Balzer Designs

Guest Post: Art Marks: A Love Affair

Today's guest post is from Rae Missigman. Rae is a sweet and lovely human with a distinctly shabby chic style that I so admire. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE, THIS INNATE LOVE OF DETAILS. I am continually challenging myself to leave my mark on the world in a colorful and meaningful way. It has been life long, this love affair with the tiniest of details. I have hovered over and around things my entire life, twisting and turning them until they felt right. It never mattered that it didn't need twisting, it only mattered that it made my heart happy.... Read more →

Art Journal Every Day: Into March 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. Here are two very different art journal spreads from March 2019: I love... Read more →

Art Journal Every Day: More February 2019 Pages

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. Today I am sharing some more art journal pages from February 2019. These... Read more →

Art Journal Every Day: Sunflowers in my Junque Journal

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 decided to put together a video of an art journal/junque journal page... Read more →

October Livestream Recap

Each month I host a one-hour livestream for members of my YouTube channel. I put together lots of art tips and tricks and tutorials based on questions that members post both before and during the livestream. Replays of all livestreams are available to members at any time they wish! Membership is just $4.99/month. It's a super fun hour of art and conversation. In October, we kicked off the livestream with a face painting demo, at the request of several members. Here's the demo face I painted: We also covered how deColourant works, organizing paper scraps and ephemera, Gelli Printing with... 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 →

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 →

Baby Shower Thank You Cards

You may recall that I asked for advice on making thank you cards for my baby shower. I got lots of good advice -- keep it simple, create a postcard instead of a folding card, etc. Well, I took the advice and these are the cards that I made: These were pretty simple to make. I took two large pieces of paper and did some indoor sun printing on them -- in two different color ways -- one dark and one bright. I cut up the sun printed paper and glued it to a white piece of cardstock. In some... Read more →

New Online Class: Indoor Sun Printing

I've got a great new 4-part class for sale! Watch this quick video about the class: You get: Lifetime access to class. Once you purchase, you never lose access. 4 Instructional Videos. Written tips & tricks to take away from each video lesson. Complete supply list with links to purchase. Private classroom where you can ask questions and share your ideas. Class is just $25. Get immediate access to the classroom and all lessons as soon as you purchase the class! Learn more & sign-up HERE. I hope to see you in the online classroom! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

August Livestream Recap!

Today I thought I'd share a quick recap of the August Livestream for YouTube Channel Members. As always, I started off the hour-long livestream by answering questions from members. Question included a number about painting on fabric. I shared my favorite fabric painting products and techniques on this scrap of fabric: After the livestream, I couldn't help myself from finishing up the painting on this piece of fabric, using all of the techniques and supplies I shared in the livestream: It's so delicious! I can't wait to stitch it up into something fun! PS: I used my Fantastical and Stone... Read more →