Balzer Designs

ScanNCut: Background Scan

What is the ScanNCut Background Scan? How do you use it? When do you use it? What do you need to know about it?! I'm answering all of your Background Scan questions and sharing the four ways that I use Background Scan in this video: As a recap, Background Scan is useful when: You want to use small scraps of material. You want to perfectly place a cut file. You want to cut multiple colors of the same material at the same time. You want to cut out certain design areas on a material. I use Background Scan almost every... Read more →

I Made an Ugly Monster Doll!

Check out how cute this fleece ugly monster doll is! This is a project that Michaels hired me to do and by their request I have the full tutorial in my instagram stories (follow the link and click on my face). I hope you'll check it out! Thanks for stopping by! --- P.S. The Member Livestream is tomorrow (Wednesday) night and ScanNCut: CanvasWorkspace for Mac is on Thursday night. Read more →

Mixed Media Page Marker/Bookmark

I stumbled across these fabric bookmarks that looked cool and super simple to make: source But I didn't feel like dragging out my sewing machine and ironing board. So, I made one out of paper! I cut a 3"x3" square and then cut another 3"x3" square into a little bit more than half. Because I'm using adhesive and not stitching it, I knew that I would need a bigger corner area, which you can see on the piece on the right side. And then I decorated the papers and simply glued them together on the top and left side. This... Read more →

Valentine's Day: Photo Puzzle Card

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and so here's a cute idea for a sweet gift to give a loved one: a small puzzle that he or she can put together that features their loved ones or a hidden message! You can find a step-by-step guide to creating your own custom puzzle by hand cutting HERE or by using an existing puzzle HERE. I made mine using my ScanNCut. It's something I figured out how to do because of a question in January's Member Livestream. It's a simple process: Use a wet adhesive to glue the photo to a piece of... Read more →

Mini Mixed Media Collages

Jane Davies shared this super short (1.5 minute) video... ...and it got me inspired. Instead of painting my paper the way that Jane did, I gelatin printed some deli paper with plain colors. I cut out a bunch of shapes and then cut down some white cardstock to 8x8. I followed Jane's rule of 3 pieces of collage per background. Here's what I've got so far: And I'm actually stuck. Some of these I like just as they are. A shocking statement for a maximalist! I think I'm going to sleep on it and decide if they need to be... Read more →

30-Second Tutorial: T-Shirt Headband

Have you got 30 seconds? Then watch this video to see how to turn any t-shirt into a super cute headband -- no sewing or glue required: In essentials, cut your t-shirt... ...and then fold it up! This example is super basic, but you can get fancy by painting/dyeing the fabric. I did that with this one: It's sun printed! So, grab a t-shirt that you don't want anymore and turn it into some super cute headbands! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

ScanNCut: Rhinestone Design Collection

Every year Brother comes out with new pattern collections. I don't generally like to use other people's patterns -- it's one of the reasons I particularly love the ScanNCut. It's so easy to scan in your own designs! However, I fell in love with the rhinestone design collection because it combines rhinestones with shapes to cut from HTV or fabric with fusible. In the video I walk you step-by-step through the process of cutting and creating with the cactus image from this collection: And here is the t-shirt that I made: It turned out super cute! Because I used fabric... Read more →

I Made Christmas Cookies! And You Can Make Christmas Crack.

These wreath cookies have got to be some of the simplest and cutest cookies I've ever made. I didn't have a large circle cookie cutter, so I used a drinking glass. Necessity is the mother of invention! If you're interested in doing some baking, but don't want to get out the piping bags, Christmas Crack is one of my favorite things on earth to make. And it's easy. Here's the deal: You will need: crackers - saltines, graham crackers, club crackers, etc. 1 cup of packed brown sugar 2 sticks of butter 16 oz chocolate chips You can add: pretzels,... 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 →

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 →