Balzer Designs

Around Here: December 2019

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

What are you wearing?

My glasses and a baby.

Besides wearing the baby and my glasses, I can be found in sweatpants or leggings and a sweater almost every single day.  It's pretty glamorous!

What have you bought?

I keep telling myself that I'm not going to make everything about the baby.  But the truth is, the baby is an all consuming part of my life at the moment.  He and I spend most of every single day together, to the exclusion of everything else.  Other than groceries, the only stuff I buy is for the baby.  Hopefully I'll get back to buying fun things like art supplies soon...but until then: We are meeting my brother, his partner, and their brand new baby in Hawaii in a few weeks, so I just ordered this:

It's a pop-up tent to protect the baby when we're outside at the beach or pool.  I have to confess that I'm insanely nervous about flying with an infant.  If you have any tips, I'd love to hear them!

What are you reading?

My Mom subscribes to a magazine that I looooove.  It's called Old House Journal.

If you love old houses, this magazine is for you.  From home tours to DIY instructions, this magazine has it all!  I read the most recent issue from cover-to-cover on Sunday.  What a treat!

Current art crush?

I have been following @bookhou on instagram for several years.  She makes wonderful things.  And has a lovely online shop stocked with lots of goodies including super cool bags and pouches made from handprinted fabric.  She also just released a Punch Needle book.  (On a side note, I bought a Punch Needle kit like three years ago.  I really need to take it out of the drawer and give it a try!)  She does a great job staging her photos.  They are works of art in themselves.  Check it out:

 I love the variety in her work: stamping, sewing, papercrafts, punch needle, watercolor painting, and more!

So, there you have it!  That's the scoop on life around here at the moment.  Thanks for stopping by!

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P.S. Today is the last day to get the Early Bird pricing of $50 for Creative Jumpstart!

Around Here: November 2019

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

What are you wearing?

Maternity leggings plus anything in my closet that will still fit me.

The good news is that I've always liked flowy clothing and empire waists, so I have a surprising amount of non-maternity tops that work for maternity!

On a side note, this pregnancy has brought about a surprising body image depression.  Considering the fact that I was much heavier in my 20s than I am now, nine months pregnant, you'd think I'd be fine with the weight gain and the body changes.  But it has been a real struggle.  I work every day to maintain a positive attitude about it and I have a wonderful mother and partner who are always encouraging, but the changes are tough to take.

What have you bought?

I just bought a bath mat from my own Society 6 Shop...

...to match the rug I already put in the bathroom.  The design is based on this table I painted a few years ago:

What are you reading?

I have a book on baby sign language that I'm starting, but mostly I've been listening to podcasts.  Current faves are: Only a Game, Stuff You Should Know, and the Dragnet podcast.

Current art crush?

Sarah Shoot or sarahshootmixed on instagram.  She's a jewelry artist with a very funky and colorful style.  I love that she sells mixed pairs of earrings (i.e. both earrings are not the same).  Check out her work:

In case anyone is wondering what to get me -- or themselves -- for Christmas, I'll leave a link to her etsy shop page.  ;) 

So, there you have it!  That's the scoop on life around here at the moment. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Around Here: October 2019

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

What are you wearing?

Anything and everything I own with an empire waist.  Although, now that the weather is colder, I've been living in maternity leggings and t-shirts with big sweaters. Also, this striped shirt is on my body like 4 days a week:

By coincidence, a friend bought me a really cute baby outfit that blends perfectly with the shirt!  LOL!

What have you bought?

Food.

We have yet to cook a meal in our new kitchen.  It's simply not unpacked, and so we've been eating at my Mom's house or going out.

What are you reading?

Nothing.  Sigh.  It has been a while since I haven't had a book of some kind going, but I'm simply in a busy season at the moment.  And reading has gone by the wayside.

Current art crush?

