Balzer Designs

Dimensional Hanging Stars

Christina Richmond -- one of the #CarveDecemberClass teachers -- sent me down a rabbit hole this week. She posted a 3-D star she had made: I have always loved these 3-D stars. I even have a few hanging in my studio! I suppose that I could have followed the link and just used the tutorial Christina shared. But I'm stubborn. And I just have to reinvent the wheel sometimes. As a result, these stars took me hours and hours and hours to make. Here was my process: I wanted to make an SVG file so that I wouldn't have to... Read more →

Last Minute Gift Card Holder/Envelope

I am a procrastinator. About everything. Including gift giving. So, one of my favorite last minute gifts to give is a gift certificate (handmade or otherwise). This little card/envelope has a "pop-up" segment for a gift card: If you want to shop local/shop small or give a personal gift (like doing the dishes for a week) you don't need to include a commercial gift card. You can make a little gift card! PSA: You can purchase a gift certificate for Balzer Designs online classes at any time! Just send me an email and I'll get you set up. You can... Read more →

Sparkly Watercolor Christmas Ornaments

I made some super fun Christmas ornaments using black watercolor paper and interference watercolors. These are super easy to make: STEP ONE: Cut 3-5 identical symmetrical shapes, like a circle. You'll note that my circles have a perforation down the middle, but they don't have to. STEP TWO: Color the shapes with sparkly watercolors. STEP THREE: After they've dried, fold the shapes in half. STEP FOUR: Glue the shapes back-to-back (unpainted side) to each other and put a string through the middle before you glue the last piece in. You can add a tassel or some beads to the bottom... Read more →

Pop-Up Bouquet of Flowers

My Mom's birthday was last week and I made her a pop-up card! I made several drafts of this card, including one with a terrible misspelling that I tried to fix to no avail: The card turned out so cute that I decided to give the design to Maker and Super Learner Members this month. I also put together a how-to video for everyone to enjoy: As I mentioned in the video, you can: Make your own flower -- it just needs 8 petals with one missing. Buy the file (comes bundled as an SVG for cutting machines and a... Read more →

Lantern Houses Class Updated!

I updated my Lantern Houses Online Class with a new style of house: It's square instead of rectangle and has a sturdier roof so that it can more easily be used as an ornament. This is the original style, which I still love: Students who are already enrolled in the Lantern Houses class can login and access the update for FREE. A printable pdf (and instructions on hand cutting) are available to those who wish to cut their houses by hand. An .svg cutting file is available to those with electronic cutters. And, of course, if you purchase the class... Read more →

Holiday Cards 2020: Watercolor Ornaments

Today's card is about being lazy and reimagining an existing stamp instead of carving a new one. ;) I carved this "flower" stamp several years ago. But over the weekend I decided I could turn it upside down for a Christmas Ball Celebration! Watch the video for the how-to: Supplies: watercolor paper Pigma Micron PN black ink hand carved stamp craft foam scrap paper optional: clear ruler QoR watercolors paintbrush gold paint pen tape runner blank black card I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. I hope you enjoyed this whole week of card tutorials! I had a great time putting... Read more →

Holiday Cards 2020: Gelatin Printed Snowflakes

I have always lived in the Northeast. So Christmas and Winter are inextricably linked to snowflakes. Therefore, I couldn't resist creating some cards that feature a flurry of snowflakes! Watch the video for the how-to: Supplies: snowflake masks (make your own or buy them) gelatin plate brayer acrylic paint texture comb (optional) sentiment stamp black ink white cardstock scissors or circle paper punch tape runner paper trimmer blank card foam adhesive I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and will make some gelatin printed snowflake cards! (PS: If you want to make lots and lots of gelatin printed papers, my online... Read more →

Holiday Cards 2020: Hand Stamped Trees

This is such a simple idea and super duper addictive. Once I started making these trees, I just did not want to stop! In essentials, I just stamped a whole bunch of hand carved stamps on top of each other. Watch the video for the how-to: Supplies: white cardstock tissue tape stamping ink hand carved stamps craft foam scrap paper for masking tape runner paper trimmer gold cardstock optional: paper punch and wet adhesive I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If you're interested in learning more about carving and printing your own stamps, I offer several online classes. I'm currently... Read more →

Holiday Cards 2020: Paper Strips

You guys, it's not too late to make holiday cards to send out to friends and family! Especially when everyone is housebound, I think mailing a little handmade something sounds extra lovely. Therefore, every day this week I'm going to be sharing a tutorial for artsy holiday cards you can make and mail! Here we go: Today's cards are a great way to use up all of the hand painted paper scraps you have sitting around. I used gelatin prints, but you could use any painted/printed/doodled paper bits. Watch the video for the how-to: Supplies: paper scraps tape runner scrap... Read more →

Cut Paper Leaf Votives

Today I'm going to light up your world. Or at least show you a fun way to light up your world. I used my ScanNCut to create these very simple (but highly effective) cut paper leaf votives. I used painted plastic to cover the cut areas, but you can also leave (pun intended) them completely open if you wish, as in this example below: To be super safe, be sure to use battery operated LED votive candles inside, instead of real candles. If you're interested in making a project like this one, here are some helpful resources for you: Watch... Read more →