroidery are made in one copy, to create each took more than 60 hours of work. This collection is available for sale price list send upon request. Thank you for helping me create the collection: Yulia Erohina, Alice Starobina, Katerina Orekhova🌿 Photo: @annaarchen Style: @bakharevaa Muah: @yuliya_bondarenko Model: @marinakasi #embroideredmaps2018

A post shared by Лиза Смирнова (@lisa_smirnova) on Mar 5, 2018 at 3:14am PST

Super duper magical stuff.  I am in awe.

Where are you going?

I am currently in Cleveland filming season 5 of Make It Artsy!  At the end of the week I am heading straight to NYC for a few days, then it's off to Cape Cod for Fourth of July, a visit to Florida for HSN, a surprise-to-me trip to Paris (pinch me) and then home for the last week of July, when I'll be teaching my (sold out) Altered Book class.  Whew.

So, there you have it!  That's the scoop on life around here at the moment.  If you'd like more behind-the-scenes real life fun, you can always check out my vlog.  I post a new vlog to my YouTube channel every Wednesday!  This is last week's vlog (this week's vlog will be up on my YouTube channel later today):

Thanks for stopping by!