Julie Hamilton or juliehamiltoncreative is one of my favorite people to follow on instagram.  She posts lots and lots and lots of amazing and inspiring collages.  Check them out:

I just looooove her work, especially the Matisse-ish leaf compositions -- like the one above.  Swoon!  So, there you have it!  That's the scoop on life around here at the moment. 

Thanks for stopping by!

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P.S. This month's livestream for YouTube channel members is TOMORROW (Tuesday) October 29 at 5:00pm EST.  It will be the first one from the new studio!  Yay!  If you're not a member already, it's easy to join and costs just $4.99/month.

Around Here: September 2019

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

What are you wearing?

I have been spelunking through my closet to figure out which clothes will work for my new body.  Thank goodness I've always like empire waist dresses!

This dress is an oldie from Asos Curve.

What have you bought?

Lighting!  This month we bought an antique chandelier and sconce for our front hall, along with some antique shades.

Choosing shades for the lights was really interesting.  First, you're limited by the number of available shades.  For instance, our chandelier requires 5 shades.  Finding 5 matching antique glass chandeliers is not super easy.  Then, you have to think about what actually matches the fixture and enhances it -- doesn't detract from it or clash with it.  Personally, I think we made great choices and I can't wait to see them hanging in our new house!

What are you reading?

Last week, I attended a fascinating conversation between author and economist Emily Oster and Jessica Grose, Lead Editor of the New York Times Parenting section.  They gave each of us a copy of Emily's most recent book, Cribsheet.

I have just started to read it and I'm enjoying it quite a bit.

Current art crush?

I follow a woman named Erika Lee Sears (erikaleesears) on instagram.  She makes and posts a small oil painting on paper every single day.

There is so much that I love about her work!  I love the wonky style.  I love how she makes every day objects look so fantastic.  I love how you captures the light.  I love her dedication to creating every single day!  I find her work enormously inspiring and I love finding it in my feed every day. 

So, there you have it!  That's the scoop on life around here at the moment. 

Thanks for stopping by!

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P.S. This month's livestream for YouTube channel members is TOMORROW (Saturday) September 28 at 5:30pm EST.  If you're not a member already, it's easy to join and just costs $4.99/month.

Around Here: August 2019

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

What are you wearing?

When I'm not wearing a dress, my uniform is: maternity jeans, tank top, cute coat or top over it, and sandals:

Most of my maternity clothes have come from Kohl's.  They're one of the few stores that carry maternity clothes in plus sizes (up to size 18) in the store -- so you can actually try stuff on!  The coat is from my favorite clothing store in the world.  It's called W.O.W. and they carry artist-made clothing in sizes extra small through 3X -- so you can shop with anyone of any size!  I love that!

What have you bought?

On tax free weekend, we bought all of our towel bars and hooks and toilet paper holders -- you know, the glamorous stuff in life!

I wish that Home Depot gave out a frequent shopper card, like a coffee card.  I feel like we go there twice a week to grab something....

What are you reading?

I just finished two books by the same author: Luck, Love, and Lemon Pie and The Simplicity of Cider by Amy E. Reichert.

I had previously read her book The Coincidence of Coconut Cake and loooooved it.

I found Luck, Love & Lemon Pie a bit depressing.  It's about a marriage falling apart, so not a joy to read.  I enjoyed The Simplicity of Cider a bit more, but found the protagonist extremely frustrating.  Nonetheless, this is a trio of easy-to-read and well written romantic novels.  Good beach reading.

Current art crush?

Arianna Caggiano aka quiltkween.  She makes ultra cool modern quilts and I just adore them!  Take a peek:

I swoon over her clean design and superb color sense.  The variety she finds in triangles, squares, and lines is so inspiring to me!

So, there you have it!  That's the scoop on life around here at the moment. 

Thanks for stopping by!

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P.S. This week's livestream for YouTube channel members is TONIGHT (Thursday) August 29 at 5pm EST.  If you're not a member already, it's easy to join and just costs $4.99/month.