Balzer Designs

100 Days of Gelatin Printing: Days 29-35

Thanks for the enthusiastic response to my live online classes. The ScanNCut DX Super Basic Beginner sold out pretty quickly, so I added a new section on June 5. Hope to see you there! ---- I think it's fair to say that I'm leaf obsessed. Or at least obsessed with this one leaf mask. I didn't use it every single day...but pretty darn close. Check it out (These images are embedded from instagram. If you can't see them, click HERE.): I even made my Mom a gelatin printed card for Mother's Day and I made a process video about it... Read more →

Live Online ScanNCut Classes are Here!

I don't think I'll be getting on an airplane anytime soon. And so I've figured out a way to bring my live ScanNCut classes to you! I'm teaching Live Online Classes for ScanNCut DX and ScanNCut 2 owners via Zoom. You can see the full listing HERE. Classes are strictly limited to 10 students. Here's a screenshot of the current offerings: As you can see, I'm offering a Super Basic Beginner class to get you up to speed, How to Cut Fabric, Scanning 101, and a project class, sharing how to make a super cute rainbow mobile with sparkly raindrops:... Read more →

Art Journal Every Day: Big Floral in Fast Forward

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 →

Adventures in Arting Podcast: Carolyn Says OOPS

On today's podcast we're talking to Carolyn Dube about Art Sparks, the fact that there's no one right answer, her former life experimenting with pizza dough, being the ugly butterfly, and so much more! If you do not see the podcast player above, please click on this link. On the off chance that you've never listened to a podcast or don't get why anybody would want to, here are some facts: (1) Podcasts are convenient. It's a recording that is available to you whenever and wherever you'd like to listen. You can pause, stop, start, fast forward, and rewind. Stream... Read more →

Harvard Art Museums "Painting Edo"

Back in February I was lucky enough to go to the opening of the "Painting Edo" exhibit at the Harvard Art Museums. From the Harvard Art Museums website: Painting Edo — the largest exhibition ever presented at the Harvard Art Museums — offers a window onto the supremely rich visual culture of Japan’s early modern era. Selected from the unparalleled collection of Robert S. and Betsy G. Feinberg, the more than 120 works in the exhibition connect visitors with a seminal moment in the history of Japan, as the country settled into an era of peace under the warrior government... Read more →

100 Days of Gelatin Printing: 21-28

Before I get to the gelatin prints, a couple of notes from my online shop: All of my gelatin prints are available for sale. They've been signed and matted in a beautiful bevel edge mat and now simply need to be placed in an 11x14 frame and hung on the wall. If you see one on my instagram that isn't in the shop, I either haven't had time to mat it yet or it has sold. Reach out to me and I can help you out. I have been sorting through our basement and I found some treasures. Hopefully by... Read more →

ScanNCut: Cut File to Card Base

A happy early Mother's Day to you! Using the built-in editing functions of your ScanNCut, it's super easy to take almost any cut file -- symmetrical or not -- and turn it into a card base. I used a flower shape to create a super cute Mother's Day card. Watch the video for the how-to: Here are the basic steps: Choose your cut file. Resize it so that it's slightly wider than 6 inches. Increase the number of flowers to 2: Align the two flowers and then flip one of them. And last but not least, weld your design. As... Read more →

Art Journal Every Day: *NEW* Online Class about Using a Limited Palette

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 →

Adventures in Arting Podcast: Julia Wester

On today's podcast I'm talking to Julia Wester about being a working mom, quarantining with a broken leg, and transitioning from her job as Oh Joy's Creative Director into her own business as a freelance stylist. If you do not see the podcast player above, please click on this link. On the off chance that you've never listened to a podcast or don't get why anybody would want to, here are some facts: (1) Podcasts are convenient. It's a recording that is available to you whenever and wherever you'd like to listen. You can pause, stop, start, fast forward, and... Read more →

Around Here: April 2020

Hello, friends! I hope your quarantine life is settling into a happy routine. Here's a little bit about life around here right now: What are you wearing? Black, black, black. Black sweatshirt. Black t-shirt. Black hoodie. Sometimes accessorized with an apron... ...and sometimes accessorized with a baby on my chest. As a side note: after years of insisting that leggings aren't pants, this pandemic has changed my mind. Leggings are pants and they're the pants I wear every day. Black leggings, of course. What have you bought? We bought a Jolly Jumper and the baby loooooves it! What are you... Read more →