Balzer Designs

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 →

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 →

Cut Paper Window Treatments

Sometimes I get an idea and I just can't be stopped. Evidence: My fingers are numb. My hand, shoulder, and back are all sore. Why? We have no window treatments in our dining room. I've been inside the house a lot lately (like everyone else) and I've really been feeling the lack of window treatments. So I figured that I could make some. But who wants boring curtains?! Not me. So I grabbed some big sheets of paper and I started cutting. And I kept cutting. And cutting. And then I taped them to the windows. But I didn't like... Read more →

Paper Window Eggs for Easter

You guys, I couldn't bring myself to dye eggs this year. It just seemed so wasteful with eggs being in short supply. I tried to give myself the pep talk: you still eat dyed Easter Eggs, etc, but hunting through the grocery store for white eggs just seemed like misplaced priorities. So instead, I bring you paper window eggs: This is easy to do and would work for people of all ages. I started with a leftover piece of deli paper that was already covered in paint. Then I used a paint marker to draw an egg on it with... Read more →

I {Heart} Surface Design: Collaged Flower

This one is a little bit sweeter than I normally go for in style. I think it's because I chose a relatively soft palette. I've been feeling like I'm in a color rut and trying to mix things up. This soft pink is the result! I have to confess that I don't think this 100% counts under the "surface design" headline, but I put together a quick two-minute tutorial for you nonetheless: I hope you'll give this project a try! Personally, I might just have to fill an art journal page or two with collaged flowers! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

Guest Post: Abstract Winged Creatures

Today's guest post is from the talented Mystele! I have long adored Mystele's folk art-style paintings. And having met her in person, I can say that she is just as lovely a human being in person as she appears to be in her videos. Such a delight! The process I’m sharing with you via video is one of my favorites- creating abstract winged creatures with textured collage. You don’t need a lot of supplies for this, either- woot!, and you can, of course, adapt the supply list to suit your collage and creative aesthetic. There are NO hard and fast... Read more →

Stamped Christmas Cards

This has not been a crafty holiday season for me. However, I did manage to put together two very last minute Christmas cards. It was a Christmas Eve miracle! I followed an easy 1-2-3 card-making formula that you can use for any occasion: Background Paper Sentiment Detailed Embellishment For my cards: The background paper was stamped using a hand carved stamp and a custom ink pad, but you could grab a sheet of pretty scrapbook paper to make the process quicker. For my sentiment, I used my ScanNCut to create exactly what I wanted. However, you could just as easily... Read more →

Dimensional Paper Snowflakes

I found a super cute and easy tutorial that I just *have* to share! It's from a blog called, "The Other Side of Neutral" and it's a step-by-step photo tutorial on how to make these really cute dimensional snowflakes: Here's the link to the tutorial. The blog writer made hers with book pages, but I can imagine they would be super cool made from hand painted papers too! Every year I decorate our Christmas tree with handmade ornaments, like these: That said, we couldn't get our act together this year to decorate the tree. (The fact that we managed to... 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 →

Guest Post: Warm Winter Wishes

Today's guest post is from Gwen Lafleur. I first met Gwen many years ago when she was a student in a class I taught in Connecticut. I was blown away by her talent and I have followed her on social media since then. I think you'll love her tutorial! Hi all, this is Gwen Lafleur and today I’m sharing a fun seasonal project and tutorial that I put together along with Eileen Hull and Emerald Creek. The theme for my project was "Warm Winter Wishes" – I thought this was a great way to start getting in the mood for... Read more →