Balzer Designs

Offset Vehicle T-Shirt

At the moment, my son is 100% obsessed with vehicles. His happiest moments are when we stand on the sidewalk by a busy street and watch the traffic go by. He points at every single truck and car that passes and says, "caaah." It's adorable. To celebrate his deep love of all vehicles, I decided to make him a t-shirt. Here it is: I used some leftover scraps of colored Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV) for the colored bits in this design. HTV can be a bit expensive, so I always try to minimize waste and I keep all of my... Read more →

ScanNCut: Die Cut Inlay

Find your favorite lacy cut file and give this super cool technique a try! This is a fun and easy technique that uses both the positive and the negative of your cuts. For those of you out there who always look at your mat and wish you could use those extra little cut outs... ...now you can! Yay! Here's a closer look at each of those cards: Watch this short video for the very simple how to: Some tips to keep in mind: You'll note that I used my ScanNCut DX to cut the same design out of cardstock as... Read more →

Super Simple 4th of July Garland Banner

It's almost the Fourth of July! It's a holiday that basically demands red, white, and blue decorations for a backyard barbecue. As a crafty gal, I love to decorate for the holidays. However, I'm in a season of life in which my DIY decorations need to be quick and easy or they won't get done. I'm sure that as my son gets older, I'll be able to return to more elaborate DIYs, but I'm keeping it simple for this year's 4th of July festivities. As I'm sure you realize, simple can be outstandingly gorgeous. I cut my shapes out of... Read more →

Quick Technique: Same Stencil but Different Results

May's "Year of Gelatin Printing" workshop was all about stenciling (using a stencil and making your own). So, I thought I'd share a quick and easy gelatin printing technique with you today (the video is about one minute long): How you print the stencil when using a gelatin plate (Gelli Plate, Gel Press Plate) makes a big difference. You may love one kind of print and hate the other. Or you may like both of them, but want to use each at different times. This stencil is called "Circle Jumble" and I'm using Liquitex Basics acrylic paint. Here's the comparison:... Read more →

4 Ways for Mixed Media Artists to Use the ScanNCut

As you know, I love my ScanNCut. But, I'm definitely not into using cookie cutter designs. That's part of the reason I love the ScanNCut so much: it allows me to express my own quirky style quickly and easily. There are so many ways to design custom files: Using the built-in editing functions in the stand-alone ScanNCut. Using the built-in scanner to scan my own original drawings or copyright free artwork from books or the internet. Using the free computer-based software, CanvasWorkspace. Using any third-party software that can output an SVG cut file. And the ScanNCut cuts a wide variety... Read more →

Art Journal Every Day: Tags, Tags, Tags!

If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, the concept is simple: It's a commitment to take ten minutes each day to do something in your art journal. No need to finish anything or even like it. It's about making the time to nourish your creativity every day! If you have the time to flip through your phone, you have the time to Art Journal Every Day. If you'd like to share what you make, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek. I love to use tags for experimenting and exploring. They're hardy and they're... Read more →

Watercolor Flower Cookies for Mother's Day

Hey guys! I made some more watercolor-style cookies! I put together a short video about the process: Supplies: sugar cookies - I used this recipe. royal icing - I used this recipe. shallow bowl gel food coloring lemon extract - Your cookies will taste like the flavor of your extract so use a flavor you like (almond extract, peppermint extract, coffee extract, etc.). edible marker palette for your "paints" - I used a mini muffin tin. food dedicated paintbrushes - Any paintbrush that has never touched paint is okay. piping bag pick I am not an expert cookie maker/decorator but... Read more →

Easy Watercolor Prints with Foam Stamps (Art Foamies by Balzer Designs)

Today I've got a quick and easy step-by-step tutorial for you. It's all about creating beautiful watercolor prints using foam stamps. As I shared in Friday's weekly newsletter, I have two new Art Foamies designs. There's a 3-inch and a 6-inch version of each. These are the 3-inch ones: In the video I'm using one of the larger 6-inch stamps: Aren't these prints gorgeous? Links: Art Foamies Inktense Blocks Live Online Tag Class This is a quick and easy technique and I love that Inktense blocks are permanent when dry! It's the look of watercolor but it allows me to... Read more →

ScanNCut: Vinyl Auto Blade Kit

The ScanNCut Vinyl Auto Blade Kit is a great buy if you own a ScanNCut DX machine and like to cut vinyl -- adhesive-backed or heat-transfer. You can “just” use the Vinyl Auto Blade for cutting your intricate vinyl designs or you can take advantage of a number of exciting new possibilities that come with kit activation: New Vinyl Designs – There are 21 detailed designs for you to resize as you wish and cut out with your ScanNCut machine. With the Vinyl Auto Blade kit you can choose to make a design as small as a piece of paper... Read more →

Don't Miss Friday's FREE Webinar!

My friend Nathalie Kalbach hosts monthly FREE webinars on a variety of art-related topics. I will be part of the panel this Friday, April 30th, at 12PM EST. Here's the official description: Join artists Nat Kalbach, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, Iris Fritschi-Cussens, and Jimmy Leslie as they discuss the ups and downs, ins and outs, and the good, bad, and ugly of using social media as artists. We'll talk about balancing privacy and sharing, potential benefits and downsides, and how participating can change your practice. Metrics, negative comments, and thoughts on how to get started will also be touched on. Let's... Read more →