I often start the day with the thought, "what if?" Recently, I couldn't stop thinking about the idea of marbling over marbling. So I pulled out my Marabu Easy Marble paints and gave it a try and recorded the process for you: It was a lot of fun and I think the resulting papers are more interesting than the original papers. Both are pretty, but I'm always after something more than "just pretty." Take a peek at some of the details of those layers: Super fun and great results! I hope you'll give this technique a try! --- P.S. Thanks... Continue reading

I carved a new block over the weekend. I’m one of the millions of Americans who voted early. I voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for many reasons, but here are four really important ones: Science is real. Climate change is real. Black Lives Matter. “How a society treats its most vulnerable is always the measure of its humanity.” Pre-existing conditions shouldn’t be a barrier to health insurance. Stand up for what you believe in. Your vote is powerful. It matters. Continue reading

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. You can find new Art Journal Every Day posts here on the blog... Continue reading

Mom and I had a wonderful long chat with Sarah Matthews. I've seen Sarah's colorful layered prints many times, but I didn't know about her extensive work as a bookbinder. On the podcast we talk about creating during quarantine, YouTube, artist books, and lots more. Sarah has four girls and still manages to carve, print, or bind every single day. Give it a listen: If you do not see the podcast player above, please click on this link. On the off chance that you've never listened to a podcast or don't get why anybody would want to, here are some... Continue reading

As I mentioned on Friday, I took two classes with Deborah Boschert over the weekend. I had a lot of fun. They were exactly the self-care I needed. This is the palette of fabrics that I chose for myself: Interestingly, I posted a picture of this palette to my instagram stories and asked people if they thought it was a cohesive palette. About half the people (including Deborah) said, "No." I find that fascinating. To me, it looks super cohesive and fun to work with. But we are all different artists and I'm sure it looks like a hot mess... Continue reading

As you most likely know, I am a huge advocate of making art every day. It doesn't have to be a big time commitment, but it makes a big difference. Here's a quick video about that philosophy: And here is the video I referenced in my "creativity chat" -- enjoy: Finally, here is a peek at the apron I'm wearing in the video. I made it using a combination of heat transfer vinyl, gelatin printed fabric (with fusible), and a commercial print I stitched on to create a pocket. Thanks for stopping by! Continue reading

During the October Member Livestream, I did a short stamp carving demonstration to show how to carve small thin lines. I grabbed a piece of "garbage rubber" -- aka the stuff you cut away while making another stamp -- and carved three thin lines. This is a screenshot from the livestream: After I carved it, I casually said, "I'll have to see what I can do to transform that into something usable." Well, I sat down for ten minutes this weekend and I turned it into this: If I turn the stamp 90º I think you can more clearly see... Continue reading

I have a fabulous weekend planned for myself. I am going to take two one-day classes via Zoom with Quilt Artist, Deborah Boschert. Here's a short video she put together about one of them -- it's called "Captivating Compositions": And here is a video about the other class: I will be sure to report back next week, but I thought I'd share a few of the videos from Deborah's YouTube channel that are related to class. This one is about how to prepare your fabric for fusible collage: I've ironed plenty of Wonder Under to fabric, but I had no... Continue reading

Matthew Ya-Hsiung Balzer, my brother, is the guest on today's podcast. His film, THE CATCH, is going to be debuting at the Austin Film Festival next Thursday. Tickets are just $10 and you can watch from the comfort of your living room! We had a great chat about his creative journey, filmmaking, and what it takes to be in a creative career. Give the podcast a listen: If you do not see the podcast player above, please click on this link. On the off chance that you've never listened to a podcast or don't get why anybody would want to,... Continue reading

Yesterday I put together a resource guide for some of my favorite art things and I figured that I ought to share it here on the blog as well. After all, if you're here, it's because you love to make art! So here is a quick guide to some of my favorite art supplies. I limited myself to just a few choices in each category. My true "can't live withouts." You can find a much longer list HERE. Art Journaling No string China Marker/Grease Pencil Catalyst Brushes Liquitex Gesso Pilot Multiball Pen Stamp Carving Speedy Carve Speedball Carving Tools Permapaque... Continue reading

Check out these super cool earrings... ...that are super duper easy to make. You can watch the video tutorial below: Every time I've worn them, and I've worn them a lot, I get tons and tons of compliments from strangers. They look okay on the stands... ...but they simply sing when you put them on! They're lightweight and unique and I love them. I hope you'll make some for yourself! Thanks for stopping by! --- 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... Continue reading

This is the original photo I posted when I started the the #printinktober challenge in 2018. There are now almost 3000 posts using that hashtag! You can read my 2018 post here. I swore to myself that I was too busy this October to do the #PrintInktober challenge...but a week into October, I discovered that I didn't want to sit on the sidelines either. So...I decided to jump in a few days this month and not stress when I miss a day. (After all, I had already missed 7 days. Remember, it's never too late to start!) Confused? Here are... Continue reading

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. You can find new Art Journal Every Day posts here on the blog... Continue reading

Mom and I had the great pleasure of chatting with Marta Harvey. Marta has participated in #CarveDecember for many years and her tessellations have gotten more and more impressive every single year. On the podcast we discuss the tessellation lesson she has put together for the upcoming #CarveDecemberClass as well as her journey as an artist (hint: she had to raise her family before she could really get started). Give it a listen: If you do not see the podcast player above, please click on this link. On the off chance that you've never listened to a podcast or don't... Continue reading

I recently posted a simple question on instagram and facebook: Starting the week with a (relatively) clean desk. 💪 I have been trying to clean up after myself more frequently, so that it's a smaller task. But it's not my favorite thing to do and so I tend to drag my feet or avoid it. So help me out. What do you do to make cleaning up your creative space quick and easy? 🤷 The responses I got back were great! They ranged from commiseration to super useful tips. Today I thought I would share some of the tips I... Continue reading

I belong to a quilt guild called The Cambridge Modern Quilt Guild. Recently, they issued a challenge to the membership: Quilts should represent what modern quilting means to each maker. Ideas of techniques that typically appear in modern quilts include: Negative Space Improvisational Piecing Minimalism Alternate Gridwork Modern Traditionalism (Updating a traditional quilt block or theme in a modern way) Quilts must include a piece of Enchanted, the Kona Cotton 2020 Color of the Year. We were each sent a small piece of "Enchanted." I started sketching and came up with a design. It actually came together quite quickly. But... Continue reading

Here are two nature prints I did as demos during my live online, "Gelatin Printing from Your Backyard," class. I've included my finger in a few places so that you can see the scale of the detail. Printing with leaves is amazing! Class was tons of fun with so many gorgeous prints created. If you're interested in learning about this process, I will be teaching it as part of my year-long class, "A Year of Gelatin Printing," which will begin in February 2021. Join the mailing list to get all the details about the class. You can see all my... Continue reading

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. You can find new Art Journal Every Day posts here on the blog... Continue reading