Balzer Designs

ScanNCut: Dip Dyed Football Onesies

I'm super excited about today's project.  It's just so darn cute! 

Or is it the model that makes it so cute?! 

Either way, this is a fun and quick project.  In the first part of the video I show you how to dip dye your baby clothes.  In the second part of the video we add heat transfer vinyl or HTV sayings with the help of the ScanNCut.  Check it out:

I'm making baby clothes in this video, but you could absolutely use these techniques for grown-up clothes or even accessories like tote bags!  Check out the full collection of dip dyed baby onesies and jackets:

Thanks for stopping by!

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P.S. I am a paid spokesperson for the Brother ScanNCut.  It is a machine that I love and use.  All projects and opinions are my own.

Product Registration: https://www.brother-usa.com/registermybrother/
Brother Customer Support: https://www.brother-usa.com/support/

Two ScanNCut Tutorials: Cutting HTV & New Disney Roll Feeder Designs

Today I've got two ScanNCut video tutorials for you!

First up: HTV or Heat Transfer Vinyl is one of the most popular things to cut with your ScanNCut.  Today I'm sharing 7 tips on cutting HTV with your ScanNCut DX.

Here are the tips I go over in the video:

1. How to place HTV on the mat.
2. Mirroring or flipping your design.
3. Consider drawing your cut file first.
4. Setting the Half Cut.
5. Do a Test Cut.  Every.  Single.  Time. 
6. Weeding tips.
7. Ironing & Peeling Tips.

And here is the shirt I made in the video:

If you've never used HTV, it is permanent and washable and lots of fun!  I hope you'll give it a try!

And, if you have a ScanNCut Disney DX machine, things just got even better for you!  If you update to the latest firmware, you will discover TWENTY new Disney roll feeder designs that are available to you.  How cool is that?!

Watch the video for more info:

Here is the design I cut in the video:

If you'd like more information on the Disney machine, you can find it here.  And you can find out more about using your roll feeder in this video.

I hope you found these tutorials useful.  Thanks for stopping by!

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P.S. I am a paid spokesperson for the Brother ScanNCut.  It is a machine that I love and use.  All projects and opinions are my own.

Product Registration: https://www.brother-usa.com/registermybrother/
Brother Customer Support: https://www.brother-usa.com/support/

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: 

1. Background Paper
2. Sentiment
3. Detailed Embellishment

For my cards:

1. 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. 
2. For my sentiment, I used my ScanNCut to create exactly what I wanted.  However, you could just as easily stamp it or use letter stickers.  
3. As for my embellishments, I purposely created tiny differences.  Over time, I have discovered that this makes the process of creating multiples more creative and fun for me.  And yet, because they're basically the same, I don't really have to spend that much extra time figuring out a design that works.  Check it out:

So although Christmas has passed us by, I hope you'll take this easy formula and try making cards for an upcoming birthday, Valentine's Day, or whatever holiday is next on your calendar!

Thanks for stopping by!

One Little Word Necklace

One of the New Years traditions that I've adopted is Ali Edwards' "One Little Word" challenge.  The idea is that instead of a list of New Years Resolutions, you choose one little word to represent your goal(s) for the new year.  This year I have chosen the word: "enjoy."  With a new baby in the house, I want to focus on enjoying my life rather than pushing and hustling and trying to get stuff done.  As a simple reminder of my resolution, I decided to make a necklace featuring the word, "enjoy." 

In this video tutorial, I show you how to make your own word necklace from start-to-finish:

In essentials...

Choose a font for your necklace:

Add loops:

Use the ScanNCut to cut the word from shrink film:


Shrink it:

Add a chain or necklace:



I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!  Now I hope you'll choose a word for yourself and make your own fabulous necklace!

Thanks for stopping by!

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P.S. I am a paid spokesperson for the Brother ScanNCut.  It is a machine that I love and use.  All projects and opinions are my own.

Product Registration: https://www.brother-usa.com/registermybrother/
Brother Customer Support: https://www.brother-usa.com/support/

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 get a tree at all feels like an accomplishment!)  However, next year, I plan to make a bunch of these dimensional snowflakes to add to my handmade ornament collection!

Hope you're having a great Monday and Happy Hanukkah!