Balzer Designs

Adventures in Arting Podcast: Big House Craft Project

As you probably know, the biggest craft project I'm working on is a home renovation.  And renovation doesn't really seem to cover what it is.  It's kind of building a new house inside of the old house shell.  Listen the podcast to hear more:

If you do not see the podcast player above, please click on this link.  You can listen to a podcast anywhere and at any time.  It is a recording that is available to you whenever you'd like to listen.  If you'd like to download it to your iTunes library, click here.  You can also pause and rewind or fast forward as you desire.  I like to listen to podcasts while I'm making art.  It's a little like hanging out with friends while you art.  Please subscribe to our podcast in iTunes or wherever you listen and be sure to leave us a review!  Reviews help other people find the podcast.  Thanks so much!

And here are a few pics of the before and current situation:

 

It's going to be amazing some day.  I can't wait!  Thanks for stopping by!

All podcasts are archived here.  Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.  And if you like the podcast, please leave a review on iTunes!

ScanNCut: Draw Patterns for Hand Embroidery

You know that I love to do hand embroidery. 

How pretty is that?!  Guess where the pattern came from?  It's one of the built-in designs in my ScanNCut DX!  Check out the video tutorial for the project how-to step-by-step:

In the video, I'm using a ScanNCut DX, but you could do this technique with any ScanNCut as long as you have a Universal Pen Holder.

I hope you'll give this project a try.  It makes creating beautiful hand embroidered pieces a snap!

Thanks for stopping by!

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I will be on HSN tonight and tomorrow with the PTouch Embellish and with an exclusive ScanNCut DX bundle!

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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/

ScanNCut DX Tips & Tricks

Here are some ScanNCut DX Tips & Tricks for you! 

First up, one of my favorite new features in the ScanNCut DX.  It's a small thing, but it makes such a big difference in workflow.  And as we all know, the key to happiness is good workflow.  

Every ScanNCut machine comes loaded with lots of built-in designs.  Some of those built-in designs are layered, as in this duck example below:

You used to have to bring each part of the layered file in individually -- one wing, one foot, etc.  It was tedious.

However, in the new ScanNCut DX, you have the option of importing all the parts of a design as a group.  It's great for a couple of reasons.  Watch the video to find out why I love this feature:

I have gotten a lot of questions from ScanNCut DX users wondering what that lever on the left side of the machine is?! 

Well, wonder no longer!

Just remember, raise the scanner glass to "2" to protect it from getting scratched or dirty.  Lower it to "1" to get a nice clean scan!

Finally, some very good news: CanvasWorkspace for Mac is here!  If you have a Mac computer you can now download a version of CanvasWorkspace to use on your computer. 

Some of the features that are different from the online version include:

• ability to work offline
• access to all of the TTF (True Type Fonts) on your computer
• roll feeder function
• layers palette -- with the ability to lock and hide layers

Check out the video to see how easy it is to download and to explore a few of the features:

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/

Pop-Up Valentine's Day Card

It's February!  Let the Valentine's Day projects begin!  It's an odd phenomenon.  I'm not that huge of a Valentine's Day person, but I love making things that feature hearts.  And so, here is the first of my crafty Valentine's Day projects:

It’s super easy to create a customized Valentine’s Day card with a big beautiful pop-up heart inside when you have a ScanNCut! This is an easy project that you can customize with your own text, fonts, and personal flair! ScanNCut users from beginner to advanced will enjoy making this beautiful card while learning important ScanNCut skills.  Watch the video for the how-to:

I got the idea for this card after making my holiday cards, which you may recall:

Sometimes when I'm wondering what to make, I look back at my own crafty projects for inspiration!  Being creative doesn't have to mean reinventing the wheel.  Sometimes it's as easy as looking back at projects you've made and loved and thinking about how to recycle them with a little bit of a twist!  So, the next time you can't figure out what to make, try looking back at your own work.

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/

Cambridge Modern Quilt Guild Challenge

I am a member of the Cambridge Modern Quilt Guild.  At our most recent meeting we were each instructed to bring a fat quarter of red, orange, yellow, blue, green, and purple fabric.  We created piles of each of the colors of fabric...

...and then through a complicated series of swaps, we each ended up with a pile of 6 fabrics -- but not all of the colors.  This was the pile I ended up with:

I used my ScanNCut to help me cut out a bunch of shapes for raw edge applique and put this little baby quilt together from start-to-finish (including quilting and binding) in less than a day!

If I had it to do over, I probably would have taken a little more time to fiddle with the design, but you know what they say: done is better than perfect!  (PS: I've got a blog post coming your way about those 4 green faces in the background of this photo.)

Thanks for stopping by!