Balzer Designs Stencils

Hooray! I'm just wrapping up the filming and editing of my epic online class all about designing and cutting custom stencils with a ScanNCut. I filmed the final video yesterday afternoon and I'm planning to have the online classroom all spiffed up and ready for students on Friday. This class is epic because it has taken me the entirety of the pandemic to film and edit it. I recorded every tutorial twice -- once on a ScanNCut 2 and once on a ScanNCut DX. Hopefully this will allow all ScanNCut users to easily understand the lessons and translate them to... Read more →


If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, the concept is simple: It's a commitment to take ten minutes each day to do something in your art journal. No need to finish anything or even like it. It's about making the time to nourish your creativity every day! If you have the time to flip through your phone, you have the time to Art Journal Every Day. If you'd like to share what you make, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek. You can find new Art Journal Every Day posts here on the blog... Read more →


If you haven't guessed from my last few posts, I'm so pleased to share that the new Balzer Designs stencils are now available for purchase! Here are links for you to buy: Fantasy Tile: 6x6 & 12x12 Landscape of Shapes: 6x6 & 12x12 Old Circle Grate: 6x6 & 12x12 Dendritic: 6x6 & 12x12 Dash V: 6x6 & 12x12 Cut Outs: 6x6 & 12x12 Circle Jumble: 6x6 & 12x12 Explosion: 6x6 & 12x12 I hope you'll enjoy making things with these stencils as much as I enjoyed designing these stencils! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →


This foiling technique is easy and fun and requires almost no skill! The most difficult part is walking away to allow the gel medium to dry. One of the nice things about foiling with gel medium is that the texture of the foiling has an organic, sort of distressed, feeling that I really like. Check out the detail photos: Watch the video for the how-to: O I hope you'll give this technique a try! SUPPLIES Tacky-When-Dry Gel Medium: http://shrsl.com/23f7t Old Circle Grate Stencil: http://shrsl.com/23f5d Deco Foil: http://shrsl.com/23f7w Thanks for stopping by! Read more →


In the roll up to Valentine's Day week, I thought I'd share some surface design techniques that I love and use often -- all on hearts, of course! This first technique is one I've been using for years and years with some variations. It's all about creating this super dimensional antique looking heart: For this project, I cut my chipboard from a hand drawn design using the ScanNCut. You could also hand cut the chipboard or use existing chipboard die cuts. Glue the chipboard pieces to a chipboard heart: Once the glue is dry and the pieces are secure, paint... Read more →


In case you missed the stencil livestream, I wanted to share the replay. In this hour-long video I share a dozen stenciling techniques that you're going to want to try! All of the art in the photo above is a small sampling of what was made during the livestream! All of the new designs... ...will be available online and in your favorite local shops in February. I'll be sure to post as soon as they're ready to buy! In the meantime, enjoy all the stencil techniques and get those stencils out and play! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →


First, a reminder: I am offering a FREE livestream on YouTube on Saturday (January 25) at 4pm EST. We will cover some of my favorite stencil techniques and all of the new designs! I hope you'll tune in! Until then, I made eight 12x12 gelatin prints, each using one of the new stencil designs: Most of these prints feel like backgrounds to me -- i.e. they need something more to be "finished." How do you know when artwork is done? It’s a feeling. Are you satisfied or does something about it bother you? Do you feel good looking at it... Read more →


I have been designing stencils for The Crafter's Workshop since 2011. I'm so pleased to share my new 2020 stencil designs with you! There are EIGHT fabulous NEW designs that I hope you'll love. I put together a video about them: This was a super fun book to make: The front and back covers: And here are the stencils along with the inside pages: Circle Jumble: Cut Outs: DashV: Dendritic: Explosion: Fantasy Tile: Shape Landscape: Old Circle Grate: I will be doing a FREE livestream on YouTube with the new stencils on Saturday (January 25) at 4pm EST. There will... Read more →


Today's guest post is from Karenliz Henderson. I first noticed Karenliz's work when she became a member of The Crafter's Workshop Design Team. I was so impressed by her beautiful work with stencils and I think you will be too! Hello, I’m Karenliz Henderson and I want to thank Julie for inviting me to do a guest post. I love picking up home décor items on sale. I’m constantly on the look out for them especially mirrors. The size of the mirror is 10”x10” and to help decorate my mirror, I used TCW826 Garden Frame designed by Julie. To start,... Read more →


Happy Thursday! When I was teaching in NYC, Faigie asked me if she could do a guest post on my blog and I said, "Of course!" I am always happy to showcase talented people's ideas -- especially when they're showing off some of the products I've designed! I hope you enjoy this tutorial from Faigie! Hi, my name is Faigie Kobre and I’m really excited to be guest posting on Julie's blog. I became a mixed media addict a number of years ago and one of my main sources of information on mixed media has been Julie. It was so... Read more →