Balzer Designs

Art Journal Every Day: Another One Bites the Dust

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. All good things must come to an end. And so the art journal... Read more →

ScanNCut DX Calligraphy Kit

Introducing (drum roll please) the ScanNCut DX Calligraphy Kit! With your ScanNCut DX you can now beautifully label envelopes, create unique signs, and add custom calligraphy to all of your projects! Choose from pre-made designs and sayings or use the alphabet -- included in the Calligraphy Starter Kit -- to write whatever you'd like! Please note that the Calligraphy Kit only works with ScanNCut DX machines. Watch the video to see how easy it is: Thanks for stopping by! --- P.S. I am a paid spokesperson for the Brother ScanNCut. It is a machine that I love and use. All... Read more →

Around Here: February 2020

Hello, friends! Here's a little bit about life right now: What are you wearing? Most days it's sweatpants or leggings and a t-shirt, but I did get to dress up on Monday for an event at the museum, so here I am looking like a real person: What have you bought? I'm currently on a mission to lose the baby weight. So I've hopped back on Weight Watchers and I'm trying to remind myself that slow and steady wins the race. I also know myself and I need treats. I found these frozen yogurt bars and they are super delish... Read more →

Gelli Journal Flowers

Another slow-but-steady page in my Gelli Journal is complete! Yay! In the few minutes before I fall asleep every night, I think about art projects that I want to make. The idea of these big flowers came to my half-asleep brain one night and I woke up with intention! I love all of the little details in this spread. There are some stenciled patterns on these pages that are oldies but goodies, like... "Tribal Triangles" And "Striped Flower Circle" ...both released in 2015! Hard to believe that was 5 years ago. But it's one of the things I love about... Read more →

A New Purposeful Print

I don't think I will ever tire of monoprinting. There are so many interesting possibilities and complexities and challenges. It's an art form that you can enjoy as a beginner, but that becomes even more fascinating as you gain skills. Here is a new monoprint I made last week and I loooooove it. It's very minimalistic for me. Not a ton of pattern everywhere and the color palette is pretty strictly primary. I'm trying to push myself to find restraint. It's a real struggle. But what's the point of doing the same thing over and over again? I always want... Read more →

Art Journal Every Day: May 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. You may recognize the image from this page. I've used it before...sort of.... Read more →

Scrap Packs are Baaaaack!

Hey you guys! Great news! I finally restocked the scrap packs in my online shop. This is a pack of at least 30 hand painted scraps of paper. These are the papers I use to create collages and build my art journals! Painted papers may include a mixture of: deli paper, tags, watercolor paper, book pages, maps, cardstock, drawing paper, and more! Papers may be painted, doodled, stamped, stenciled, and/or marbled. Media used include: watercolor, acrylic paint, markers, stamping ink, oil pastels, and more! Scraps vary in size from 1.5"x2" to 8.5"x11" -- each pack is 100% unique. Shipping is... Read more →

Make It Artsy: Season 8 is Here!

I'm so pleased to share that the EIGTH season of Make It Artsy can now be found on your local PBS or PBS Create station. Hooray! In case you don't know, I host this crafty half hour TV show. Each episode of the show contains 2-3 guests and projects range from jewelry to sculpture to painting to stamping...and everything in between! You can watch the show on your TV, stream episodes online, or buy DVDs of each season to watch over and over again! Here are two of my favorite segments from season 8 -- enjoy! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

Gelli Journal Doodles

It takes me a lot longer to complete a page in my Gelli Journal these days, but I'm still doing my best to make art every single day. Here's a recent doodle page: In a previous life I would have completed this in one sitting. Instead, this page took me a week of little bits and pieces of time. That's fine. As they say: slow and steady wins the race. One of the nice things about a Gelli Journal is that you *can* do it in little bits and pieces and with products -- like gelly roll pens -- that... Read more →

Craft & Judaica at the MFA

One of my favorite annual events at the MFA (Museum of Fine Arts) here in Boston is their "Connoisseurship Night." Fellow & Patron members of the Museum Council are invited to attend two brief curatorial tours and then it's a seated dinner in one of the galleries. Each year the tours are different and you get to choose from a list of 6-7 different tours. Like anything else -- there are popular choices and unpopular choices for tours. Everyone knows and loves Impressionism. I try to choose the less popular tours -- the things I've never heard of or have... Read more →