Balzer Designs

Artsy Halloween Treat Toppers

Steve and I have been debating what to do about trick-or-treating. We both want to take our son out, but we also want to make sure there's candy at our house for the other kids in the neighborhood. Someone online suggested that I leave little treat bags on our porch -- under the theory that people are less likely to clear the whole bowl of treat bags out than a regular bowl of candy. With this new idea, I had a new debate: just stick them in a bag or make something artsy and more "me?" Well, you can probably... Read more →

Laminated Storage Pouch with Stamping Inside

This is a post that I have been meaning to write for a long time and I finally sat down and filmed the tutorial for you. Yay! These are pouches made from laminating sheets. The stamping goes on the inside of the laminating pouch so that it doesn't chip or rub off. This is a super fun and easy project. You can watch the short (4 min) video for the full tutorial: LINKS: laminating sheets laminator Art Foamies A Year of Gelatin Printing Plastic Snap kit Here are some supply substitutions that you might find useful: No laminator: I think... Read more →

ScanNCut CanvasWorkspace: Saving & Exporting

CanvasWorkspace is so many things that it can be confusing. For example: CanvasWorkspace is a 100% free program that allows you to create and edit files for your ScanNCut. CanvasWorkspace is the gateway for many of the ScanNCut add-ons and upgrades, such as the Roll Feeder. CanvasWorkspace offers you dozens of 100% free project with instructions and cut files. CanvasWorkspace is where you can unlock additional cut files from Disney, Tattered Lace, and other designers, once you’ve purchased them. There’s no doubt that CanvasWorkspace is extremely useful and definitely worth your time getting to know how it works. Today I... Read more →

Balzer Designs Stencils 2021: Live Stencil Party Replay

In case you missed out on all of the stencil fun, here is the replay of Monday's live stencil event: And just to recap, here are the nine designs, which will be available on September 1: And here are links to all of the stencil posts I've done this month: Unboxing Embossing Paste & Embossing Powder Stencil Rubbing Using a Gelatin Plate with a Stencil to Fix Ugly Papers Baby Wipe Removal Understanding Different Mediums Using a Stencil Brush Distress Spray + Stencils 2 Ways to Foil How to Use Watercolor with Stencils Stencil Storage Whew. That's a lot of... Read more →

Balzer Designs Stencils 2021: Stencil Storage

I have hundreds of stencils and in this video I'm sharing how I've stored and organized them for over a decade. Page protectors and book rings are such a simple and inexpensive solution. No tangling, no getting lost -- this system keeps all of my stencils 100% contained! SUPPLIES: 12x12 Page Protectors 12x12 Cardstock 8.5x11 Page Protectors 8.5x11 Cardstock Book Rings Permanent Marker How do you store your stencils? I'd love to know! And if you still want more stencil know-how, you can check out my free email course: Stencil 101. Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

Balzer Designs Stencils 2021: TCW935 Secret Garden & The Gelatin Plate

One of my favorite uses for stencils and the gelatin plate is to make ugly things pretty. In this video I'm sharing how you can quickly print an overall pattern and magically make things look so much better! Check it out: SUPPLIES: Gelatin Plate Speedball Brayer Liquitex Basics Acrylic Paint "A Year of Gelatin Printing" Online Class I used TCW935 aka "Secret Garden" for this video and it made me fall head over heels in love with this stencil. Even after a decade of designing stencils, I still get surprised when I actually start to play with them. I knew... Read more →

Balzer Designs Stencils 2021: TCW938 Mystical Doodle & Stencil Rubbing

Did you know that you can stencil an entire sheet of paper in less than 30 seconds? The trick to this technique is using thin papers -- copy paper, tracing paper, deli paper, washi paper, book pages, etc. To get a great rubbing you want to make sure that you're using a paper you can feel the stencil through. In the second half of the video, I share how you can use a water based colorant, such as spray ink or watercolor, to add a background color to your paper. The oil pastel (and a crayon would do the same)... Read more →

Balzer Designs Stencils 2021: TCW939 & Heat Embossing with Modeling Paste

If you're a texture junkie, you're going to want to try out this technique: Heat embossing with modeling paste and stencils creates the coolest dimensional designs! Watch the video for the how-to: SUPPLIES: Light & Fluffy Modeling Paste Embossing Powder Embossing Heat Gun And the stencil I used is TCW939: There are lots of different mediums that you can use for heat embossing. Embossing powder will stick to anything that's wet. Have you ever tried heat embossing with paint or spray ink or another non-traditional medium? I'd love to know! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

Balzer Designs Stencils 2021: TCW942 Tulip Hexagons & Quick Stenciling

I don't know about you, but I am LAZY. And the easiest way to quickly stencil a large area is with a baby wipe. As you can see the results are fantastic! Here are some detail photos: In this tutorial video I share two different examples of media you can use with this technique: water soluble crayons and acrylic paint. In the video I'm using a stencil I designed for The Crafter's Workshop called "Tulip Hexagons." It's designed to seamlessly repeat. I show you how in the video above. It's so easy! I hope you'll give this technique a try.... Read more →

Balzer Designs Stencils 2021: TCW 943 Garden Tile & Watercolors

Yes, you 100% can use watercolor with stencils. In this video I share several different techniques for applying the watercolor as well as cleaning up your stencils. SUPPLIES: QoR Watercolors Palette Watercolor Paper The stencil in the video is one of my (Balzer Designs) designs for The Crafter's Workshop. It's called "Garden Tile." The holes are small on this stencil and you may have to knock out a few of the "hanging chads" as I demonstrate in this video: Here are a few of the examples from the video: Have you tried using watercolor with your stencils? How did it... Read more →